Why is my Volvo 960 leaking oil and smoking?

R

RobD

Member
Alright so here's the problem. Yesterday I was driving somewhere, and as I was parking, some white smoke started coming from under my hood, and there was a pretty nasty smell. I popped the hood and saw that the oil cap flew off and there was oil all over the engine and was dripping onto the concrete below. I quickly cleaned all the oil off and since my oil level was at 0, I refilled it all the way. I identified the original problem to be my lack of coolant probably caused the engine to overheat, and the oil cap to blow off (the coolant light was on for a while), so I replaced the coolant and my light went off.

Now today, after driving just a few miles and parking, I had the same problem, except this time it wasn't overheating, it was just leaking oil. I included a few pictures to show where the oil was leaking from and onto the metal underneath causing it to smoke and burn.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/6537/0314090001.jpg
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/7661/0314090002.jpg

I circled the area where the oil is leaking from. Is it a possibility that when the oil cap blew off there was also a screw that blew out too while under pressure, causing there to be a gap for the oil to leak?

Is it dangerous to drive the car under these conditions? (I've been driving it for relatively short distances, it smokes a bit, but I can only see it when I pop the hood.)

Is this something I could fix myself, or should I take it to a mechanic? How much would the repair costs be, and what are the names of the parts that are affected?

Thanks in advance for all your help.
What can happen if I drive on it?
 
D

DavidB

Member
It looks like you blew a seal and yes, you need to go to a mechanic as soon as possible because you can burn out your engine.
 
T

Tom

Active member
Your gasket under the engine cover is burnt with holes and damaged.
Water is sipping into the engine which cause the smoke.
If you delay, engine will damage and eventually stop functioning.
Better get your mechanic to change the gasket and the oil seal before more damage is done to your car.
Try not to drive to far and too long for now.
The cost I guess is about US$300-$500 including labour cost.

Good Luck
 
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