So, my '98 v70 awd with just over 140,000 just sprung an oil leak (I just had the timing belt changed and a complete tuneup within the past couple weeks). My local indy mechanic thinks it's a head gasket, about and says it will cost about $1200.

I am trying to decide what to do and would like some input. Should I have this work done, knowing it's a 14 year old car and so on (should I expect additional expensive repairs to pop up on this car? Should I gamble on the hope that a new head gasket could add years and tens of thousands of miles to the life of the car)? Should I eat the $650 or so I've spent on recent repairs and bail on the car? Is this a do-it-yourself job for someone with basic skills (I've done brakes and a few other repairs following directions on Bay 13)?

I really like the car. It's solid, safe, comfortable, and great in our Vermont winters, but it is getting a little long in the tooth. Thanks for any advice you can give.

As always, thank you very much. Klaus, from what I can tell, the picture you posted seems to indicate about where the leak seems to be coming from. Additionally, there is no drop in performance, nor is there an apparently common sweet-smelling white smoke coming from the exhaust. I was also able to find a related piece on Bay 13 where someone mentioned that he thinks he blew a seal by jumping on the accelerator to get on the interstate. I may have done the same thing, thought I did not know it was possible to blow a seal with spirited driving.

Thanks again! I'm off for a second opinion.

Oh, about how much should I expect to pay to have the rear cam seal work done?

Seal can blow for one or a combination of the below reasons:

age, mine let go after 200k
Crankcase pressure
combo of both

like I said, mine seemed to start leaking large amount of oil after a "full boost" pull merging onto the highway (full boost...hahah, not in a low pressure T :)

I'd say 200 is a good figure if you had a competent shop do the repair, while its there have the oil return turbo line gasket done.
At the same time though please have the crankcase checked, if you are seeing a lot of pressure you will need to have that service done asap before other seals start going. -rear main seal is a big job, if the seals by the timing belt go then you are going to need to fix those plus a new T Belt...etc.

steve

Hey Steve,

SO I had the timing belt changed (I think they are a reputable, good shop). Should they have changed seals (or gaskets or whatever) associated with changing the timing belt as part of that service?

Thanks again for our input!

No, the front cam seals seat better than the rear and are not prone to leakage. Any mechanic knows to look for oil while changing the timing belt.

When you go to a shop to have the rear seal changed (insist on an OEM seal), have them check the engine vacuum pressure. Very easy to do and takes less than 5 minutes to hook up a pressure gauge to the vacuum tree at the throttle body.

The shop should be able to tell you what the pressure is at idle and at 2000 rpm. If they are familiar with Volvos, ask them to check the PCT valve just before the turbo. Often, this gets clogged and needs to be cleaned out.

Klaus
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Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

Based on what I've read, I'd get a second opinion. Cars with bad head gaskets normally run poorly.

Interesting, a headgasket usually does not cause a major leak. Have you found out where the leak is yet? Grab a flashlight and a camera, open the hood and try to find the top most start of the oil leak. Then take a good picture and send it to me.

Replacing a headgasket is not minor surgery. The hardest part is reinstalling the aluminum camshaft cover and making sure the timing has not changed. To say nothing about all new head bolts and exhaust bolts. $1200 sounds a bit harsh, $800 would be more reasonable.

A blown headgasket would make your engine run badly, like it is missfiring on one or two cylinders.

I still think the oil is coming from the rear cam seal, just to the right of the distributer.

Klaus
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Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

The car is definitely running well; I smell burning oil, and the oil leak when the car is parked is pretty substantial. I'll try to find the source and take a pic, but the mechanic (with a flashlight and a telescoping angle mirror) was having difficulty finding it, though he did mention the rear cam seal.

The mechanic suggested the head gasket might be worth doing in that, if they fix the rear cam seal and the leak is still there, that would indicate the head gasket is the issue. Then, they would have to go back in and duplicate some of the teardown in order to do the head gasket. The idea he is presenting is that if they do the head gasket, the cam seals would be part of that job and it would all be taken car of at one time. Does that sound right?

The dealer sells the cam seals for about $10. Here is a tutorial on how to replace:
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/88318-rear-cam-seal-%26quot%3Bhow-to%26quot%3B/


No, I do not agree with your mechanic, major surgery for a possible problem is NOT the way to go. If the rear seal is leaking, fix the rear seal.

Klaus

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Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

Sounds like this guy is trying to rip you off.

As Klaus said, try to find the leak. I agree it sounds like rear cam seal. Get a few cans of cleaner and clean the heck out of the oil mess and then you can be better positioned to find the leak.

Clean it, let it sit and try with a flashlight after dark to look for "wet" oil, its easier this way IMHO than in daylight.

Klaus is also right, a blown head gasket would likely result in poor performance. I'd bed you blew a less significant seal as mentioned above...

Steve

more specifically see the photo below, found it on google search. Rear cam seal that was leaking on mine causing lots of oil to leak was the rear cam (right side)...left side (where distributor cap is) was fine.