I have a 98 S70 T5 and I am losing about a quart of oil a month from the oil pan. I know Volvo does not use a traditional gasket for this. Has anyone tried to just buy some gasket material and use the oil pan as a template and make their own? Also, it looks like it can get pretty tight in there (saw it when I changed the front motor mount), so while I have it off is there anything else I should do? What is the best place to get the the gasket "gunk"?

Second question is this.....I need to change the anti freeze as well. The fluid in there now is a very dark red if not brown. Should I get the OEM fluid from the dealer because the water pump on my 850 was pretty picky and I'm guessing the s70 is the same. Also, I believe it holds about 7 liters, so I was going to pour in a gallon of pure anti freeze and top off with water. That should give me about a 50/50 ration. Any thoughts on this as well would be muchly appreciated.

Regards,


Eddie

first, make sure the oil leak is from the oil pan and not from somewhere above. It is a royal pain to remove. The bolts are different lengths, so they have to be laid out to be put back in the same holes.

If you decide to pull the pan, get the O ring kit and replace them while the crank is exposed.

The RTV that Volvo uses to seal the pan is expensive. But, it works nicely and still allows removal if needed, unlike other RTV's that harden to cement and then cannot ever be removed again.

Can you make a gasket? No.

Get zerox G5 antifreeze or OEM. One gallon mixed with one gallon of distilled water is perfect.
--
My name is Klaus and I am a V♂lv♂holic

1) I'd just use the volvo stuff, it isn't that much more expensive than plain RTV. While you've got it off, I'd change all the o-rings you can get right there. Pick up the good stuff from the dealer, or FCP...

2) Why is it red/brown? Hopefully you've used toyota coolant and it isn't a failing radiator/head gasket. Investigate this before you put new coolant in. How are the oil and transmission fluids?

For a flush: Flush with distilled water a fill or two, drain. Fill with gallon of anti-freeze (Volvo antifreeze is ~$10 more expensive than the cheap stuff, and over a 30k fluid life, might as well 'splurge'). I prefer OEM because it is designed for the engine, not all engines. YMMV.
--
If you're not driving it "like its stolen," are you really driving?