Sump Seal replacement

coolscheid · Post by **coolscheid** » 13 Mar 2006, 11:15

Does anyone know how difficult it is to replace the sump seals on my 99 S70? The engine started making a ticking noise a while back. I took it to the dealer and they said "don't worry about it, its just the fuel injectors". I just had it in today, and asked them again what the problem is (1 year later mind you), and now they said its going to cost me $400 to replace the sump seals, and that is no guarantee that it will fix the problem. The parts cost $90, its the labor. I would like to attempt this myself, but am unsure of what I am going to get into. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

White850Turbo · Post by **White850Turbo** » 13 Mar 2006, 11:30

$400 isn't too bad for doing o-rings. The $90 they're charging for o-rings is the part I find disturbing. The most difficult part of the job is moving the power steering lines out of the way, but I'd say it's possible for a weekend mechanic to do it with the right tools.

saltydog · Post by **saltydog** » 13 Mar 2006, 18:22

90 bucks for parts is bogus unless they're trying to ding you for a couple of tubes of Volvo sealant for the pan.....just make sure that this will ease your pain - do you have an oil light while running? can you see inside the cam cover - See a lot of sludge? Check out some other threads in this forum lately as this seems to be an emerging issue with a lot of us - sludged up motors. Have you ever replaced the flame trap (PCV box)? I'll lay odds that when they drop the pan, your $400.00 job will take on a life of it's own.

Post by **pfeener** » 13 Mar 2006, 19:19

Here's the procedure; if you do a search on this forum and also Volvospeed.com you can get additional information.

Here was my parts list:

8648358-3 oil pan o-ring kit $16.52 includes 2 pan-to-block o-rings, the pickup tube o-ring, and the dipstick tube o-ring, plus extras not needed.
1366791-0 rectangular o-ring for pan cap w/o oil cooler $5.10.
949658-9 oil level sensor o-ring $3.71 '93 models only.
1161059-9 liquid gasket material $21.42
Small roller to apply gasket material
Permatex spray gasket remover to remove old gasket
Cable tie to hold power steering line to dipstick tube.
Oil and filter
Brake parts cleaner
New razor blade
Loctite threadlocker – blue

I have a '93 850 so it's a non-turbo and has an oil level sensor in the front of the pan so many people will skip the oil sensor step and add steps to disconnect the oil cooler lines. Since I didn't have the oil cooler, I figured there was no need to remove the passenger side wheel so I put the car on ramps for the work. I was successful but it may be best to use jack stands. With an oil cooler, the jack stands will be mandatory since you will need to disconnect the lines through the passenger side wheel well.

2. Put it up on the ramps, drained the oil and removed the filter. It drained and cooled overnight to make things easier.

3. Underneath, the pan can fit through the subframe but it's a tight fit. The passenger side overlaps the subframe about an inch and the driver side has the power steering lines running underneath. The only way out will be to tip the pan on the driver side below the transaxle to slide it out from above the subframe on the passenger side.

Here are two of the uncomfortable aspects of the job:
The large tab of metal sticking out from the passenger side of subframe toward the pan will need to be bent downward at about 30-45 degrees. It's a soft metal and won''t crack. The power steering lines will need to be bent over far enough that the pan can drop straight down on the driver side. Taking a prybar to rigid metal lines also was not fun for me – but it worked. The alternative is jacking the engine and removing the subframe.

4. I had put the car on jack stands, so I could pull the passenger front wheel, so I could take the cap off the passenger end of the oil pan, it just might have given me enough room to avoid having to bend the metal tab on the subframe.

5. The oil level sensor is disconnected by squeezing the wire on top of the connector and pulling the connector straight off the sensor. Removing the two 10mm screws allows the sensor to pop straight out of the pan including about 5 inches of float and switch.

6. The oil dipstick tube is removed from underneath by a 12mm socket on many extensions. Cut the tie wrap and pull the tube out the top.

7. Remove all the brackets that hold the power steering lines using a Torx T-25 and 12mm sockets. The difficult one to reach at the very front should be last so you can pull the lines down to unscrew the clamp. Remember to re-install this one first.

8. Use a short bungie cord looped around the driver side frame and hook both ends on the power steering lines. Pry the lines toward the transaxle so the pan has enough room to drop straight down. There are brake lines back there so watch where your pry bar rests.

9. Remove the thirty or so bolts that hold on the pan. I went around and broke them all free and then removed them all but 4 until I was ready to catch the pan. I noticed there were different lengths so I laid out each bolt into roughly the pattern on the pan to keep them straight. What I found is that the lengths are obvious and not easily mixed up. Along the front and back are all short, the driver side is the longest, the passenger side is medium. Note one bolt near the oil filter mount – it was sealed with some RTV. On reassembly this bolt should be sealed again.

