Oil on threads is from piston ring issue, do you have oil consumption? That looks like more than a small amount.

I've sheared a bolt using a faulty torque wrench, get a quality one, you already know.

 

It does use a small amount of oil between changes but never to the point where I've had to add oil. Halfway down the dipstick by the time I'm due, if that. I'm monitoring it closely and doing oil changes every 5k miles. I purchased private from the original owner at 50k. Previous owner had a full service history which included Volvo oil changes from 0-50k every 8-10k miles, including an engine flush in there.

 

Oil on the threads could also be from a leaky valve cover. Plug replacement would have been a good time to do a compression check .

With regard to torqueing down the plugs, I would definitely make sure the torque is correct with a proper torque wrench. Just go through the plugs with the torque wrench and make sure they are at least at the factory spec. You do not want one of these to come loose.

 

I was more concerned with over torquing when I put them in. I'll likely rent a proper wrench and double check when I do brakes in the next few weeks for peace of mind. Unfortunately I don't have the equipment or knowledge of how to do a compression test 😞. I'd assume when I go back in there I should loosen the plugs first and then torque to spec?

 

You will be fine on the spark plug torque.
That's exactly how I've done them the past 40+ years, finger tight then 1/4 to 3/8 turn more.
What you are doing is crushing the single use sealing ring/gasket. You don't want to loosen and retighten because that might compromise the seal.
You also don't want to waste any time going over them again with a torque wrench set to 16 lb ft as due to 'break away torque' that will not be accurate anyway.
AFA oil on the threads don't believe there is much to worry about there either.

 

Thanks for the input. Same procedure as last time I did plugs on my S60 and never had issues.

 

I agree with vista88, would definitely not loosen the plugs to re-tighten. I figured you were worried about them not being tight enough . And yes, leaky valve cover could for sure cause wet threads like that so probably no big deal. If the insulator/electrode were wet, I would be concerned.

 

Yea I just found an older post mentioning the same thing I encountered. Everything below threads was completely dry, just the bottom half of threads had oil and not enough to drip as I pulled them. How concerning would be the valve cover gasket if that's the culprit? The spot was smaller than a credit card and slightly right of center if I remember. It didn't appear to be "actively" leaking as it looked fairly dry but stained.

 

A Harbor Freight torque wrench might be as accurate as any other. To check you need to have a torque wrench calibrated , which few do unless doing some critical work. Also 16 foot pounds is probably a dry recommendation, if anti sieze grease is used the torque specification needs to be lowered 25%-30% so around 12 foot pounds. Most professionals fully seat the plug and give it a bump.

 

Good to know, I did not use anti-seize since the Volvo OE plugs don't require them. I think the wrench I pulled off the shelf was a dud. I read plenty of good reviews that they're just as accurate as any $100 + name brand wrench. I tried testing it at 5lbs torque on another bolt and got no "click" at any point.

 

Those plugs look pretty normal to me. I did mine at 71k, 2014 T5:

I wouldn't worry too much about the plugs. They need to be tight enough to seal properly, but not so tight you can't get them out! Your oil use sounds normal. All T5s use some oil between changes.
Whistle under the hood: I just had to replace my PCV breather box and oil filter housing at 76k miles. The main symptoms being a high pitched whistle at idle and a CEL once it got really bad. The PCV diaphragm failed and I elected to replace the whole unit. It felt like I was disassembling half the car, but it wasn't too bad of a job overall.

 

Spark plugs look fine to me. I wouldn't be worried about a little oil.

Regarding the torque wrench, don't rely on the cheapo one at HF, spend $100 and get the decent one there. I learned that lesson.

 

Spark plugs look fine to me. I wouldn't be worried about a little oil.

Regarding the torque wrench, don't rely on the cheapo one at HF, spend $100 and get the decent one there. I learned that lesson.

HB lifetime warranty, maybe there's a reason for that! I returned it immediately, should've borrowed one from a friend or rented in hindsight.

 

I've got a Harbor Freight Pittsburgh 3/8 drive torque wrench that works great. I've checked it against a few others, and it seems fairly accurate

 

It's a crap shoot - some of them work great but IMHO you can do a lot more damage by saving $70 or $80, lol.

 

100% agree. And at what cost is it worth saving then

 

Yeah, I wouldn't rebuild an engine with one, but for most non critical applications they seem to get you in the ballpark.

 

FYI, there is no “valve cover”.
There is a spark plug cover, the No gasket plastic part, and a cam cover, which does in fact cover the valves, but actually holds the cams.
If you have oil under the plastic cover, it’s either your oil cap gasket leaking, or the breather tube (that goes down through the intake manifold) has hardened and cracked. I’d bet oil cap.
If the cam cover is leaking into the spark plug holes, someone forgot the spark plug tube O rings when the took the head apart.
The metal to metal surfaces sealed with Volvo pink goo anaerobic sealant, are remarkably reliable.
I wouldn’t worry about the plugs, I always used 1 “Ugga Chugga” on plugs when the only torque wrench available was a fixed rod type that read to 150 lb. ft.

 

FYI, there is no “valve cover”.
There is a spark plug cover, the No gasket plastic part, and a cam cover, which does in fact cover the valves, but actually holds the cams.
If you have oil under the plastic cover, it’s either your oil cap gasket leaking, or the breather tube (that goes down through the intake manifold) has hardened and cracked. I’d bet oil cap.
If the cam cover is leaking into the spark plug holes, someone forgot the spark plug tube O rings when the took the head apart.
The metal to metal surfaces sealed with Volvo pink goo anaerobic sealant, are remarkably reliable.
I wouldn’t worry about the plugs, I always used 1 “Ugga Chugga” on plugs when the only torque wrench available was a fixed rod type that read to 150 lb. ft.

I opened the hood today to check oil level and dummy me. The spot I referred to on top was visible in front of the engine cover, attaching pic. Could be I just dripped a bit when changing the oil a few weeks back but didn’t notice it before

🤷‍♂️

 

Don't forget when you add any length of an extension on to the socket -that throws off the torque number. Don't buy anything at Harbor Junk to do any kind of work on a Volvo!

 

Actually, there are plenty of good tools at Harbor Freight perfectly capable of working on Volvos. I could make a list, but I digress...

 

@anacortesian
Yes, just a small dab on the last few threads.
I take them out with a power tool but install and tighten with hand tools, to me it's not worth the risk of cracking the porcelain and having to go back to diagnose a misfire.

 

@anacortesian
Yes, just a small dab on the last few threads.
I take them out with a power tool but install and tighten with hand tools, to me it's not worth the risk of cracking the porcelain and having to go back to diagnose a misfire.

last few threads at the top of the plug ...up by by the crush washer...correct?

 

ask a stupid question...