Hey i was wondering what is involved in replacing the front crank oil seal, how long would this job take. I have yet to purchase this car yet but i was looking in to this known fault before i bought the car.

Does all timing gear have to come off assuming so a new belt tensioner ans water pump would be a good idea to replace while in to it that much. Is the crank pulley difficult to remove and is the instalation of the seal easy onc all the prep work has been done?
thank
-Mike

 

It is so so to replace. Never really had to replace one. Usually the oil pump or something else leaks way before the front seal. Are you sure the Cam seal isn't leaking?

You will need a special tool to pull the crank pulley(timing gear one) The outer one is easy to get off.

 

Well I bought the car after, too good of a deal to pass up. I am not sure that that's the problem yet I havn't really looked at it, is there any tell tale signs on what to look for? It may be difficult to see I had it up on a ramp today to get a lil ehhaust leak fixed on a clamp that was leaking in the middle of the exhaust. What I noticed was a crap load of oil spilled around, I'm thinking it's going to need to be pressure washed before anything.

I was told by the owner that the leak was the oil seal and her father didn't fix it yet because a special tool was needed, which makes sense to what you said. Lots of oil down below so the leak may be down lower, I have yet to pull of the timing belt cover so see if there's any oil on the belt or in around there, I have the car less than 24 hours so far and it's my first volvo so it's all virgin territory to me! and i feel helpless with out a service manual yet I gotta get on top of that

any tips on washing that area underneath free of oil, tthink a pressure washer will help, i'll prolly gove it a shot tomorrow morning!

anyone know of any .pdf files with the 1994 850 turbo service manual

Thanks,
-Mike

ps I think i'm going to bea regular around here now.... it's a learning curve gotta love it!!

 

Yes that is a MAJOR LEAK but it could be a combo of things.

Common things on the turbo's.
Front Cam seals
Oil cooler lines
Turbo return line o-ring
Rear Cam seals
Rear main seal.

Try to get some Brake cleaner and clean the best you can.
You might want to buy a Case of it though as much oil as I see.
Once it is all clean take it for a ride. Make sure you BOOST it up some then come back and look it over for the leak.
Running at idle hardly ever will show the leak. You need about a 2 to 3 mile test drive.

 

Welll i stuck the pressure washer to the area today, the wohol engine bay was very dirty(not all from oil leak) but I got my valve cover clean and when I got home there was new oil on the front of the valve cover by the front(intake?) cam. There is oil inside the timing belt area and that is where the new oil was coming from but it's hard to say which seal inside is leaking because if the leak was on bottom it would be brought to the top front by the cam belt as it turns.

I'd like an opinion on this idea.... I'm thinking of removing the timing belt covers and front wheel and inner wheel trim to gain asccess to timinh belty area and once clear spray in a bit of engine cleaner to loosen the grease then spraing it with a pressure washer to try and clean the area. good idea or bad?

thanks
-Mike

 

That will work

 

I'll spray off that area so I'll get a better idea... i looked at the lines on the turbo they seem clear the oil cooler lines were cleaned thenn watched while car was in idle, lots of mess around cerank serpentine pulley though









I picked up a timing overhaul kit on ebay today which is a good deal for a bunch of parts, I have read up on the timing belt change, but as far as the replacement of the seals is concerned I am not sure how that goes, do they just slide on thier respective shafts once the pulley/gears are removed. what would be required to crank, and camshaft gears off? Is there really a need for a special tool?

Also in this kit it includes balance shaft seals, should they be used? how do they go on?

also it lists front and rear cam and crank seals, wouldn't the rear crank seal ned removal of the transmission, it also lists front rear cam shaft seals would that be referring to seals on each side of the motor, so a total of 4 seals?

I got all those parts fot $400 Canadian shipped, i checked locally at a NAPA store and the Tensioner belt, pulley and pump alone was over $400 plus tax

 

Yes the rear crank seal would require the Transmission to come out.

You will need a Puller to remove the Crank pulley(Inner one)
The Cam pulleys once the screws are loose it will slide off.

Not sure what they are calling a balance shaft.

There is 2 cams and one crank. So not sure unless they call the intake a cam and the exhaust cam the balance shaft.