10. Remove the last 4 bolts and hit the drain plug with a soft hammer to break the pan free. You've now crossed the point of no return. At this point I found that the power steering lines needed to be moved over even more and the subframe tab needed to be bent to get the pan out.

11. With the pan out you'll see the 2 o-rings on the block on the passenger side. Mine were probably original and green colored – the replacements were black. Two 10mm bolts hold the pickup tube to the block. Have the oil catch pan ready for a couple ounces of oil when you break the seal. My dipstick tube and pickup tube original o-rings were red – the replacements were green.

12. Before you reinstall the pickup tube, clean the block mating surface, with the spray gasket remover. I used a piece of cardboard to minimize overspray around the engine. Wait a few minutes and gently, without scratching, just use the razor blade to gather up the dissolved gasket.

13. Clean the oil pan gasket surface with the same spray and gather technique. One interesting note is how much oil was left after allowing it to drain overnight. You'll see the pan is filled with many horizontal and vertical baffles so you should be aware of particles dropping down into the pan where you can't see them. I ended up washing out the pan with brake parts cleaner and leaving it tipped on end to dry out.

14. Remove and replace the end cap with a new o-ring on the passenger side of the oil pan. Mine had loctite on the 10mm bolts when I removed it so it got new loctite when I reinstalled.

15. Reattach the pickup tube – rub some clean oil on the o-ring before insertion.

16. Practice installing the pan. Find a couple of the right screws, and how you will hold them. Be sure there is enough room to leave the layer of sealant undisturbed. If the rigid plastic vacuum line on the passenger side is in the way, it can be disconnected at the rubber coupling back where the floorpan of the car begins.

17. On the block, the two thin black o-rings can be held in place with little dabs of the liquid gasket (bright neon pink – not what I expected). Be sure the mating surface is clean and dry with no dirt or dried gasket. I found the walls inside the block for cylinder 4 and 5 kept dribbling oil onto the mating face. I had to wipe up into the block cavity to give myself 10 clean minutes. Paint the pan mating surface with the liquid gasket – just a thin even coat.

18. I installed a couple bolts finger tight on opposite corners to hold the pan and then went around and installed them all finger tight. Then I tightened the 2 big 14mm pan-to-trans bolts to be sure the pan was all the way over, and loosened them again. I went around the pan lightly snugging the bolts from the center outward and then final tightening them again in the same order. I tightened the big 14mm bolts and then just checked around the pan in order to verify the 10mm bolts were still all tight. Maybe I'm nuts but I don't want to do this again for a leak. Last, the bolt near the oil filter mount that had RTV, I removed it dipped on some liquid gasket and reinstalled it.

19. Install the oil dipstick tube with a new oiled o-ring. The power steering hoses up top pass between the intake and the dipstick tube.

20. Install the oil level sensor with a new oiled o-ring. It's a tight fit at an awkward angle so you can use the 2 bolts to press it in but be sure you tighten each side a little at a time to press it in evenly. I used loctite on the bolts since they originally had some. The connector just presses on.

21. Remove the bungie cord and reinstall the power steering lines in their brackets. Install the difficult to reach one up front first. Note that the screw can be started a few turns into the nut and the bracket can still be slid onto the metal lines. That will save you trying to fish the nut around back and start the thread. Bend the lines back and tweak them to get all the brackets to bolt up again.

22. Bend the subframe tab back. Watch where you swing that hammer.

23. Put a cable tie around the dipstick tube and power steering rubber line.

24. Tighten the pan drain bolt, install the oil filter, and fill with oil.

25. The car can be started right away since the sealant dries in a few minutes when the parts are put together and no oxygen can reach the sealant.

saltydog · Post by **saltydog** » 14 Mar 2006, 04:43

Nicely done!

White850Turbo · Post by **White850Turbo** » 14 Mar 2006, 05:59

Ditto, this should certainly be put in the repair database

.

Post by **matthew1** » 14 Mar 2006, 14:28

White850Turbo wrote:Ditto, this should certainly be put in the repair database .

Yea, great Tutorial. It's now in the db.
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/repairs.php

jeovaz · Post by **jeovaz** » 26 May 2007, 10:15

coolscheid wrote:Does anyone know how difficult it is to replace the sump seals on my 99 S70? The engine started making a ticking noise a while back. I took it to the dealer and they said "don't worry about it, its just the fuel injectors". I just had it in today, and asked them again what the problem is (1 year later mind you), and now they said its going to cost me $400 to replace the sump seals, and that is no guarantee that it will fix the problem. The parts cost $90, its the labor. I would like to attempt this myself, but am unsure of what I am going to get into. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

How's the ticking on your Volvo? Do you recall if the $400 job fixed the problem?

