Bought it in September. Hasn't leaked the whole time I had it. I took it to the local Volvo Dealer for it's first oil change since I've owned it, and now I have a leak in the driveway. I assumed it was the filter or drain plug that wasn't fastened all the way during the change, so I jacked it up tonight to inspect, and found the leak is coming from the Turbo. There is a small 1/2" hose it looked like coming out the drivers side that appeared to be the source of the leak.

Question is, would the dealer have messed with the Turbo in any way during a routine oil change? I understand Jiffy Lubes etc. don't mess with oil changes on cars like ours due to the Turbo, which is why I took it to the dealer in the first place.

I'm going to take it back in in the morning and have them inspect it first thing in the morning. What type of problem do you guys think this is? Is the turbo bad? Or perhaps just the hose/clamp going into it. Anyone seen this before?

 

Had the shop look at it last week. They didn't mention anything about the Turbo itself, but that is a few "small" leaks on the back and side of the engine, as well as a little around the cap. They cleaned it up and put dye in the system, and told me to drive it a few hundred miles and bring it back so they can pinpoint.

I've now driven a few hundred miles, and it is leaking significantly more than it was the first time. I poked my head back under the hood and noticed a large amount of oil that appeared to be coming from the Hose leading from the Turbo to the Intercooler. The Air Hose. Took the hose off and indeed there was oil inside of it where it connected to the turbo, but it didn't appear to be down inside the Turbo itself? It also doesn't blow any smoke so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. Perhaps wherever the leak is coming from just spraid on that hose and it seaped down into the connection, but isnt actually blowing through the system.

Somebody suggested maybe the leak was already there, but perhaps the car was "overserviced" during the oil change, and the car is now purging the extra oil. I guess I can see this as a possibility. I fly planes for a living and their engines do the same thing. Too much oil and it will spew out somewhere. This could also make sense on why it spilled out even more after it went back to the shop. They may have topped it off with oil while it was there. I did check the stick before I dropped it off the first time, and it was halfway up the guage, and when I checked tonight, it was all the way at the top.

Taking it back to shop tomorrow or next day.

 

Diagnosis from Volvo Dealer:

Leaking from Upper Cam Cover and Seals - $785

Leaking from Rear Main Seal - $1223.00


Question for everyone, if most of the oil appears to be in the Turbo area, would that be the Rear Main Seal leak primarily? I'm thinking of leaving the Cam Seals alone, or doing them myself as I hear they are easy. I really just want to stop the major leak now.

 

Ok Problem solved! Took the car to "German Auto Repair" in Fresno, CA, 1 mile from Volvo dealer, and they had a completely different diagnosis.

I NEED AN OIL CAP/SEAL!!!

They saved me $3000 or so! (mad at dealer)

They replaced it, and the amazing thing is, they were right! Not a drop of oil since! I didnt think it looked like the major source, but what do I know?

 

I had a similar problem, when the oil cap leaks it looks like it's coming from just about everywhere. It freaked me out until i replaced the gasket on the cap with a rubber one and cleaned the mess, dry as a bone since then. Pretty amazing to have a car with 212,000 miles and no oil leaks!