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Oil leak behind alternator. 78 244 b21f

coalminer

New member
Joined
Mar 14, 2013
Location
North Georgia Mountains
My newest acquisition, a 78 model 244 with b21 engine and k-jet injection has a oil leak.
I originally thought the leak was from the front crank seal, but that is not it.

It appears that the oil is coming from behind the alternator mounting bracket.
I know that the lower alternator hole is tapped into the block, but I don't believe it goes into the engine oil channel. If my memory serves me, there is a threaded oil plug beside the alternator mounting bolt. This plug is directly into the engine oil channel, so it may be leaking there for some reason.
Any thoughts?

Steve
 
8This leak is on the very front of the engine.
I thought for sure that the front crank seal was leaking.
I replaced the seal.....crank looked good......and it still leaks somewhere.
I pressure washed the engine to clean the oil off, and so I could see the pressure sender and to see other areas of the engine....it was really dirty.
The sender's not leaking, and the leak is not on the top of the engine. I'll just have to run it down. I thought I had it fixed, but not yet.

Thanks
Steve
 
Oh, you're talking about the oil galley plug on the front of the engine that everyone removes to run an oil line to the turbo for their +T conversions. The plug is just above the bolt hole for the alternator tensioner arm. You should be able to see it, maybe with a mirror.
 
I've used automotive dye products to find where oil leaks are coming from; you'll need UV glasses and a UV light to see the leak after the product mixes with the oil.

I got mine from Amazon.
 
Oh, you're talking about the oil galley plug on the front of the engine that everyone removes to run an oil line to the turbo for their +T conversions. The plug is just above the bolt hole for the altl..ernator tensioner arm. You should be able to see it, maybe with a mirror.

That's the plug I'm talking about. I didn't feel like looking at it today......I'm getting old, plus it snowed here at my house on the mountain today and I really suffer in cold weather...... Too many broken bones in my past.
Anyway, I'm pretty much convinced the leak is in this area.

I don't see how this plug could leak unless I lost the plug, or it has somehow become loose.

In the first case the leak would be a lot more severe than it is, and in the second, it wouldn't as bad as it is.

The bolt in front of it that's part of the alternator mounting does not penetrate the oil passage.....does it?????

I'll be sure to reply when I find exactly where it's leaking.

Thanks for the response.
Steve
 
The bolt in front of it that's part of the alternator mounting does not penetrate the oil passage.....does it?????
On my B21FT, it certainly doesn't. Otherwise, I would have had loose belts, that bolt in the belly pan, and oil everywhere when _someone_ forgot to retighten it after tensioning the belts. AFAIK, none of the bolts penetrate into oil cavities (except the gravity return path around the head bolts).

I checked and, from the top, it's pretty hard to see the front plug even with a mirror. It is just above the tensioner arm bolt, and maybe a bit obscured by the arm bushing. It's probably easier to see from underneath.
 
I certainly hope that you're right......co-incidentally, I know that the oil sender switch is bad because the oil warning light doesn't work. I unplugged the wire, grounded it, and the light came on.

Those switches and the replacements are junk that fail regularly. I use a Nason brand switch, pricey but more reliable.
 
On my B21FT, it certainly doesn't. Otherwise, I would have had loose belts, that bolt in the belly pan, and oil everywhere when _someone_ forgot to retighten it after tensioning the belts. AFAIK, none of the bolts penetrate into oil cavities (except the gravity return path around the head bolts).

I checked and, from the top, it's pretty hard to see the front plug even with a mirror. It is just above the tensioner arm bolt, and maybe a bit obscured by the arm bushing. It's probably easier to see from underneath.

Agreed, Volvo didn't build the block that way, but I've read here that folks have trouble with that bolt breaking, and the fix might involve a drill breaking through. Somewhere I seem to recall reading it led to one of the two fluids escaping.

tbelt803.jpg


Edit: I've heard tell the crank/i-shaft cover bolts have become loose for whatever reason.
 
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Oil leak found!

Well, it was the oil sender leaking after all. I appreciate all of the comments. I think that the comments convinced me to live by the Volvo 240 rule that I've always told others.....Look For The Easy Stuff First!

The sender wouldn't leak when the car was idling or under low acceleration in the shop. I took it for a spin yesterday and "dogged " the engine pretty hard. When I pulled back into the shop and raised the hood, there had been a pretty serious leak somewhere. I dug out my extension mirror and using a drop light, I revved the engine to about 3000 rpm and held it while looking the engine over top to bottom. When I got to the sender switch, sure enough there was a drip, drip, drip of motor oil coming out of the bottom of the sender.
........... Easy fix...........

LVB242......you nailed it.

Thanks again for the comments
steve
 
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