1994 850 NA oil level on camshaft

[Jwestlind]

Hello everyone, this is my first post in this forum, 3 weeks into ownership of my first Volvo. My knowledge of engines is limited beyond the usual checks and maintenance, but I'm fairly inclined mechanically, and have done minor work on all of my past vehicles. Here goes:

I recently purchased a 1994 850 wagon with 163k on the clock. It has symptoms of a blocked PCV system. there is enough positive pressure in the crankcase to blow a bit of smoke from the dipstick tube or filler cap when either is removed, but not so much that it has popped the dipstick out, and there is very little residue on underside of the hood. I have been checking the oil daily, and have not seen a noticeable decrease in level. I'm planning a PCV replacement as soon as I can get the time.

I was inspecting the engine compartment with the car running, and i removed the oil filler cap to check for smoke, expecting to see the camshaft swimming in oil, and to my surprise, the oil level was barely up to the bottom of the camshaft, and the cams were dipping into the oil on the downstroke and flicking it up and out on the upstroke. Having never thought to look at this before on any vehicle, and being entirely new to these volvo engines, I'm wondering is this a normal level for oil in this part of the engine?

If this is normal, great! If not, what steps do i need to take to narrow down the issue? oil pump? could it be related to the clogged PCV? and considering I have no warning lights on in the dash, might I have a faulty sensor somewhere?

Apologies for the lengthy post; I'm thorough by nature. I really hope that i'm overreacting here, but I've sunk my savings into this car, I love it, and I'm hoping to put another 100-200k on it, so i'm trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as i can. thanks for your patience, and thanks in advance for your advice.

-Josef-

[abscate]

That oil level under the cap sounds pretty normal to me. It shouldn't be a swimming pool, just an oily mess. As long as you see some pools of oil it's probably fine. Lubrication systems on these cars is not a typical trouble spot.

You do need to evaluate, post haste, when the "timing belt job" was last done. It's a 70k (?) item on your car, so you should be on your third belt. Past owner, past mechanic, sticker under hood are all sources of info. IPD is right in Portland and specialists in these cars...they are also an MVS support along with FCP and EEuro...all linked above.

[Jwestlind]

Thanks for the response. I realize it's a newbie question. I have inspected the timing belt visually, and while it's not possible to tell for sure (no sticker) the lettering on the timing belt is still bright and readable, and it's a continental. I'm planning that job in conjunction with the PCV replacement to be on the safe side. I'm wondering what all I should replace while i'm in there. The water pump looks to be nearly brand new, so i'm not too worried about that. so just belt, tensioner and idler pulley then? Would it be a good preemptive measure to replace the front cam seals while I'm in there?

thanks again,
-Josef-

[dosbricks]

Here is an informative video by Robert Spinner of the top 5 things to do after purchasing a Volvo 850 with 100k or more on the clock. Not all of them are costly, just good info to know.

[dosbricks]

Yes on the pulleys since you don't know when they were last changed and they can fail just like the belt. If the cam seals are not leaking, don't touch them. It can be a tricky job and, IMHO, they are not really a maintenance item unless they start to leak. If they are leaking, then do them.

[Jwestlind]

Awesome, thanks. Robert's videos are pretty great. I'll plan on doing the PCV and Timing job within the next 6 weeks, and maybe I'll Add an ATF flush to that list. I'll leave the cam seals alone for the time being.

thank you both for being so helpful.