Hi,

I have the exact same engine, check the valve cover (that plastic top where you add oil) maybe sealing is bad and leaking. If not, then maybe it is not oil but diesel and leaking from injectors due to bad injector sealing. I can't think any place on the top of engine which can lead this much fluid around injectors.

Anyway, it looks bad and I guess previous owner knew it and cleaned a bit later sold. I don't know rules in your country, as far as I remember in Poland you can give the car back within 30 days and ask for refund. If you have that kind of rule, I guess best thing to do give it back.

 

Hi,

I have the exact same engine, check the valve cover (that plastic top where you add oil) maybe sealing is bad and leaking. If not, then maybe it is not oil but diesel and leaking from injectors due to bad injector sealing. I can't think any place on the top of engine which can lead this much fluid around injectors.

View attachment 209333

Anyway, it looks bad and I guess previous owner knew it and cleaned a bit later sold. I don't know rules in your country, as far as I remember in Poland you can give the car back within 30 days and ask for refund. If you have that kind of rule, I guess best thing to do give it back.

Hi! Thanks very much for the reply and recommendations. Unfortunately we do not have this rule in my country, rather I can demand a refund on court (expensive).

Also have you seen the oil around the belt? I have also pulled out a lot of oil goo (sticky, bouncy black oily substance) from around the main crank pulley and also the oil is leaking from the part on the attached picture...

 

Maybe previously added oil additive or flush engine product destroyed all seals in engine. Or this is a neglected car. Anyway fixing it won’t be easy and cheap. Replacing engine will be quite expensive as well, guess half of car’s value, maybe even more. Selling car like this will be passing your problem to someone like previous owner did it to you.

The most logical option will be replacing parts/seals that you can do it alone, for other seals go to trustworthy mechanic so at least you cut some costs.

Also, try to contact seller/dealer with photos maybe you can get small discount for the issue.

Lastly, there are “stop oil leak” products, you can use as temporary solution (not sure if they really work) while you do more research.

 

If you have excessive pressure in the crankcase, you have to solve that first, as it is what's causing the seals to pass oil. I know nothing of the diesel engines - we don't get them in the States - but if you want to try to fix it, replacing the seals isn't going to help until you've resolved the pressure problem.

 

Have the same engine, as other members have said, the injector seals have gone (thats what makes the tarry suff), the last photo is your vacum pump.(might be loose?)
To reiterrate, as 02pilot rightly said, you need to address what is causing pressurisation.
You could do the injector seals yourself(plenty of youtube videos),you may have to replace the plastic intake manifold,the o rings crack and leak with age and carbon choke real bad (buy a "febi" brand) the manifold is near impossible to clean,easier to get a new one ,the timing cover seals are best left to a mechanic unless your confident, the intercooler piping and throttle body will need cleaning (diy job)
A thorough assessment is needed,a vacum gauge can help diagnose ,does yours have the dpf WITH the additive tank?

 

Hi thank you very much for the reply ans recommendations! No the car has no dpf additive tank. You can see the video of the pcv glove test. The problem is all the seals seem to have leaked oil at the same time... strange. I agree on first solving the engine pressure problem however it seems it will be hard to find the culprit. Check also the video of the entire engine.

 

Also, peugot,ford,mazda use this engine if you are looking at that option

 

And youtube using a "vacum gauge" for diagnostics, you can buy the standard gauge which should give you a idea as to whats going on, or if feeling extravagent a mityvac mitmv8500 which does a heap of things.In regards oil changes, these engines are really susceptible to sludge,and thermal/mechanical loads,without a long story, castol edge 5-30w LL (has to be LL)

 

Just watched the video,injector seals for sure to start with,try the vacum gauge and see what numbers you get,

 

And yes i know above relates to petrol engines, but principles apply to diesel, and if you youtube appropriate diesel engine vacum testing you should be ok, remember its not so much the exact numbers you get, its watching what behaviour the gauge does (trends) that is a diagnostic feature

 

Those readings are for intake vacuum. They aren't likely to provide much information on excessive crankcase pressure. You can certainly put a gauge on the crankcase if you want to quantify the pressure (take a spare oil filler cap and tap it for a brass hose nipple, then connect the gauge to that), but we already know that there's pressure where there should be vacuum, so it's not really going to push the diagnostic process forward.

Regulated crankcase vacuum would normally be in very low increments measured with a slack-tube manometer, but in this case, it's not likely to offer any useful information, as there's probably too much pressure.

 

Yes you are correct, but you can use gauge to check components,so if rings are shot you will get a increase in crankcase pressue,if muffler is blocked ,egr etc

 

Fair enough, though I think you'll get more definitive results with a smoke tester.

 

Thanks to 02Pilot and G10 for answers and recommendations. I will have the experienced Volvo mechanic look into my engine tomorrow/next day. As far as I understand the issue now I have to first find out what is the root cause of the excessive crankcase pressure and then find out from which seals the oil is leaking form. So correct me if I am wrong please, the pressure could be caused by:

• bad piston rings -> the compression test should be performed to find this out,
• clogged pcv/engine breather system -> will have to replace entire valve cover/pcv or find blockage in the pcv hoses, as the membrane is ok,
• leaking turbocharger oil seals -> turbine blows compressed air through oil return lines to the crankcase.

Am I missing something? Please provide any further causes etc.

 

Also, could a really clogged DPF or clogged catalytic converter produce excessive pressure?

