S80: Engine Volvo S80 D4 VEA Oil leak Problems

[Sweden Soldier]

Hello! I wanted to tell you something that happened to me very recently with my Volvo S80 D4 VEA from the end of 2015.

The car leaks oil and leaves stains on the floor.

Oil stains on the floor are not always the same, sometimes they are small drops and other times much larger.

The car never asks me to refill engine oil, and these drops of oil appear at the back of the engine and only when it is turned off. While the engine is on it doesn't happen.

At Volvo Official Service they tell me that this happens due to the valve cover/PCV gasket.

They tell me that they have to make a replacement to see if this oil loss is corrected.

I have also been told that it could be the engine block cracked, but in this case, the oil would drip out while the engine is running. They tell me that a cracked engine block is something that they have had in 1 case out of 1000, for example, which is not common.

The car has 248,000km and a good maintenance history at Volvo.

Has something similar ever happened to you? It has me quite worried and it is a car that I have bought for a very short time. Could someone help me know where exactly it can lose? Are they saying the right thing at Volvo Official Service?

Thanks for your help!

[GrahamBrown1]

Most common is the cam cover and I’ve seen cam shaft seals leak also. I have also heard of the blocks becoming porous or cracking tho this is normally evident from leakage between the engine and transmission. Around the crank behind the flywheel seems to be the common area tho it is rare but not unheard of.

A new cam cover and gasket was needed for the VEA engine we had but we decided to get rid instead. Not sure if the cam cover was needed because it was an early one or you can just replace the gasket now on later engines.

[Sotosound]

The valve cover / camshaft cover on my late 2014 V70 D4 leaked, and it was necessary to replace the cover and not just the gasket because, for early VEA engines, the gasket was not a separate item.

In the case of my car, the leak was visible around the cover, and all of the oil leaked onto the under tray, which meant that none of the oil landed on the ground.

A leaking cover would be my first suspicion, and a mechanic should be able to establish whether or not it is the problem.

More generally, Volvo should be kicking themselves for making so many poor design decisions regarding the VEA engine. It could have been a legendary engine but, instead, it is an engine that has earned a bad reputation.

[Sweden Soldier]

Originally Posted by GrahamBrown1

Most common is the cam cover and I’ve seen cam shaft seals leak also. I have also heard of the blocks becoming porous or cracking tho this is normally evident from leakage between the engine and transmission. Around the crank behind the flywheel seems to be the common area tho it is rare but not unheard of.

A new cam cover and gasket was needed for the VEA engine we had but we decided to get rid instead. Not sure if the cam cover was needed because it was an early one or you can just replace the gasket now on later engines.

Thanks for your answer. The timing belt will be replaced along with the water pump on January 12th. In case the camshaft seals are bad, I want to replace them.

I think it would be wise to perform a compression test to verify.

The car runs great, starting both cold and hot is perfect. I imagine that if the engine had porosity or any cracks, it would throw this oil into operation. Right now the oil is only released when the engine stops.

With the engine started, even after a long trip, no oil drips at all.

[Sweden Soldier]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

The valve cover / camshaft cover on my late 2014 V70 D4 leaked, and it was necessary to replace the cover and not just the gasket because, for early VEA engines, the gasket was not a separate item.

In the case of my car, the leak was visible around the cover, and all of the oil leaked onto the under tray, which meant that none of the oil landed on the ground.

A leaking cover would be my first suspicion, and a mechanic should be able to establish whether or not it is the problem.

More generally, Volvo should be kicking themselves for making so many poor design decisions regarding the VEA engine. It could have been a legendary engine but, instead, it is an engine that has earned a bad reputation.

Thanks for your answer!

At Volvo we are going to replace the cover + gasket, the reference is: 32213460

At home we have had a Volvo V60 D4 VEA from 2019 (biturbo and 190hp) and 180,000km without problems, no oil consumption and only maintenance.

Now my father has a 2021 Volvo V90, with 70,000 km and more of the same, without problem.

I also know several cases of VEA engines with more than 300,000km and no problems, but I understand that in diesel engines it is important to do continuous decarbonization, drive a lot of road, use the right oil and before changing the oil apply a good engine cleaner, I I use Xenum M-Flush.

The problem with VEA diesel engines is the carbon accumulated in the cylinder segments, they do not allow the entire piston stroke to be properly lubricated and the oil does not go down the cylinder wall, staying on the piston head and being burned...