There is 4 seals for the Cams 2 front and 2 rear.

 

Too bad MikeySq never followed up on this post. As I look at these pictures, it perfectly matches my situation on a '97 T5 wagon. There is oil running from the distributor base, the CPS and from inside the timing belt housing. Also perfect matches with all other pictures.

I am just getting ready to install the PCV maintenance kit from FCP. This wagon only has 145 K miles on it but by the look of the existing hoses, my strong suspicion is this is the first time PCV system has had any maintenance.

While the car is in the garage, I'll replace all the cam seals then monitor for any continuing oil leak. If it appears the crankshaft requires new seals, I'll worry about it this summer.

 

I recently replaced the cam seals on our S70 GLT. I noticed the leak and told my daughter about it on a Wednesday, I told her that "it was leaking a little and I think it would be good till spring". Well, I put my foot in it on Friday and blew both seals totally out. Ouch!!! Don't count on leaking seals to make it down the road to far.

 

I want to keep this thread alive because there must be others with an oil leak similiar to this.

While cleaning the CPS, there was was some type of tan colored caulk sealant on the mating surfaces. Do you think this could this have been some prior attempt to hide a leaking cam seal ?

Tomorrow the timing belt and inside cover will be removed to try and find the source of the oil leak in engine front. This is as frustrating as trying to find where water is coming in from a leaky roof. The wind currents in the engine compartment can send the oil anywhere although there must be patterns.

The Haynes 850 manual states the oil seals for the crank shaft can be replaced without removing the engine. Unless I read that wrong, how can that be given that the transmission needs to removed to access the rear seal.

 

Well, you have cam seals and crank seals. I don't know about a rear crank seal. The rear cam seals can be replaced as well as the front cam seals.

Take a close look at the front cam seals, you can see them through the cam sprockets. If they are out a little or you see oil there, they are leaking. Replace them. Also, from all that I have read, use OEM seals. The only think I know of that can be leaking behind that inner tb cover is the block gasket.

Here is my write-up on the cam seal job I did: http://www.atthetipwebs.com/technolo...als_s70glt.htm

 

Well finally had some time to move foward on this.

In addition to the known failed rear cam seals, I pulled the front engine components from the front timing belt cover to the rear cover. On the upside, the front cam seals and the front crank seals are clean. The home made cam locking tool was worth the $6 in steel stock.

I did notice a leak in the head gasket just above and limited to the corner where the water pump is located. This probably accounts for the oil found in the rear of the timing belt cover but is minor enough to stay for now.

The major leak in the engine front is coming from one of the oil cooler lines where it connects to the thermostat. The lines themselves are very new from the prior owner. The wing shaped retainer is bent backward at the other end from that shown in the picture. Has anyone ever replaced the oil cooler hoses? Is there a way to remove only the wing shaped retainer or does the thermostat have to be removed to get to the retainer torx screw. I have tried to get at it from both sides so would appreciate some guidance with this one.

I also noticed there is an oil drip coming from the bottom of the turbo body. I still need to remove all the gunk that has accumulated to try and find the leak here.

 

Nice job on the cam lock tool, Haynes suggests the same idea.
My '01 2.4T has the same slight oil leak at the right front corner of the head.
Replacing the front crank seal is suggested when doing the timing belt service.
The turbo oil seals are offered as a kit with our advertisers.
You may need to unbolt the front engine mount and lift the engine slightly to access the bolt and the thermostat hold down. Try a hand impact with an extension on that screw.
Ed

 

I did replace the oil cooler line on our S70 but it was the one that went from the radiator to the connector just inside of the right front tire. I think I pulled the tire off and got at it that way.

 

I have on order for the lines at the oil thermostat, two new "O" rings, the wing shaped retainer with a bolt and just to be on the safe side, the gasket between the oil thermostat and block. Also ordered the kit for the turbo oil lines. These two repairs and the rear cam seals should correct the better part of any leaks.

Thanks for the tip on lifting the engine. At what point would you recommend the jack be placed ?

 

Place the jack at or near the corner of the pan with a plate or board to distribute the load.
Ed