Oil leak seems pretty bad this is my 1st Volvo. It's on the passenger side only near timing cover i took pics yesterday and i also put in a bottle of stop leak and added 2 qts. It's not a fast drip leak that I can tell. I wish I had that uv dye to see exactly where it is.

 

Stop Leak? really bad idea - lets hope it doesn't clog up your VVT gear. Your talking about a Volvo white block, not your mom's Buick right? Time to change the oil before it does something permanent.

With that said, the most common cause of oil leak is a clogged PCV system which creates too much crank case pressure that can force oil out of the seals or actually push the seals outward creating the leak. Google or check Youtube for the "rubber glove test" (ie pop off the oil filler cap, put a latex "surgeons" glove over the port and start the car up. If the glove sucks in or puffs in and out, you're good, if it inflates, then you have positive crank case pressure which says the PCV ports / hoses are clogged or the oil separator is not allowing the engine vacuum to pull the blowby gasses into the intake.

To find the source of your leak try cleaning as much of the residue off then take a drive. follow the path of the oil upward to the highest point, paying particular attention to the cam shaft covers on the rear of the engine (away from the timing belt cover by the transmission housing). Also pop off the timing belt cover to check for any leaks coming from behind the cam gears or the front main seal).

Next is to look around the turbo. There's an oil feed and an oil return line back into the block. There's a gasket on the return line that can fail and that $.10 part will make a total mess of the back of the engine facing the firewall. Finally, check around the oil filter housing and oil pan. Its possible that the oil filter etc was not installed properly on the last change.

Good luck and post up how you make out.

 

Thank you kindly for your insight and knowledge, I'm truly grateful. This is the only issue with the car so far. There was something else near the timing belt he suggested I change I'll research that more when i have the shop repair manual in my sights. First I'm gonna follow your instructions and fix the obvious.

 

The VVT gear on the end of the cam(s) sit under the timing belt cover. The VVT system is driven by oil pressure so its possible a seal or the actuator can fail creating the oil leak. The other possibility is the cam seal itself. Best to check if any oil has gotten on the timing belt as any fail/slippage of the timing can result in bent valves leading to a $3000 repair - which is probably more than the value of the car. If you are unsure of when the timing belt was last replaced or close to the service date (its a 10 year /120 mile service interval for most 2000+ I5s) you may want to do that should you find that the VVT gear needs to be replaced or if the front cam seals are the source of the leak.

 

So I took off the timing cover and the cover for the coil packs. And looked down along the belt I started to clean the area the best I can i lost daylight but i seen a very slow drip like 1 drop every 2min on passenger side towards the rear passenger side of block. I'm gonna do the oil change in the morning but not before i track that leak. Because we all know this freaking price gouging monopoly were having to deal with oil isn't cheap. I don't want to put 6qts in just to see it on the ground. And since the file for my pics won't post i'll have to carry it over to a new one. Thanks again for your input.

Sincerely,
FLAKE, MARTIN J
U.S. ARMY RETIRED

 

good deal. don't forget to check out the crankcase pressure before you replace any seals as the PCV system may be your root cause.

 

The cam seals are occasionally known to leak on my cars (non VVT). Not sure that's what you are seeing there, but it sure could be. That was my first guess. It's not trivial to replace that, as you can see, but with the right tools it wouldn't be too hard either.

On my cars, they'll walk out, and by that I mean it uninstalls itself over the course of years. But on yours, it's a very different seal.

 

not sure but I think the 2001s only have the VVT one cam so its a matter of checking which seal looks to be leaking. The consideration for VVT is if you should pull off the timing belt and gears, there's set process for resetting the VVT gear (it gets rotated vs the cam) - which is made a lot easier by having a cam lock on the B end.

 

I watched a video on how to check Pcv pressure one test was with s glove over the oil filler neck then the other is lifting the dipstick while the engine is warm and if it smokes there's an issue. Is there a way to check it without starting the car. Reason being is i don't wanna put fresh oil in the car and have it leak and make a mess of what ive already cleaned.

 

You need to start the car since its the blowby that creates the pressure (all cars have some blowby...) - but only for 1-2 minutes to test - that shouldn't make a mess. I typically use the surgeon's glove test and don't worry about smoke since it could simply be condensation boiling off.

 

Ok appreciate that.

 

A major oil leak I had on my NON TURBO 2001 V70 from the rear right of the block (sitting in drivers seat) was traced (after a VERY long time) to a 'blanked off' oil feed to the turbo - the brass blanking bolt Oon the back of the engine had come loose. By BACK I mean facing to the rear of the car.
I realise yours is a turbo, but I guess the line could leak