2006 S60R - Oil Sensor Cleaning DIY

[vjaneczko]

First off: sorry for the horrible pics, they were a bit of an afterthought.

Lately I've been getting "oil level low, fill oil' (yellow triangle) and 'low oil level, pull over immediately' (red triangle). Each time, I'd check the level and it was fine. During some drives, the first message would appear, then go away after a few miles, sometimes the red one would come & go, sometimes both would appear during the same trip. After getting spooked by it a few times, I decided to pull it out and see what's what. With a new sensor costing a bit over $200, I thought it was worth a go.

The sensor is mounted to the bottom of the oil pan and removing it involves draining the oil, so its a perfect quick-fix during an oil change.

Tools:
8mm socket
17 mm socket
Oil Filter wrench
Small flathead screwdriver or other thin device to pry something apart
Air Compressor
Oil Drain Pan
Ramps or Jacks to get under the car

Parts:
Volvo 9228300-001 Oil Level Sensor O-Ring

Volvo Gasket

Can of air intake or carb cleaner

Cleaner I used

6 quarts of your favorite oil
Oil Filter
Oil Drain Plug Crush Washer
Oil Cap Gasket
Rags or Paper Towels
A Few Q-tips
Cardboard box or some other type of bowl (not necessary but I found it easier to perform the cleaning with the parts inside, to reduce the mess I made.)

Step 1: Drain oil and replace the filter, crush washer and oil cap gasket. Plenty of write-ups here if you're not familiar with the steps.

Step 2: Remove oil sensor. Disconnect wire harness and extract the three 8mm bolts. There shouldn't be any oil that drips out but just be prepared in case there is.

Here's some pics of the dirty sensor:

Sensor Tip under Cap

Sensor Tip under Cap

Step 3: Remove gasket and (what I'm going to call) the sensor cap. Use the small screwdriver to remove the gasket and to pop the cap off the sensor. It's held into place with two clips, which are rather brittle so be gentle. I cracked one along the bottom edge but it remained functional.

Sensor cap before cleaning

Step 4: Place some rags or paper towels into the cardboard box. Drop the cap and the sensor in and hose it down with the cleaner.
Be sure to squirt cleaner between the inner metal tube and the outer plastic tube, as well as the center hole and the lower hole at the base of the outer tube. Not only will the oil varnish fade, but I got rid of a large number of small chunks.

Gunk Removed from Cleaning

Hole at the bottom of the sensor

Step 5: Once the cleaner is done removing the detritus, use the air hose to help evaporate the cleaner and to dislodge any final bits. Here's the cap & cleaner after being dried. Not the prettiest thing, but not bad for 13 years old:

Sensor & Cap after cleaning

Step 6: Snap the cap back onto the sensor. There's a small notch on the inside of it so it only goes on one way.

Step 7: Install the new gasket. Apply a drop or two or oil to the gasket and it's groove, then press into the groove. It should be flat, level and smooth.

Step 8: Bolt back into the oil pan and reconnect wire harness.

Sensor installed in oil pan - not sure why the picture was rotated 180 degrees on the upload. Sorry.

Step 9: Add the proper amount of oil to the engine and give it a start.

I haven't experienced any warning messages since this work so I'm confident the problem has been solved. Hope this helps!

[erikv11]

This is a really nice and useful DIY, thanks for posting.

Just a comment for others getting the yellow and/or red oil triangles, sometimes just changing the oil will solve it, that worked for me the two times I saw it so far. But when that stops fixing it, this DIY will be my next step.