D5 auto leak from bell housing

[S60D5185]

Hi
I have a 52reg D5 auto with an oil leak from the little slit/hole underneath where the gearbox meets the engine. I am thinking it's the core plug that's blown out, how big a job is removing the auto box to replace the plug ?
Thanks

[Marmitespreader]

Big jobby if one is not used to it. I think it is easier than the manual.
If the core plug had blown out, i may be corrected, but I think there would be a great deal of oil and not a drip, there may be a small hole though.
If you don't get vida up and running in time for when/if you take on the task, I will post a PDF.

[bluetownbarry]

Originally Posted by Marmitespreader

Big jobby if one is not used to it. I think it is easier than the manual.
If the core plug had blown out, i may be corrected, but I think there would be a great deal of oil and not a drip, there may be a small hole though.
If you don't get vida up and running in time for when/if you take on the task, I will post a PDF.

I've got the same problem on my 2002 XC70 D5 Geartronic - fairly constant drip once the engine is up to temperature and I'm getting through approximately 4 ltrs of oil every 350 miles (!). I've seen another thread about the dreaded core plug but I don't have VIDA - is there any chance you could post the PDF please?

[Marmitespreader]

If ive missed anything, dont hesitate to let me know.

One pdf is from another source showing core plug, but on a manual.

[bluetownbarry]

Excellent! Thanks for this.

[reesky]

In my case, it was a slow drip which lasted for months and I stupidly never thought anything of it.

Then I started getting my low oil warning whilst going around bends, and I stupidly never thought anything of it.

Then I started smelling hot oil whilst sitting in traffic.

Then it went completely and there was oil everywhere in a short amount of time

[bluetownbarry]

An update on this, I've finally taken the plunge and have finally changed the aforementioned core plug on my 2002 XC70 D5 Geartronic.

Just in case someone else finds themselves in the same position & finds this thread in a search I thought I'd post some info on my now solved problem.

Background

A friend had owned this car from 2010 at 140000 miles, FSH etc. Within three months, the transfer box decided to give up & was replaced at a Volvo main dealers (approx. cost £2000!). 45000 miles & two years later in November last year, he books it in with the same main dealer for its annual service & MOT. Within a week he noticed a pretty drastic oil leak & returns to the dealer & was pretty much fobbed off "probably going to cost £2k mate - nothing to do with us" etc.

Baulking at the cost & not having the funds readily available, knowing that I've previously had Volvos he asked me for some advice. Having heard of this before I said it may well be the dreaded core plug behind the flywheel. I recommended some good local independents for a proper diagnosis.

In the meantime, he was using the car on a daily basis constantly topping up the oil (!) even managing an 800 mile round trip!

Fast forward to April this year, the car is in the same condition & seeing as the car is now at over 180000 miles and over 10 years old, he takes the not unreasonable decision to sell the car on & replace it with another XC70 (glutton for punishment perhaps?),

Present day

Well, having previously owned Volvos, and being rather fond of the D5 engine, as well as needing a car combined with a tight budget, I decided to take a punt.

At this point, I still wasn't entirely 100% sure that the core plug was the root cause of the oil leak. Aside from the constant dripping of oil, on driving the car you really wouldn't know there was any problems. The engine, transmission, suspension was all tight & without wishing to sound like a used car dealer, it honestly drove like a car with less than half the mileage.

Unfortunately, 7 months of oil leaks made finding the source pretty much impossible with the entire bottom of the car from front to back caked in oil. First thing to note was oil 'bubbling' from under the oil filler cap. Also, after removing the dipstick, slight pressure could be detected. So first job, check the PCV which was pretty clogged & whilst I was about it, the EGR was also blanked off.

This didn't cure the problem, but to be sure, a new filler cap seal was fitted & made no difference.

Having completed the 'easy' tasks by way of a process of elimination I decided to get the engine and underside steam cleaned. All the while, the car was being used daily. After a day or so, my initial fears were confirmed when it was very obvious that the source of the leak was the small drain hole from the bell housing.

