Hello! For nearly two years I've had an oil consumption problem in my XC70. The dealer slowly worked through the problems and finally agreed with Volvo to replace a few engines parts to repair the problem. When the car was returned to me I noticed it making noises it had never made before, similar to a ticking noise. The dealer says it's because the new parts take time to break in and run smoothly with old parts. It doesn't seem to be getting any better after a few months though. Has anyone else heard of this issue? Thanks!

 

That's anew one to me.. But I would suggest you make occaisional trips to the dealer, or another dealer, AND KEEP YOUR PAPERWORK stating that the noise are remaining, not getting better etc. If your warranty runs out you will at least have proof that the dealer ignored you and your car,\
You might look for a regional rep. too. Manufactureers have them for a reason - unresolved warranty issures are one of them.

 

usually ticking sounds are associated with valve lifters - a "sticky" lifter will leave a momentary gap with the rocker arm and that's the tick. Older engines wear parts, so if the dealer did a valve job (say to refresh the valve seals) and they didn't put the lifters back in their original spot, the lifters can have different wear spots and fail to seat the same way creating a tick.

 

No that's BS. Take it back. They likely did either pistons or pistons and rings, depending on the engine. Either way, it should run fine immediately.

 

you are correct - if they did piston/rings the head would stay intact and the lifters would be unchanged. my point was as best practice, if you take a head apart, the components should go back to their original position. OP didn't note which year, mileage etc or what the shop did - which is why I noted "on older engines".

 

Sorry, I wasn't calling your post BS. I meant the line the dealer said about the parts having to break in.

 

I know, thanks!

 

The car is a 2013 so at the time the problem started it was four years old and had around 65,000 miles on it. I looked back at the maintenance report and they replaced the pistons, gaskets, seals, o-ring, catalytic converter. Sounds like I shouldn't be hearing any kind of ticking noise or anything else otherwise!

 

I just got my car returned to me after having the pistons and rings replaced in my 2015 S60 with 66k miles on it. The "low oil pressure" light came on infrequently for a couple days, and when I finally checked the oil on the second day, the dipstick was bone dry. I didn't notice any oil spots, and it didn't smell like it was burning oil. I purchased 4 quarts of Castrol full synthetic oil (per service department recommendations, and it was holding oil just fine when I dropped it off to have the issue investigated a few days later). I never anticipated them needing to replace the pistons and rings. They also installed new spark plugs. Thankfully this was all covered under the extended warranty I purchased for the car when I bought it used 2.5 years ago. The dealership had the car for almost 3 weeks, and thankfully I had a loaner car from them...a 2020 S60 T5. Nice ride, but I'm glad to have my car back.

So, is this the end of my oil consumption issues, or do you think this will be an ongoing problem?

 

They replaced my pistons and rings also. As far as I know, it doesn't have any oil consumption problems now but it is still making the ticking noise. The car is back in the shop AGAIN! My car also showed no visible signs of burning oil. The dipstick and light indicator were the only reasons I knew. I hope you don't have the ongoing issues like I have!!!

 

Make sure the oil level is correct - too much oil can cause foaming etc which can keep the lifters from pumping up properly. Its also possible you sustained some wear on the lifters/cam/valve when you ran out of oil... doesn't have to be a lot to create a tick.