Hi,

I have a 93 940 with 164000 miles and I checked the oil about 300 miles ago and it was right below the min line on the dipstick so I decided to add some oil. The oil pressure light had never come on to this point. I added one quart and then checked it and it still seemed short. I should have waited for it to drain and be soaked up. I am stupid. So I added another quart. I think it may be 3/4-1 quart too much. I haven't noticed anything acting up but there does seem to be a little oil spot when I leave my parking space in the morning. I think it's oil. Anyway, is this really bad? 3/4-1 quart too much? I asked my mechanic on the phone and he said no big deal but just wanted to get some other opinions. Also, I looked on the main engine block (I don't know cars sorry) and there is some fresh oil on it I think. Not a lot but some. I have had the car for only 6k miles so that oil could have been there already but it seems fresh. I don't know. But the car is running fine. Solid car. Like around where the white bulb thing sticks out that is your oil cap I think. You know what I am talking about?

Thanks,
Nick

 

It won't damage the engine, but, redblocks are known for leaking oil due to excessive crankcase pressure, so high oil levels can show up as annoying oil leaks.
You can leave it and nothing will happen bar some oil leaks, or you can drain it out.
Personally I'd leave it.

Regards, Andrew.

 

That happened to me once. I lent my car to a friend who noticed the oil light come on and he noticed I had a spare bottle of oil tucked between the coolant reservoir and the wheel well so he poured it in, which put it a pint and a half above the full line. As long as it doesn't start blowing blue smoke you'll be fine. Even if it does actually (which mine did) it still won't really do any damage. Being as Volvo engines leak like sieves anyway (I know mine does) you probably already had an oil leak, but it might go away once the oil level drops a little bit.

 

First of all, thank you for the replies. I feel better now..I guess. Anyway, is a 940 engine called a redblock or what is a redblock? Also, u mentioned that it's quite common for Volvos to leak oil. Really? I didn't know this.

 

A redblock is any Volvo single overhead can four cylinder engine, they're painted red so that's how they got the name.
Volvo redblocks do leak some oil, they're all higher mileage now. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, the leaks are usually nothing more than annoying weeping and at worst a seal may eventually need replacing.

Regards, Andrew.

 

Actually my B20 is a pushrod and it is also red. Well, if you wipe away the grime it is.

Yes, pretty much all redblock engines on the road leak oil. Mine loses about a quart a month, though some of that oil is burnt, it doesn't burn enough oil to smoke so most of that just drips out. Mine gets about two thousand miles put on it a month so that exacerbates the problem. I've come up with a little theory though. Volvos are known for three problems: oil leaks, disintegrating electrical systems, and stopped odometers. But what few people realize is that absolutely any car with 200,000 miles or more on it is going to leak oil, develop electrical problems, and its odometer's going to stop. Most cars at that point just spin a bearing and get tipped into a ditch by a fed-up owner. But Volvos keep going, and because almost all Volvos from before 1995 or so that are still on the road have over 200,000 miles on them, they've become known for these ****ling problems that they only have because they're so old.

Volvos simply outlive themselves, my mechanic says there are things wearing out on my car that he's never seen wear out before, things that on other cars are always still intact by the time the car gets junked. But my car hit 200,000 miles in 1983, lord knows how many miles its racked up by now. So it's basically outlived most of its component parts.

 

Would u say the newer volvo models aren't even close to the quality of the B230? They are like two seperate makes, yea? The B230 is a SPECIAL engine.

 

That's a tricky question. Us guys what drive old cars are loathe to admit that newer cars have any advantages over our machines but it's rather hard to avoid sometimes. I do think that the B230 is an awesome engine though, and I definitely like it better than the engines made after Ford bought Volvo. I'm also sure that ours will be on the road for decades after all the newer ones are junked. This forum is for all Volvo owners but I feel safe saying that being as the newer Volvo owners don't really come in here at all. I like my B20 better even though it's basically a tractor engine, with only a hundred horsepower and it only gets 23 miles per gallon.

 

I would never call a redblock special. It is really over engineered and very simple, which makes it very rugged.
I think teh whiteblock is Volvo's best engine personally.

Regards, Andrew.

 

what about the bertone engines?

 

They're the same engines.

Regards, Andrew.

 

I disagree with the assumption that ALL OLDER Volvos leak oil. There is no reason for it if the cars are properly maintained and gaskets replaced as they should be. The rear main is the most difficult one, the rest are fairly easy.

 

Our youngest child was named Andrew .. after Saint Andrew .. T oo bad you have one of those crappy 740's ...

 

Yeah, they're crappy, but I love my fully functioning climate control and leather bound comfort!
I do like some 240's, particularly Bertones. Too bad they're so rare over here.

Regards, Andrew.

 

I don't wanna do that that's hard. D:

Though replacing my valve cover gasket reduced my oil leak from "hemorrhage" to a few drips and drops. I say my car just likes making rainbows on wet days. It thinks they're pretty.

Bertone is an Italian coachbuilder that many automakers contract to create interesting bodies for their cars. Piniafarina and Ghia are two other famous coachbuilders, both also Italian. The engines in the Bertone cars are the same as those available in other Volvos, but you may be thinking of the PRV V6, a strange odd-fire 90-degree V6 built by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. Because when you think of the reliability and sensible design for which Volvo is known, Peugeot and Renault are second and third to come to mind. :P That engine was available in the Bertone-styled 262C. Not in the 780 though.