Engine Oil Level Poll

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Wesleysteele

Thanks @clan im in northern ireland and there is only 2 volvo agents here, i used the 1 i bought the car off as its in warranty until end of january, it is an 09 used selekt model, would my warranty cover me in the other volvo agent? Thanks wesley

Hi Wesley ,
yes it would ..
how many times has it done this ? do you ever get a message " SOOT FILTER FULL " ?

[Wesleysteele]

This is the 1st time in my ownership from august, covered arround 6k since, no i have never had the soot filter full message,
I checked the oil manually around a month ago and it was fine.
Then the engine service light with code 097 and the electronic oil level was high

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Wesleysteele

This is the 1st time in my ownership from august, covered arround 6k since, no i have never had the soot filter full message,
I checked the oil manually around a month ago and it was fine.
Then the engine service light with code 097 and the electronic oil level was high

let it stand for at least half an hour , have you found the grey dipstick down at the bottom of the engine at the front ? not that easy to get to but it might be worth looking at .
As it is not a recurring problem they need to get the basics right , :

Oil should be 5.7 litres only .. if they have changed the oil recently ..

they need to check the oil level on their diagnostic machine it will read out the % full . With the engine running they need to suck oil from the dipstick hole until it reads 70%
then they need to reset the oil level gauge .
Tell them how to do it :-)

[Wesleysteele]

Yeah they sucked aome oil out yesterday and on the dipstick its about 75% it was service in july the day i picked it up. Just didnt like the thought of diesel being in the oil etc. Cheers @clan

[harveys]

I do wonder what these engine's pistons & rings are doing to the cylinder bores running on thin oil & diesel mix.
It's not very good ,has anyone sent there oil off to be tested to see what's in it, I bet the numbers would make good reading
.
would you drive around with a flush additive you added to your oil ?.

[Wesleysteele]

So i contacted volvo uk customer relations showing conern about my problem, they are going to contact my local dealer and ask the technician what results they found and to contact me with further explanation.

I might take an oil sample and get it examined in work.

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by harveys

I do wonder what these engine's pistons & rings are doing to the cylinder bores running on thin oil & diesel mix.
It's not very good ,has anyone sent there oil off to be tested to see what's in it, I bet the numbers would make good reading
.
would you drive around with a flush additive you added to your oil ?.

Scientists seem more concerned with other stuff in the oil than bio diesel.

http://www.infineuminsight.com/insig...il-degradation

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by nosmoking

I'm certainly no DPF expert and there are quite a few detailed threads and links on this matter, but this is my basic understanding of how regeneration works:

The DPF consists of a fine ceramic mesh or membrane that collects soot particles in the exhaust gasses. As the filter becomes clogged with these particles over time, a back pressure builds up in the DPF. At a certain pressure level, the engine control unit injects diesel directly into the exhaust system before the DPF. This extra fuel ignites and raises the DPF temperature sufficiently to burn the soot particles and clean off the ceramic filter, thereby 'regenerating' it.

This is a highly simplified explanation and I'm sure the ECU factors in many other parameters too before deciding to initiate a regeneration cycle. Any experts, feel free to contribute...

So much for the theory. I understand problems arise when the exhaust system is not hot enough to fully ignite the injected diesel, some of which then finds its way into the sump. With normal diesel this would not be a problem as it will evaporate out of the sump, but apparently the plant oils in bio diesel do not evaporate and just collect in the sump, raising the oil level.

How does the diesel in the exhaust system get back into the sump? Can't see how that could happen.

No issues for mine by the way.

[Chief inspector]

Originally Posted by RoyMacDonald

How does the diesel in the exhaust system get back into the sump? Can't see how that could happen.

No issues for mine by the way.

It doesn't inject the fuel directly into the exhaust, it injects during the exhaust stroke and the the fuel mist then finds it's way into the exhaust......but if the car isn't hot enough or running fast enough, or the dpf has excessive back pressure the fuel doesn't mist and washes the bore instead and works it's way down into the sump past the rings.

This is an extra problem if you don't let the car finish a regeneration, and switch it off, it will sit with unburnt fuel in the cylinders.

Mazda and Hinda have major problems with this, it's less of an issue with other Marques if driven sensibly and not used for too many short hops.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Chief inspector

It doesn't inject the fuel directly into the exhaust, it injects during the exhaust stroke and the the fuel mist then finds it's way into the exhaust......but if the car isn't hot enough or running fast enough, or the dpf has excessive back pressure the fuel doesn't mist and washes the bore instead and works it's way down into the sump past the rings.

This is an extra problem if you don't let the car finish a regeneration, and switch it off, it will sit with unburnt fuel in the cylinders.

Mazda and Hinda have major problems with this, it's less of an issue with other Marques if driven sensibly and not used for too many short hops.

If any ( or more ) of the conditions above are current then it will not even attempt a regeneration , they are pretty robust now with about 10 different sensors used to determine if regeneration is needed .. on older generation diesels you are probably right