Hi, I have an 2004 XC90 T6 2.9L with about 138k miles on it. So far with all of the repairs that I have made to it, it has been performing superbly. However, when I took it in to get the oil changed, the mechanic noted that there was a minor leak from the front differential. So I took it in to the Volvo dealership and they said the same thing, it's leaking. Well no sh*t! Why is it leaking and what can I do to stop it from leaking? They didn't seem to know. SOOOOO I am asking my fellow Volvo owners, how would it cost to get it fixed??? Can I just keep filling it up till I get the money and time to get it fixed???? So far the car seems to be acting fine, no noises or anything out of the ordinary.

 

I wrote the 4-fluid DIY below, the angle gear issue was discussed in there too:

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...p?f=10&t=64335

 

The T6 uses a different setup. The angle gear fluid is the same, but it also has a chain gear, which uses different fluid. To reseal the angle gear and chain gear, you're looking at a costly repair. It's about 10 hours in labor alone.

I apologize if anyone is offended by me "showing off my knowledge". There is no negative tone implied.

 

Re-sealing the transfer case's 2 halves is well-documented on the web.
It is however labor-intensive as mentioned above.

A shortcut is:
- Periodically fill the angle gear with 75W140 gear oil (I use Redline).
- Some people use some sealant on the outside with some success. Just spread a thin layer of sealant along the edges, where the 2 halves come together (clean it first!).

Most of these leaks are minor and you can simply fill it with some oil (use a syringe + tube) at every engine oil change.

If you have no oil stain on the garage floor/driveway, then don't worry about it (as long as the angle gear has adequate oil in it).

 

The angle gear portion does not have two halves on the T6 like it does on the 5 cylinder motors.

Have you had any trans work done? Specifically, anything that involves removing the passenger front axle. What commonly happens is some indy shop pulls the axle without draining some fluid from the transmission. This causes ATF to get into the chain gear. Then when they install the axle, they damage the inner seal between the two and the chain gear constantly fills with ATF.

 

The transmission was replaced three years ago by the dealership.

For now, I will just fill it up on my own till I get the funds to have it repaired. Like I said, everything seems running well (knock on wood).

Thanks for the help!