24 replies to this topic

[xtc]

I have a 1998 S70 with 170,000 km or 105,000 miles on it. I changed from regular oil to synthetic about 6000-8000 km or 3700-4900 miles ago which is when I did my last oil change. Before I switched I did auto rx. Today I checked my oil and my dipstick is on the minimum mark. Is this normal for synthetic to consume oil like this? I haven't noticed any oil drips or blue smoke from the exhaust. What could cause me to be consuming oil like this?

Edited by xtc, 14 April 2006 - 09:48 PM.

[the underlørd]

1. check your RMS, is there a leak?
2. check your coolant. is there any oil in there?

[T5BRICK]

2. check your coolant. is there any oil in there?

i'm scared....

is that a head gasket?

[Zappo]

i'm scared....

is that a head gasket?

Could be, or it could be a bad radiator.

[xtc]

How to I check my rear main seal? Where is it?

I don't see any oil in the coolant reservoir.

I should also mention there is alot of dried oil around the oil cap.

I haven't noticed any oil drips or blue smoke from the exhaust

Edited by xtc, 14 April 2006 - 09:48 PM.

[the underlørd]

How to I check my rear main seal? Where is it?

I don't see any oil in the coolant reservoir.

I should also mention there is alot of dried oil around the oil cap.

I haven't noticed any oil drips or blue smoke from the exhaust

take off the spark plug cover? you have any strategic oil reserves in there?

the RMS is where the tranny mounts to the engine. drivers side.

[TM850R]

Well a new oil filler cap is about $10 from the dealer. Replace that first. Its a common issue with the our motors. As for the oil consumption...check for any oil on the ground where you typically park your car (driveway, assigned parking spot, etc..). My oil is being consumed because my PCV needs replacing, oil filler cap is done, and my turbo burns a bit also. Turbo usually gives a little blue smoke when it sucks some oil tho so you would have noticed that.

[T5BRICK]

you don't need a cap, just the seal ring/gasket do-hickey(thats the technical name). i think it's like $1 at FCP.

[MadeInJapan]

Well you MIGHT be right, but many of us had no luck just replacing the seal. Evidently over time our caps don't pull tight enough...maybe the 2 metal "fingers" that hold the cap down get bent or worn after awhile. That's why it is now being recommended to change the entire cap.

[TG850T5R]

Well a new oil filler cap is about $10 from the dealer. Replace that first. Its a common issue with the our motors. As for the oil consumption...check for any oil on the ground where you typically park your car (driveway, assigned parking spot, etc..). My oil is being consumed because my PCV needs replacing, oil filler cap is done, and my turbo burns a bit also. Turbo usually gives a little blue smoke when it sucks some oil tho so you would have noticed that.

So how much of an oil consumption does a bad PCV cause if he has no oil leaks? Are we talking more than a qt every 1K miles?

[TM850R]

I have no idea how much the PCV itself will cause if it even causes any oil problems what-so-ever. All I know is that it causes more oil related issues down the road if not replaced. Causes other seals to break.

[Kashif]

I use synthetic all the time, and my car at 165000 mile consumes 1 Litre/1 qt every ~1250 miles. Compression is normal, I have no oil leaks near the RMS, I always replace all gaskets during an oil change with no Oil on the block, and I removed the flame trap. I guess I could improve the consumption if I did an engine rebuild, but I don't have that kind of money or time.

[JTSPO]

I use synthetic all the time, and my car at 165000 mile consumes 1 Litre/1 qt every ~1250 miles. Compression is normal, I have no oil leaks near the RMS, I always replace all gaskets during an oil change with no Oil on the block, and I removed the flame trap. I guess I could improve the consumption if I did an engine rebuild, but I don't have that kind of money or time.

about a quart of mobil 1 every 2500 here. still within normal range i think. long commute (100+ miles) tends to burn a little more.

[kenk]

get a new cap. There is actually a new design. It seem to clamp tigher, and it reads something like "volvo recommends castrol"

[crc1185]

you don't need a cap, just the seal ring/gasket do-hickey(thats the technical name). i think it's like $1 at FCP.

