Okay so while I am working on my brakes, I have decided to track down this oil leak that has been bothering me for a while.

Basically I am going through about 1/2 quart every 500-700 miles (two or three tanks of gas)

88 744ti M46 turbo with 77,000 miles.

I see very small oil patches in my driveway and at work which leads me to believe that most of the oil is dripping while driving.

I checked the oil pan and its fine, as is the crank case. The timing cover looks good, but I would not rule that out.
When I remove the skid plate it seems to have a bit of oil in it. My chasis brace always has a drop or two hanging off.


So where is this oil leaking from?

THanks

It can come from any of the three front seals, the rear main seal, the distributor seals, the pan gasket, the cam cover, the oil drain plug or the oil filter adapter on turbos. The oil filter adapter is a common source of oil leaks on older turbo cars.

Have you checked the distributor? My worst oil leak came from the distributor and when I replaced the o-rings it went away. That is one of the most common sources of oil leaking in these cars (mine is an '86 744 sedan). Good luck.

check the flame trap asap!

what about your front and rear seals?
--
Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'

Take the car to a self-serve car wash, clean the engine
compartment, let it dry, remove the splash shield, dust likely spots with talc, and trace the leak.

wow. good idea about the car wash.

Flame trap should be fine. How often should I check anyway?

The rear seals were replaced about 5000 miles ago, and unless I screwed something up they should be fine. However, is there a good way to tell?

Thanks guys

wow. great tip about the talc powder. I used it to find a power steering leak.
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steve m