2003 S40 oil leak

jefe · Post by **jefe** » 09 Aug 2018, 11:29

Patience is the key. I was doing a lot of other things to the car at the same time and had it apart in the garage for a month or so working on it 1 day a week on average. The key to that is having an extra vehicle to drive around.

Not sure about the blue smoke though.

kmesse · Post by **kmesse** » 09 Aug 2018, 12:55

darn. What does the exhaust cam do?

jefe · Post by **jefe** » 09 Aug 2018, 13:00

I'm just saying I'm not sure because I'm not an expert whether oil leaks in those locations could also cause oil burn/blue smoke.

kmesse · Post by **kmesse** » 09 Aug 2018, 13:01

Post by **alschnertz** » 09 Aug 2018, 13:56

I don't think the OP mentioned the mileage on the car.

I think I've seen more references to leaking exhaust camshaft sprockets than camshaft seals.
Like jefe, I did the job twice because I couldn't believe that a camshaft sprocket would leak before a camshaft seal would go.
What a wasted effort.

If I had to do it again because I saw leaks, I would just replace the sprocket and seals at the same time.

Where is the blue smoke "blowing" from?
Out the exhaust or under the hood?
What are the conditions when it blows this smoke? At idle? During driving? Going downhill? When starting cold? etc. etc.
You may want to add more details.

kmesse · Post by **kmesse** » 09 Aug 2018, 20:38

180k miles. blows out the exhaust, it does it randomly. Typically notice when accelerating after idling awhile after it's warm. Don't remember if it does it at startup. Camshaft sprocket sounds like an impossible task for me looking at youtube.

Post by **alschnertz** » 09 Aug 2018, 22:06

Since you had the PCV service and with the smoke occurring after extended idling, I'm leaning toward possible worn valve seals as the issue with the smoking.
I don't see how a leaking camshaft sprocket or even the camshaft seals would cause your smoking symptoms.

The sprocket replacement isn't the worst job I've ever done on the car, but it is pretty involved and is easy to screw up if you're not careful.
You need a good assortment of tools in addition to the specialty items like a large torque wrench and torx bits. A camshaft locking tool is a must. Can't do the job without it.

kmesse · Post by **kmesse** » 10 Aug 2018, 04:43

I thought of that. Would that show on the plugs? All the plugs were pretty clean.

Post by **alschnertz** » 10 Aug 2018, 14:48

All depends on how much is burning.

FWIW, I had some very bad valve seals on my 850.
On a hot day, it would only take a minute or two for it to start puffing smoke at idle.
The plugs never showed any sign of oil contamination.

kmesse · Post by **kmesse** » 10 Aug 2018, 16:32

Is there a procedure somewhere for the valve job? Do I have to get the head out?

2003 S40 oil leak

Re: 2003 S40 oil leak