Gearbox oil leak after the big BANG

[skyship007]

You seem to have been sold some sort of Monday morning job, so it might be worth going to the very top chaps at Volvo and sending them a polite letter asking for a contribution towards the cost of all the repairs.
My wild guess is that the engine or gearbox mounts were misalinged during initial construction, as genuine failures of this type are very rare on modern diesels.

I my opinion the Volvo dealer should have taken a used oil sample and posted it off to Blackstones Lab to see what was in the oil. I'm sure it was full of Iron and Lead contamination, which means a new engine. If they drained the oil and took a look around with a borescope it should also have been obvious there was something very serious about to happen.

Has this engine blown a turbo or suffered from sludge before?

[TiredGeek]

I've had "dealings" with Harratts Leeds in the past, it's now obvious to me why your engine exploded Frankly I'm surprised the wheels didn't all fall off at the same time....

FYI, P&R on Kirkstall road are also very good, but if you've found someone you can trust stick with 'em

[Thewebster]

Hi skyship007

I did ring Volvo UK and they, whilst being very understanding and helpful, firmly pointed me back to the dealer...

When the engine died, Johnson called me over and took out the oil filter.

Well I say Oil filter.. more metal filter... it was full of shards and filings..

Now it is running properly (all bar some vibration from a vacuum mount) I'm going to keep it as it drives better now than it has for a few years.

The advice I have had is that whilst Harratts do have a duty of car.. The engine has done more miles since the rebuild, than Volvo warrant from new so hard to push for any warranty claim. The fact that these engines are usually good for 150-200k is immaterial as it is sadly down to what is reasonable and manufacturer claims on fit for purpose.

I could spend another few 1000 on legal fees and get now where.

So... I've had a quiet talk to myself and am trying to move on

Thanks for all the helpful advice and suggestions, really appreciate everyones comments !

Webbo

[Thewebster]

Hi TiredGeek

I rang P&R to get a price for the engine replacement and they were incredibly expensive.. They were also a bit sharp on the additional costs..

They still wanted to charge me £400 to replace the cambelt, aux belts, pully's etc even though it was out the car and would take 10-15 mins to do, tops... Johnson charged me for the parts and a tiny bit of labour...

But like you say, its finding someone who you are happy with and sticking with them.

[Thewebster]

Sorry forgot to say, no turbo problems or sludge before.. the only thing it had was 2 rebuilds when they were trying to find out the cause of vibration after some warranty work.

Johnson did comment that the engine gasket sealant was incorrect and that any over seal can come away and block oil feeder pipes. He was also suspicious that perhaps some of the bolts were not renewed on the 2nd rebuild but again impossible to prove

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by Thewebster

Sorry forgot to say, no turbo problems or sludge before.. the only thing it had was 2 rebuilds when they were trying to find out the cause of vibration after some warranty work.

Johnson did comment that the engine gasket sealant was incorrect and that any over seal can come away and block oil feeder pipes. He was also suspicious that perhaps some of the bolts were not renewed on the 2nd rebuild but again impossible to prove

I would not give up just yet, although it would help to get a letter from Johnson to say the previous rebuild was bodged, then copy that to both the dealer and Volvo UK. When Volvo fix something it is supposed to be done to a high standard, so you might get a response from them. Obviously it's not worth throwing good money after bad if the warranty has expired, but it's still worth trying to see if they will contribute to the costs involved. It's a pity they did not video what they found, as any lumps in the sump are real bad news.