Getting really frustrated with this car.

Heres a video of the timing belt area, maybe you can get a better sense of amount of oil leak. The stuff pretty much sprays everywhere when revving.

This started about 2 months ago but we only realized how bad it was 2 weeks ago at its last tune up.

Heres what parts where changed in a hope to get the oil leak stopped.

1366787-8 Gasket
1271654-5 Hose
1271653-6 Hose
1271988-6 Oil Trap (was filled with oil)
8653339-5 Hose

600$ later the problem seemed fixed.

Until today when it started leaking again.

Should I get rid of this car?

Volvo S40 Oil Leak - YouTube

 

I'm thinking you should get rid of it. It's an old car. It will leak eventually. You will need to spend money to maintain it especially when it gets over 150k miles. If you don't do the work yourself then buy a newer car with less miles. Either way you will spend money. Just depends on your own personal taste. Car payment? Maintenance costs? A large cash outlay for a newer car?

I wish I could help with the leak but China blocks youtube so I cannot watch it. It seems the CVVT gear is the leak source for many posts on here lately. It was the source of my leak. It came out of the little plunger thing and coated the timing belt under the timing belt cover. It left a puddle under the car too.

 

Those symptoms seem exact. Hard starts have also been occurring. Usually turns over 8-10 times before ignition.

Love the car, too bad its a griefer.

 

They do seem to have issues after a certain number of miles. The only good news is that the problems seem to be the same among all owners. It really helps to lower costs if you can do your own maintenance though. I'm used to old cars and DIY repairs so broken parts don't bother me.

I gave my 16 year old daughter my 2001 S40 for the safety factor. It has required alot of TLC in the past and will need more in the future. For me it's still cheaper than buying a newer car. Good luck whichever decision you make.