Hi, 3 weeks ago I have bought a used V50 for 2200EUR (1.6 TD D4164T, 80kW, 2008, VIN: YV1MW765282403530, 276kkm). The owner did only 15kkm in the last year and have driven the car very little. The oil filter, oil, air filter have been changed on a yearly basis. Otherwise the interior and body work is in pristine condition.

A couple of days ago I noticed the smell of burning oil and the AC not cooling the cabin (it was blowing but not cooling). I opened the hood and sure enough I found lots of oil leaking underneath. Oil is leaking from everywhere actually; well - out of every engine seal (crank, cam, injectors etc.). I have called three official mechanic shops and they have all told me it is pointless saving the engine, might as well buy a new engine and replace everything along with it OR dump the car and buy a new one.

I suspect PCV blockage as I have put latex glove on top of oil cap and it had inflated instead of sucking it in. I have checked the engine block breather membrane today and it seems fine. I also suspect the AC is not working since the belt does not spin the AC compressor because of so much oil. Notice also the fuel injector no.3 is oily and others are clean & also i suspect the cylinder of the leaky injector is not producing any power. The engine is not producing any weird noises and it is not popping blue smoke in the back of the car. Also I have collected a lot of sticky black oil goo out of main crank pulley.

What do you think, am I missing something?
Should I replace all the seals, pcv, belt etc. / sell the car / buy a new engine?



Check the images AND VIDEO and please provide suggestions. Have a nice day!

 

I'd start by doing a glove test to see if the PCV is clogged. That can certainly push oil out of the seals and even walk out the cam seals. Next I'd clean the engine as best you can to get a clean read on where the oil is coming from - check the back side as well as under the timing belt cover (oil flows down and if its the cam seals, it can look worse than it really is). Other typical oil leaks include the VVT gear (can make a mess under the timing belt cover), PCV system hoses, turbo oil return line seal. None of these would point to an engine replacement. Finally, I'd inspect the intake air path to see if the oil separator is letting oil into the intake. If you have blue exhaust smoke, it could be a failed PCV, turbo seal or bad rings / valve seals/guides. A compression test would give some clues as to the rings.

 

Thank you very much for the answer and recommendations! I have done the glove test which you can see on the video. The back side of the engine is seen on the image below. Engine does not produce any strange smoke, noise or smell.... Any further suggestions based on the video provided?

 

I'm not familiar with the diesel variant (we didn't get those in the US, sadly) but the first thing I'd do would be to replace / clean everything in the PCV system. The diaphragm can look good but open up under operation. Too much pressure in the crankcase can (and does) push oil out any number of places.

OTOH, if there IS lots of oil coming out of the front main seal (behind the crank pulley), you DO need to fix that (might be a huge job, might not). With or without a PCV system problem, that is enough to cause perpetual problems with lots of other things (anything that uses the serpentine belt, for example).

 

Hi thank you very much for the reply! I figured the engine has an excessive pressure inside, however I have not been able to find the culprit. Right now I think these could be responsible:

• bad piston rings -> the compression test or the leak down test should be performed to find this out,
• clogged pcv/engine breather system -> will have to replace entire valve cover/pcv or find blockage in the pcv hoses, as the membrane is ok,
• leaking turbocharger oil seals -> turbine blows compressed air through oil return lines to the crankcase.

Also check this video for further analysis.

 

I think you're onto the likely suspects with your list. I suppose if it was my car I'd probably replace everything in the PVC system and hope that cures it - if not, you've only done preventative maintenance, not wasted any real money.

There are oil additives that are designed to help release stuck oil rings on the pistons. I have a buddy with a Honda Civic that has a LOT of blow-by (very common with 4-cylinder Hondas), and didn't have any luck with the additives (FWIW). There is also a process where you pull the plugs and pour about an ounce of Seafoam into each cylinder, and rotate the engine by hand every hour or so. Kinda makes sense, and if my buddy ever gets motivated enough, we might try that (or better yet, get you to try it to let us know if it works or not). ;-)

If it's the turbos... well, they do probably have to be replaced periodically. The only turbo Volvo I ever owned had well over 200,000 miles, but the turbo had been replaced at somewhere over 100,000 miles so I never got to experience the joy of a swap.

 

Will post an update next week as the seller agreed to pay half the repair costs, so I will be taking the car to a mechanic on Monday to check what is wrong.

 

Hi, I have just received an update from an official Volvo mechanic shop which was supposed to clean the engine and thoroughly find all faults. They say that the main crankshaft pulley malfunctioned and the "hydraulic fluid" from the main crank pulley leaked out and caused a mess under the hood (splattering all around). I am not aware of what the hydraulic fluid of the crank pulley is, maybe they meant that the seal was leaking...🤷‍♂️ Anyways that is now fixed and the cost to repair main crank pulley is now just north of 200eur...



Also, they say that the oil on top and around injectors is completely normal as this is essential to lubricate (weird.....&#129300. However, If you check the pictures it is evident that the no.2 injector is significantly more dirty than other injcetors, leading me to a conclusion that it is faulty somehow which they (mechanics) did not notice apparently.



I am no expert, however I am a mechaniccal engineer with a degree and have studied engines as well. I am pretty sure the oil all around the engine is no good and most definitely not normal as the mechanics say. I think they did not bother to fix the real cause of oil leakage. Another thing, the positive crank pressure as evident on the video posted previously (glove test) is worrysome and not yet fixed.



One thing also: I noticed that the engine mounts need to be replaced as the rubber is completely worn out and is torn at some places. My assumption is reinforced by the mechanic of previous owner of the car who says the mounts need to be replaced because the engine is too loud and also the liquid inside mounts leaked due to torn rubber. However Volvo mechanic says it is okay and there is no need to replace the mounts which I also doubt.



What do you think guys? Are my doubts righteous or they are telling the truth? Will post pictures of the repaired engine shortly.

 

Maybe they meant that the harmonic balancer failed?

 

I'm betting it was the harmonic balancer that leaked. I wasn't aware they were hydraulic (many are "just rubber" but that makes sense). If that was the source of the leak, consider yourself very lucky and move on!

Oil on the top of the engine isn't normal per se, but I'm guessing the mech is just saying it's "normal" for an engine with that many miles?

Bad motor mounts can "work" for a long time. If they're not causing excessive noise and vibrations, I wouldn't worry about them too much. I don't recall how difficult they are to change, but I'd suggest if they're not difficult, swap them out "just because". Doing that on my "new" 2011 Mercedes GLK made a night-and-day difference in the way the car / drivetrain felt, though it was a huge job (10 hours or so).

 

Thanks very much for the reply! I have not yet heard of hydraulic harmonic balancers also. Will speak to the mechanic tomorrow to find out exactly and scrutinise his work xD. I will probably replace mounts like you said "just because" for peace of mind.

In regards to the oil leak: I find it difficult to understand that the engine would be that wet at 276k km. As seen on the image below, the space around injectors should be dry as a Sahara desert unless the injectors are to be replaced. Comparing the imege below to the images of my engine the difference is clear... What do you think? Also if you look at the picture of my engine, the injector no.2 is clearly more dirty than other injectors.