DIY: 1998 Volvo S70 GLT PCV Mod: no more smoking dipstick!

[hankbates]

You are right, it is essentially the same, except that you are now using what we hope will be parts which are better engineered for the higher mileage engine with its greater blowby (past the piston rings, both the rings and the cylinder walls wear with use).
The main point is to replace the rigid plastic tubing with a larger heater hose (or other larger and more durable piping) , to allow more flow: open up the system to get that blowby out before it blows the rear main crankshaft seal.
There are diagrams on fcp groton and others which show all the component parts of their kit. I wish I had seen this thread before I used the kit on my (then) 160K 855T. I would have used the larger hose and enlarged the passages in the PTC.

Most 850's and Gen 1 70 series in the yards around here have good bodies and blown engines, either from broken timing belts or running dry from blown rear mains. Also, most have well over 150K on their odometers.

[mikealder]

I replaced the PCV parts only yesterday, spent ages clearing out the return port back to the sump as it was blocked with sludge/ carbon, in the end I resorted to a couple of cans of carb cleaner and rodded the inlet to the sump out with some clear plastic pipe. This resulted in carb cleaner in the oil so that was dropped followed by a gallon of flushing oil before dropping that out and filling with decent quality oil.

Dip stick smokes like hell now (which it didn't before I cleaned everything out) I guess it is time to swap out the pipe for larger bore stuff (wish I had read this post yesterday before I started), no big deal as it won't take long to take to bits.

One thing I did notice was after having the battery disconnected for 5 hours when I started the car the ETS caption illuminated and the idle was all over the place, switched it off and left just the ignition on for 5 minutes and then re-started the engine, it was fine after this.

The cost of a new PCV tank from Volvo was under £20, the pipe to the top of the engine costs more than this! - Mike

[phat78ta]

Couple of questions here.

I have the white sludge on the dipstick, no smoke as of yet so I'm ready to do the PCV.

This will work for N/A engines as well correct?
Does anyone know the Approximate length of hose needed?
Would it be good to do a seafoam oil treatment prior to doing the PCV system?
Thanks!

[erikv11]

White sludge (condensation) on the dipstick is a normal consequence of driving short trips in the winter, it does not indicate any need to service the PCV. You may want to do it anyway, but don't feel compelled to do so because of the condensation. Take the car on the freeway for 30 minutes, that will eliminate the white sludge.

NA and turbo engines have only slightly different PCV plumbing but the job is essentially the same.

[cn90]

...This will work for N/A engines as well correct?
Does anyone know the Approximate length of hose needed?
...

* Length: Turbo: more than 3 feet of hose; NA about 2.5 feet.
Whatever, just buy the 6-foot roll of the 5/8-inch hose, it is $6 for the 6-foot roll at local autoparts store.
This way you have some extra for other jobs (heater hose etc.).

* NA model: the vent hose terminates at the Intake near the throttle plate.
There is a flame trap there, most people get rid of the flame trap.
You need to modify this area to make it work.
This is a photo from a NA engine, see the part with the caption "Twist this Clockwise to detach from Intake Elbow":

[cn90]

Update,

About 1,000 miles later and no smoking dipstick.

Some people have emailed me worrying about 5/8" hose can kink causing blockage.
Legitimate concern but if you pay attention to ensure proper curvature of the 5/8" hose throughout, you will be fine.
- At Oil Trap: ensure no excess hose or too much pulling, simply build a curve with 90 degrees.
- At Engine Block near the Throttle Linkage area: nice gentle curve (see yellow dots).
- At PTC area, again nice curve (see yellow dots).

See photo:

VolvoPCV09.JPG (60.34 KiB) Viewed 3820 times

[VolvoC70T5]

Does this DIY guide come handy also for newer 2001 year C70 T5 me7 engine managment engines??

I have problem with hot steam coming out aswell and slight ( hardly noticeable) 0.5 cm white spot on dip stick....

Did pcv clean thoruoughly and ptc valve and hoses.....it was DIRTY before, but steam coming out right after we cleaned the pcv.....and now after 5k km still coming out steam....

Engine has 270ish k miles....

[Bob 88]

How does the 5/8" hose fit onto a pipe that was designed for a 3/8" hose. Is it a sufficiently snug fit?
Or does it need to be wrapped with tape to match the increased bore size?

I haven't started the job yet, but I think it needs to be done as my V70 has covered 175k miles and the RMS is leaking.

[Bob 88]

Here's a link to the standard PCV replacement:
Volvo PCV Breather System Replacement (850 Turbo) FCP Euro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otzkZ_f3Y3s

[cn90]

How does the 5/8" hose fit onto a pipe that was designed for a 3/8" hose. Is it a sufficiently snug fit?
Or does it need to be wrapped with tape to match the increased bore size?

I haven't started the job yet, but I think it needs to be done as my V70 has covered 175k miles and the RMS is leaking.

This is factory setup:

- Oil Trap 5/8" Outlet Port ---> "Reducer" Rubber Elbow (5/8"---> 3/8") ---> 3/8" hard plastic pipe (this is the pipe that breaks prematurely ---> Another "Reducer" Rubber Elbow (3/8"---> 5/8") to the PTC (for Turbo model).
- Once you work on it, you will see that the 5/8" heater hose is a perfect fit.

- For non-Turbo model, remove the flame trap and simply attach to the nipple (YELLOW dots):

air_intake_pcv_conn.jpg (36.55 KiB) Viewed 3640 times