Oil pan damage 97 850 NA

Post by **scot850** » 11 Aug 2016, 19:31

I have cleaned the remaining oil from the bottom of the oil pan and the oil filter while doing the oil change and discovered what looks like a grey paint on the filter and oil pan base. There has been a persistent drip of oil from the oil drain plug which I had put down to a fast lube place not using a new drain plug seal. Now I am wondering if the oil pan drain plug was broken or damaged when the oil was last changed or the owner has not been up front on having hit the oil pan. It may also explain the scrapes/damage to the underside of the front bumper lip, the piece of wood up in the RH front suspension and all 4 mud flaps being pulled from most of their mounts and full of mud/silt.

Strangely the rest of the car shows no obvious damage with the exception of a dime sized ding to the PS front outer side of the floor pan.

This may also explain the oil drips that appeared on start up near the front of the oil pan area and above there as high as the PCV base if the pan was hit and the seal has been compromised between the pan and block. I cleaned the oil off and re-ran the engine and no more oil appeared so far so I am hoping the issue was just residue cleaner and not oil from all the cleaning I have done.

Has anyone come across this type of oil pan repair before either caused by the oil drain being damaged by an oil jockey or taking a hit, and found the repairs to be successful? I now wondering if I should go out and pull a spare oil pan as a back up.

I've read that the oil pan re-seal and 'O' ring replacement can be a bear of a job, but is it really that bad? I know the usual issue is getting the oil pan off the front of the engine near the crank because of the oil pump. Do you have to either jack the engine up (i.e. remove the crank engine mount and others to allow the engine to be raised enough for the pan to be removed?

I'm hoping I am just being paranoid, but I need to know what I may have to get into. I am hoping that like I said earlier the issue was a stripped thread on the drain or broken oil drain by a ham fisted maniac and not a hit to the pan. The pan otherwise does not show any obvious dents or scratches which has me leaning toward the ham fisted issue.

Thanks,

Neil.

Post by **E Showell** » 11 Aug 2016, 19:49

It's a bitch with a "keystone" fit that you have to get just right. The bolts can corrode around their heads too so it is possible to snap off a bolt head (don't ask me how I know this). Yes, you do have to jack up the engine, but you can only do it so far without risking compromising the passenger side axle. Anybody who can drop a rear subframe/gas tank, etc. on a V70 ought to be able to do it in his sleep, however.

Post by **scot850** » 11 Aug 2016, 20:33

I have now added some photos. Can't see well enough with the old eyes when close up on my back so thought photos might be better.

Looking at these I think it looks more like a ham fisted gorilla has broken out the oil pan drain area and it has been re-attached some-how, then sprayed with some grey paint/primer or something. Looking closer the paint was not applied too well as it was all over the oil filter and up the side of it to that corner of the oil pan.

I had hand tightened the drain plug (new Volvo plug and washer) and noticed still a slight weep. Got out the torque wrench and tightened to 35NM as spec, and dried it off. I've only added 1 litre of oil as all I have is expensive synthetic, and hope that may be enough to cause a weep if it is getting down the threads or there is a slight crack.

Pictures below:

: Oil filter with paint on it (1)

: Oil filter with paint on it (2)

: Oil pan drain area from below

: New drain plug and washer still leaking

Would anyone like to speculate on the damage and possible cause?

Thanks,

Neil.

Post by **erikv11** » 11 Aug 2016, 22:24

Well that is lousy. Keystone fit ummmm no thanks; I've never done an oil pan on a mounted engine, and hope I don't ever need to. I like the tack you're taking, to decide for sure if/where it is leaking, then make the call to replace. Can;t just throw another oil pan at it, too much effort.

Post by **scot850** » 11 Aug 2016, 23:30

So I went back out and had another look. I tried cleaning off the area again with some acetone and noticed what looks like some beige colored epoxy under the grey. It is flaking off so I gently scraped it with my nail and it started to come off. I have cleared about 3/4" around the drain plug, but so far can't see an obvious crack. If there is it may only open once the oil is warm. Looking closely at the bottom of the pan it looks a little rough, so I don't know if there is some damage there. I will have a look in the day-light tomorrow, and if there is still no obvious leak, fill the oil and run the engine to see if it leaks.

What color is JB weld, or is there another epoxy type glue that is that color? I guess they sprayed the grey to cover the repair. Either way the repair is failing, but what is damaged is still not obvious.

Neil.

Covert · Post by **Covert** » 12 Aug 2016, 01:10

Neil that looks like cast marks to me , but thats only what i can see from the pics ,

Ive taken my pan off (or as we call it "sump" with the engine in place , not a nice job at all as i thought i could get away without taking the power steering supply pipes off the rack , Wrong !

Took about an 2 hours to get it off, about an hour to put it back on

beigg · Post by **beigg** » 12 Aug 2016, 06:01

replace the oil drain plug crush washer. Those crush washers are only good really for one use. Cheap .30 item that can cause a long reoccurring issue.

Post by **oragex** » 12 Aug 2016, 09:29

I'd try as above, a better washer. The Volvo one in the picture looks quite thick, not sure how well it seals especially if the pan surface is not perfect. I have non metallic ones for some Toyota engines. With the plug out, I'd inspect the surface of the oil pan brush any paint check is nice flat and shiny

Post by **scot850** » 12 Aug 2016, 10:26

In the picture I had not fully torqued the drain plug. Now I have done it seems to be ok. I have just added the engine oil to max and will try running the car again later and see what happens. Maybe (never happens) I am lucky on this one and someone was trying to fix the leak from the drain plug but we'll see.

What I have found is way more worrying it would appear. When under the car this morning I again found a drip of oil down the side of the new Volvo oil filter. Looked up and there looks like oil dripping very slowly from a collecting point on where the accessories bracket mounts to the side of the block. I cleaned off the block the other day and it looks damp again just behind the alternator. Could just reach in and under the PCV tank appears dry and the block ledge there also seems dry. The first sign of damp is the seal area between the main block and the lower block. I have never seen a leak there before. I am thinking of trying the AST leak stop product to see if that would work as there is no way I can get the engine out for this repair. Oil pan perhaps but not the whole engine. I have had a leaking pan seal in the area of the oil filter, but the pan bolts are still dry.

Are there any other possible areas for leaks, like for example a through bolt for the accessories bracket that may run all the way into the block?

Thanks,

Neil.

kippster41493 · Post by **kippster41493** » 12 Aug 2016, 11:21

I noticed there is a length difference in an aftermarket drain plug (non original/ Volvo plug) the aftermarket ones are shorter so you can't use a normal drain plug washer specifically for the car. I went to a hardware store where they sell drain plug washers just by size not specific to vehicles. I was able to find one that was the correct diameter but thin enough to keep most the drain plug in the pan and no leaks yet.