4wheelsport · Post by **4wheelsport** » 04 Nov 2009, 20:41

Hi. I am new to this forum. I have a 1994 Volvo 850 non-turbo with 140,900 miles. About 3 months ago, it started making valve train noises. The noises persisted despite multiple oil changes with different oil viscosities and "Seafoam" treatment. I read lots of volvo forums which suggested "O" ring failure. I took a deep breath and plunged in. 10/25/09 I removed the oil pan. While removing the oil pan, I removed the Oil Level Sender. The sender was tired looking and had brittle plastic. It came out incompletely with no float or electrical parts connected. When I removed the oil pan, I found the missing parts at the bottom of the oil pan. Close inspection of the Oil Pick Up Pipe showed a large piece of plastic stuck centrally on the oil pick up pipe screen. There were smaller pieces imbedded around the edges of the screen. The oil pick up pipe and oil pan were cleaned. I had purchased an "O" ring replacement kit from an after market supplier but none of the "O" rings matched mine. Therefore, I did not replace any "O" rings. I purchased and installed a new Oil Level Sender and an oil level sender "O" ring from Volvo. (Cost of $47.00+$3.00 respectively) The parts department technician stated he had worked at Volvo for 6 years and had never seen an Oil Level Sender for the Volvo 850! I placed the Volvo liquid gasket on the oil pan and reinstalled the oil pan. I filled the crankcase with 6 quarts of 5/30 wt Quaker State Oil. I started the engine. Initially there was the expected valve noise which faded. Then there was the lone loud tappet which persisted but finally it gave in and faded to the level of the others after a few minutes.
I am submitting this information to emphasize that not all valve train noises are due to "O" ring failures. They can be due to old disintegrating Oil Level Senders which may be blocking the oil pick up pipe--that is if your 850 is so equipped.
Thanks

Post by **renns** » 29 Nov 2009, 16:30

I just finished this job this morning on my '94 855 non-turbo, and thought I'd add a few details.

First off, here's what I ordered from FCP:
O-ring Kit
Dipstick O-ring
Sump sealant

From the first kit, I only used the two block-sump o-rings, and the oil pickup o-ring. The others I believe are for turbo and oil cooler, and I had neither on my car.

This was a very frustrating job, as the passenger's side of the sump is up over the subframe, the power steering lines run under the driver's side of the sump, and the oil pickup is nested down in a slot in the sump casting, limiting movement of the sump. I did manage to remove the sump with power steering lines in place, but the clamps holding the lines in place needed to be removed, and the lines bent downwards enough to allow the driver's side of the sump to drop below the bellhousing and slide left. There is also a metal tab on the passenger's side of the subframe that others have bent down to allow clearance. I took a more aggressive route and cut that tab off flush with the rest of the subframe. I also removed the transmission torque mount highlighted in magenta below. That provided extra clearance when sliding the sump towards the driver's side.

There are three different length 6mm bolts (10mm socket) holding the sump, as well as two larger 10mm bolts (14mm socket) through to the transmission. It's pretty obvious, but just to clarify, I marked the short bolt locations in yellow, long in red, and medium length in blue on the parts drawing below. All but one of the 6mm bolts can be accessed easily from below with socket on a long extension. The one that requires fiddling with a wrench is high-lighted in magenta in the pic below.

I had some difficulty convincing the sump pickup tube to go back into the block with the new square-section o-ring in place. It simply would not pass into the opening in spite of the 45deg. chamfer on that hole. I ended up breaking the sharp edge on the block between the chamfer and counterbore for the oil pickup with some emery cloth. After that, with some lube and effort, it popped nicely into place. That counterbore where the old o-ring sat was black with deposits, which seems to indicate air was being pulled through that gap. The other two block o-ring counterbores were nicely and shiny with no such deposits.

The only hint I'd give on re-assembly is to have the passenger's side wheel off, and the plastic wheel well cover open so the sump area can be seen. Once the sump is up in position, lower it down and look in this area to verify those two o-rings are still stuck up on the block as described in earlier posts. I found the large one had fallen loose, but I was able to stick it back into place working through the wheel well area. Once that's done, up it goes for final assembly.

Below are some pics showing the process.

Unfortunately in my case the top-end ticking I've been trying to get rid of is still present after this repair, and a long 250km trip this afternoon. I'll give it some time, and maybe that sacked lifter will pump up yet. Let's hope, anyways!