1996 850R leaks, burns and smells of oil

[Volvovlo]

Hi all,

A few months ago I finally bought my dream car, cosmetically in excellent shape however with several oil issues present. It's a 1996 855R with 290,000 Kilometers. I'll start with the most important one, being that after the car is warmed up and driven normally there is a faint to moderate smell of burnt oil in the cabin. If I drive harder or have some fun, this changes to moderate to severe smell coming into the cabin. This will persist the entire time I am driving.

Upon inspecting the engine bay, when looking from the top the engine is bone dry, including the area around the spark plugs under the engine cover. The area around the exhaust seems almost completely dry, there is a tiny tiny amount of what looks like oil on the exhaust under the heat shield but I doubt this will produce such strong fumes. I'd say the area around the turbo and exhaust is 99% dry and oil free. Bear in mind this is from looking from above the engine

When looking from below, the bottom of the engine was absolutely saturated in oil. I spent 5 hours under there cleaning it and re-inspected it after a two hour drive. Despite cleaning the smell was still there and very strong. I could not pinpoint where the oil was coming from exactly however the back of the engine/oil pan was very wet even after a two hour drive. If I leave the car sitting overnight, it'll leave a palm-sized oil patch directly underneath the sump plug (Changed the sump plug washer, oil is coming from higher up in the engine and flowing down I think)

On top of this, I have noticed oil in the (Turbo intake?) large black pipe running over the top of the engine to the turbo. There is blue smoke coming from the exhaust, sometimes after startup, sometimes when driving normally and sometimes when accelerating but sometimes the smoke is not present at all, it seems random. What could cause this?

I have done the glove test (Fail) and pulled the dipstick out (Puffing) however no oil pooling around spark plugs. Could the PCV be the cause of my problems?

Other than changing the sump plug washer, I have not done anything to fix these issues as I don't know where to start. I can do most work myself if I allow myself the time, I'm not sure if this is one issue or many issues at once. I'm hoping it's nothing serious and don't need a new engine, but I'd like to sort out the smell/smoke and leaks this engine has.

One other thing I'll mention is when I'm accelerating gently-moderately at around 3000rpm, there is a strong vibration coming from somewhere. Could that be the drive shafts? I have a non turbo GLT donor car, so have a supply of parts provided they are compatible. Otherwise I'd have to buy new parts.

I appreciate any help/advice you can give, these are great cars, I thoroughly enjoy mine and want to do my best to keep it on the road in great order. Thanks again

[abscate]

There is a 20 mm diameter pipe that comes from the bottom of the turbo that slips into the block to return engine oil from the turbo to the sump. The 0-ring on that pipe can wear out, which will spew engine oil all over the right side of your engine, the side that faces to the rear of the car. It will also,hit the driveshaft there and spray everywhere including the exhaust, which will give your that burning smell and blue smoke !

You might have a shot at this weeks contest of a $5 part solving at least three problems at once!

Thread here ....

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81390

[Volvovlo]

Thanks abscate,

I crawled under the car this morning and had another look. From under the car the exhaust looks completely dry. There is a very small leak from the 20mm pipe you mentioned, and also a small leak from a little (looks to be about 8mm) pipe going into the turbo. I struggle to see how this gives off extremely strong almost unbearable fumes in the cabin while the exhaust remains completely dry. The oil patch on the ground is directly under the sump plug, not the turbo.

I have attached a photo and happy to add more as needed. Thanks

https://ibb.co/n1tjr4R

[erikv11]

Bone dry turbo and surrounds, indeed it's not the typical oil return line problem.

How high up the engine can you find oil? I'd focus on finding the leak first, then explain the smell later. It could easily be leaking out the base of the oil filter and running back to the sump plug, for example ... short hoses on the PCV (oil trap) box is another possibility, but there are many.

Pics, pics, lots mire pics! Especially after cleaning when the oil first starts to leak again.

And asbcate, the turbo mounts to the left side of the engine which is the one facing the firewall, not the right, even in NZ!

[Volvovlo]

I can find the oil as high as where the sump meets the block (Higher of the two joins). Oil is leaking out of more than one place. I have taken more photos to try to show where. Places I can find is a small amount near the cambelt (Can't pinpoint where), small amount at the front of engine around where the sump and block meet covering the front of the sump and oil filter in oil (Intake pipes are dry, no oil that high), a larger amount at the rear of the engine at the same place where block and sump meet, but the most of the oil seems to be covering the gearbox/power steering rack and I cannot see where this is coming from. Gearbox oil is good and so is power steering fluid. These photos are taken after about 1000-2000km since cleaning under the engine.

I have had cars leak much more oil than this but smell nowhere near as bad. Also why is there oil inside the black air pipe running over the top of the engine to the turbo? Is this normal? Or is it causing the smoke I see from the exhaust?

https://ibb.co/BCJktyf
https://ibb.co/dMWrn1Q
https://ibb.co/qx58GBP
https://ibb.co/qsFtNsn
https://ibb.co/mFWXS7W
https://ibb.co/fkmWTj7

[abscate]

You have a cam seal leak, and either atf or steering fluid leaks, on top of, I still believe, a bad turbo return seal. That leaks at the block and leaves the turbo relatively dry

I think Erik has been sniffing the the l-DNA again...calling all Volvos to converge on IA for a chiral intervention

[Volvovlo]

Do you mean crank seal leak? No oil around cams

[abscate]

Do you mean crank seal leak? No oil around cams

Photo number 2 is showing classic exhaust cam seal leak

I also see both red and black drips underneath, so engine oil as well as PS/ATF

( I’m guessing it is PS as kiwis are too cool to drive automatics. )

[befarrer]

Pull the cam sensor, it's on the end of the exhaust cam, above the transmission. Mine had a huge leak that looked like a rear main seal leak, was that seal, it blew right out of the head. The cover on the end has a weep hole on the bottom, behind all of the hoses that go around it, looked dry from above, but gushing oil below. I have an AWD, so much more stuff in the way underneath too.

[Volvovlo]

I recently replaced the camshaft sensor and there was no oil leaking from there at that time. On the cambelt side, it may be leaking a little bit as abscate said but the cambelt was replaced about a year before I bought it and unless its a danger to the cambelt itself, id rather leave that alone as changing the cambelt again just to replace the seal is a rather expensive job, especially as I dont know the cause of the blue smoke which could be piston rings for all I know in which case im looking at a rebuild/new engine and doing that seal would be a waste of time. My priority for now is try to fix the oil smell that is so bad it literally makes the car undrivable as it gives me and any passengers headaches. Im happy to replace a seal if I know thats causing the smell. Then I want to move on to the cause of the blue smoke, whether the engine is worn out or if its something minor. Then ill get on to any other leaks after that
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