I need some help. In addition to our XC70, my daily driver is an 850 wagon.
It has had a little white substance in it everytime I change the oil... condensation people said. I did not really think much about it and the oil was always a bit thicker and light brown (chocolate milk colored) in some areas.

It also burns oil. Today I went out to check it and there is no regular looking oil in the engine. The whole dipstick is covered in this thick chocolate milk almost paste stuff! I know this is bad.. I checked under the oil filler cap and it is still normal oil looking.

Allthough there is alot of horrible sludge under there--I had never really looked down into the engine through the filler cap. However around the filler cap itself the oil is still normal brown and looks and smells normal.

This car performs like normal and I daily get the car to 85-95mph on the freeway on my way home. I do not feel like there is a loss of power. But I know with this new advancement of all the oil in the dipstick area being paste I am in serious trouble.

Some background, this is not a well cared for car. It is what is called a beater car... people own it on military bases and sell it every 2-3 years, never doing real maintenance on it. I did change the oil about 3000 miles ago.

Any thoughts on what I should do? Is it a blown head gasket? The level of coolant in my radiator does NOT go down, and stays constant. How can I get rid of the sludge, and what else can make the oil turn into chocolate milk paste and not be a cracked block or head gasket? Would not a cracked block degrade my performance? Like I said I daily take this car to about 95mph on the German Autobahn with no loss in performance. I was told that ANY sort of crack or head gasket issue would give me loss of power, but it have none. The car even idles great!!!

Also if it is a cracked block is there anything I can do short of replacing the engine? Is there anything like radiator stopleak for engine blocks that leak? This car only has to last me another 12 months before I buy a new car!
HELP!!! Please!!!!!

 

If the main oil and in the top of the engine still looks normal then it might not be a Headgasket and just Condensation.

But if the oil itself looks like that then it will need a new Headgasket.

Does it run hot?

It might be a Very small leak at the headgasket as well.

But don't use Sealer it will block up other things and cause more problems.

 

it does not run Hot, I was going to use GUNK motor cleaner to remove the sludge and then run oil through it for 5 minutes, then drain, and drop the oil pan, clean that out and fill with oil. Then replace oil about a week later.

Anyone ever heard of GUNK motor cleaner? It cleans the sludge out ... well it claims anyway. I am just a bit afraid of a 160K mile 13 year old engine getting too much stuff shaken lose that might be holding it together, but on the other hand the sludge is pretty bad and the chocolate oil is a serious issue.

Any thoughts?

 

I would try that.
But know before you try dropping the pan it is a pretty big process.
You need an o-ring kit to do the job.
You also need a special sealer that is pretty expensive.
You also need to check the Vent box and vent system it might be clogged.

 

An O ring kit and special sealer? Wow...the guy at the parts store only said a gasket. Can anyone explain what and how on the vent box cleaning? I did a search on it and came up pretty short. Is it worth the time and effort to drop the pan? Or should I just try the Gunk stuff and run lots of oil through to get as much out as possible? If it is condensation, what could cause me to get so much of it?

Sorry don't know much about 850s.

 

With the age of the car and milage I would just replace the box and clean the Flame trap (If it is a Non-turbo)
That can cause oil leaks and some condensation.
The crank case isn't breathing if it is clogged.

I would check the Vent system and run the cleaner through it.

 

I found a how to on the flame trap. What about the vent system, what/how do you clean it? How is the crankcase ventilated? PVC Valve? I know I need to do something to help this car and I know it has been neglected (owner of it changed every 2-3 years with little or no maintenance).

I want to live it some TLC. I did cap, rotor, plugs a bit ago. Next replace:

- flame trap
- PCV
What else?

 

The system vents through the Flame trap and the Vent box.
If the engine has that much sludge in it I will bet the Box is clogged.
Thats why I suggest replacing it.
You will have to remove the intake manifold to replace it.
I will also bet the throttle body has oil in it.

One easy way to see if the vent box is clogged is to start the engine and rev it up to 3 grand about 5 times then pull the dipstick and listen for pressure to release.

 

is it possible to clean the box, to get some ventilation going? I am sure it is clogged, that explains the oil oozzing down the outside of the dipsticksheath AND always oil on theupper part of the dipstick area--almost all the way to the top!!! (I really do not want to remove the intake manifold TOO many horror stories and bad memories.

Just so I understand a lack of venting would cause condensation right?

 

That is what I have seen in the past.(Condensation)

You can't even try cleaning it without removing the intake.
There is no way around it.
Thats why I was saying to replace it. You would already be there.

 

I understand, what else should I replace while I am trying to fix this fully clogged car (you were right about the dipstick noise..scary)
Also how much is a vent box (that is the formal name?) Also the PCV valve?

Thanks again for all your help, I appreciate it!

 

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You will need those there is one piece I can't find it is where the white insert fits into. I would get one of those to.

 

funglenn, I have exactly the same problem on my '96 850 Turbo with 150K. Could you tell me what happened in the end with yours? I also read that modifications to the oil dipstick could help. See this link:

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...ic.php?p=19691

Did you do the work on the oil trap, flame trap and vent box? Did you fix the problem? What do you recommend? Thanks somuch for the help.