While changing my oil, I found oil leak. It seems to be coming either from the oil pan gasket or above it. It is impossible to tell exactly where it is leaking from. I have 110,000 miles on the car and would really hate to have Volvo repair it($$$$). It drips enough to keep a mat under the car(a few drops every night). Any suggestions on how to resolve this problem without having a mechanic pull the engine. If it is the oil pan gasket, it still looks like a big job.
Thanks

I had the same problem on my 1999 S80 T6. It turned out to be coming from the turbo oil return down tube at the rear of the engine (between the engine and the firewall). $9.00 part, $70.00 labor.

I would be a perfect world if anyone of us could just virtually point at your car's engine and tell you, "that's the problem." But we don't have a live camera feed, with us controling the camera and the throttle at the same time. That's what makes the Brickboard so unique. I just drank a Coke since the last period, but you would never know that unless I told you.
YOU have to find the source of the oil leak. When the engine is cool enough to touch, invest in some paper towels and plaster the block with them. They stick to oil very nicely.
The previous poster 544... had a very good solution to a high pressure problem. Your car is also old enough to have a clogged PCV and vacuum lines. I would much rather do preventative maintenance than just replace parts without knowing what the problem is.
If you still can't find out the source of the oil leak, I would suggest investing 10 minutes of an ASE's time. It should cost you about $25 at a dealer.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Earlier with my 99 s80T6, when I had an oil change, the attendant suggested I investigate having the oil pan gasket replaced... More than once, the dealership shrugged and steered me away from having it done...

Now I have a new problem, suddenly I am out of oil - after having a full thing of oil a few hundred miles before. I open the hood and oil is splattered about over the engine top and the dip stick is loose.

I spoke to an engine friend, he said that probably the pcv valve needs to be cleaned or replaced to allow pressure to be controlled.... He said the pcv valve is only a $5 - $10 part for most cars and easy to fix. I'll approach the dealer and hope I don;t get screwed....

Good luck with yours...

Your problem is that the early S80 T6 had a single O-ring seal on the oil dipstick. As the O-ring ages it makes poor seal and the crankcase pressure pushes the dipstick out of the tube and bathes the engine bay in oil. Later cars had a redesigned dipstick tube, and a dipstick with double O-ring seals. The easiest solution is to lay in a supply of dipstick O-rings and change them frequently with every oil change. Just about every piece of this car is deficient.

If your S80 has a turbo, it sounds like the oil return line gasket. Not a hard fix, engine stays in the car. The rear main seal would be between the engine and the tranny, quite a ways away.

Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)

Thanks Klaus,

I do own a T6. Can you describe how to check if it is the oil return line and the fix? I will attempt to repair it myself. Thanks again
Dave