1996 855 T5 - Ticking and exhaust leak?

[Sommerfeldt]

My chunk of Swedish steel has started to tick quite a bit at the front of the engine, and I've been seeing some (not a lot) of bubbles on my dipstick. No flickering oil lamp or anything, and the ticking isn't bad, but I'm trying to think a bit ahead, and get to preparing to get the oil pan o-rings changed.

Lazy bastard that I am, I went by the Volvo dealership today (called "Bilia" here), to enquire the good mechanically gifted fellows down there what they would take for the job. Answer?

700 USD (well, in my local currency, of course, but roughly 700 bucks). Oh, did I mention? PLUS parts, new oil, filter and whatnots.

That said, the guy at the shop said the ticking might not be the o-rings, but an exhaust leak, or a "valve starting to burn", whatever that means. Since I've no power issues and everything else seems fine the "valve burning" is a bit far fetched IMO, but has anyone heard of an exhaust leak causing the standard front-of-engine ticking which makes me think of 19 year old o-rings? Where would that leak be, in such a case?

- S

[abscate]

Hunt down the exact location of the tick with a piece of pipe used as a stethoscope. That will tell you what is wrong and guide you from there

[Sommerfeldt]

Seems about the same on both sides of the front of the engine - I'm still thinking it's the oil pan o-rings. I just can't get my head around how an exhaust leak could cause ticking like that.

I would think it a reasonably common thing too, since that's the first stop the Volvo mechanic got to in his hands off analysis, based on my description.

- S

[erikv11]

Ticking from an exhaust leak is a generally common thing, if you google it you will find a very long list of hits. But it will get louder with RPMs, and be more of a muffled click not a tight metallic one. And you will likely be able to spot the exhaust leak. I've never had one. Yes, almost all of these P80 engines need the pickup tube o-rings now.