I have a 760 ti and a 940 se, w/ the same turbo engine and i have a oil leak from the distributor, it's leaving quite a mess under both my cars. Is there a fix besides replacing the distributor

thanks,

alex

The leak is most likely to be the distributor shaft seal. It is easy to replace, and I have done my share of them. Volvo doesn't sell the seal, but you can buy Transcom #12X20X4TC, or Honda #91205-KF0-003. For more information go to the archives and look up a post by Jim on June 26, 2000, and a post by me on June 26, 2000.

Yes. Remove the distributor cap and rotor.

Mark the distributor housing viz-a-viz the head and disconnect the hall effect sensor plug and remove the distributor from the head. Replace the two O rings you can see, one big one and one little one (there's a third one you can't see but it's inside the distributor and requires disassembly of the distributor), lube the O rings and the aluminum casting with your choice of antiseize, and reinstall the distributor, hall sensor plug, and cap and rotor.

The leak should be substantially reduced if not eliminated.

Further, you might consider checking/cleaning/replacing the PCV elbow going to the oil/vapor separator. If you haven't personally cleaned it, chances are it's plugged. It's a plastic elbow with a little nipple on the outside...it's generally in the 1/2" hose from the compressor outlet tube to the intercooler that goes across the cam cover and down to the vapor separator. There's a smallish vacuum hose from the intake manifold that goes to this elbow. Also check the vaccum line and nipple at the intake manifold for plugging. If this system is plugged you won't get positive crankcase ventilation...oil life is radically reduced and crankcase pressure is generally relieved through the cam seals if not the engine main seals.

The third one inside the distributor is not an o-ring, but an oil seal. This oil seal is the cause of most distributor oil leaks.

OTOH, I've only seen/owned three or four cars 7xx cars and all of them were easily fixed with O-ring replacement. The internal seal AFAIK can be replaced, it just normally doesn't need it.

We currently own three 740 turbos, and I help maintain at least three others. All have had distributor oil seal leaks.

None of my three were unable to be fixed by replacing the O-rings.

I am very picky about oil leaks. None of our three Volvos leak any oil. If you have any oil drip at the back of the engine, it could be the distributor shaft seal.

Most people give up when they try to drive out the pin and utterly fail. So they replace only the two o-rings. It really takes a fixture tool to drive the pin safely and not destroy the distributor shaft or housing.

I am agree with you. I have had at about a dozen distributors apart, and the oil seals in every one of them needed replacement. You could see the cracking of the rubber, and the rubber was no longer pliable. If any of the engine shaft seals need replacement, the distributor shaft seal probably needs replacement too. If the large o-ring on the distributor housing is leaking or no longer pliable, the shaft seal needs replacment at the same time. The o-ring on the tip of the distributor drive shaft serves no function I can see except to provide a little friction and centering force between the shaft and the in the cam.

A v-block makes removal very easy on the shaft pin. If you don't know what a v-block is, ask someone you know who works in or has experience in a machine shop. They are a standard item that can be found in every machine shop. I used a 2 mm pin punch and a very small (6 oz?) ball peen hammer to tap the pin out. A larger hammer would have done the job quicker at the expence of finesse. Sometimes a bfhammer isn't the answer.

Driving the pin out is a lot of fun, but it can be done with a partially open vise and a small pin punch. A couple of extra hands would be appreciated for this task. One warning that I want to add is to be careful with the fiber washers - they break easily and the only source seems to be another junk distributor, but you need to be careful here because the thickness is not always the same.