Hi Folks,

I was a member here about 10 years ago, when I owned a pair of 244GL's. Y'all were awesome back then, and I'm sure you're just as great now! Anyway, I have a question that I hope you can help me with...

I'm looking at a 2005 S40 2.4 (I believe it's a 2.4). Anyway, the car has 239K miles on it....and while the car looks good in photos, and the owner claims it runs and drives good....there's an issue.

Per the e-mail he sent,

"...Everything works and works well it blows oil out of the dipstick tube (blowby) can be driven well and does not smoke....."

I guess my question(s) are as follows:

1): Is it truly driveable, and if so, for how long?
2): What could cause this?
3): Is it worth purchasing? He's asking $1500 for the car.
4): I am NOT mechanically inclined. How much money could I expect to invest in this car to fix said issue?
5): Is there anything else I should ask him?

Thanks so much,

Steve

After having tried to sell GOOD, high mileage Volvos - more than 200K.

I would offer him $500 cash on the barrel head - no more.

I'd fancy that he has had few offers.

You also want to find out when the timing belt was done. Look for documentation on the belt cover or a work order. Don't take his word for it. If no info, reliable info, that is, you need to change it immediately.

Yup, very typical symptom for a clogged PCV system. Which is quite common on a whiteblock Volvo.

I think Klaus is pretty close with the amount of time to repair. It's not terribly difficult, just very messy. And if you spend the time to clean all those grimy oily bits, the hours rack up. Oh yea, throw in extra down-time to repair the parts you weren't expecting to break or need replacement at 239K.

The PCV kit (just the parts) for our '01 ran about $300 from FCP.
So if you were having someone do the job, I'd expect to pay around $700 or so.

If the car is in very good shape as stated and this is the only thing wrong with it, I'd offer around $1000 and see where it goes.
--
"Differences of opinions should be tolerated, but not if they're too different' - Sharon Craig

Oil blowing out of the dipstick is about 3-5 billable hours plus $180-300 in parts, all attributed to a clogged PCV system. For the DIY guys, this is normal maintenance and should have been performed at around 150K.

With the miles on this car, I would pass. There are better examples for sale that probably also don't need a new timing belt and suspension work.

--
My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Steve,

Blowing out oil form he dipstick is not a very good thing. Blowing out vapors can mean I clog PCV system.

Probably to much defer maintenance if you asked me!!