Hope everyone is doing fine.

I have a 1996 960 wagon that I am pretty sure is leaking a very small amount of oil from the rear main seal BUT I am currently hunting for leaks from the top down as lately when I come to a stop, with or with recycle on, I smell the distinctive odor of burning oil. It is not overwhelming and I have noticed it to a lesser extent before but it is now becoming an issue for me.

When I remove the 960's plastic piece that hides the coils I see lots of oil in there. I cleaned that all out and I just went for a 3 minute test drive and I could not see any leaks, staring at my coils intently.

If I can get my pictures on this post you can see how much oil was in there.
Unfortunately I have not been able to figure that out.
My suspicion is that there is at least some oil seeping out of the pipe that comes into the middle of the cylinders. I have pointed to it with a screwdriver in one of my pictures.

Can anyone give me the locations I should look at extra carefully on the top end of the 960 for leaks? Is the amount of oil in my picture unusual or typical?
I have read that there is not an orthodox valve gasket on this car but something that requires more intelligence to remove and reseal.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee
1996 Volv0 Wagon 131k and counting

 

Didn't see your picture so I am going to say that a sound engine will not leak any oil.

You will have to clean the engine to track this down. But from experience, cam seals, front and rear can and do leak.
The other thing to inspect is the flame trap at the intake housing. A clogged flame trap allows crankcase pressure to increase and will force oil out cam seals.

Also a guess, but if the main was leaking, the oil would drip out down low on the engine and would not get blown to the exhaust manifold or down exhaust pipe, so to me the oil is coming from above, most likely the rear exhaust cam.

DanR '94 964 387,000 miles (153,000 on the new engine)

 

Another item forgot to mention that was suggested at another volvo site, is the oil filler gasket. It hardens with age and allow oil to seep out, which can end up in the spark plug holes.

DanR

 

Thanks Danr,

I am getting a new gasket for the oil cap and the flame trap kit.
I do believe I have a leak on the rear cam cover. This is the round thing
that I feel when I stick my fingers (not hand) into those few inches between
the engine and the firewall. I am thinking and hoping that the oil cap is the
culprit. I do have oil leaking at the very bottom of the engine.....for example
when I change the oil I can always see drops on that bottom most part of the
car. I tried very hard to find the leak but could not. I am of the opinion now
that it is either on top of the rear main seal. Is it possible that a leaking
cam cover could be dripping all the way to the bottom of the car. If I had a choice
of leak location I think I would choose the cam cover over the Rear Main Seal but
it is quite possible that I have leaks at both places.

Can you replace of do anything about that rear cam cover without removing the engine or transmission?

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee
1996 960 wagon

 

Most likely your leak originates high up and just oozes down, it is hard to tell though, because air thru the hood space can blow it rear wards, so a leak could be up front too.

The oil filler gasket is cheap and a good place to start. No, the engine does not have to be removed for the cam seals replacement. It is hard to reach and a volvo mechanic would have the necessary seal press to make the repair. It can be done without the tools but it sure makes much easier.

DanR