DIY: 1998 V70 REAR Cam Seals using SKF 11809 9443310

[cn90]

Corteco is about $10 or so.

[rspi]

A mechanic I know received an Elring cam seal from a Volvo dealer.

[cn90]

UPDATE...

- The original car in this thread 1998 V70 NA with 110K miles from Aug. 2012 was totaled in Oct. 2012.

- This little update is from my 1998 S70 GLT with 187K miles. Volvo dealer installed OEM seals back at 110K miles or so. Last winter, I noticed I had leak behind engine dripping down. Initially thought to be the rectangular plate behind the engine as rspi said. Then no leak during the summer (very strange symptoms). Then the other day it was -20C, massive oil leak again!

- But the oil loss was massive, big puddle on driveway, 1 qt every 2 days. Then it occurred to me that only the Rear Exhaust Cam seal can cause this. Sure enough, once I opened the Rear Exhaust Cam seal, it already came off by itself, only held in place by the Reluctor ring! So my theory is: the Reluctor ring barely held it in place against the housing, but when it is -20C, the seal shrinks in size, allowing oil to leak. Once the weather warms up, the seal barely sits against the housing.

- Anyway, the Volvo OEM Seal "looks like" the SKF seal. Although the last time I installed the SKF Seal back in 2012, it took some force (using the 36-mm socket) to drive it in (remember to drive it only 1-2 mm from the edge!). So my theory is: SKF is a better fit than Volvo OEM. Remember the ONLY thing that holds any seal in place is the OUTER ring of the seal, where it meets the housing.

- Anyway, I use a tiny bit of Black RTV on the OUTER Edge for "extra safety", this way the seal bonds to the housing better. I oiled the inner seal lip. It took some force to drive it in. Corteco looks like a good seal, plus it is used elsewhere in the car (FRONT Cam Seals, Trans Seals). Time will tell how long this Corteco seal lasts. BTW, my car has 187K miles and has a burned valve #3, so I am not keeping this car much longer. The only reason I fixed this is that:
a. The seal is cheap $6/each.
b. Oil leak on driveway is nasty.

- All done now, car is bone-dry. Amazing how much a REAR Exhaust Seal leak can cause.

- Food for thought: if the REAR Cam Seal ever leaks, it is always the Exhaust seal and not the Intake Seal.
Perhaps the the distributor cap metal ring is further in, preventing the seal from coming out. But...the Intake Seal required some force to remove, and yet the Exhaust seal already came out by itself.

- So my 2 cents: stay away from the Volvo OEM seals, stick to SKF or Corteco, but I may be wrong. Anyone with long-term experience (preferably > 80K miles) on whatever seal, please post.

- Note where the oil ends up!

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[rspi]

Did you check the seal install after the dealer installed it?

[cn90]

- No, did not check the dealer install b/c the REAR cam seals were installed by dealer at 110K or so.
- I bought the car at 145K or so. I have the invoice, so I know the REAR cam seal was installed by dealer.

I think Corteco is very good.

[cn90]

A little trick for the REAR Cam Seals.

- The INTAKE seal is easy: 36-mm socket.

- The EXHAUST seal is difficult because it is way back there near the firewall, space is limited.

- For 1.5-inch PVC plumbing coupler, if you go to hardware store, you will see different types.
I am not a plumber, anyway photo below shows 2 couplers. The coupler with threads works great.

- Again, space is limited on the EXHAUST side, some people cut the coupler down and use the cover plate
+ T40 bolts to press the new seal in.

- Alternatively, you can use a super-long 1/4" extension and tap around the edge of the seal to
press it in.

S70-Rear-Cam-Seal-05.jpg (147.29 KiB) Viewed 1957 times

[rspi]

I had tools made for installing these seals. Fast and easy, no seal damage or need to stop, stops are built in.

[erikv11]

I just installed rear cam seals on a turbo 98 last week, on both cams I used the 36 mm socket to install the seal flush. There's plenty of room at the exhaust cam if you pull the air box. These rear cam seals are easy to install, just pay attention. Fronts however require some care, I pull them in with a bolted install tool (tool = piece of white PVC pipe).

[bmdubya1198]

Update... I installed SKF 11809 rear cam seals in July of 2016 at 170,600 miles, and I noticed today while checking my distributor cap that the intake side is leaking. The car currently sits at 188,500-ish.
Last I checked the exhaust side was back in April of this year at 185k miles when I changed my cam sensor, and there was no oil leaking there.

Going to order a couple of extra seals when I order the timing belt and cam seals for my 2000 R.

[rspi]

Update... I installed SKF 11809 rear cam seals in July of 2016 at 170,600 miles, and I noticed today while checking my distributor cap that the intake side is leaking. The car currently sits at 188,500-ish.
Last I checked the exhaust side was back in April of this year at 185k miles when I changed my cam sensor, and there was no oil leaking there.

Going to order a couple of extra seals when I order the timing belt and cam seals for my 2000 R.

I only go Volvo now.