2005 xc70 rear differential leaking

[dct115]

Hi everyone. I own a 2005 xc70 with 36,777 miles. The car has been maintained by Volvo with its last service from them in November of 2008 at 30k miles. This was also the last maintenance under the warranty (the car is a 2005 model which was purchased in November of 2004). I am the second owner but have all of the maintenance records from the previous owner showing that he had it serviced regularly at the dealership. Last night, I noticed some gear oil on my driveway and upon searching, found that the rear differential is leaking. Obviously, I am quite disappointed by this, especially since the car has such low milage. Any information anyone has would be great. Is this common? Is it worth trying to get Volvo to do something about it since the warranty has expired? I took off the cover tonight to take a closer look and get some pics. Here they are. BTW, the fluid that was caught by the plastic cover that I removed is very clean(looks almost new), which suprised me. And the other pic is of the passenger side of the diff. Any help is appreciated!!!
-Damon

[jrt67ss350]

I had the EXACT same thing on our 2005. My '05 is a CPO with 60,000 miles, and we are the second owners. All service was done at the dealership we bought the car from. I moved the car out of the garage one day and noticed a small puddle of very clean looking gear oil on the floor. The leak looked EXACTLY like your pictures. I took it in to the dealer and they were amazed - they told me that this was the first differential they had seen with a leak. They topped the fluid up and then cleaned everything off really well and kept it for a few days, driving it for a while each day to see if they could trace where the leak was coming from. As it turns out, it appears that the leak was at the fill plug, because it has been perfectly dry since then (that was about 3 months ago, and we have put on about 5000 miles since then).

I would recommend that you check the fill plug and make sure it is nice and tight.

[dct115]

Thanks for the reply. I have checked the fill plug and I dont believe it is leaking from there. I replaced the fluid tonight. It had about 450 ml in it, so about 250 ml had leaked out... It looks to me like it must be leaking from the axle seal on the passenger side. Anyone else had this problem and know anything about replacing that seal?

Thanks again!
-Damon

[Aviator]

That didn't just start....it's been leaking for a while!! I'd be poking at Volvo's ass on this one!!

Dave.

[dct115]

Thanks for the response. I agree!! Any advice on how to try to get Volvo to do anything? Guess I have to go through the dealership?

-Damon

[dct115]

All - just wanted to update in case anyone else has the same leak. I ended up bringing the car to Volvo and the seal for the left axle had blown. Even though the car was 4 months out of warranty, Volvo took care of it. All I had to pay for was the seal itself and the new fluid. Thanks Volvo!!

[jrt67ss350]

I know I am resurrecting an old thread here, but I had posted in reply above when my XC70 developed a differential leak at a little over 60,000 miles. After my post above, it started leaking again and the dealer replaced both axle shaft seals and took apart the case and resealed it with the RTV type sealant that Volvo uses. It was good for about 9 months then started leaking again. After MUCH ordeal, stalling by the dealer, angry discussion, meeting with the owner of the dealership, etc...I finally got the service manager to admit it was leaking and they resealed the case with a different RTV type sealant that Volvo has changed to. Now, the car has 97,000 miles, and it is leaking again and car is out of CPO warranty (less than one month by dates). It appears to be leaking from the RTV type seal between the case halves, not the pinion seal or axle seals. Bringing the car in again tomorrow morning to look at it with the service manager. They claim they have never seen this on any cars but mine. I am tired of dealing with this - it is a major job to drop the differential, and they manage to screw something else up every time they do this job. I think it is time Volvo pays to replace the entire differential.

[4033]

my car was leaking in Dec 10 and repaired under warranty, less then 1200 miles later, earlier this month (out of warranty) it was leaking again. Volvo fixed it under their parts and labor warranty they have on all jobs.

I'm praying this is not a constant thing as you happen to be seeing.......my XC is driven very infrequently as it's my wife's car and she is a stay at home mom. maybe 10k a year.....

[jrt67ss350]

my car was leaking in Dec 10 and repaired under warranty, less then 1200 miles later, earlier this month (out of warranty) it was leaking again. Volvo fixed it under their parts and labor warranty they have on all jobs.

I'm praying this is not a constant thing as you happen to be seeing.......my XC is driven very infrequently as it's my wife's car and she is a stay at home mom. maybe 10k a year.....It seems they have a design problem on their hands. There are several service bulletins and revisions to their tech journals for the repair procedure. Mine is in the shop currently torn apart while they attempt to fix it again.

By the way, nice stable of cars you have there - a man after my own heart!

[mapper]

old thread but for reference...my 2005 with 94k miles on it started leaking this week. Sounds like a headache. Joy.

[Xheart]

old thread but for reference...my 2005 with 94k miles on it started leaking this week. Sounds like a headache. Joy.

Was the fluid ever replaced? If not, do it first before taking next steps.

[mapper]

I refilled it this weekend, it took a good amount, probably about 350mL. Put a new crush washer on the fill hole. I currently have the plastic carrier piece out and it appears to be leaking from the half shaft seal. Just looking for instructions now on how to replace that seal.

[DannyStringhamMarquis]

My '05 is leaking from the differential according to my last mechanic (who I wasn't very fond of)
I've yet to investigate myself further on account of the exhaust being in the way. Is there a way to get to the differential without removing/lowering the exhaust?

[billr99]

My '05 is leaking from the differential according to my last mechanic (who I wasn't very fond of)
I've yet to investigate myself further on account of the exhaust being in the way. Is there a way to get to the differential without removing/lowering the exhaust?

Keep in mind that if the diff is overfilled; that is, filled to the bottom of the filler hole AND without 75CC removed, the diff will puke out the extra fluid via the vent. Most mechanics don't know you have to remove that wee bit of fluid after a total fill to allow for expansion of the fluid. Its documented in VIDA but most of those folks don't read the procedures.

Cheers,

Bill

[AKAMick]

" Is there a way to get to the differential without removing/lowering the exhaust?" don't fret over the exhaust, very easy to remove and refit as a complete unit, just a new flange gasket.

[Pennhaven]

" Is there a way to get to the differential without removing/lowering the exhaust?" don't fret over the exhaust, very easy to remove and refit as a complete unit, just a new flange gasket.

I changed the fluid in mine without removing (or even simply moving) anything. I don't remember encountering any issues, but I did follow advice posted here by other members; i.e., used a Mighty Vac with very narrow diameter flexible tubing.

That said, removing and resealing, if actually necessary, would require better access.