My 99 volvo is leaking oil, and no “mom and pop” shops around me can fix it. they said that it is my rear main seal, and they don’t have the proper equipment to fix it. I thought my engine was side mounted, so how can it be the “rear main” seal. Help. I don’t want to spend 1000.00 to take it to a volvo dealership.
There is a “front” and a “rear” to all engines, regardless of how they are oriented in the vehicle. The “rear” of the engine is the end that bolts to the transmission/transaxle, and the “front” is the end where all the belts and pulleys are.
Why is everyone afraid to work on this car? There are LOTS of cars with transversely mounted engines these days.
A lot of people will tell you that it is the rear main seal when the oil pan bolts are finger tight. If you could get the job done for 1000 you would be getting a bargain. Make sure you are using the right oil. If the car doesn’t recommend 5W30 then you shouldn’t be using it. A lot of places just pour without caring. If you live where it doesn’t get colder than +30 F, you might try thicker oil like 15W40 with a can of straight 30 thrown in. It will slow the leak down a bit but it won’t stop it.
First, how much oil is it leaking and secondly, my experience with Volvo is that all of them leak oil from the rear seal. It’s not much, but in time they all do it.