Timing belt problem, oil everywhere

shawns · Post by **shawns** » 20 Mar 2010, 17:06

When I dropped the motor and trans out to have the trans rebuilt, I also replaced the water pump, timing belt and pulleys, oil trap, and some other stuff.

And after I got it on the road I rapidly developed a nasty oil leak at the front of the motor! From the best I could tell it was the exhaust cam. And it looked like the oil pan was leaking a little too. So I ordered both cam seals and the oil pan gasket kit and sealant.

So again, I dropped the motor and trans, and I cannot find where all this oil is coming from! All the seals are good. But there is oil everywhere under the timing belt cover, and near the oil pan. Could the oil pan leaking somehow get all this oil under the timing cover?

I could not find any timing marks on the cam sprockets at all anywhere, so I lined up the crank mark, and proceeded to take off all the pulleys. And, I had no idea that there are no keyways or anything on the cams for the cam sprockets! Now, am I screwed or what? How in the hell am I supposed to get this thing back in time? And I am deathly afraid of bending a valve now that I don't know where the cams are in relation to the crank! This is nothing like any American motor that I've had apart, and I've had many of them apart.

Please help.

Post by **charlyW** » 20 Mar 2010, 17:15

shawns wrote:When I dropped the motor and trans out to have the trans rebuilt, I also replaced the water pump, timing belt and pulleys, oil trap, and some other stuff.

And after I got it on the road I rapidly developed a nasty oil leak at the front of the motor! From the best I could tell it was the exhaust cam. And it looked like the oil pan was leaking a little too. So I ordered both cam seals and the oil pan gasket kit and sealant.

So again, I dropped the motor and trans, and I cannot find where all this oil is coming from! All the seals are good. But there is oil everywhere under the timing belt cover, and near the oil pan. Could the oil pan leaking somehow get all this oil under the timing cover?

I could not find any timing marks on the cam sprockets at all anywhere, so I lined up the crank mark, and proceeded to take off all the pulleys. And, I had no idea that there are no keyways or anything on the cams for the cam sprockets! Now, am I screwed or what? How in the hell am I supposed to get this thing back in time? And I am deathly afraid of bending a valve now that I don't know where the cams are in relation to the crank! This is nothing like any American motor that I've had apart, and I've had many of them apart.

Please help.

Take things one at a time it's not the end of the world as long as you havent tried to run the motor. Chances are the lip seals are the cause of your leak, I have exactly the same issue with my 93 850 when the motor is running oil is dripping when its stationary nothing, so go ahead and change the seals.

The Timing marks, I will post you a picture so you can get an idea of where the marks are supposed to be on the back plastic of the timing cover, assuming you have the rear plastic timing cover.

: cam timing marks; Timing marks Cam.JPG (56.43 KiB) Viewed 2123 times

As you can see the marks on the cam sprockets are at approx 1-2 & 10-11 oclock or approx 6.5 teeth to the left and right of the verticle. Most important make sure you have the sprockets on the correct way round there is a slot mark on the sprockets.

Charlotte

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 20 Mar 2010, 17:26

shawns wrote:When I dropped the motor and trans out to have the trans rebuilt, I also replaced the water pump, timing belt and pulleys, oil trap, and some other stuff.

And after I got it on the road I rapidly developed a nasty oil leak at the front of the motor! From the best I could tell it was the exhaust cam. And it looked like the oil pan was leaking a little too. So I ordered both cam seals and the oil pan gasket kit and sealant.

So again, I dropped the motor and trans, and I cannot find where all this oil is coming from! All the seals are good. But there is oil everywhere under the timing belt cover, and near the oil pan. Could the oil pan leaking somehow get all this oil under the timing cover?

I could not find any timing marks on the cam sprockets at all anywhere, so I lined up the crank mark, and proceeded to take off all the pulleys. And, I had no idea that there are no keyways or anything on the cams for the cam sprockets! Now, am I screwed or what? How in the hell am I supposed to get this thing back in time? And I am deathly afraid of bending a valve now that I don't know where the cams are in relation to the crank! This is nothing like any American motor that I've had apart, and I've had many of them apart.

Please help.

You will need to buy, borrow, or make a camshaft locking tool to hold the cams in the correct alignment while you bolt the pulleys back on. You have to remove the plugs on the other end (from the pulleys) to insert the tool.

Take a look at the 4th post down in this thread. It has directions on how to make the tool and line up the cams. https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 10&t=26251

shawns · Post by **shawns** » 21 Mar 2010, 06:50

Looks like I need that cam alignment tool. That thing is EXPENSIVE!! Anyone have a lead on one?

shawns · Post by **shawns** » 25 Mar 2010, 09:26

Got it all back together and running. I replaced all seals and gaskets on the front of this motor.

And it is still leaking oil!!! The only thing I have not done is the cam cover. Is this a royal pain to remove and reseal? Can I leave the cams in and just pull the cover off, clean the surfaces, and reseal and re-assemble?

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 25 Mar 2010, 11:03

shawns wrote:Got it all back together and running. I replaced all seals and gaskets on the front of this motor.

And it is still leaking oil!!! The only thing I have not done is the cam cover. Is this a royal pain to remove and reseal? Can I leave the cams in and just pull the cover off, clean the surfaces, and reseal and re-assemble?

Where does it appear to be leaking from?

shawns · Post by **shawns** » 28 Mar 2010, 07:41

After much investigation with all the spark plug and timing covers off...................

It starts to pool up on top of the head between the first spark plug and the exhaust cam CVVT solenoid. But, I replaced that gasket too. I have no idea why it is pooling up right there. It eventually just fills the top of the head and starts running down the timing belt area and then gets every where. If I leave a rag on the top of the head behind the spark plugs and underneath the exhaust cam adjuster thing, it sucks up the oil leaking so it doesnt' leave it all over the groung. So right now I just keep changing the rag. My S80 is on the rag.

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 28 Mar 2010, 10:51

shawns wrote:After much investigation with all the spark plug and timing covers off...................

It starts to pool up on top of the head between the first spark plug and the exhaust cam CVVT solenoid. But, I replaced that gasket too. I have no idea why it is pooling up right there. It eventually just fills the top of the head and starts running down the timing belt area and then gets every where. If I leave a rag on the top of the head behind the spark plugs and underneath the exhaust cam adjuster thing, it sucks up the oil leaking so it doesnt' leave it all over the groung. So right now I just keep changing the rag. My S80 is on the rag.

Well the obvious first thing to address is the CVVT solenoid gasket. Make sure the bolts are torqued properly. If they are, you might have a bad gasket or an imperfection in the metal surfaces. You can try removing the gasket and applying a coat of non-hardening Form-A-Gasket to both sides of the gasket, then reinstalling it. Hopefully that will cure the problem.

shawns · Post by **shawns** » 30 Mar 2010, 18:07

I feel like a real idiot here.

When I had the motor and trans out to rebiuld the trans I also replaced the plugs. And I now remember accitdentally loosening a bolt that WAS NOT the hold down bolt for one of the plug sockets. And I never went back and tightened it! So, I think my oil leak is resolved. Thanks for all the input, I love this forum.

mlanctot · Post by **mlanctot** » 11 Oct 2011, 23:26

Which bolt? I have the exact same problem.