running with the oil dipstick removed, PCV issue resolved!

[jimmy joe]

Ha, I am being a joker, but... I do want to ask if it is ok to run w/o dipstick seated for some time...
I read a suggestion that it might be ok to run temporarily with the dipstick removed to avoid blowing our seals when the PCV system is blocked.

So I do have a plume of smoke coming out of the dipstick, hot or cold engine doesn't seem to matter.
Thus far I am not leaking oil (but definitely using some). Worried of course of doing damage.

I read about relieving some of that pressure by removing the dipstick- I actually just pulled it up 1/2 inch so the o-ring isn't sealing and I can see smoke coming on out. I got on the freeway and stomped the throttle around town a bit and kept checking to see how much oil I might spit out; there is no oil coming out of the dipstick tube, not a drop, regardless of what I do on the throttle.

Aside from smelling it, is there any danger to this method, say for a month or two till I can actually resolve the problem?
(I do care about the environment, but feel if I blow a rear seal before I can fix this, I will be more of a polluter)

[Ozark Lee]

So long as you aren't spewing oil out of the dipstick tube it will not harm the car and it may buy you the time you need to service the PCV properly. Anything to relieve the pressure is a good thing.

We had one member that drove his S70 from DC to central Kansas but he had to rig up a catch can and a hose it was clogged up so badly. I can't recall if he refilled the oil to the crankcase from the milk jug catch can or not.

...Lee

[wheelsup]

I've run mine like this for 6+ months now. No use wasting oil, and my RMS is already leaking. It hardly leaks with the dipstick out. I would recommend getting some black coolant/fuel lines from Autozone, removing the dipstick altogether, and routing the vent down into the ground below the engine. Otherwise your engine, horn, firewall, etc will be covered in liquidy exhaust gasses and when you run your heat/ac it will pick up the gases as well. Probably not very good for you.

In my case my PCV is completely clean, the hole to the oil pan is clear, but my rings are bad allowing too much blowby. I have to replace the rings to fix the problem. My compression is still pretty good, 185-200 ish on the cylinders on a n/a, you'd think that would be OK but nope.

[jblackburn]

Mine was clogged up pretty badly - it went 160,000 miles being ignored before I cleaned it. I tried the dipstick thing for an 80-mile round trip, and got back and it had blown oil all over my engine. And it smells bad. So while you can do that to prevent damage to seals, just beware of that. The rubber tube is probably a good idea - just remember to check your oil.

[jimmy joe]

Excellent ideas, thank you.
A hose on the dipstick, leading to a catch can of some sort, with a clamp that is easy to remove to check oil levels...I like that idea.
I am smelling exhaust for sure through my heater, but I did smell that before when engine was cold. I wonder, since I use a quart of oil every two gas tank fills, perhaps I have a blowby issue as well..

[ignatz]

Be carefull if you "rig" up your own PCV system that you don't create a liquid trap that can freeze shut with the cold weather on its way. The further you route the PCV hose from the engine compartment, the more likely you will create a condensation trap that will freeze shut.

[Red-Arrow]

Replacing the rings on the Volvo engine looks like a simple job. A sump drop and your in to the bottom end. You don't even have to remove the timing belt or anything. If you replace the piston rings you may as well replace the bottom end shells for good measure. I have no idea what those parts cost but it can't be much.

[jblackburn]

Very rarely are bad rings a problem so much as valve stem seals.

[Retired MVS Contributor]

How does one replace the piston rings without removing the head, which requires removing the timing belt?...

[thecheat]

duh... drop oil pan, cut crankshaft with angle grinder,pull out pistons from the bottom.