How bad a job is it to diy replace the main crank seal?

Post by **SuperHerman** » 01 Nov 2018, 23:16

Just happened to my brothers 2002 XC70 - about the same number of miles. He unfortunately brought it to a shop and they changed the entire oil pump and gave him a very large bill.

Post by **precopster** » 02 Nov 2018, 00:37

That's shameful seeing as a seal kit for the oil pump costs about $30. Oil pumps don't leak unless they have a crack in the housing. Bet he wasn't given the old pump back either.

Post by **SuperHerman** » 02 Nov 2018, 21:21

He had little choice as the wife made the call. I told him the exact same thing - no pumps never fail - only the seal needs to be replaced 90% of the time (a complete seal kit usually isn't necessary - although good practice). In the end he spent close to $3k getting the TB, WP and related replaced as well as the oil pump/seal. Shop would only use Dealer supplied OEM parts - at dealer MSRP prices. I offered to drive down and take care of the seal but he got the veto.

After that fiasco the shop told him it had an issue with the PCV system and wanted about $1k to fix that. After some discussion they decided to walk away from the car and give it to a family member.

I ended up driving 8 hours there and back to change the PCV system, with the kit from FCP. With my trunk tool kit we managed to get the job done in an afternoon, the only issue was I didn't have my 10mm swivel which would have saved an hour and a trip to buy some extra tools.

Bright side of the story is the car made it 15 hours to its new home without an issues and is running well. I had a nice few days with my brother and got to do some wrenching.

Post by **cn90** » 23 Mar 2019, 17:11

It is my turn for RMS leak...

- 2004 V70 2.5T with 110K miles.
- PCV system is good, glove test in the oil filler hole sucks in when engine running.
- About 10 y ago, had the same thing (RMS leak) in the 1998 V70 at 110K. Almost like clock work.
- It is about 1-2 drops per night. Dipstick is full.

- Too bad I can't find any Matthews Volvo forum member around here that can do it for me. I simply don't have time or appetite for this job.

Post by **abscate** » 24 Mar 2019, 04:58

Perfect candidate for some ATP, Barr’s stop leak, or ( trying to remember the other one) ....

1-2 drops per night is just your car marking her territory...

Post by **erikv11** » 24 Mar 2019, 08:19

cn90 wrote: ↑23 Mar 2019, 17:11 It is my turn for RMS leak...

- 2004 V70 2.5T with 110K miles.
- PCV system is good, glove test in the oil filler hole sucks in when engine running.
- About 10 y ago, had the same thing (RMS leak) in the 1998 V70 at 110K. Almost like clock work.
- It is about 1-2 drops per night. Dipstick is full.

- Too bad I can't find any Matthews Volvo forum member around here that can do it for me. I simply don't have time or appetite for this job.

Sorry to hear about the problem, that really sucks. You've had bad luck withe RMS leaks. I guess there goes the theory about buying a 100k car and running it for 50k without having to pay for/do any large maintenance jobs.

I'd definitely try some ATP AT-205 before just shelling out a thousand bucks to fix it. Recall the success of Auto-Rx in years past, where many users cleared up RMS leaks that were picked it up at the "few drops" stage.

Post by **cn90** » 24 Mar 2019, 09:32

Actually, if I have to do it again, I would repeat the experience buying the 80K-100K car and go to 150K, no regret.

The RMS is mostly a labor job, pay once (or do once) and the car is good for another 100K.

I just don't care for "150K car" any longer, the issues that happens after 150K are just too many, bearings, alternators, transmission, burned valves, suspension etc. etc. These are all expensive, both in parts and labor, and sometimes not justified in a $1000 car.

So my theory is still correct, I will buy car with 80K-100K with no regret.

Post by **cn90** » 24 Mar 2019, 13:10

For those who have replaced the RMS at home...

How high do you have to place the front of the car on jack stand?

Post by **abscate** » 24 Mar 2019, 13:15

When I dropped my M56 for a clutch I had 16 inch jackstands underc4 inch x 4 inch lumber, total of 20 inch lift just. Aft of the subframe.

XC70Rider · Post by **XC70Rider** » 24 Mar 2019, 15:30

Sorry that your RMS is leaking. Replacing the RMS is a nightmare compared to the front seal. I replaced the front crankshaft seal on the oil pump twice over the past month. Second time only took 3.5 hours.

How do you detect the RMS is leaking on a P2? Is the oil dripping where the oil sump and AT mate?

How bad a job is it to diy replace the main crank seal?

Re: How bad a job is it to diy replace the main crank seal?