1999 Volvo V70 XC oil leak

The car is a 5 cylinder turbo charged w/automatic transmission. I removed the plastic panels from the top of the valve cover to discover oil puddled on top of the valve cover. Not sure if it is the fill cap leaking or something more serious. I noticed a rubber tube that I assume is part of the PCV system could this be the source? Also, the car uses oil between oil changes. The manual says to use 5W30 weight oil, but most of the European cars I’ve owned use 20W50 due to the high compression and torque. I’m wondering if 20W50 might help reduce oil burning.

The oil is coming out of the filler cap. The filler cap should be replaced. When turned this cap should fit tight. If this does not help then most likely your PCV system is clogged. On this car the PCV system uses a flame trap attached to the front of the crankcase beneath the intake manifold. The hose you refer to is part of the PCV system and leads to the flame trap. You can choose to clean or replace the PCV system parts.

With regard to the oil consumption, this may or may not be related depending on how much is leaking. Most owners of these cars report some oil consumption, 1qt per oil change isn’t outside of the range of what other owners have reported. However, I wouldn’t recommend a 20W50 oil, it’s too thick for cold starts. I personally use M1 0W40 and other owners report good results with a Rotella T 5W40.

You should not use 20W-50 oil in this motor. Were the European cars you owned diesels?

The previous cars were VW’s; gas engines,man trannies. Thnx for the advice. I will replace the fill cap ASAP. Any idea where I can get a cheap latch actuator for the tail gate? This is a V70 AWD wagon