Oil overfill warning??!!??

[MOzS90]

Originally Posted by rogc

Having come from a Discovery Sport oil dilution is a well documented issue. What I have not seen mentioned in this thread (apologies if I missed it) is the impact upon lubrication properties as the oil gradually becomes diluted.
My XC60 has been showing oil overfilled for a few weeks, dealer unable to look at it until yesterday. They checked the level, confirmed it was overfilled but not excessively. Drained out a small amount, according to dealership all now ok. However I am taking this further with Volvo. below you will find the details of the email sent, including % dilutions before the user gets any indication of diesel dilution.
I will post an update when I get a reply from Volvo UK.

I am writing to you today in relation to an oil dilution issue I am experiencing with my Volvo XC 60 Inscription Pro D5 2019. Reg XXX.
I first noticed this in November when I noticed the oil overfilled warning had illuminated on the Sensus screen. Lipscombe XXX checked the vehicle but could not replicate the fault. 24 hours later the overfilled warning re appeared. I booked the car back in for today, the earliest booking.

The work undertaken today was to drain the excess quantity of oil, not replace. I understand that the Volvo remedy for the oil overfilled message is to refill to 4.8 not 5.2 litres of oil, ie a minimum of 400ml of capacity for diesel. You will be fully aware that Diesel is not a lubricant, as such testing has identified that levels above 5% start to reduce the lubrication properties of the engine oil.
I do not know the set point of the oil overfilled, or service required sensors, but have taken an educated guess of 200ml above 5.2 litres.
For the revised oil fill levels this would give a potential diesel dilution figure of 8.3% to reach the original oil level, or 12.5% if the oil overfilled level is at 200ml above maximum.
In my case I am assuming 200ml of diesel on oil .2/5.2 which is 3.8% (not desirable but acceptable).
Assuming that my oil has been drained to 4.8 litres than the oil overfilled will initiate at 16.3% far to high, as this level of dilution will result in internal wear.

My plan is to keep this vehicle in excess of 5 years 80,000 miles. As such I am getting increasingly concerned re the long term reliability of the engine, should diesel dilution of the lubricating oil continue.

I would like the following information in relation to Volvo’s experience of engine oil dilution due to diesel, caused during DPF active regeneration.

What is the maximum % of oil dilution Volvo deem acceptable.
What experience has been gained at these dilution levels in respect to wear metal analysis.
Does the loss of lubrication impact upon long term reliability of the engine.

For my vehicle specifically, is it acceptable for oil dilution to potentially exceed 12.5% ?. Should the oil & filter have been changed during the latest dealership visit.

In respect of warrantee as already stated I am getting increasingly concerned re the long term reliability, as Volvo willing to extend the manufacturers warrantee from 3 to 5 years should the diesel in oil issue not be resolved.

I look forward to hearing back from you in relation to the points I have raised.

A valiant effort but will certainly fall on deaf ears. You will not gain an extended warranty, they will not change the way their DPFs work and you will not get them admitting there is anything wrong.

Just an indication in cockpit a DPF regen is taking place would solve the problem allowing drivers to avoid switching off halfway through the process.

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by MOzS90

A valiant effort but will certainly fall on deaf ears. You will not gain an extended warranty, they will not change the way their DPFs work and you will not get them admitting there is anything wrong.

Just an indication in cockpit a DPF regen is taking place would solve the problem allowing drivers to avoid switching off halfway through the process.

There is documentation in the public domain that shows conclusively that they know that this is a problem even though they will try and blame the type of driving. They specifically differentiate between the longitudinal engines and the problematic transverse installations and list the design issue and models involved and the likely circumstances.
They will provide free interim oil changes for the time being, but I doubt that it is an open ended commitment. They cannot resolve this issue because there is a fundamental design flaw. The re-designed current facelift models have a different bulkhead allowing the DPF to be close-coupled to the turbo, therefore retaining a high operating temperature, which was not possible on the older setup where the DPF has to be remote-mounted on the exhaust under the floorpan, relatively far from the combustion zone.

[MOzS90]

They didn’t provide me with a “free interim oil change” so I’m not sure where you got that info from. My dealer drained the excess oil out, updated the software and sent me on my way dispose my protestations.

Mines booked in for an annual service in a couple of weeks. I’ll ask them politely to only fill the oil 3/4 full. I’m not sure if they’ll comply.

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by MOzS90

They didn’t provide me with a “free interim oil change” so I’m not sure where you got that info from. My dealer drained the excess oil out, updated the software and sent me on my way dispose my protestations.

Mines booked in for an annual service in a couple of weeks. I’ll ask them politely to only fill the oil 3/4 full. I’m not sure if they’ll comply.

Sorry, just noticed that the post was not about the Disco Sport mentioned in the first sentence of the post by MOzS90. My whole post was about the situation with LR and their oil dilution/EGR issue, not relevant to Volvo models.

Sorry again for any confusion caused.

[Boatie]

Originally Posted by MOzS90

A valiant effort but will certainly fall on deaf ears. You will not gain an extended warranty, they will not change the way their DPFs work and you will not get them admitting there is anything wrong.

Just an indication in cockpit a DPF regen is taking place would solve the problem allowing drivers to avoid switching off halfway through the process.

An indication that a regen is taking place, too easy!!!!!!!

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by Boatie

An indication that a regen is taking place, too easy!!!!!!!

There are affordable consumer bluetooth devices that plug into the OBD II socket under the dash that will monitor fluid temperatures and pressures, oil level, reset service intervals and probably give a readout of pressure differentials either side of the DPF to give an indication of its soot load and show when it is regenerating and the temperature.
It is not something for the driver to fiddle with but a passenger could note readings. At the cheaper end of the scale they work through a mobile phone app and give all the basic performance driving information.

Don't ask for specific recommendations because the technology changes so quickly and I haven't looked into this for a good few years.
The last consumer one I looked at was the TomTom Curfer which seemed an useful little thing for the phone, but I doubt whether it did DPF state like the more expensive tools that garages use. Since it is a good few years since I looked at it, it is entirely possible that the Curfer has been updated by now or even discontinued. I suspected that it might work with any OBDII transmitter but could have a security code to only work with the Garmin one. Just guessing there. I saw it at Halfords.

[Quacker]

Here is a video of a monitor working with a Volvo and a DPF regen. No idea what brand but it seems to be on an Android phone display

[YOUTUBE]youtu.be/3zCMUJ5fpus[/YOUTUBE]

[Jonathankime]

Well looks like a trip to the dealer again as the oil has once again topped itself up.

Hope the software update helps this time, was only serviced in November and it was showing half full.

[Steve XC60]

I have heard that the service engineers are only refilling the oil so that it shows on the gauge as half full, thereby leaving space to hopefully avoid the oil overfill warning.

You say in your post that after your service in November it was only showing half full. Did you question why it was showing half full? If so, did they give you this answer?

[larchdale]

I've had this error message pop up just before the car's due for an annual service.

Dealer states that, if the regeneration of the DPF is incomplete due to short journeys etc., then some diesel used in the process can be dumped into the sump, leading eventually to the error message appearing. Apparently, it doesn't do any lasting harm, but should be sorted by a dealer ASAP.

Hope that helps.