 

My V50 is also 2008 and DPF was clogged when I bought it. If it had clogged DPF the car puts itself to limp mode so max rev is 2900 and turbo waste-gate is open so no power at all. It should also give common error codes (so you can easy see with very cheap Bluetooth obd scanner).

 

I'd do a leakdown test rather than a compression test to check if the cylinders are sealing. I'd also recommend again a smoke test on the PCV system.

I think it's quite possible that once you resolve the excess crankcase pressure issue, many if not all of the leaking seals will stop leaking, or at least the leaks will slow considerably. You may still have to replace some, but you won't know until you deal with the pressure problem.

 

I googled the leak down test. Turns out I thought it was the same as compression test. Thanks for pointing it out and yes I agree, the compression test will not tell me how much air is escaping the cylinder.

 

In one of op original photo, there is a non standard hoseclamp on the egr cooler, =2 things, one that it has been apart for some reason, and two they normally use what we call a necklace clamp, you can buy screw versions of these clamps,but this appears to be a ordinary hose clamp .
In regards doing your car, as other posters have said, there are many options, it boils down to what you want to spend, my c30 was a dog, but with help from people on this forum,and a lot of patience, i now have a super economical car,and really enjoy it.

 

Should I be concerned in regards to this clamp or would it be a good idea to take the egr out and inspect the part?

 

The thing with the clamp is, that someone for whatever reason has had the egr off,so there must have been some issue? Maybe.If the clamp is not the proper type,then obviously it wont seal.
You mentioned you will be taking it to your mechanic, so it depends on what equipment he has in regarding what tests they do.My suggestions (and its only a suggestion) was due to what is the cheaper option if you want to do it yourself.In doing some of the other tests you have to take out the glow plugs,snap one of these babys and you wont be happy.As o2pilot said, maybe the smoke test is the best ,safest option.
Please let us know how you get on.

 

Thank you for suggestions. Since I have made a deal with the dealer of the car (he is prepared to pay half the repair costs) I will be taking it to the mechanic next Monday to check what is wrong with the engine. For this reason also I will not be doing anything to my car now, not even cleaning it so the mechanic could see for himself. I will post an update when we find out something.

Also, how could a smoke test tell me if the pcv is clogged? Isnt the smoke test just for finding out any leaks?

 

Best to leave it up to your mechanic for diagnosis,and what method they will use, not much use offering too many suggestions to the mechanic,as they might get a little peeved. good to hear that the seller is compensating you somewhat.

 

Will post an update next week hopefully 🤞

 

Update??

 

Hi, I have just received an update from an official Volvo mechanic shop which was supposed to clean the engine and thoroughly find all faults. They say that the main crankshaft pulley malfunctioned and the "hydraulic fluid" from the main crank pulley leaked out and caused a mess under the hood (splattering all around). I am not aware of what the hydraulic fluid of the crank pulley is, maybe they meant that the seal was leaking...🤷‍♂️ Anyways that is now fixed and the cost to repair main crank pulley is now just north of 200eur...

Also, they say that the oil on top and around injectors is completely normal as this is essential to lubricate (weird.....🤔). However, If you check the pictures it is evident that the no.2 injector is significantly more dirty than other injcetors, leading me to a conclusion that it is faulty somehow which they (mechanics) did not notice apparently.

I am no expert, however I am a mechaniccal engineer with a degree and have studied engines as well. I am pretty sure the oil all around the engine is no good and most definitely not normal as the mechanics say. I think they did not bother to fix the real cause of oil leakage. Another thing, the positive crank pressure as evident on the video posted previously (glove test) is worrysome and not yet fixed.

One thing also: I noticed that the engine mounts need to be replaced as the rubber is completely worn out and is torn at some places. My assumption is reinforced by the mechanic of previous owner of the car who says the mounts need to be replaced because the engine is too loud and also the liquid inside mounts leaked due to torn rubber. However Volvo mechanic says it is okay and there is no need to replace the mounts which I also doubt.

What do you think guys? Are my doubts righteous or they are telling the truth? Will post pictures of the repaired engine shortly.

 

Maybe they meant that the harmonic balancer failed?

 

If the diesel engines use a fluid-filled harmonic balancer, I could see that making a mess if it failed. I don't know that I'm convinced by the "oil on top and around injectors is completely normal as this is essential to lubricate" line. If it were me, I'd clean the entire engine bay as thoroughly as possible, then see if I could better determine the exact sources of oil leakage.

Did you ask the mechanic directly about the crankcase pressure? If so, what did they say?

It sounds to me like they looked until they found a failure (the harmonic balancer), fixed it, and assumed everything else was fine. But it's not.

 

Oil around the the top near injectors is complete b/s as regards

Also, they say that the oil on top and around injectors is completely normal as this is essential to lubricate

Number 2 injector usually goes first (dont know why,) but that is just a case of replacing copper washer and seals which is easy enough to do .
Some vehicles had oil dampened engine mounts,which obviously if cracked would leave leaks,but not as extensive as your engine.

 

Bit hard to take a picture,but basically there aint oil build up around injectors, also a picture of a manhein provent 200 oil catch can which stops all the blowby getting into turbo etc

 

Thanks for the images, I will show them today to the mechanic and see what they say. Also will ask about crankcase pressure directly, though I think they will not bother to fix that.

 

I am thinking the same:

It sounds to me like they looked until they found a failure (the harmonic balancer), fixed it, and assumed everything else was fine. But it's not.