But at least $5.00 to ship.

[dylant]

Seems I always stumble onto this site just as everybody's talking about the problem I'm having-

Did an oil change today on my beater, 201xxx miles on '94 855 Turbo. Noted the strategic oil reserves on the head around the oil filler cap. I replaced the seal a year or so ago. PVC system was gone over over a year ago... but the oil always seems to accumulate.

Anyway, I soaked up the oil with little paper towel bits and decided " I'm fixing this once and for all "

I put the cap on the ground, smacked each finger of the cap with a hammer once in a firm but polite manner, and screwed it on tight.

After a 40 mile drive I stopped at a light and smelled burning oil. Great fear. Pulled over in short order. LOTS of oil on the valve head ( I keep the plastic cover in the garage, in true beater fashion ).

So trip on over to Volvospeed and read this thread. I'm getting a new oil cap tomorrow.

HERE'S my big question-

at idle, cap on but not tightened, vacuum of the motor sucks the cap in place. Bump the throttle, cap dances and comes back to rest once vacuum is restored.

IS THIS NORMAL?

if a $10 cap is going to keep the oil from leaking out of the filler, I'll be thrilled.

And I might even fix the leaking oil cooler hose.

signed-
Captain of the Valdez

[the underlørd]

Joseph Hazelwood, try the cap, kinda sounds like you might have a PCV problem tho.

[MrLorence]

I use synthetic all the time, and my car at 165000 mile consumes 1 Litre/1 qt every ~1250 miles. Compression is normal, I have no oil leaks near the RMS, I always replace all gaskets during an oil change with no Oil on the block, and I removed the flame trap. I guess I could improve the consumption if I did an engine rebuild, but I don't have that kind of money or time.

Sorry to bring up this old thread, but im thinking that this is the same situation that I'm going through. I just dumped money into the car to stop the RMS and upper turbo line leak, now I've got oil going somewhere. When I changed the oil i can remember buying a box of 6 quarts of Mobil 1, and that's around the normal filling amount (give or take .25-.5). About a week later, I even added another quart just to make sure that I wasnt nuts (beacause when i checked it, it was about midway on the marker).

AND..I have some black soot around the tailpipe (which prolly isn't a plus)

Look, I know that a car with 170,000mi and 10 years old, is prone to breakdown (reguardless of what brand it is if there wasn't proper maintaince), but can anyone point me in the right direction.

[TM850R]

Sorry to bring up this old thread, but im thinking that this is the same situation that I'm going through. I just dumped money into the car to stop the RMS and upper turbo line leak, now I've got oil going somewhere. When I changed the oil i can remember buying a box of 6 quarts of Mobil 1, and that's around the normal filling amount (give or take .25-.5). About a week later, I even added another quart just to make sure that I wasnt nuts (beacause when i checked it, it was about midway on the marker).

AND..I have some black soot around the tailpipe (which prolly isn't a plus)

Look, I know that a car with 170,000mi and 10 years old, is prone to breakdown (reguardless of what brand it is if there wasn't proper maintaince), but can anyone point me in the right direction.

170k might need a turbo rebuild. The seals do wear out eventually on the turbo and that can cause some oil burning off. I remember you talking about some smoke from the tailpipe a while back too and that could be part of it. The black soot could be carbon from running rich or collected oil/dirt from the car burning oil.

Do the dipstick test to check the PCV system. When the engine is warm and running pull the dipstick, if you get little puffs of smoke, its time to replace it. If not, then you need to look elsewhere.

[MrLorence]

170k might need a turbo rebuild. The seals do wear out eventually on the turbo and that can cause some oil burning off. I remember you talking about some smoke from the tailpipe a while back too and that could be part of it. The black soot could be carbon from running rich or collected oil/dirt from the car burning oil.

Do the dipstick test to check the PCV system. When the engine is warm and running pull the dipstick, if you get little puffs of smoke, its time to replace it. If not, then you need to look elsewhere.

I checked and replaced that within about 2 weeks after I bought the car....