Oil blow back. S70 T5

apavitt · Post by **apavitt** » 08 Apr 2007, 20:04

My 1998 S70 T5 turbo recently had an event where a large volume of oil seems to have blown out from the oil fill cap which was in place and tight. (this occurred two days after an oil /filter change service). Billows of blue smoke then followed from the exhaust. The smoke has since reduced but still is blue when warm / revved. After a detailed search I have found that oil is also in the turbo air intake pipe at the radiator (a few tablespoons).
The engine appears to be running very smooth so i am assuming the turbo has failed in some form.

Will this necessitate removing and re-building the turbo or could it be something else thats causing the problem such as worn rings etc. I do notice that there seems to be some pressure build up in the crankcase as when I remove the dip stick or oil cap pressure seems to escape?

Mike F · Post by **Mike F** » 09 Apr 2007, 07:13

Sounds like what I experienced with my '95 855T (~190K miles). Most likely, your PCV system is clogged. It's a common problem, reported here and other Volvo websights. It's not likely that your turbo seals are NG so save your money.
FCP Groten sells a breather box kit which includes the breather box, all related hoses and intake manifold gasket (intake manifold needs to be removed). I found several clogged hoses and breather ports in the block behind the box. Once I did that and drained the intercooler (removed lower hose), the problem was solved completely.

apavitt · Post by **apavitt** » 09 Apr 2007, 20:05

Thanks Mike, I relented and took the car in to my volvo dealer who seemed to say the same thing and performed a "120 CPVO" which included an oil trap, hose, sealing ring and a couple of clamps. The parts totalled $89.73 (labor $319.90). The bad news is it did not fix the problem so they now claim it must be the rings and want to install a long motor for $7K.

I noticed that the kit that FC Groton sells includes a few more hoses, elbows and a manifold gasket which the volvo dealer has not used, so I'm not convinced they repaced/cleaned as you suggested. Do you think the problem could still be in the PCV system or more likely the rings?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 09 Apr 2007, 20:33

The long block sounds like an "owie". I'd gamble $US 50 buck on an auto RX treatment before I dropped that coin.

Beyond that I see guaranteed used motors on eBay for US $450.00i'sh dollars all the time.

...Lee

apavitt · Post by **apavitt** » 21 Apr 2007, 13:53

Good news! It turned out to be the PCV valve as suggested. I removed the intake manifold and found that the dealer had indeed replaced the oil trap but the pipes were in poor condition and even had a wear hole that the dealer simply inserted a joiner rather than replace. As I has purchased the kit from F C Groton I proceeded to replace the pipes back to the valve intake into the turbo. I pulled out the valve assembly and found it completely clogged. Cleaned the valve and repalced pipes etc. and oil blow back and blue smoke immediately dissapeared.

Thanks for the insight guy's you saved me spending thousands of dollars. No thanks to the Volvo dealer who should have known better to check this valve and replace pipes especially as part of the oil trap replacement which they delared was also clogged.

Only problem I have now is that I obviously disturbed something or missed an electrical connector as the radiator fan now does not come on. Any ideas how to quickly find this problem?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 21 Apr 2007, 17:23

Only problem I have now is that I obviously disturbed something or missed an electrical connector as the radiator fan now does not come on. Any ideas how to quickly find this problem?

Since you were in the vicinity of it when the intake manifold was off, I would certainly check the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor to make sure it is plugged in. Otherwise, it may be a coincidence and the relay simply croaked. Rattle the fan relay connector around and see if that fixes it. That worked for me for a while but I noticed yesterday that my relay has died altogether. It is a common problem.

...Lee

apavitt · Post by **apavitt** » 21 Apr 2007, 19:12

Lee,

You were right again! I check all connections, took the relay out and cleaned the contacts and hey presto the fan is working again.

Thanks Lee.

Adrian

larryh · Post by **larryh** » 21 Apr 2007, 19:57

good for you! i love the fact that you were able, with the help from these guys, to fix something better than the dealer. what a joke! $ 7,000 for a new motor, and they would have probably put the same plugged up parts back on and NOT fixed the problem! what would they say then?
it's too bad you had to re-do their job, but it's great that you didn't give 'em any more $$

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 21 Apr 2007, 21:37

Did you take pictures of your replacement and cleaning? If so, I would take them along with your bill you received from the dealer to the service manager and show him that they did not fix your issue but that you did....then demand your $$ back. It burns my A$$ no end when I read about such shoddy work and people getting ripped off like this.