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96 850 GLT Drinking oil, coolant, smoke at start

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
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jefferino
Posts: 20
Joined: 3 January 2011
Year and Model: 1996
Location: Mid-Atlantic, United States

96 850 GLT Drinking oil, coolant, smoke at start

Post by jefferino »

Okay so here is the deal and I need help ASAP :(

96 850GLT, unknown mileage, has been drinking oil since I got it. Also seems to drink coolant. I just keep adding both. However, lately I noticed a creamish sludge on the dipstick when the oil was low (yes I am a moron and didn't keep an eye on it). I assume its moisture. Now see a bit of smoke on startup but goes away.

Am I screwed???? Anything I can do? I am using valvoline 10w40 high mileage already. Was considering using something like a bars leaks engine repair to help with the moisture and hopefully leaks, but I REALLY don't like putting stuff into my engine besides oil. Other thought was something like Marvel's since I saw the cream crap.

I really don't know what to do but need to do something ASAP since I need this car reliable for my family and really don't have the money to buy a new car at this point.

Thanks everyone in advance for any and all help/advice
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rspi
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Post by rspi »

Sounds like you have 3 issues and you do have an understanding the one about the junk on your oil dipstick.

Define "drinking oil"? How much per 1,000 miles?

Do check your heater core. Leaking heater cores are quickly becoming the #1 reason these cars are showing up in the junk yard. No visible damage and the insulation on the drivers side floor board soaked in coolant. You can get a heater core for less than $40 (believed to be good quality).





'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
--------------------
Volvo's of past: '87 740 GLE, '79 262C Bertone, '78 264, 960's, '98 S70 GLT, '95 850 T-5R YellowVolvo Repair Videos
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jefferino
Posts: 20
Joined: 3 January 2011
Year and Model: 1996
Location: Mid-Atlantic, United States

Post by jefferino »

You are amazing....

Oil, it doesn't leak (that I can see) but burns through a quart or so every 1-2k miles, I would assume since I haven't had an odometer in years :).

Wow I feel like an idiot about the heater core...I just pulled up up the floormat and the carpet is discolored and wet. Seems like its been like that for a while. Maybe thats it and I'll have to find a way to soak up all the coolant on the carpet.

Dipstick, I assumed was moisture but never had a vehicle do it in the past...
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cn90
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Post by cn90 »

1. Drinking oil, could be blocked PCV...
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=53448


2. Drinking coolant, could be turbo hoses on the way out:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=55306


3. Heater core, look into this ebay thingy for $40:
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/15 ... ter-cores/
2004 V70 2.5T 100K+
2005 XC90 2.5T 110K+
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jblackburn
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Post by jblackburn »

Both my Volvo and a Jeep show this creamy junk on the dipstick in the winter. Since you've found your coolant leak, I wouldn't worry about the head gasket being a possibility.

The oil burning/dipstick sludge are very likely due to a clogged PCV system. I would check the system for blockage and address the repair as soon as you can to avoid blowing out engine seals if it does appear to be clogged.
'98 S70 T5
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rspi
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Post by rspi »

'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
--------------------
Volvo's of past: '87 740 GLE, '79 262C Bertone, '78 264, 960's, '98 S70 GLT, '95 850 T-5R YellowVolvo Repair Videos
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rspi
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Post by rspi »

'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
--------------------
Volvo's of past: '87 740 GLE, '79 262C Bertone, '78 264, 960's, '98 S70 GLT, '95 850 T-5R YellowVolvo Repair Videos
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rspi
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Post by rspi »

'95 855 T-5R M, Panther - 22/28 mpg, 546,000 miles
'95 955 T-5R Yellow Wagon, Lemonade, 180,000 miles
--------------------
Volvo's of past: '87 740 GLE, '79 262C Bertone, '78 264, 960's, '98 S70 GLT, '95 850 T-5R YellowVolvo Repair Videos
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abscate
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Post by abscate »

A quart every 1000-2000 isn't drinking oil, its just sipping. Probably more leaks than burning. You are going to burn 80 gallons of gas, or 320 USD to drive this, whats another 5 USD of oil ??
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five_w_coupe
Posts: 6
Joined: 25 November 2011
Year and Model: 1996 850 Wagon
Location: Bishop, Georgia

Post by five_w_coupe »

Mine '96 was doing the same thing. I thought I had blown a head gasket, what with 300,000+ miles, things do finally start to "break". Fortunately, that was not it. There is a "screen" in the Flame Trap that gets clogged. This causes the PCV system to "fail", well sort of anyway. Clean the screen, or remove it completely. I removed mine because it was a Sunday and needed to go out of town early the next morning. I also have a bit of "coolant consumption" as well. As stated above, it was not the head gasket (when a head gasket fails one of two things happen. You either get oil in the water or water in the oil). It must be the heater core. If you have a slight odor of antifreeze when you turn the heater on or if you have excessive moisture forming on the inside of the windows, then you probably have a heater core problem. Here is a good write up on the whole process. Looks very straight forward. I plan to do it soon and I will buy the after market core as recommended.

HOW TO REPLACE YOUR HEATER CORE:

http://volvo850wagon.wordpress.com/cate ... ater-core/
My other car is a 1936 Ford Five Window Coupe
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