s60 2.5t oil leak
 

Assuming I know very little about the underhood of my 2005 S60 2.5T... I took it in for an oil drip down the side of the turbo housing. Dealer says it's normal and thus not covered under warranty, but I don't buy that. Leak appears to be coming from the seal between the turbo and a bright silver "cap" high on the front side of the housing. I would have thought that to be the blow off valve, but I can't find a parts diagram and I'm not sure. In fact, I don't even know if it has a blow off valve. Any thoughts? Everything on the car is stock. Many thanks!

I suspect the EPA would be quite interested in hearing about a "normal" situation in a motor vehicle that drips a "toxic" substance into the environment in an uncontrolled manner. If you live in California, I'm sure CARB would like to learn that, too.

For years, Harley Davidson had a total loss lube system (drips) in what it calls the primary case -- between the engine & transmission which are separated. EPA put an end to that practice and in theory, the primary case (the big chrome thing on the left side of the bike down low) is sealed. I find it hard to believe that cars are given a pass on this one.

Ha, did Captain planet help with your question?

It's normal, that "little cap" is probably not seated down well and instead of the oil getting stuck in the intercooler its just leaking out there. And spite the guy above me's rant on how CARB and the EPA are going to throw a fit. If its not so much that its leaving drips and puddles every where you go, its normal. Turbos, in fact all cars burn and breathe a little oil. That's why we have catch can's and carbon canisters on these cars.

Point missed. I'm suggesting, in a somewhat oblique fashion, that he inquire of Volvo USA suggesting that "normal" oil leaks are environmentally unsound, might attract official attention, etc. Blackmail? Never!

His posting sounded like a classic dealer blow-the-customer-off-it'll-be-too-hard-to-get-paid-by-the-factory story.

It felt a lot like the dealer was blowing me off. I guess I don't really understand why it would be leaking at the seal. If it were coming from the blow off valve outlet itself, that would make a little more sense to me. I work at a Toyota store and one of our techs who used to work on Volvos said that in all of the turbo leaks he's seen, he'd not seen one leak from that seal. Again, I really don't have any confirmation that it's the blow off valve I'm looking at.

It sort of is, there is a depression behind it that gathers oil if its come loose or has a pinhole in the seal it will leak oil. Turbos blow a little oil, its just a fact of life with them. Don't worry about it unless your finding it causing puddles under your car or coating things.

Roger that. It's very minor, but I'm getting ready to run out of warranty. Just wanted to make sure I solve any real problems before I have to pay for it. Thanks for the help!

2005 Volvo S60 Specs Preview


2,435 cc 2.4 liters in-line 5 front engine with 83 mm bore, 90 mm stroke, 10.3 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder B5244S
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Premium unleaded fuel 91
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Fuel economy EPA highway (mpg): 29 and EPA city (mpg): 22
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Multi-point injection fuel system
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18.5 gallon main premium unleaded fuel tank
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Power: 125 kW , 168 HP SAE @ 6,000 rpm; 166 ft lb , 225 Nm @ 4,500 rpm

Yes it is normal for a drip to be there.