Hi,

I just purchased my first Volvo 98' S70 GLT. It has 130.000km.

There seems to be a minor oil leak. I took it to the garage and they said since the car had been sitting for a while the seals would need to a little time to get back to normal. He added something to the oil and said to drive it for 2000km and see if it stops. If it doesn't, is a minor leak acceptable or does the whole thing have to be taken apart and diagnosed? I would rather have a minor oil leak and add a little every other month. Like I say it is not a major leak. I am sure a garage will say yep, we need to take that thing apart and will cost me an arm and a leg. I am afraid if they take it apart it will never be the same. I have read horror stories of this. What should I do?

Also once in a while the automatic shift will change a little abruptly. Seems to change with ambient conditions ie Temp/humidity etc. It is not unbearable but just noticeable. Is this normal for this model Volvo. Should I change the transmission fluid?

One last thing. There seems to be a little more road noise on the right side. I have Dunlop sport something. Could it be the tires or the bearings. How long do the bearings usually last?

Thanks.

Where is the oil coming from? Or, where is it on the ground relative
to the car?

Near the front bumber on left side could be the oil drain hole in the intercooler. Normal.

98's have a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on leaky screws for
the oil pump cover. This would leak near the right front tire (I
had this one). Very small amount of oil leaked.

There is also another TSB on leaky oil pan bolts on 98s.

The most-likely causes of oil leakage at 130K km are likely minor. Look first at the turbo oil return line - very common, and a $1 seal (and a little persistence) fix this one. An illustrated repair procdedure can be found at http://volvospeed.com/bay13.htm

Other possible causes would be camshaft seals. At 130K km (if it hasn't already been done) you're way overdue for a timing belt change. Get this checked out...they can look at the camshaft seals, too.

Main seals *can* leak from disuse.
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David (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)