93 850 GLT Oil leak Mystery

[socalvolvo]

So my 93 850 glt (not turbo) has had a distinct burned oil smell the last few weeks. I live in the city and have no off street parking so it's difficult to work on and harder to tell how much oil i'm leaving behind because i'm always parked in a different spot. Anyway, today i took my lovely wife for a drive out to the low lying mountains in the east of San Diego, CA.(elevation 2000+). 30 minutes into our drive i notice the oil smell coming through the air vent. I pull over to inspect and find a large pool of oil has drained onto the road (half quart?). So i'm thinking tow truck at that point. Just then a good samaritan happens by and gives me a quart ( beer is gifted in return). I drive home and on the way stop at a station and buy another quart. 35 miles to my home. I get home and inspect. Oil is full. I did the the pulled dipstick test for the pvc system. No white smoke and I tied a rubber glove on the oil intake and it was sucking and not blowing. I can see oil on the engine below the cam sensor but there is no residue around the sensor itself and no way the oil came out of the sensor in that quantity. I cant get underneath to take off the skid plate so next i took the car to jiffy lube. They removed the skid and cleaned things up. They tell me that there are a few small leaks here and there (typical for and old car) but the oil is full and they cant locate anything obvious or alarming???

[rspi]

Sounds like you have to hit a parking lot of a closed business. If the oil is leaking on the drivers side you should pull the sensor and look for oil. If on the passenger side, pull the timing belt and check for oil there.

[FLXC90]

Or break down a cardboard box to put under the car, weigh It down so it doesn't blow away. Check it in the morning. fold it and take it with you if you need