1998 S70 GLT Continuous Mysterious Oil Leak

Post by **kickin_it** » 11 Mar 2014, 18:18

I spend Sunday trying to stop an oil leak, unfortunately it still exists. I replaced the PCV system, front cam seals, rear cam seals, and oil cap. The rears had a small, very small leak, the fronts looked to be just fine but I replaced anyways. There is still an oil leak at the front of the motor (passenger side) and I am beginning to think it is the crank seal and/or oil pump o-ring. I looked today and found oil on top of the motor after recently washing before I performed all the work.

I think the oil on top of the motor is actually being "flung" by the timing belt, hitting the underside of the hood and falling on top of the motor. The front and upper timing cover are currently not on the vehicle and have not for quite some time in order to watch things.

Has anyone experienced this type of leak or heard of anything like this? I understand the oil cooler lines are located in the same area but they are not leaking.

Post by **rspi** » 11 Mar 2014, 19:46

Scary, driving without a timing belt cover. If something pops in that area and gets jammed in the belt it can make it slip off the cam.

I have no clue about an oil leak without seeing it.

Post by **scot850** » 11 Mar 2014, 20:00

Hi,

rspi makes a very good point. We can try to help, but a picture speaks a thousand words. Whilst I don't condone running a car without the timing belt cover, as you have it removed anyway, you should be able to access the area to clean it reasonably well to find where the oil is leaking from. Having just spent a fortune having my 2000 V70 R seals replaced, and the crank seal for the 2nd time as it leaked again after the dealers first attempt, the symptoms you describe sound like you may have a cause. If the PCV has been pressurising enough to cause the rear cam seals to leak, then chances are the front crank seal would go too. Also check you are not seeing any oil deposits at the join between the transmission and the engine block as this could mean the famous rear-main seal failure. If you have avoided that you have dodged a bullet. If you remove the RH front wheel, you can also peel back the plastic inner arch cover allowing you to see the area more clearly for the front seal.

Based on the fact the dealer mechanic had a problem with my cars front seal, when you go to replace, make sure to check the crank shaft face where the seal fits to make sure there is no wear. If there is you may have to position the seal so it sits in a different spot.

If you can take a picture, post it and we can try to help more.

Neil.

Post by **kickin_it** » 12 Mar 2014, 18:29

Requested Pictures.

S373N · Post by **S373N** » 12 Mar 2014, 18:44

Jesus that looks a proper mess... You've been driving it like that?

Post by **scot850** » 12 Mar 2014, 20:00

If I am to make an educated guess, based on that it looks like the oil is all the way up the timing belt casing at the back of the engine (closest to the firewall in the first picture, I'm sorry to say it looks like the rear cam seal is leaking.

You will have to remove the timing belt again from the cam pulleys or if you can get enough light and one of the bendy mirrors on a stick, you may be able to see up behind the pulley to see if the oil is leaking without removing the belt first.

If anyone else has a thought on this chime in!

One other question, did you replace the water pump while it was all apart. Some folks say you should change every time you do the belt, some say you can do it every other belt. First time I did the belt had a nightmare with an aftermarket manual tensioner pulley that kept bending when tightening it.
Must have had the belt on and off 50 times, before buying an OE pulley and worked first time. Put everything back together and as soon as I started the car the water pump pulley seal failed!

I'm told the rear cam seal is difficult to get fitting correctly. Having not done this myself, hopefully jblackburn or one of the other guys with a lot more experience can give better descriptions.

Good luck,

Neil.

Post by **rspi** » 12 Mar 2014, 20:12

That is nasty.

You can usually look through the cam sprockets and see if a seal is pushed out. Easy view with everything pulled. If you can't see a seal out, I would wash it all down with brake cleaner (non-flamable) and crank it up and watch it leak.

Post by **rspi** » 12 Mar 2014, 20:13

http://atthetipwebs.com/technologyinstr ... s70glt.htm

Post by **kickin_it** » 13 Mar 2014, 10:06

Its not the cam seals, they were replaced on Sunday, all four. The leak has not changed, hence why it leads me to believe it is the crank seal or the rubber o-ring around the oil pump.

Post by **kickin_it** » 13 Mar 2014, 10:09

All of the components were replaced less than 20k miles ago when I performed a head job in Dec 2011 I believe.