A little leak goes a long way...

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So the other day my pastor drove over to pay me for some work I'd done on the HVAC of his '05 Volvo XC90. (2.5L turbo I-5, AWD, 140K - he bought it back in the summer when his 180K-mile '07 Jetta blew a head gasket and chewed up the timing chain at the same time.) As he nears my shop I hear a noise that I honestly thought was a skidsteer or trackhoe across the way with a jack hammer attachment or something - no, it's the Volvo, just started that as he came within sight of the shop. He limps it into my parking lot and gives me a minute to crawl under it where I find the transfer case (3-way bevel drive off the transaxle, basically) is too hot to touch and damp on the bottom, obviously been that way for a while. Calls his wife to pick him up and leaves the Volvo.

Got it in the shop today and got the T-case out - found way more carnage than oil:

 
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Blasphemy!

Volvo's are reliable vehicles. Everyone knows this!
Anyone stating otherwise is a bold-faced liar!

OP probably got the SUV mixed up with an old Chev truck and mistook it for a Volvo
 
Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Blasphemy!

Volvo's are reliable vehicles. Everyone knows this!
Anyone stating otherwise is a bold-faced liar!

OP probably got the SUV mixed up with an old Chev truck and mistook it for a Volvo


Ehem... Chevy trucks have REAL transfer cases with engines that sit the RIGHT way!
laugh.gif


I don't blame the vehicle in this case, aside from the seepage which precipitated the failure. Just goes to show that what most consider "overkill" "meticulous" maintenance can sometimes save your butt. 12 years and 140K is certainly not too soon to change every fluid on a newly acquired vehicle, and its very likely that would have prevented this hence paying for itself. The used t-case alone is going to be $300, plus about 5 hrs. of labor which includes breaking the replacement open to inspect it and do any seal/bearing R&R it needs.
 
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Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Blasphemy!
Volvo's are reliable vehicles. Everyone knows this!
Anyone stating otherwise is a bold-faced liar!


lol.gif
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Same engine and transfer case as my wife's XC.

There is Volvo service literature on resealing the "angle gear" as it is called. Read here: Angle Gear Fluid Leakage

My wife's car had a very minor leak. "Weeping" I would call it, but keeping it topped up with a good gear oil is critical to it's life, as your pastor has discovered.

This spring, I resealed the angle gear in her car, and added a drain plug. I wrote up the experience for a Volvo forum: Angle Gear Sealing and Modification

In your Pastor's case, you'll need a junkyard angle gear. They're hard to find as the leak wasn't uncommon and lots of angle gears died as a result. If you're putting a used angle gear in, then get the sealing kit from IPD, and reseal it. My modification makes maintenance on the angle gear easier.

I would also replace the collar spline while you've got the angle gear out. The collar spline is softer than the splines that it engages, its dead t sip out to save the more expensive parts, and yours is likely stripped as a result of the failure of the angle gear.

Finally, it only takes 700ml of oil to properly fill the angle gear. It's that this level is slightly below the fill plug level.

Feel free to post or PM with questions and good luck.
 
Thanks for the tips, astro14. I already bought the Amsoil SVG 75/90 for it and will look into your drain plug upgrade. I have to go to Lexington to get the salvage unit and was gonna swing by a dealership while I'm up there to see about the other parts.
 
I had an experience where the quick lube we used for company trucks must not have been examining the differential .

Pinion seal leaked enough that the diff started making lots of bad noises .

Replaced the whole diff with one from a salvage yard .
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
The guy didn't notice any leaks in his driveway????



They don't just pour out, they "weep". And they only hold 700ml. So, there may have been nothing on the driveway as it slowly ran dry.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
The guy didn't notice any leaks in his driveway????



They don't just pour out, they "weep". And they only hold 700ml. So, there may have been nothing on the driveway as it slowly ran dry.


This. The dirt and chaff accumulated in the oil residue indicated it had been damp, but only damp, for a while. The case is split vertically with no gasket, and it sits right behind the engine (under the turbo, actually) covered by the skid cover from
underneath - so there's plenty of ways for it to leak and not leave substantial evidence.
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
The guy didn't notice any leaks in his driveway????



They don't just pour out, they "weep". And they only hold 700ml. So, there may have been nothing on the driveway as it slowly ran dry.


This. The dirt and chaff accumulated in the oil residue indicated it had been damp, but only damp, for a while. The case is split vertically with no gasket, and it sits right behind the engine (under the turbo, actually) covered by the skid cover from
underneath - so there's plenty of ways for it to leak and not leave substantial evidence.

sounds like a poor design with no gasket btw hello over there in campbellsville im not that far.
 
Originally Posted By: jakewells
sounds like a poor design with no gasket btw hello over there in campbellsville im not that far.


Not altogether different than a conventional diff. cover sealed with silicone - just Swedish, expensive, and weird. :p

While picking up the new box in Lexington I stopped by the Volvo dealership to see what the other parts would cost without having to wait for shipping. $190 for the sleeve kit, and $50/qt. for the AOC fluid. I decided Amazon is fast enough.

I told a friend that stopped in yesterday while I was working on it, "After this I'm gonna write a new country song - 'Momma's don't let your babies grow up to buy Volvo's!'"
 
I would just use a good 75W90 gear oil in this. Mobil 1 is about $11/QT. Volvo fluid is about $28/QT...but I doubt it's any better. For AOC fluid, I assuem you're changing the Haldex fluid/filter? I haven't done that, my car has a viscous coupling, but I think it's a good practice.

I would also recommend that you use a good anaerobic sealant on the flanges of this angle gear case. Permatex makes a good one, so does Volvo. Silicone/RTV isn't the right stuff for this and may end up causing leaks. The anaerobic flange sealant is common on european cars...it takes very, very little and it will ooze out when the flanges are torqued properly...

Incidentally, when the Reverend gets an oil leak from his camshaft seals, that will be because the PCV system is plugged up, and you'll probably have to drop the oil pan to clean the sump - block oil passages that are part of the PCV system. The oil pan is a cast part that seals up with, you guessed it, anaerobic flange sealant on two precisely machined parts. Just like this part.

So, your purchase of anaerobic sealant may seem really expensive right now (and it is...) but don't worry, I see you using it again on this car...

Cheers,
Astro
 
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