98V70 na volvo - appears to have died

[98v70dad]

My 98 volvo with 173,000 miles on it gave me trouble on the way to work today. About 17 miles into the trip the oil pressure light started blinking intermittently then it went away. It came back and stayed on. I got off ASAP but by the time I got it off the road the car was running rough and the check engine light was on. I got it towed back home.

There is oil leaking from the filter seal and the passenger back side of the oil pan is bathed in oil. I had no oil leaks prior to that. I checked the level before I got towed home and it was full. I use synthetic and change it every 6000 miles along with a high quality filter. Anyhow, the car has been meticulously cared for since I've owned it (the last 100000 miles). I believe the previous owners took pretty good care of it. When my daughter was driving it she overheated it several times but I replaced the radiator and that seemed to take care of it. That was about 4 years ago.

I have no idea where to start. I had it towed home because I can deal with it on my own schedule and the car's not worth enough to pay for a major repair. However, I'm fearing the worst. Well maintained cars don't just come unglued unless there is something pretty serious wrong.

I've got to get on into work but any advice/comment would be appreciated.

[June]

I don't see how a seal on a oil filter has anything to do with how the car was cared for I assume your high quality filter is not genuine Volvo. That said I cannot see any reason to blame Volvo for a inferior product. I owned a 98 V70 and as I recall the oil filter is on the passenger side twards the front of the car so likely the oil pan seal in back is fine. When oil leaks it can end up everywhere under the car.

Will the car not start? Is it knocking? Did it run completely dry? Did you put a new filter on making sure a old gasket is not stuck to the engines well and the level is full?

The oil cap was left off of my 850 when it was less than a year old and the oil splashed out running on a long interstate trip and I locked the engine up. It made the most horrible squealing and knocking noise unmistakable that it was fubar. When I tried to restart it the starter just clunked no spinning of the engine.

I really hope it is not hurt! June

[shaker_chi]

Start by scanning the codes and see what you come up with. When was the last time you serviced the PCV system? You could have broken a cam seal and the oil will leak down to make it appear it is coming from the oil pan. Lastly, since the car overheated a few times, you may have blown the head gasket. Hope this helps.

Good luck

[erikv11]

First, pull the codes and visibly inspect the engine.

A low oil pressure light, a big oil leak, and a normal level on the dipstick are a curious combination of symptoms. Most likely among the common issues would be an oil pan pickup seal came loose and is blocking supply to the top end. Unfortunately those seals are a maintenance item on a 20 year old, 175k car, though most of us don't change them unless we have the engine out or the pan off for some other reason. The other obvious suspect is the oil pump itself, though I don't know that I've ever heard of one of those going bad. Neither of these would necessarily make the oil filter seal leak, I don't have a good explanation for that.

If it is as simple as oil leaking from the filter seal, just change the filter. Take note of June's suggestions about what to look for there. Then clean the engine, start it up, and check it out some more. Is the top end ticking excessively or making noise (oil distribution problem - turn off the key!)? Are you certain about where it is leaking from; is it still leaking now that the filter is changed?

Agreed, these cars respond very poorly to overheating even once, a few times could be trouble. Maybe excessive crankcase gases burst the oil seal. Checking the cam seals is a great idea - look at the rear seal under the distributor cap for sure.

[tryingbe]

Is there oil left inside the engine oil pan? Drain it and see how much is there!

[Cees Klumper]

The overheating a couple of times caught my attention. PCV system backed up also sounds worthwhile to investigate. Good luck, we're hoping it is something relatively minor so the car can soldier on.

[98v70dad]

First, pull the codes and visibly inspect the engine.

A low oil pressure light, a big oil leak, and a normal level on the dipstick are a curious combination of symptoms. Most likely among the common issues would be an oil pan pickup seal came loose and is blocking supply to the top end. Unfortunately those seals are a maintenance item on a 20 year old, 175k car, though most of us don't change them unless we have the engine out or the pan off for some other reason. The other obvious suspect is the oil pump itself, though I don't know that I've ever heard of one of those going bad. Neither of these would necessarily make the oil filter seal leak, I don't have a good explanation for that.

If it is as simple as oil leaking from the filter seal, just change the filter. Take note of June's suggestions about what to look for there. Then clean the engine, start it up, and check it out some more. Is the top end ticking excessively or making noise (oil distribution problem - turn off the key!)? Are you certain about where it is leaking from; is it still leaking now that the filter is changed?

Agreed, these cars respond very poorly to overheating even once, a few times could be trouble. Maybe excessive crankcase gases burst the oil seal. Checking the cam seals is a great idea - look at the rear seal under the distributor cap for sure.

Oil is full. It needed a change - I was going to do it Saturday. The last few oil changes have been pretty dirty. The car burns about a quart every 3000 miles so I check it at 3K and usually have to add a quart. I have a Mahle filter on it and have been using them for the last several years. The PCV system was replaced in its entirety about 3 years ago and I've been using synthetic oil ever since.

I plan to drain the oil, drop the pan and see what I find when I have time. Its a spare car as of about a month ago - so this is more or less just an annoyance. I got a 96 Ford Ranger with 49K miles on it for FREE as a gift from my dad since he wasn't driving it anymore.

The volvo has been sitting for about three weeks but its been well maintained and lacks nothing. I told my wife last weekend that I had no qualms about driving it cross country if I needed to.... wrong! Anyhow, the oil pressure light flicking on and off, the clatter and rough idle from the engine and oil everywhere on the bottom passenger side doesn't point to a positive outcome - we'll see.

As to driving after the light came on all I can say is this: I know its a bad idea but the car isn't worth much and I am. I was on I75 headed into downtown Atlanta in the dark. Its six lanes moving at 70 mph. I made a decision NOT to pull over. People get killed frequently here pulling onto the shoulder with disabled cars. Since the light was intermittent and the car was driving fine I felt it was a bad sensor and opted to get off at the next exit. It was on the exit ramp that things turned bad when the check engine light came on and the engine started to rattle. I had to wait for the light and then drove 2 blocks to a gas station.

I've put a lot of effort into keeping this car running reliably and I hate that this happened. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will be easily correctable .... doubt it though - I usually don't have that kind of luck.

[erikv11]

Ah, your first post didn't say anything about engine rattle or clatter, just that it was "running rough." Running rough could easily just be a rear cam seal and p030x codes, that's the sort of thing I was thinking. But if the engine is making loud metal noises that could change things quite a bit.

When you pull the codes, please post up what they are. I too am curious what happened, given how well you maintain this car.

[abscate]

The bottom ends of these engines are tough and can take some abuse. Get some fresh oil in, check oil pressure, and lets hear the symphony of noises before we write her off.

[scot850]

Check the oil is all oil and not water/oil mix from a failed radiator cooler.

Neil.