leaky volvo

tgalea

tgalea

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Hi All,

I searched the forum and found some info on the subject but would like so more recent feeback.

I have a 4 year old MD2020 with the boat i bought a few months ago.

When performing the oil change I overfilled slightly.. let's say 3mm over the MAX level on the dipstick.

After 1 hour of use.. i found some oil in the bilge but the level was unchanged on the dipstick. After another hour.... same thing.. after a straight 3 hours.. more oil in the bilge and now the level was down to MAX on the dipstick.

A further 3 hours to come back home the day after and now the level went down to just above the MIN on the dipstick.

Now the strange thing is that the oil on the dipstick was still clear whilst the oil i'm finding in the bilge is very very black similar to what it would be after a season.

Second strange thing is that it seems to be a leak from the sump level since above that it's all clean and dry.

The faces between the engine and sump look a bit tired.. rusted and all that.. is it possible that the engine leaks oil from the sump gasket when the oil is hot ?

Any ideas ? I did check the dipstick and the oil filler cap and the oil filter and they look fine.. no leaks..

I don't believe i had any leaks before the oil change. I only used it for 30 mins prior to the oil change.. from the yard to the marina.

Please help!

Regards
Tyrone Galea
 
Thank you for your reply.

Ok,

so i ran the engine for about 5 to 10 mins, then used one of these oil extractors throught the dipstick...extracted until it would extract no more.. removed the oil filter.. put in a new oil filter and put in the approximate qty suggested in the users manual. Checked the dipstick and found i had over filled slightly.

Thanks
Tyrone
 
Can you tell which side of the engine the leak is coming from?

In the earlier 2040's There is a plate on the bottom of the crank case that forms a ledge which collects oil when you change the filter. Have you cleaned this 'ledge' from all the oil that inevitable spills when you remove the old filter? (This would explain how it is 'old' oil that you are finding under the engine.

Have you checked that the new filter isn't leaking?
 
Hi John,

The leak seems to be coming from the back left hand side. That would be on the side of the oil filter.. from the back side of the engine, that is close to the gearbox but regardless.. no oil seems to be coming out from the level above the sump.

During the oil change i believe i overtightend the oil filter. Could that be the culprit ?

Another thing to note is that the previous owner must have removed the sump and applied that red instant gasket between the sump face and engine block because this is very visible going around the sump.


Later on this evening i intend cleaning up the engine completely.. hopefully it will be easier to identify the leak.

Is it possible to undo the sump tank, clean the face and re-install with the engine in place ?

Regards
Tyrone
 
The oil filter only needs to be tightened up a further 1/2 to 3/4 turn after the seal touches the face of the block. I wonder how much you tightened it?

I cannot imagine how tight it would have to be before the square section rubber ring distorted enough to allow a leak. It is much more likely that the oil filter rubber seal became dislodged from its groove in the oil filter as you did the filter up.

I usually lubricate the rubber seal with a little fresh oil before fitting the filter. The oil helps 'stick' the rubber ring in the groove on the oil filter at the same time.

Regarding removing the sump and sump plate. This would be extremely difficult whilst the engine is in situ. I can't remember if the retaining bolts are accessible at the flywheel (aft) end without removing the flywheel casing. From memory they are just accessible, but you need a narrow socket to get access to them.

If I were you I would give the engine a thorough degreasing and cleaning and then try to see if you really have a leak.
 
Altho it does sound as though your leak is around the filter, I'll just tell you that after a lot of looking I found a persistent leak on my MD2020 coming from round the sump plug, which is on the forward end of the engine beneath the alternator area. It wa not at all obvious at a glance, as it was running under the sump before dripping off into the bilge out of sight. Only needed a new copper washer. I'd never touched the thing, and it was still tight, so I was very surprised to find a bad leak had started.
 
found the problem....

holed sump!... at least i was lucky to be able to remove it in place without removing the engine although it was a very hard 3 hours work in a temp of +36 !

I'm buying a new sump from the local dealer for a hefty 190 euros. Do you know of any people in the u.k. who supply original better prices volvo parts ?

Thanks & Regards
Tyrone
 
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