PCV service turns into oil pan work.

[SVO LOU]

Finished re-assembly and, thank God, there doesn't seem to be an oil leak anymore, in fact the glove test passes with flying colors and the quick test drive was great. Think I'll do about 500 miles then change the oil/filter again since the motor was open for a few days AND I bought the cheapest oil I could find to test it out.
I do have a weird development, though...Upon first startup I heard a scraping sound that went away after a few seconds, engine sounded great after that and I chalked it up to the timing cover since it gave me fits as I tucked it back in behind the harmonic balancer. As I was taking the car down off the jack stands I noticed a long oil pan bolt under the engine and thought it was odd since I thought I put them all back in. I lift the car again and this is what I see...The bolt at the center of the rear of the pan (between trans) was ground down to a point, I guess by the flexplate. I thought I put all the bolts back in the same order I took them out but I must've mixed up a couple...Dunno. No leaks yet, thankfully, and will keep an eye on it during the 500 miles.

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[SVO LOU]

Longer test drive today, to work and back with errands in between and there's still a leak at the front of the engine...Disappointed.
I'll pull off the timing cover again tomorrow after work and see where I stand, whether it's the cam or front main seal.

[vtl]

Last time I did the pan, I forgot to torque properly just one bolt, in the corner, near crank pulley. I found the greasy spot the next day and torqued the bolt as needed. However it was enough time for oil to push the sealant out, the corner was weeping thereafter.

The next time I took the pan off I've used Permatex anaerobic gasket: it is thicker than Volvo (tolerates less clean surface), and it bonds to the metal better than Volvo (can finger touch the block, so it too gets gasket material). No leaks.

SVO and LOU are airport codes?

[SVO LOU]

Last time I did the pan, I forgot to torque properly just one bolt, in the corner, near crank pulley. I found the greasy spot the next day and torqued the bolt as needed. However it was enough time for oil to push the sealant out, the corner was weeping thereafter.

The next time I took the pan off I've used Permatex anaerobic gasket: it is thicker than Volvo (tolerates less clean surface), and it bonds to the metal better than Volvo (can finger touch the block, so it too gets gasket material). No leaks.

SVO and LOU are airport codes?

Actually SVO is an old Ford high performance team, Special Vehicle Operations, LOU is just my name.

[SVO LOU]

I was able to put the cam locking tool on today and take off the VVT hubs, looked like the intake seal was leaking but I changed both cam seals. Think tomorrow or Tuesday I'll pull the oil pump/seal and then start re-installing everything.
Pretty scared of doing the VVT hubs when I wrap this up...I've watched a bunch of videos and all they all seem to contradict each other, especially if you read the comments.

[vtl]

Worry no more! We can guide you through the engine rebuild!

[DonnVa]

Worry no more! We can guide you through the engine rebuild!

Ah man, that’s cruel. . Your cam locking tool will keep you safe.

[vtl]

Slacken the 3x M8 bolts on the VVT hub. They still should hold the sprocket, but you will need it later for fine tuning the angle. Attach the hub to the camshaft approx 90 degrees CCW to the marked position. Slightly tighten the big bolt. Rotate the hub CCW until the hub has no free play and you've got almost to the marked position (better stay slightly CCW, like 3-5 degrees). Torque the big bolt properly. You will loose these 3-5 degrees in this process. Slacken the small bolts, align the sprocket properly, torque the small bolts.

When both hubs are done and the timing belt is set, rotate crankshaft two full turns, just to check the pistons don't interfere with valves. Worry no more, engine will not die thereafter. Start the engine, rev it past 1500 RPMs, check for camshafts adaptation with DiCE/VIDA. If they are worse than 4 degrees, you can adjust the sprockets with the t-belt still on. Anything under 4 degrees is perfect, under 8 degrees is tolerable. I took my time and set one hub to almost 0 degrees and another one to under 1 degree.

[SVO LOU]

I was able to remove and replace the cam seals and oil pump o-ring, gasket and front seal. Worst part was the dual vvt hubs...I've done a ton of t-belts before but never vvt hubs. Watched a ton of videos and read a lot of write-ups but this video was easiest for me...

[altalake]

Question for you guys. I realize there is no perfect answer to this question and the sage advice would be "don't do it" but consider this:
I've just done a PCV service on my '04 XC70 (172,000km) and, as luck would have it, the oil return port is blocked. Wires and carb cleaner did not fix it. The air-oil separator box was filled to the brim with sudsy oil that looked a lot like chocolate milk. Where I first noticed an oil leak was near the turbo but I suspect this car has had a plugged oil return for thousands of km/years before I got it. Always passed the rubber glove test so no obvious back pressure.
I'm not going to be able to drop the oil pan myself and it could take awhile to book a mechanic. Here's the conjecture/opinion part: How far do you think it's safe to drive it in this <new parts but plugged drain> condition? It can't be worse than it was before the new parts, or can it?