I am a bit frustrated. I started the car at 6:00 am, drove to the gym and all was well. I know I have an oil leak. I have no idea where the leak is. I took it into a shop the other day to get an oil change, they told me the transmission oil was down two quarts. I had been checking the transmission fluid and oil before I took it in the shop. The only one that was losing was the actual engine oil. I noticed that where the engine cap is it is moist, could it be an engine cap leak? does that sound stupid...ugh!...Now this morning after the gym I went back home to shower and headed out to work. First i started the car and it shut off. Then I started it again and it was making a really weird noise when i put it in reverse. So i parked then started again and it seemed to back out and drive fine. it is automatic transmission. 98 S 70 just got it in the beginning of the month. oh, so after the shop visit for the oil change, they put 5 quarts oil in there. two days later my stick was below half so I added a quart and the leak seem to have reduced. It has been maybe 5 days since i added that quart and I checked it every morning since and this morning and it is still right where it was. a small leak on floor. Could i be loosing tranny oil without it spilling on floor. I know for a fact the oil on floor is engine oil. and the transmission dipstick is not moving at all. Seems as though there may even be an overage. What could be the cause for the car shutting off. Maybe add more engine oil? Please Please help

 

Hi Tiger, welcome to the forum.

For starters, if you can change your own oil, do so, the place that changed it didn't add enough. These cars take 6 to 6-1/2 quarts per oil change. Not sure what motor you have.

Checking transmission fluid is tricky. Have you done it according to the manual? After driving the car for 30+ minutes and running it through the gears, then pulling the stick while it's still running? If not, the level was not checked properly.

As for why it didn't run smoothly when you started it, there could be a number of things. The place to start is to scan the cars system to see if there are any codes there. Do you have a CEL?

Other than that it would be a good idea to post your specific car model and year. The check the NEW 850 OWNER THREAD in the 850 forum. It is full of a lot of information that will help you maintain your car.

 

no i didnt check the tranny oil correctly, I am a 22 year old lady that has honda and toyota experience. this is my first volvo. I can practically close my eyes and fix my civic. I love how the car (volvo) runs. I just hate the fact that I have no experience with it. I want to fix the car, whatever problem it has. when I took it in the shop for the oil change they scared me, telling me that the tranny oil was 2 quarts low. And that the leak is coming from the transmission. I just dont know where to begin. it runs smooth. shifting doesn't act up. I dont see transmission fluid on the ground I see engine oil. I touch it, pure clean, engine oil that was recently changed out. ugh!!! All I know is the car is a 1998 S70 Volvo. 5 cylinders. Turbo. I know the power steering pump is going bad. It makes a loud noise and leaks unto the rack n pinnion. I have to refill it like every 4 days...when i turn the steering wheel it is making a croaking noise, but im guessing from the lack of power steering fluid, this just started this morning. I have to fill it up after work again.

 

yea the CE light is on but that is because the wiring for the front passenger side headlight burnt and blew out the fuse. I thought a light was out but it was a fuse that was out. I used some black tape on wires for headlights and also changed out the fuse that was out. Light works again, same bulb. I just haven't reset the CE light. will do tonight to see if anything else pops up.

 

Check engine light has nothing to do with bulbs, so that is not the cause of the light being on.

It is possible the oil cap seal is leaking, they are easy to change. However, it could be any other seal as well. Without seeing it, its impossible to tell. It sounds like whatever shop you had it at isn't familiar with Volvos either.

Do you see oil on the front or back of the engine? Drivers side or passenger side? Can you see any leaks from the top?

 

Check the codes before you clear them and post the numbers here so someone can help you.

If you have a steering rack leak, that may be the fluid you are seeing. My rack has been leaking since I purchased my car 2 years ago. I usually add about 6 oz per week. Not good for the environment but the environment isn't buying car parts last I checked. You can try to stop the leak with some power steering leak fix. They sell the stuff everywhere. I like Lucas but there are others. From the leak you have, I don't think you have anything to loose.

Try to check your tranny properly and see if the fluid is low. I'd bet the oil change place didn't check it properly either.

 

so the car shut off yesterday after i got out of work and the oil light came on. I added a quart to the engine and it drove for a while and then it did the same thing and i added another quart and it started again and drove and made it across town. When I got to my destination I added another quart, three quarts total. I checked the level and it was reading as full. Can someone look at my car for me. is there anyone in Orlando, FL that can look to see where or what seal. The cap of the engine seems a bit moist but would that be leaking downwards in the amount it is leaking. I am thinking the shop didn't change seals when they change the oil. Isn't there specific seals that needs to be changed when doing the oil change in S70 1998 Volvo. What seals need to be changed? help me. I am being told that it is the rear main seal and I have to drop the tranny etc etc.....ummm i just bought this car. therewere no known big problems....help me guys.

 

There is no seal that needs to be changed, the oil filter comes with a new seal on it.

It could be the RMS but you really need someone who knows what they are doing to look at it. Can you take pictures from under the car?

 

ill jack it up tonite n take some

 

There are several guys on here from the Orlando area. I'll text a couple and ask them to look at this thread.

Are you adding oil when it's full or is it low? Is the oil light coming on with the car running? Is that why you are adding oil?

 

It is not likely that the oil has anything to do with the car stalling.

 

My recommendation is to first buy the additives RSPI mention; Lucas Oil Stop Leak and Lucas power steering stop leak. they work great i personally used them before. I think is possibble that the oil leak might be coming from one of the Oil return lines from the turbo. they usually go bad and tend to leak a large amount of oil when bad. I replaced mine on a 850 i used to have which they used the same engine.

 

the oil light came on after the car shut down

 

i added the stop leak fluid to the power steering, that seemed to make things worse when i did it last week sometime. the pump makes a really loud noise since then

 

the car wasn't stalling. it just shut up. I started it, it pulled out of parking lot and shut off. shut down. the oil light came on at that point. i added the quart and it took me about 10 miles. then did the same thing. I then added another quart.

 

Only add oil if the level is low. If you over fill the oil it will cause more problems.

The power steering will make noise if it's low. The Lucas stuff comes with a guarantee that states that you get a refund if it doesn't stop your leak. So you can take your receipt and bottle back if it doesn't work and get your money back. Make sure the level is good and it shouldn't make noise. YOU DO KNOW THAT THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM DOES NOT TAKE POWER STEERING FLUID DON'T YOU? It takes transmission fluid.

If the car is not serviced properly it can and will blow oil seals. There is a good chance that the RMS is leaking, however, if you want a second opinion I understand. I'm not in the area so I can't check it for you. The most common cause of oil leaks is a clogged PCV system. If that system hasn't been changed in the past few years it can blow seals all over the motor.

 

Also, the oil light as well as others will come on when the car stalls or shuts off.

There is a good chance that the call stalling has nothing to do with oil. It's likely a fuel related problem. Like a bad fuel system relay.

 

oh man.....i want to kick myself. So i may have added power steering fluid to the power steering system. Is this why the pump is making the loud noise. Do I need to replace the pump now? or just add tranny fluid?