850 95 Oil leak

wdckwrth · Post by **wdckwrth** » 07 Jan 2010, 12:44

Hey MVS. I'm a lurker that just got around to joining.

My wagon (108k) developed an oil leak on Tuesday and I can not figure out where it is coming from. There is not a huge amount of oil coming out but I can see it dripping as soon as I get it parked. I have read through some of the threads here on oil leaks and I think the following will cover some of the initial questions:

The puddle is forming at about where the front tire touched the ground. Oil level is not dropping quickly (I have been checking twice a day). Power steering & trans fluid levels are good. No pressure (neg or positive) at the dip stick and no "funky" smell. Swung it by my mechanic last night and we put it up on the lift. There was a lot of oil underneath but none as high up as the fly wheel.

I am concerned that it is the RMS and am taking to a local Volvo shop on Saturday but wanted to engage the MVS community.

Thanks.

C@lvin · Post by **C@lvin** » 07 Jan 2010, 13:28

When you say "close to where the front tire hits the ground", do you mean "about that distance from the front of the car" or do you mean "physically close to the tire"? If the latter, are you sure it's not brake fluid? Have you checked your brake fluid level?

The best way to run down the leak is to get all the oil cleaned off with an engine cleaner and then keep a close eye and see where it is coming from. If it's the RMS, there is a weep hole between the engine and the bell housing where the oil drips from but it can go everywhere down there once it comes out the hole.

Do you have ramps you can drive up on in order to get under and look around?

wdckwrth · Post by **wdckwrth** » 07 Jan 2010, 15:05

Thanks for the reply Calvin.

By "close to where the front tire hits the ground" I meant "about that distance from the front of the car".

Checked the brake fluid and it was good too.

Cleaned it off last night when I was at the garage and started it up and let it run while it was up on the lift. We actually stood under the car while it was running trying to figure out where the leak was but we did not see oil emerging from anywhere obvious. Saw the weep hole but it did not seem that was the source of the leak.

9394volvo850s · Post by **9394volvo850s** » 07 Jan 2010, 17:28

sounds like RMS. is it dripping between the engine and transmission?

C@lvin · Post by **C@lvin** » 08 Jan 2010, 13:45

wdckwrth wrote:Cleaned it off last night when I was at the garage and started it up and let it run while it was up on the lift. We actually stood under the car while it was running trying to figure out where the leak was but we did not see oil emerging from anywhere obvious. Saw the weep hole but it did not seem that was the source of the leak.

Guess you just need to keep an eye on it. Was it dripping on the passenger side or the driver's side? Of course, you've got front and rear cam seals up high and a slow leak from them might take a while to show up at the bottom of the motor. The rear cam seals (driver's side) are relatively easy and inexpensive to change out. Have you checked your oil filler cap gasket? Leaks from there can pool under the spark plug cover and evenually run down to the bottom.

How is your PCV functioning? Any smoke from the dip stick? You can also try Ozark Lee's balloon on the dip stick test to see if you have positive or negative pressure. I have read that the PCV can start clogging around 100K, but my 00 V70 has 113K and still shows a slight vacuum at the dip stick.

In the mean time, I have had success in stopping what I believe was a small RMS leak in my 98 S70 NA 189K by switching to "high mileage" engine oil which contains seal conditioners.

Let us know how it turns out for you.

wdckwrth · Post by **wdckwrth** » 08 Jan 2010, 15:14

Got a date with a local independent Volvo mechanic tomorrow morning (01/09). In the mean time I am watching the oil level.

Mostly dripping from the driver's side I would say. I looked at the cap gasket and there was some oil there, cleaned that off and I am watching it. Is it a straight drop from the spark plug cover to the bottom or is that a long haul?

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 08 Jan 2010, 15:33

If it ends up being something like the RMS, I would just try running Mobil 1 High Mileage and see if it helps. Some people have had good results. An RMS fix may not be worth the time and money if it is not a very significant leak.

wdckwrth · Post by **wdckwrth** » 09 Jan 2010, 13:12

Looks like it is the RMS.

Got the car up on the lift, sprayed part cleaner on everything with oil on it and wiped it down clean. Started the car up and stood around and BS'ed while we waited to see where it was going to leak from. Sure enough we got oil leaking out of the weep hole.

They are going to write me up a quote but several folks on this thread have already commented on switching to "high mileage" oil. Is that a viable option instead of actually fixing the issue? Any better or worse than the "stop leak" products?

9394volvo850s · Post by **9394volvo850s** » 09 Jan 2010, 13:28

Told you it was the RMS. I uesd Bars RMS stop leak and it made a big improvement in the leak. barely any wetness on the bottom of the car now. before the whole bottom of the car was wet to the trunk.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 09 Jan 2010, 13:57

Before adding any actual separate additives, I would just go for Mobil 1's 10W-30 High Mileage oil. It's definitely some of their best stuff, and it may just fix a small leak like that. If you plan on keeping the car for many years though, you may want to think about truly fixing it though. In that repair job, you can check on a lot of other things and replace other seals easily.