well, i was changing my oil yesterday and, when i stuck my finger into the drain hole, i felt a loose piece of metal that was actually blocking quite a bit of the oil from draining out. I always put my finger into the hole to clean as much of the dirty oil away before installing the drain plug, so i know this object wasn't near the hole last oil change that i did. I tried to envision what this object was. Seems to be sheet metal rather than cast iron. Also circular and has a hole in the middle like a drain hole. About 2" in diameter. I could move it around and even flip it over with my index finger but there was no way it was going to fit through the drain hole. Felt like a strainer or a flange. Looking at some parts diagrams, i am wondering if this is the screen thingy on the oil pump? If so, shall i be worried? What is the function of this piece on the oil pump? What else could it be?
I have had a rather disastrous experience with the volvo dealer's maintenance, and while they changed the oil, the timing belt (not good) and transmission (even worse), my volvo has been okay since it was saved/repaired by an independent volvo mechanic. Car is running fine. I have installed a magnetic drain plug but still wondering what to do. Betting that an oil pump is not an easy thing to change. Egads, i am a tad worried.