1997 850R Compression test results

[sdube]

Hi, do you have oil settling on the valve cover (underneath that plastic cover). I did and I cleaned out the PCV and replaced the parts, the holes in the crankcase area was clogged.

[MoVolvos]

Hey folks, just finished leak-down test,
9%-8%-10%-9%-21%
All within "good" guidelines...

PCV was done pretty methodically last Feb., although I don't remember blowing into the motor.
Good tip tho...

Great write-up on motor oil too, think I'll do a quick switch back to dino oil, and see what happens.

Going over the OP - Oil and coolant consumption after oil change it seems and with the PCV, PTC beside compression looking good it looks like you have a Turbo issue along with a Head Gasket on it's way out. Blue Smoke at high revs is from the Turbo and White Smoke at idle is coolant. Just like my 4 cars and the oil article from FCPEuro.

You are in LA CA so the weather is moderate all year round. Change to a 15W-40 and if the problem lessens or is gone you know it is an oil issue. Cheap process of elimination at this time is the goal. The problem seemed to start after the switch so I would go back and take a look.

I purchased my 98 S70 T5 in Jan 02 with around 235K. Black motor oil and brown transmission fluid. Smoke machine like a heavy burnout constantly besides oil spouting out of the Dipstick Tube. Had to be towed home. After the PCV and PTC work still had blue smoke during startup for a block then started to subside. Within half a year the smoke was gone. The kids notice it first as it had left a bad smell in the neighborhood in morning immediately after start up. It no longer is the case.

Blessings,

BKM

**

[erikv11]

The turbos on these cars are rock solid, a problem there is extremely unlikely.

OP has a bit more troubleshooting to do to figure this out, highly premature to conclude the turbo is bad or that the head gasket is on the way out. More tests may tell though ...

[MoVolvos]

**

An oil change to a higher VIS oil as some others have suggested could be the next quick step in the troubleshooting process as quite a bit of other specific test has been done. After a week or so of driving to include several long trips see what the tail pipe is doing. As for the Headgasket:

How to test head gasket failure using an antifreeze HC Tester. The kit may or may not work on the Volvo as the Expansion Tank has a fairly large opening.


Is there oil in the Turbo outlet? Use a flash light to look in to see if there is a puddle of oil at the bottom of the Turbo housing. Use a rag or blue paper towel to see if you can pull some out. If there is it is going into the combustion chamber and out the tail pipe at the higher revs.

Blessings,

BKM

**

[erikv11]

**

An oil change to a higher VIS oil as some others have suggested could be the next quick step in the troubleshooting process as quite a bit of other specific test has been done. After a week or so of driving to include several long trips see what the tail pipe is doing. As for the Headgasket:

How to test head gasket failure using an antifreeze HC Tester. The kit may or may not work on the Volvo as the Expansion Tank has a fairly large opening.


Is there oil in the Turbo outlet? Use a flash light to look in to see if there is a puddle of oil at the bottom of the Turbo housing. Use a rag or blue paper towel to see if you can pull some out. If there is it is going into the combustion chamber and out the tail pipe at the higher revs.
**

I agree, those first two points have already been suggested in this thread and are worth looking at. Especially the coolant test and the good news is, many people have successfully run the tests DIY on these cars.

[mattman]

Update
Oil changed to Castrol GTX 10-40 with a quart of 15-40, smoke is very minimal now, i.e. driveable.
Headed out to find a coolant compression tester next.
Thanks for all who weighed in, with your advice and ideas.
Just think if government worked this well...
Will update after test.
Matt

[wheelsup]

How to test head gasket failure using an antifreeze HC Tester. The kit may or may not work on the Volvo as the Expansion Tank has a fairly large opening.

That fits without issue, I have used one in the past, "rented" it from Autozone

[MoVolvos]

Update
Oil changed to Castrol GTX 10-40 with a quart of 15-40, smoke is very minimal now, i.e. driveable.

Matt

Possibility of providing before and after pictures at both Idle and 2500 Revs for comparison?

The kit may or may not work on the Volvo as the Expansion Tank has a fairly large opening.

That fits without issue, I have used one in the past, "rented" it from Autozone

That's good to know but hopefully will never need to procure one. Thanks.


Blessings,

BKM

**

[mattman]

Hey all, turns out it was the oil. Too low a viscosity for the old girl...
Also, faulty (albeit, both new) thermostat and reservoir cap were causing coolant loss.
Currently smoke-free, with no fluid losses after 350 miles of driving.
Again, thanks to all who weighed in!