V70: Engine Safety Recall Notice

[Lancashire V70]

Hi
This problem does not seem to have gone away, I am a new poster on here because up to now I have owned a 2002 V70 D5 SE Auto that has been pretty bullet proof. Last Thursday I collected a 2007 registered C70 D5 SE LUX Auto with 42,000 miles on the clock and full dealer service history.
From the decall on the bonnet slam panel it appeared to have had the DPF/overfueling mods done and, looking at the paperwork and the dipstick, the dealer had done an oil and filter change with the oil level at the maximum mark. not the 3/4 mark that the new decall suggests. After a brisk but not silly 150 mile drive home along a mix of motorways, dual carriageways and fast A roads the engine service light was on and the dipstick showed that the oil level had increased by around 8mm. On Friday I accessed the stored codes and found EMC codes 6663 (heater plug/ relay on number 3 cylinder) and 5660 (oil level faulty reading) I therefore removed sufficient oil to return it to the reccomended 3/4 full level using our oil sampling facilities and this sample is on it's way to the laboratory. The engine service light went out after I cleared these two codes.

On Saturday, after an early morning cold start, there was no engine service light showing but out of curiosity I used the code reader which showed a fault code EMC 6663 so presumably I have a dodgy heater plug/relay.

Having driven the car around for about 50 miles over the weekend mainly on short local runs with the occasional bit of motorway the engine service light is back on and the oil level on the dipstick is marginally above maximum ie an increase of about 6mm, so in 200 miles the oil level has increased by around 14 mm or the equivalent of 1/2 litre of diesel entering the oil.

[Frank B]

This is the first post on here since 2010.

I had the update on my V70 D5 at the time of the recall and have no problems with rising oil level, car 's now done 70,000 miles. I would take the car back to where you bought it from if you can, something doesn't sound right

[Nick44]

Hi Everyone,
I would respectfully suggest that Lancashire V70's car has had the decal/sticker but not the software upgrade. Either that or there is a different problem with his car.
The entire problem was caused by the adoption of Bio Diesel in the UK (and Europe) that mandated a 5-7% bio content of pump diesel. Bio deisel has a higher flash point than mineral diesel, and the regeneration cycle did not fully burn out the extra fuel injected ( to deliberably start a controlled fire in the equvlalent of a "cat") in the exhaust to burn out soot.
Thus the extra unburnt fuel got past the piston rings and into the sump, causing rising sump oil.
Some questions.
Have you had the car's VIN run by a Volvo main dealer to check the software level?
Have you checked that you don't have a duff injector?
The sump increases you report are much higher than the DPF problem did, the DPF regen ran approx every 300 miles in the correct road situations.
The 'iffy reports on the heater plug/relay may be telling a different story.

Believe me, I have pushed this all the way with Volvo, and the DOT and VOSA, and my MP.
The software patch did fix this, although in a very crude way and unbecoming of Volvo.
If you still have the problem, then check, check, and check again. Over sumping a diesel engine is not a funny matter, and can kill you and the car.

[rnlisg]

just spotted this thread,i have a 09 xc70 d5(205),is this a problem that can show up in all d5 models? be it v or xc 70.swmbo is out in car at moment but i will check under the lid to see if i have a sticker and as the car is under volvo selekt i will ask the stealer to check mine on the system.
sandy

[bobsy852]

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to work out if my V70 D5 is affected by this problem.

I can't see anything in the cars history about this recall having been done, but regular oil changes etc.

With the car being new to me, and it being over a year since its last oil change, I recently changed the oil in it myself. I put the full 6l in which seemed to settle towards the max mark on the oil dipstick (i believe some V70's don't even have an oil dipstick to check?)

Anyway, I've looked on the Vehicle Standards Agency recall list and it seems to list all manor of VIN numbers which don't make much sense to me. I presume it's based on the last 6 digits on my VIN? Mine falls under two or three of the vehicle ID brackets listed on that website.

Should I call Volvo to check if the vehicle underwent the recall?

Should I take some oil out as I filled it to the max mark?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by bobsy852

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to work out if my V70 D5 is affected by this problem.

I can't see anything in the cars history about this recall having been done, but regular oil changes etc.

With the car being new to me, and it being over a year since its last oil change, I recently changed the oil in it myself. I put the full 6l in which seemed to settle towards the max mark on the oil dipstick (i believe some V70's don't even have an oil dipstick to check?)

Anyway, I've looked on the Vehicle Standards Agency recall list and it seems to list all manor of VIN numbers which don't make much sense to me. I presume it's based on the last 6 digits on my VIN? Mine falls under two or three of the vehicle ID brackets listed on that website.

Should I call Volvo to check if the vehicle underwent the recall?

Should I take some oil out as I filled it to the max mark?

Yes it is only your dealer who can give you the information you require as to any outstanding recalls and whether they have been done .

Yes , drain all the oil out , loosen the oil filter cap which will allow it to drain to the sump , and put back just 5.7 litres , you cant go far wrong with level then . It has been almost 10 years now since the correct level was revised to about 75% up the XXXXXXXX marks on the dipstick . The Pre 2005 163 bhp engines are still 6 litres .

[bobsy852]

Thanks Clan! I only changed it two weeks ago. I'll probably just drain a bit out rather than it all.
I have to drive it about 500miles tomorrow and dont have the tools etc. Available now to drain it before hand so I'll just have to hope it's okay for the next week

[Model flyer]

As you have filled it to the max level on the dipstick you may get a " engine service" message. When you remove 1\2 a Liter it will take a few hours/ miles of driving for the sensor to re- calibrate..

[Tatsfield]

I believe that the reduction in the recommended max fill level is connected with the diesel particulate filter DPF regeneration and problems which allow excess diesel fuel to be scavenged from the cylinders during regeneration and dumped in the sump causing the oil level to rise. The reason for reducing the max level is to allow some fuel contamination of the oil to take place without over filling the sump and pressuring the engine causing damage. The oil level being at the original max mark will in itself not cause any damage. It is just that if the level is rising the original full level puts the system nearer to overfilling.

More worrying to me is the fact that before the next safety level is reached, the oil is 25% contaminated with diesel fuel and if Volvo were serious about the necessity of only using a high grade oil, what is the effect on engine wear of using an oil which is 25% diluted with dirty diesel?

I tried discussing this with my Volvo dealer but it seems that they have taken a serious oath of silence concerning this matter and merely repeat the fill level mantra ad nauseum. This will be the first car I've owned where the sump oil level rises as the car is used. All my previous cars ate their oil and the level dropped!