A couple of years ago I bought a nice '93 240 with about 110 Kmi. on it. For more than 20 Kmi. it performed flawlessly. One thing which always pleased me was that the oil pressure gauge read high and rock solid. Then things went to hell in a handbasket. The oil pressure warning light started to blink on once and a while such as when maneuvering into a parking spot. The onset of the oil pressure problem coincided with my change to synthetic oil.

I pulled the pan and, of course, found the oil delivery tube seal puked out of its socket in the block. The original seal was black and a little hardened. I debated what to do and spoke with the Volvo specialist who sold me the car. He had seen the seal failure before and thought the seals creeped over time, took a set and then leaked - he didn't think that the synthetic oil provoked the problem.

I toyed with the idea of bolstering the seal bulge on the tube with a JB Weld collar as suggested in the 700/900 FAQ's, but I dismissed that for several reasons, the main one being that I do not think JB Weld is suitable for the application. Thinking that a new, resilient seal would solved the problem, I buttoned up the oil pan. Also, the replacement seal was red, so I thought that Volvo might have reformulated the seal compound to address the problem

Well, for a while at least, the oil pressure returned to normal. Then it started to read a little low after a hot run. Now, it is back to where it was before I changed the seals. I pulled the pan yesterday and found the seal being puked out of the block, again.

Since I do not have the only B230F with a failed oil delivery tube seal, does anyone know how Volvo addressed this problem? Is there a remedy in a Service Bulletin? Were there a batch of undersized oil delivery tubes put out there and is there a superceded part number to order?

As a last resort, I'll probably fabricate and attach suitable collars to the ends of the delivery tube.

Thanks, one and all,
Rich