Main Issue:

Oil pan gasket in 92' 740 base wagon has broken off where the crankshaft cover meets the oil pan.

Backstory:

A 'simple' exhaust replacement has expanded in scope after a stud sheared off during removal of the exhaust manifold. The head was off at the machinist so, why not take the opportunity to do some other things?

Anyway, All seemed to be going well while removing the Crankshaft gear and intermediate gear. No better time to replace the seals seeing I had full access. I could not get crank shaft seal out. I tried numerous techniques but felt that if I kept pushing my luck and score a surface. Proceed to take off the metal crank/intermediate gear cover and remove the seal. I figured this would give me better access to clean up the shaft/seal surfaces and reduce the risk of scoring. Having removed the seal from the cover with the cover out verified that the seal was stuck in there.

As I was removing this cover the thick oil pan gasket that mates on the bottom of this cover broke. Part of it came off. It's trashed.

Question:

I've spent some time reading posts and it's looking like I have a big job ahead of me. Is there any other non-kludgey way to fix this aside from going through what looks to be a major PITA procedure to change out the pan gasket? (I think I know the answer)

Sub issue:

While lightly cleaning the I-shaft with fine scotchbrite/400 grit the shaft moved out of the journal about 1-1.5 inches. I was not expecting it to move so freely. It didn't seem to come out of the gearing, but now I'm concerned and feel compelled to verify the alignment with the distributor. Any tips?

Finally, is it recommended to use seal locker of somesort with the elring seals? Someone had speculated that non OEMs needed that.

I(ntermediate) shaft/distributor; All 92 740's I am familiar with had a head mounted dist, so this is not an issue for that. It does drive the oil pump though.

Seeing as I just had the head off and was looking right at the dist, I'm
feeling a little embarrassed right now.

What is the purpose of the timing mark on the gear/belt then? Same part
used on a different engine that does have a shaft driven dist?

Several posts mention that it matters if the marks are lined up, though
some manuals suggest it really isn't important.

Thanks

If you don't want to do all the work required to replace the entire pan gasket, you can make a patch to replace the missing piece. Use an appropriate thickness gasket material and oil resistant RTV.

IIRC, the front engine cover retains the "I" shaft and I don't think you caused any problems by moving it out that small amount.

I don't normally use anything on the outside of the seals to retain them. On the rare occasions that I felt it necessary, I used a thin coating of "The Right Stuff", my preferred oil resistant RTV, on the outside of the seal. Wait at least a half hour for the RTV to cure before running the engine.
--
Eric

Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)

Torrance, CA 90502

I had considered a patch, but was concerned about efficacy. I plan on
installing a new breather box and flame trap, and never had any hints of
high case pressure, so hopefully it holds. I like this idea. If it fails,
It seems that I really wouldn't have to undo any of the new work (timing
belt, crankcase cover, etc.).

I read that the case would have to be cracked to get the Intermediate shaft
out, but didn't see what the width of the teeth along the shaft were. At no
time did it feel as though it came un-toothed. I should keep reading the
Bentley but I'll ask anyway. For my knowledge, what is the alignment tech?
The rotor aligned with the witness/reference point of the dizz and the
reference mark on the gear aligned with a point on the engine?

Thanks for the reply; I'm feeling a little better about this.