Cam seals on 04 XC70

[famfeld]

I'm going to replace the timing belt/water pump with the tensioner and idler pulley on my car soon and am planning out the repair. One thing that I am thinking about is whether to replace the cam seals. I don't think they have been replaced yet and the car now has 250K. They are not leaking now, at least not noticeable. My first question is should I bother, and I kind of think I shouldn't. Next if I do decide to change them, do I need to deal with VVT on my car and lock the cams etc. I have changed the timing belt before on this car and was able to do it without locking the cams as well as on a 2000 V70.

Any help appreciated.

Feld

[chrism]

My opinion: IIABDFI. (If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.)
Unlike a failed water pump or timing belt, if a cam seal starts to leak it won’t immediately destroy the engine.

[jonesg]

cam seals is a whole other can of worms , I'd leave it alone.

[famfeld]

I agree! Just wanted to run it by people before regretting not doing it.
Thanks
Feld

[cn90]

- I agree with the above.
- However, I am surpirsed yours has not leaked yet. The cam seals usually leak at 120K, sooner if PCV is clogged.
- At that mileage, the VVT sprockets are probably gone...
- If the car is with you all the time (not with kids in college etc.), then I'd leave them alone and fix them as needed.
- On rare occasions, the cam seal comes out completely and you will lose engine oil fast!

- Anyway, I did the cam seals in my 2007 S60 in the summer of 2022 and wrote it up below.
As mentioned by others above, it is another can of worms...

DIY: 2007 Volvo S60 VVT Hub & Cam Seals x 4 (or any P2 XC90, S80 2.5T, and 2.4 engines)
viewtopic.php?t=100439

[erikv11]

Neither of my higher mileage (175k+ miles) P2 cars have any issue with cam seal leaks, and that leak is uncommon on these cars. Cam seals are unlikely to fail at any specific mileage, certainly not as early as 120k, if the engine is not abused.

[93SCMax]

Unless you are the original owner and know for sure, I've got to believe the cam seals have been replaced at least once in 250k.

My intake cam seal blew out (all the way) @ 155k and 19 years of service. As cn90 stated, you will lose oil fast, plus have a big mess to clean up, provided you catch it before the engine seizes. I did not have a pvc issue (high internal pressure) as I've done regular Mobil 1 5w30 changes since the day I bought the car new and also pass the blow-up glove test every time.

My leak luckily was caught. The huge oil spot on the driveway was a dead giveaway. It forced me to do the timing belt and wp prior to the next interval. If you are already going in to do those, and plan on keeping the car for awhile, I'd highly recommend you put in new cam seals. Yes, they can be a pain to install, but they are cheap, and you are doing the labor.

Good luck.

[vtl]

If you decide to replace them:

1. Use only Volvo seals
2. Measure the depth of old seal before removing them, install new ones at a slightly different depth.

And, yes, you need to lock the camshafts.