2007 D5 (185)....Excessive Oil Consumption & Soot Filter Ful

[Alen]

A recon turbo did no change to the oil consumption for me. Volvo V70 D5 07 185BHP 180Kmiles, similar problem.
Changed crankcase breather valve membrane no change.

[Alen]

It is really a low mileage for a d5 engine, and we are not the only one with the same problem.
It seams that d5 163bhp engines are more reliable, and that dpf shortens engine life.

[jamie1131]

You need to change the piston rings...

[9000rpm]

I was wondering if one thing that could be causing the high oil consumption is an internal leak from the cam cover.

The cam cover is a bit unusual in that the boosted intake air goes through it and into the cylinders. if its cracked, damaged or the seals are damaged, intake boost pressure could get into the engine and pressurise the crankcase.

could this be why people are finding the crankcase breather valve damaged and replacing it sometimes cures the oil consumption for a period of time. But due to the high pressure its seeing, it soon fails again?

Just a thought I haven't seen discussed before

I wonder how you could check though. I was thinking about removing the dip stick, rigging up a pressure gauge to the top of the tube and seeing if crankcase pressure increases with boost pressure....

[aland]

Originally Posted by 9000rpm

I was wondering if one thing that could be causing the high oil consumption is an internal leak from the cam cover.

The cam cover is a bit unusual in that the boosted intake air goes through it and into the cylinders. if its cracked, damaged or the seals are damaged, intake boost pressure could get into the engine and pressurise the crankcase.

could this be why people are finding the crankcase breather valve damaged and replacing it sometimes cures the oil consumption for a period of time. But due to the high pressure its seeing, it soon fails again?

Just a thought I haven't seen discussed before

I wonder how you could check though. I was thinking about removing the dip stick, rigging up a pressure gauge to the top of the tube and seeing if crankcase pressure increases with boost pressure....

Interesting suggestion.
My E4 engine does not suffer from oil consumption, and i've not had any soot filter issues in the 5 years i've owned it (now on 166k miles) - BUT I did take the cam cover off to replace the swirl flap assembly a few years ago and replaced all the seals, which were in a poor state. Maybe I caught it early before leaks started causing issues.

Mine (manual 6-speed) seems to get worse MPG than others report, usually around 27 with a mix of journey types and some towing. I don't think it's ever reached into the 30's even on a long run

[AndyV7o]

Id be interested to hear what oil is used, a 0w30 B5 isnt the best at preventing wear/reducing consumption/soot, a 5w40 C3 oil may be worth a try instead, may reduce the consumption a little, will lubricate the engine better, and produce much less soot. Just keep the oci down to 10-12k/12 month as C3 has a lower tbn than B5 (the alkali quantity which neutralises the harmful acids produced inside the engine) typically around 30% lower (ish)

[9000rpm]

Originally Posted by AndyV7o

Id be interested to hear what oil is used, a 0w30 B5 isnt the best at preventing wear/reducing consumption/soot, a 5w40 C3 oil may be worth a try instead, may reduce the consumption a little, will lubricate the engine better, and produce much less soot. Just keep the oci down to 10-12k/12 month as C3 has a lower tbn than B5 (the alkali quantity which neutralises the harmful acids produced inside the engine) typically around 30% lower (ish)

I have done exactly this last week to see if it improves oil consumption. oddly after the change to 5w40 my fuel consumption is improving..

my oil consumption problems started end of last year after I serviced it and put the correct spec Castrol 0w30 oil in.
But close to this time the swirl flaps were changed at a garage using new cam cover seals and Im wondering if the seals were not done right.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by aland

Interesting suggestion.
My E4 engine does not suffer from oil consumption, and i've not had any soot filter issues in the 5 years i've owned it (now on 166k miles) - BUT I did take the cam cover off to replace the swirl flap assembly a few years ago and replaced all the seals, which were in a poor state. Maybe I caught it early before leaks started causing issues.

Mine (manual 6-speed) seems to get worse MPG than others report, usually around 27 with a mix of journey types and some towing. I don't think it's ever reached into the 30's even on a long run

I picked up my 2009 xc90 and drove home with aircon off 100 miles steady cruise at 56mph to test its best mpg and trip said 42.7mpg. I don’t think I’ll ever drive like that again and it now probably needs a half hour fast run to clear the soot.

[AndyV7o]

9000rpm
It may be that the tolerances in your particular engine are beyond those that will happily take a B5, thus the higher hths of the 5w40 has restored some oil cushion/compresiion just enough...

[9000rpm]

I took the undertray off yesterday to investigate the oil consumption. Was going go take the turbo pipes off to check the health of the turbo.
The undertray was really heavy and the sound deadening foam was soaked in oil. It was dripping from the oil level sensor at the very bottom of the sump. I've cleaned it off and retorqued the bolts and no more drops so far!
Odd thing is it never once dropped oil on the drive!
I think the sound deadening was acting as a big sponge that was absorbing the oil and then being dried out on a long drive from the heat of the engine..

I've got a new level seal now and will replace it at the next oil change to be sure its sealed correctly.

This may not be all the source of the oil usage but it was a bad leak that needs fixing. If this does fix the oil usage, I'll be over the moon!