V70: Engine Faulty Oil Sensor?

[Bruce75]

I have a 2008 V70 2.4D SE Sport 100k miles on the clock. For no particular reason the 'Engine System Service Required ' warning appeared but there was no reduction in performance. I had the fault read and it relates to the oil.

An oil change and new oil filter was suggested, but it was only serviced and this all done back in March at an independent Volvo specialist Ive used before. The garage then suggested the sensor may be faulty, and that this would be expensive .... I didn't dare ask how much. Anyway the fault was reset/cleared only to reappear two days later.

Reading around the forum I can see the oil level is an issue with these diesels (great). And it is probably completely irrelevant, but when I bought it the same light came on almost immediately, and the supplying garage said they had overfilled the oil. So there is a bit of history around this.

I'd really appreciate some advice about what to do next - Im tempted to ignore it for now as I can't really afford to spend more on it, and I am frustrated that having run an old V70 into the ground I spent a lot on buying this car thinking I wouldnt then be spending on maintenance like I used to. Is it worth having the oil changed ? If it was as it seems changed right when it was serviced could it be wrong now? And if the sensor is faulty can anyone give me an idea what thats going to cost?

Thanks

[Clan]

Having it serviced by people who don't have the current product knowledge is the problem , It is highly unlikely the sensor is faulty ... Drain out about a litre maybe more so that the level is about 1/3 down from the top MAX mark on the dipstick ... you may not have a conventional red dipstick but if so there is a small grey dipstick in the original dipstick hole in the edge of the sump , not that easy to get to from the top , easier from underneath with the tray removed .
oil level is read out electronicaly now , Hopefully the message will go away after a few driving trips , if not you will need the fault codes cleared .
all "expensive" cars are very specialised now so do need specialised knowledge ... If i bought a ferrari i wouldnt take it anywhere other than a ferrari dealer/specialist . And specialist means they are up to date with proceedures and knowledge not "used to work on them 10 years ago" .. Good Luck !

[kelly98]

Hi Bruce, did draining some of your oil cure the problem I have the same problem with my 2008 v70 2.4d but my local garage are quite hesitant to send the car out with insufficient oil. My fault says oil sensor. regards kelly98.

[mikealder]

insufficient oil is when the quantity is below the minimuim mark on the dipstick, Clam has suggested the oil level is only filled to 1/3 down from the MAXIMUM marker on the dipstick, this "headroom" allows the oil level to increase as it gets diluted by unburnt diesel fuel.

Changing oil on the these engines means do it when it's needed, not months later and only fill to the recommended Volvo fill level when introducing new oil.

@Clan didn't Volvo introduce a new dipstick with revised marker levels or was it a simple sticker applied to the engine bay advising of the alteration - Mike

[Clan]

Originally Posted by mikealder

insufficient oil is when the quantity is below the minimuim mark on the dipstick, Clam has suggested the oil level is only filled to 1/3 down from the MAXIMUM marker on the dipstick, this "headroom" allows the oil level to increase as it gets diluted by unburnt diesel fuel.

Changing oil on the these engines means do it when it's needed, not months later and only fill to the recommended Volvo fill level when introducing new oil.

@Clan didn't Volvo introduce a new dipstick with revised marker levels or was it a simple sticker applied to the engine bay advising of the alteration - Mike

Hello Mike ,
No the dipstick was never modified , probably because of the cost as the dipstick was dropped shortly after this came to light so the sticker has to be followed .
The electronic sensor constantly monitors level now when driving . The correct way to check the level now is to read it out in VIDA live , this will be with hot oil and it still has to be around 75% max. If you cant do this then you can use the grey dipstick of course and fill to just over half on that .
If the message comes up again drain just under a litre and hopefully the message will go .

[MartinK]

Yes - I had the same issue, drained out half-a-litre, (so 75% full on dipstick), had the fault cleared, and it hasn't come back.

[Keith rebbeck]

I had the same problem last year and took it back to the Volvo garage who changed the sensor, but luckily it was still under warranty. After service this year same problem occurred, some oil has been removed but it is still just below max. Sounds like I need to take out some more oil?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Keith rebbeck

I had the same problem last year and took it back to the Volvo garage who changed the sensor, but luckily it was still under warranty. After service this year same problem occurred, some oil has been removed but it is still just below max. Sounds like I need to take out some more oil?

yes drain 1/2 litre and check the dipstick . was it a volvo garage? they know the revised volume of oil to refill with . Other's wont ..

[Keith rebbeck]

Thanks Clan, no it wasn't a volvo garage but they were supposedly Volvo accredited (whatever that means), if I drain 0.5 litre can I reset the alarm or does the garage have to do it?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Keith rebbeck

Thanks Clan, no it wasn't a volvo garage but they were supposedly Volvo accredited (whatever that means), if I drain 0.5 litre can I reset the alarm or does the garage have to do it?

i dont know , once the level is right it might go off ...
if you have the dash oil level gauge remember it takes 20 miles to give the correct reading after changing the oil level in the sump..