I know there are probably many threads out there about this but i'm just in a bind right now. My dad and I recently replaced the radiator on my car and then after that one of the hose lines shot off right down the street from my house and when I got it home the entire engine bay was soaked in oil. So I got the line fixed and sealed on there properly and refilled the oil. After all that I started the car up and it started smoking, the first time it did this it was blue smoke (at least looked like blue smoke) and now I drove it today and it's white smoke coming out of the exhaust. The first time I drove it around after seeing it smoking it smoked for a few mins then stopped smoking for about 10 minutes before I shut the car off, but now it's back to smoking again. It seems to smoke a bit when I accelerate a bit hard, but it's also smoking when I am sitting at a idle such as at a red light or stop sign. So I'm wondering if it is the turbo like I'm thinking it is or maybe something else. I would really appreciate any help. Thank you.

 

Sounds like valve stem seal to me...

 

How hard is that to fix? This is the first volvo I've own and I don't really know too much about volvo mechanics. So if this something I could do, grated I will probably have my dad help me who has been working on cars pretty much his entire life. I'm just really hoping it's nothing major because I really love this car and would hate to lose it.

 

If you have a blueish hue to the smoke it's usually oil that's burning. If the smoke is white it's more likely you're burning coolant. That would be a head gasket that has failed.
Don't forget to check your oil to see if it looks like milk chocolate. If it's leaking into the oil you need to park it until you fix it. If it's burning coolant but the oil is still dark like oil should be that isn't good but at least you could drive it someplace to have diagnostics done.

 

The oil looks fine still and it's not leaking and it's not burning any coolant, so I don't think it's a gasket.

 

Parts range between $110 and $300 depending on what you get..
Doing them with the head on is a popular choice takes about 4-6 hours...
With the head off your looking at about 6-8 hours, but if you do that you can lap the valves, and clean up the top of your pistons..

 

@ Matt: You think the head can be taken off and reinstalled with a new head gasket in less than 10 hours?

 

Biggest reason I don't think it's a head gasket it my car is not over heating at all and the oil still looks brand new. My first car I had blew a head gasket and it smoked a lot more then my Volvo is and it would over heat all the time. So I'm hoping it's not the head gasket. I'm starting to notice though that it seems like everything you have to fix on a Volvo is a long process lol.

 

Yes sir... Last one we did took just over 8.. its fairly straight forward..

 

Well, im looking at doing one in our S70 so I guess I'll find out.

 

Its not your head gasket... Its your valve seals, what your describing is exactly what happening to a buddy in orlando's car... We are doing the seals in the next couple weeks, but with the head on..

 

@ Mallen: how many miles have you driven the car since you developed the problem? I would drive it at least 500 miles before doing anything else.

 

Um, honestly i think less then 50 miles. The hose popped off like 2 weeks ago on my way home from work which is when the oil sprayed all over the engine bay. Then when I got new clamps for the hose lines that fit better and filled it back up with oil that's when it started doing it. So I drove it around my place for about 15 minutes and I've drove it a few places since then but not too far. The car it's self has about 176k miles on it.