I was driving home from my parents last night and I heard a pop sound then there was smoke coming from my car. I stopped at the next gas station and oil was dripping from underneath. My parents picked me up and my dad said it looks like oil is dripping from the back side of the motor. we are going to look at it tomorrow once it gets back to the house (towed). Any suggestions as to what this is? It lost almost all of its oil because of it. 88 240dl wagon
thanks
kelly

Here is Don's image of the simple device he fabricates to secure the plug.

Randy

You blew out the "cam plug" on the back end of the cylinder head. This is a big 2-inch plug that faces backwards, i.e. toward the firewall.
When it blew out, it hit the firewall, then fell out- that's what you heard. Don't ask why I know what sound that makes.
Don't drive it very far- it's losing LOTS of oil through the hole. You can drive it for a minute or so- you don't want an engine fire, and you may smell some oil burning off the exhaust. You can move it jsut to get it to the tow truck or over to where you can work on it.
The good news is it 's going to be cheap to fix. The cam plug itself is just a few bucks, and a new valve cover gasket (also needed) is about $10. In fact, FCP Groton lists parts really cheap: (www.fcpgroton.com)
1378870 Valve Cover Gasket (B230)$3.50 Elring
1336763 Rubber Cam Plug (B230)$2.50 OEM

You simply pull the valve cover off, and look through it while installing the cam plug to make sure it goes in straight. I won't tell you what to use to press it into place- access is tight and I don't have a good answer. A small pry bar is about the best thing- something thin with an angled tip.

CLean all the gasket surfaces and reinstall the valve cover gasket. It's just a few 10mm nuts to remove this, you really don't need to pay someone to fix it. You can do it in the driveway or parking lot easily.
I use a little blue Silicone RTV sealant on the valve cover but some say that's not necessary. Also, it would be a good idea to replace the flame trap and holder when this is done- if it's plugged up, it might have caused excess pressure, and made that plug blow out. It's only $2.50 for a kit from FCP.... just a few minutes to change it.
Good luck!
By the way, IPD (www.ipdusa.com) sells a kit to prevent that thing from blowing out again.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 220K, 87 244DL- 230K, 88 744GLE- 198K, 91 244 180K, 88 244GL 145K

Thanks everyone, where do I find that kit that keeps from another blowout on ipd. i didn't know what category or part number to look for thanks
kelly

Rear cam plug blew out from excessive crankcase pressure. That pressure is usually caused by a blocked crankcase ventilation system. This system entails the flame trap and oil separator box which you must keep open for the engine to "breathe" using vacuum created by piston rotation in the intake strokes (that's the principle, more or less)

So, presssure (where there shold be vacuum) has blown out the rear cam plug. Look, feel behing the cam cover at the back of the engine, then down some.

You can read about all that here:
http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/EngineSealsBeltsVent.htm#Crankcase_Ventilation_%20A_Treatise

Don Foster occasionally posts his photo of the rear cam seal, and his home-made plate to secure it so it won't blow out, as yours did.

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"Can't understand why people abort Volvos, either"