[ViciousEternal]

Hello Everyone!

First the car:

1996 Volvo 850 GLT (non-turbo)
160,000 Miles

My car has started to leak oil like nobody's business. Overnight it made a spot on the road about 6"x5". This seemed to have come out of nowhere. In the little bit of time that I had before work I looked under the car and under the hood. The front of the engine is splattered and coated with oil, as is the bottom of the oilpan and everything from there back. I put in more oil because it was low due to the leaking. By low I mean I added two quarts and now I can see it on the dip stick!

I just did the PCV about a month ago so I am hoping that maybe one of the bottom hoses on the front of the engine came off. Would it leak that much? The leak seems to be centered about the front of the engine toward the passenger side.

I am going to take it over to my uncles house tomorrow after work to dig around and find the culprit (hope).

Are there any standard problems that I should be aware of? Thank you guys for any insight!

 

[King Tut]

Re: Horrible Oil Leak! D: (ViciousEternal)

Check your oil filler cap as well. The inside of it fails and can be replaced, but it's easier (and almost as cheap) to get a new cap. It is definitely related to you positive crankcase ventiliation. I had a similar problem on an 850 I used to own, but it's been so long, I don't remember what the stealer did to fix it. It was not expensive, though, IIRC.

 

[Pucks850T]

Have you checked the oil lines as they go into the radiator. Those o-rings can go bad and cause you a to leak something fierce. I found it a quick and easy fix to do on my 96 850T. The parts were not even $15 from the dealer. I replaced the o-rings and clamps. I just replaced them during an oil change since I was so low on oil anyway.

 

[ViciousEternal]

Hi everyone.

Last night I was able to crawl in and poke around. All the oil was coming down the front of the engine. From up top by the oil cap. So I replaced the seal and we shall see if that does it.

The engine and the subframe are filthy from oil.

What do you guys recomend to clean it with?

 

[JRL]

Re: (ViciousEternal)

Gunk and a powerwasher unless you have access to a steam cleaner which will do an even better job

 

[ViciousEternal]

Re: (JRL)

Morning,

So a rundown really quick:

Car is sill dripping oil somehow.

So I did a engine bay clean to try and find the source.

-Not the oil cap. *Fixed
-Not from above the head gasket area.

-Drip comes from around the oil filter area.
-Possible from oil filter. Appears to be tight tho.
-Possible from dipstick attachment point. (this ever happen?)
-Possible from oil cooler. IF NA cars have them. (can't find)

Any ideas guys? I need to get more engine cleaning stuff and jack the car up. I was not able to get the underside well enough to tell.

Main questions really are if NA cars have oil coolers and if the dipstick area ever leaks etc. Can't see it very well from above.

Thanks all.

*edit* Forgot to say, its dripping. But like 5% what it was. Leading me to believe that it may be oil gunk ghosts running off because of heat. Duno.

 

[castconcrete]

Re: (ViciousEternal)

Sure,
There is a gasket (more like an o-ring) where the dipstick tube attaches to the oil pan. It is possible that is the source of the leak, and that tube may have become un-seated (kind of pulled out) of it's proper location.

 

[MadeInJapan]

You could have also left an oil filter o-ring in place when you put the new oil filter on-...doubling up. I've done this before (embarrassing) and oil leak was horrible until I figured that out.

 

[ViciousEternal]

Thanks guys. I will take a look when school and work stops bending me over the table. lol

Three papers to write in one day is awweeessome.

 

[KIM 850]

the N/A models don't have an oil cooler.....

 

[ViciousEternal]

Found the leak! D:

So, you know the PCV hose that comes out of the black box at a right angle? That same hose i replaced with the whole system a month ago!? It friggin melted! -_-

New one on the way. This time, from IPD and not FCPGroton. Hope'n this one doesn't decide to have a moment.

Only way I saw it was getting an extendable mirror, brake clean, and then letting the engine run for 20min waiting for a leak.

Grrrrrrr.