Having now added a few more grey hairs to the collection, a good friend who has access to a full workshop (very lucky me) decided to take the plunge and replace the dreaded core plug.

Without stating the bleedin' obvious, this isn't a task for the faint hearted, as it involves dropping the subframe & removal of the gearbox (which weighs a ton!) and of course the engine.

A point to note is that the parts numbers as listed in the PDF in the above post (sourced from VIDA I think?) are no longer current for Volvo - if anyone needs the new numbers let me know, but it didn't cause any problems as the dealer could easily find them. Incidentally, where it says cable ties, save yourself a fiver as they are just common or garden cable ties & Volvo charge over a £1 each for them!!

Most of yesterday & half of this morning was taken up completing this job, & we were able to take it for a test run with no problems (I did have an irrational fear that after re-assembling the engine we would have a host of codes or an EML show up, but thankfully that hasn't happened),

One thing that did surprise us was at the point we removed the flywheel - no core plug! Some people have described finding that the plug had been still in situ but slightly dislodged - well mine had completely popped out (we eventually found it on the floor). How on earth the car had survived so long is beyond me, however it did solve one mystery - I had noticed a severe occasional metal on metal grinding when on full lock turning left - we checked all of the steering components and everything was in good order - on looking at the flywheel it was pretty obvious the plug had been rattling around for some time!

Below are some pics;

Engine & gearbox finally on its way out -

[IMG][/IMG]


Flywheel off, where's the core plug?!?

[IMG][/IMG]

Aha, little plug, there you are!

[IMG][/IMG]

If you've read about this problem before, you will know that the original plug was rubber coated & the new one is now all metal - it's interesting to see the state of the old plug's rubber.

Hopefully this may be of use to someone else who finds themselves in the same position, but without my friend's invaluable assistance there's no way I could have done this (or afford the cost of paying a dealer do it!).

By the way, VIDA's estimate of under seven hours to do the job, well good ole Jim Royal couldn't have put it better - "My ar*e is it!!"

[Goodwrench]

Originally Posted by bluetownbarry

A point to note is that the parts numbers as listed in the PDF in the above post (sourced from VIDA I think?) are no longer current for Volvo - if anyone needs the new numbers let me know, but it didn't cause any problems as the dealer could easily find them. Incidentally, where it says cable ties, save yourself a fiver as they are just common or garden cable ties & Volvo charge over a £1 each for them!!

Hi Barry,

Thanks for sharing this! Would it be possible to post the current part numbers?

I'm going to look at a D5 that has had this core plug and the crank seal replaced, would be useful to check if he's also used the latest metal part.

Many thanks

[bluetownbarry]

Originally Posted by Goodwrench

Hi Barry,

Thanks for sharing this! Would it be possible to post the current part numbers?

I'm going to look at a D5 that has had this core plug and the crank seal replaced, would be useful to check if he's also used the latest metal part.

Many thanks

Sorry, but I've long since sold the car and the parts invoice went with it. FWIW, the core plug was something like £3.70 plus VAT - it's fairly generic, if it were me I would be looking for some sort of paperwork to back up the claim. If you are looking at an auto, take a close look at the gearbox bell housing, there's a tiny drain hole right at the bottom close to where it joins the engine. This was the source of my leak, I'd check to see that the drain hole hasn't been blocked to bodge a temp fix for the leak. Then again, it would be a strange claim to make saying it was fixed - I would suggest the unscrupulous just wouldn't mention it!

Good luck with the search.

[RobBrynChicken]

Originally Posted by Marmitespreader

Big jobby if one is not used to it. I think it is easier than the manual.
If the core plug had blown out, i may be corrected, but I think there would be a great deal of oil and not a drip, there may be a small hole though.
If you don't get vida up and running in time for when/if you take on the task, I will post a PDF.

Would you have anywhere to a link to a PDF for gearbox, clutch and flywheel removal on an M56 box, clutch, flywheel, etc?

Cheers