I'm taking my T-5R in for work tomorrow: a weird scraping sound coming from the front end, and an oil leak. I was wondering if you guys could give me a list of possible sources of my oil leak. It deposits about two or three drops every time the engine is turned off. The strange thing is that my dipstick end is still fully covered and I haven't added any oil since my last oil change (two months ago). I don't leak any oil near the filler cap and the dipstick area is pretty much clean. It drips near the oil return line (the one that leaks often apparently) but comes from above it somewhere. In fact, that whole area is covered in oil but it only drips a few drops each time. I want to get this oil drip fixed because I know no oil leak is good but I want to get an idea of how much this is going to cost me. I have a huge list of things I need to do to this volvo and I'm on a limited budget so I'm sending it in just for the drip and the scraping, the only two things I can't fix myself. If you guys could also tell me what kind of labor hours are involved with each oil drip type, that'd be great. Thanks to all.

Alex

Mine exhibited exactly same symptoms as you describe (couple drips per shut down). I ended up replacing the turbo oil return line seals (both ends) AND removing the turbo inlet air hose and cleaning around the seal area and replacing it. I'm not sure which one made the difference, but it now only drips very in-frequently. I am still not sure where the remaining leak is, but it is so small (never really see any drips, just see a little oil around the drain plug) that I am no longer worried about it.

Good luck.

Sorry to bother you again, but did you do all this yourself? Or did you have a repair shop do it? If you did it yourself, was it easy? Thanks a lot (I'm always very cautious about tampering with my car)

Alex

Yes, I did the work myself, but I am the car tinkering type. The biggest job I have done was replacing the head gasket on my old 760 turbo. I just prefer to work on my own engines rather than letting anyone else touch them..even if it means having to buy a new tool and learning something new. I will generally let others do suspension/body work.

As for the two items I mentioned previously:

1) turbo return line - If I remember right the 'kit' with the two seals that I got from the dealer came with basic installation diagram. Basically it involved removing two bolts... I think there are detailed how-to instructions on volvospeed.com

2) The inlet air duct was a little tougher. It was just kind of tight area to work in. I did not have any instructions. I think I just loosened a few hose clamps to get the short piece of duct out. I then cleaned it well and made sure I got a good tight seal when I re-attached it. When I first took it apart it semmed to confirm my suspicion that a lot of oil was building up in the turbo inlet area and possibly leaking out through the duct connection. I then thought that I had some strange problem that caused significant quantities of oil to get blown into the inlet duct and then through the turbo before getting burned up in the engine. However, since putting it all back together (several months ago) it has not used ANY oil... so I guess all is functioning normally.

If you have some idea where your turbo inlet is and you have the desire/motivation to drive your car up on a pair of ramps (plastic kind you can get at WalMart) and spin a few wrenches then you should give it a try...

Wow, thanks a lot for the detailed answer. I think I will try cleaning out that inlet duct this weekend. The oil leak really isn't that bad and I haven't needed to add oil for a few thousand miles but it's a real eye sore seeing those spots of oil on my garage floor.

What did you use to clean the inlet duct? Is it the one sort of on the top of the turbo, the plastic duct you can see from the top with the heat shield in place? That duct has a lot of oily gunk around the hose clamp area.

Thanks a whole whole lot!!!

Alex

I think I used some sort of alchohol to clean it. Something that will cut the grease, evaporate and leave it nice and dry... Yes, it is the duct that goes from the air filter box into the 'side' of the turbo (NOT the top of the turbo). I think the top duct is rubber instead of plastic and it is the discharge (high pressure side) and it goes to the engine's intake manifold. Good luck. Feel free to send me an e-mail if you want to discuss further.

Check the oil return tube for the turbo. Common leak point. The seals are only a couple of bucks from the dealership and can be replaced with the car on ramps. I had the same problem and symptoms, so this is most likely the cure.

Remember, hot oil on a moving car with air blowing throughout the engine compartment (particularly the back of the engine bay) can cause the oil to go places that you wouldn't expect i.e. higher than the actual source of the leak.

This is the cheapest solution to start with then move from there if the problem persists. Good luck

Alex

'97 850R

I swore my transmission was leaking oil, it was dripping from near the front of the transaxle. Replaced the turbo seal as mentioned above, oil leak gone. It's cheap, it's easy, it's common.

Could I replace this turbo seal myself? Is it difficult? Thanks

Alex

Pretty simple operation all told. There is a fair amount of working room at the back of the engine bay. Just may sure you get some ramps for the car, it makes the job a 150% easier and safer. Don't forget to let the turbo cool down (1-2 hours) before starting the repairs. It is the tube (black I believe) that goes from the center of the turbo to the oil pan (general vicinity). Undo the bolts (allen if I remember correctly), pull the pipe, replace the seals at both ends and put back together.

If I remember correctly, the only tools that were out of the ordinary were some metric allen wrenches. No big deal to pick up at any Sears or auto parts store.

Good luck.

Alex

'97 850R