Just a little reference for those of you with an '06 XC70 - you can drop the oil pan without doing ANYTHING with the subframe, suspension, etc!
I needed to dig in to my oiling system to sort out why I had clackety valves, and on one occasion a NO OIL PRESSURE alert on the dash. So, figuring I had bad o-rings in the oil pickup as well as sludge buildup and whatnot, I bought the pan/pickup oring kit and some anaerobic sealant and went at it. I figured I would be a day at this, then another day to do the PVC system. Well, it went better than I expected.
After having the car inspected at an independent Volvo shop (who I cannot recommend) I arrived home with a LONG list of things to repair and the advisement of their mechanic who stated (in no uncertain terms!) that I would need to shift the subframe to drop the oil pan. Well, I put the car on ramps, put safety stands on, and started. Drained oil, removed dipstick tube, oil cooler attachment to the pan, one bolted-on clip, a ton of bolts, and voila! The pan was off. No drama, no real interference other than having to tilt the pan to go around the subframe. 10 seconds to figure out. Huh.
And what did I find? Sludgy chunks, lots of them. Little colonies of scabby dried bits all over the pan. Some stuck to it, some free floating. The source of my lower oil pressure.
I was pleased to discover that I had the updated oil pickup tube thingy already in there. It looked fine, a few bits stuck to the screen inside - until I put it in the parts washer! TONS of tiny bits of sludge came out - I had to carefully rub the screen with a bit of rag on a wood dowel to dislodge a lot of it. The screen was probably 80% choked off with the smallest of particles...
So, I scraped and Varsol-rinsed the pan completely, and kept flushing and gently brushing out the pickup screen until it was 100% clean.
New orings (8 of them: 1 pickup tube, 2 oil cooler, 1 dipstick, 2 pan-to-engine, 2 pipe to oil filter), new anaerobic sealant, and its back on. Did all the buttoning up, fresh Castrol semi blend 5w30 Sludge fighter oil, drained 3 more litres of 'chocolate syrup' tranny fluid (another story) and replenished, and Hit The Road.
WAY less engine noise, and renewed confidence that when I gave it a stomp on the right pedal that I wouldn't get any more scary messages on the dash.
One added benefit: I checked the oil drain passage from my PCV system into the pan - and it was clean! Well, fairly clean - and blowing air up through it confirmed that it is open right up to the top, so I will leave it for another day.
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