Hi all, newcomer here.
Earlier this year I bought a 1996 Volvo 850 AWD, but I just recently found oil all over the back of the engine bay. (I haven't driven it much because it's a project until I get my license.)

The weird thing is, the oil level doesn't seem to be dropping, and it isn't dripping on the ground. There is oil literally EVERYWHERE on the second half of the engine bay furthest from the front of the car.
I've managed to clean off the oil and grime that was on the transmission and surrounding areas so it is pretty much gone near the top of the engine, around the turbo.
I still need to clean the rest of the oil from the underside and all across the engine bay from underneath.
- Something to consider is that the seller mentioned he re-machined the top of the engine cover. So did the oil just all come from when he took it off? maybe it was all sitting on the cams and spilled down the engine bay?

The questions I am asking are:
- Considering the oil level isn't dropping and it isn't dripping, could all the oil have come from when he removed the head or am I facing a bigger issue?
- Is it just an old oil leak that wasn't cleaned up?

(Oil level was topped up when roadworthy was conducted, this is where the issue came up)
Any help or advice is appreciated, thanks xx

 

If your car is a turbo model, then my first thought is you need to replace the turbo's oil return line seal. When they go, the oil sprays all over the back of the engine. Its a $.10 part that's US, not sure about Canada :-) - to check, remove the heat shield on the back of the engine and you will see a metal oil line that runs from the turbo housing to the back the block. There's two bolts holding the line to the turbo - and the seal sits in between. There's also a seal (like an o ring) for where the line goes into the block but that is a less common fail.

 

I agree, most likely the turbo oil drain seal. Not hard or expensive to replace, just a bit tricky getting the bolts and seal in place putting it back together. What I would suggest is getting some engine de-greaser (or even Dawn dish soap if need be) and clean the engine as good as you can with a pressure washer. It will be a lot easier to spot the leak and do the repair on an engine that is not dripping oil and covered with grime.

 

Yeah I looked again and it seems to be more on the right side of the car - pretty much nothing on the left side. It's right under and around the turbo and oil cooler, so it probably is something to do with the oil return line.
Thanks so much for the insight, I'll see how I go in trying to repair it.

 

The turbo oil drain is pretty easy to get to from below, but I didn't find it too easy to get out. I just did mine as a preventive measure. It's trapped between the block and the turbo. I had to put a little abusive force on the other hard lines around the turbo to actually get it out. that's on a 98 though.