I know this is a bad thing but I'm not sure exactly how bad. I took off my plug cover and saw oil all over the place. I started to trace the culprit and found that the #2 (from left to right) plug was filled with oil. THe boot on the wire was torn as well. I changed the plugs in the rest of the cylinders and left this one alone.

What is th eproblem? Valve cover gasket...or worse?

 

I'd say maybe the oil cap gasket, get a new cap, they're cheap. How was the car running before you pulled the plugs?

 

It had been running fine. 2 days ago i was crusing on the hwy and had the cruise set at 70. THe car felt like it was surging and i got a CEL. The very next day I go outside and the CEL is gone. Car ran fine all day and continues to run fine. Feels slower thought.

I'll go past my local dealer for the cap but how would that fill my plug well up with oil?

 

I bet $100 your PCV system is clogged. This happened to my car too, also with plug#2. The oil is being sprayed from the oil filler cap. I don't think changing the oil cap gasket will fix the problem. You have an internal pressure problem, and it is being relieved though the oil cap. I unclogged my PCV and I don't have that problem any more.

 

With the car running, (in park), take the oil fill cap off, or pull the dipstick and see what kind of pressure the engine's running under.

 

to check the pressure do i look at the rpm gauge or boost gauge?

 

To check for pressure I pull the oil dipstick and check for fumes coming out the dipstick while the car idles. If you rev the car do fumes come out the dipstick?

There is a way to check for pressure by revving the car and taking the oil cap off. I think that if you hear the pressure being relieved when you remove the oil cap, then it means the PCV is clogged, but I am not sure.

There are many threads regarding PCV cleaning. This is one of them: https://volvoforums.com/m_71476/tm.htm

 

More threads:

https://volvoforums.com/m_7898/tm.htm
https://volvoforums.com/m_4415/tm.htm

Use the search tool. keyword=PCV, author=tech, forum=850.

 

When the car is ideling the engine should be under a slight vacumn, 15 to 18"HG depending on how tight your vacumn system is or a slightly negative pressure. A positive pressure or vapor with pressure behind coming from either the oil fill cap or the dipstick would be a good indication that the PCV is plugged up.

 

Thanks guys ur awesome I'll look into it this weekend.

 

Definatly sounds like pcv.

Nick