1997 S70 T5 Cam cover oil leak

Fosgate · Post by **Fosgate** » 30 Jun 2014, 09:50

Hey guys,

I was hoping you could give me some advise.
It seems like I have an oil leak from the back (towards the firewall) of the engine, the water by-pass line gets all oily after driving a car for a short period of time and then the oil drips on the the exhaust as well as the manifold and I get a nice oil burning smell in my cabin.
I have taken couple of picture showing where its all wet of oil, as you can see the far most exhaust manifold bolt is covered in oil (next to the turbo) and there are some oil stains right under the cam cover.
I know that there isn't cam cover gasket per se to replace and I should not remove the cam cover as then I'll need re-align everything to make sure the timing belt is re-installed correctly.

However would it be possible to loosen the cam cover bolts enough so there is a couple of mm gap between the cam cover and the head so I can push some sealant in that gap and re-tighten the cam cover bolts? would lifting the cam cover couple of mm cause any issues with the cams and the timing belt alignment?

Is there any other places around that area in the pics that can cause an oil leak?

Thank you

Post by **JDS60R** » 30 Jun 2014, 10:07

The most common cause of that leak is the rear cam seal. Use a mirror to look under the rear cam cover and see if it is moist there. If so , wash down with carb cleaner and safety. then watch leak come back.

I cam cover leak is rare where the cam seal go often. Usually once the rear cam seals go the fronts will follow within 1 year. If the glove test has not been done ( search the forum for more info) you should as excess pressure can cause more leaks or blow out the seals.

Fosgate · Post by **Fosgate** » 30 Jun 2014, 10:21

Thanks for the reply, I have replaced the PCV system on the engine around 3k kms ago, even though I didn't see alot of blow by, but as it was blowing bit of smoke I thought that might stop the oil entering into the intake if the original unit was blocked...

When you say the rear cam seal you mean the seal that goes around the cam pick up sensor unit? I haven't removed the unit to check but it does seem that it has oil residue all around it. However as it was the exhaust manifold bolts that were getting all wet with oil I thought its a long way for the oi lto travel to hit the manifold... but I guess the best thing to do is to give it all good clean and see where the oil is coming from... even though there isn't much space at the back to have a clear enough view....

Post by **JDS60R** » 30 Jun 2014, 23:42

Yes-cam seal on the transmission side of the engine - especially the rear one under the cam pickup sensor and rotor.

obayha · Post by **obayha** » 01 Jul 2014, 08:15

You might also pull the spark plug cover off and make sure the oil is not coming from an improperly done PCV job. Don't ask me how I know that.
Did you clean the PTC, if equipped with one. Someone will correct me with the right term if it isn't right. Maybe flame trap. That hard to get to part near the fire wall.
Cam seal is easy to check first.
Mine would puddle and then on a hard right turn, it would drop the oil and burn out the back. It was a good bug killer until I fixed it. It was a combo of PVC and cam seal.
Shane

Fosgate · Post by **Fosgate** » 01 Jul 2014, 09:42

The whole oil/air separate that is under the intake manifold and all the lines going from it has been replaced, the PTC (Im guessing thats the bit that goes on to the intake piping just before the turbo) has been cleaned.

I'll check the pick up seals this weekend and will also tighten the bolts holding the cam cover just incase they are lose.

Post by **cn90** » 01 Jul 2014, 10:09

The REAR cam seals are very easy. I used SKF brand without any problems at all.
See the DIY below...

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=50752

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Jul 2014, 17:58

Good idea! If the leak was at the cam cover close to the timing belt I have dealt with it and it took taking the cam cover off. Glad your issue appears to be simpler.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Jul 2014, 18:04

Oh and let me add- don't righten the cam cover bolts- they strip easily and torque spec on those are only at 7lbs. Best to get something that measures torque to that low level if you are going to mess with those bolts! As me how I know- several of mine got stripped trying to tighten the cam cover just slightly. If your cover Is true it should be sealing anyway. Oh and my snafu caused all kinds of issues that were not easily dealt with