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1995 850 oil leak caused by crankcase pressure

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
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proracer
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1995 850 oil leak caused by crankcase pressure

Post by proracer »

I need a fix for an oil leak in a 1995 850.

The oil seals on the front of the motor are new. No leaks at the rear main seal.

I checked the pcv and it is clear.

I have so much crankcase pressure that I can see smoke comming out of the oil dip stick.

Can I add another crankcase breather to the engine to help relieve the crankcase pressure?

Thanks, Jim

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Post by Ozark Lee »

When you say that you "checked the PCV and it is clear" what did you check? The Volvo PCV is much more than just a valve, it is an oil trap and several lines to the intake snorkel and the top of the cam cover. High crankcase pressure is almost always due to PCV issues.

The only way I deal with the PCV is to replace everything in the system with new. Both IPD and FCP sell PCV kits with all of the necessary parts. Unless things have changed the FCP kit is comprised of URO parts for nearly everything and I have had some serious trouble with the URO branded parts. Sadly the IPD kit also has some key parts that are URO but most of them are OEM. The last couple of systems I bought I also placed an order with my dealer of the OEM parts to substitute for the URO junk that came with the IPD kit.

The nice thing about the IPD kit is that they send real hose clamps rather than the Oetiker clamps.

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Post by rspi »

Do a warm compression test, if that turns out to be good, replace the PCV system.
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proracer
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Post by proracer »

The pvc was replaced last year and it did help a little.

My car has over 250,000 miles on it.

Compression lowest 160, highest 180.

Is there another way to relieve the crankcase pressure?

Thank you, Jim

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Post by erikv11 »

When the PCV was replaced, was the bottom drain port into the pan, inspected and cleaned out?

I assume the car is a turbo based on the compression numbers so: is the PTC valve clean?
'95 854 T-5R, Motronic 4.4, 185k
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proracer
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Post by proracer »

Thanks for the reply...

My car is a non turbo 850.


Thanks, Jim

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Post by erikv11 »

The compression gauge must be off, those numbers are very low for a non-turbo. As long as that is the case the grouping is the key, a range of 20 isn't bad.

So was the bottom port cleaned?

And since it is a non-turbo, has the flame trap disc been thrown away (they get clogged really easily and cause increased pressure)?
'95 854 T-5R, Motronic 4.4, 185k
'98 V70, T5 tune-injectors-turbo, LPT engine, 304k, daily driver
'06 S60 R, 197k
'07 XC70, black, 205k
'07 XC70, willow green, 212k
'99 Camry V6 :shock: 153k
gone: '96 NA 850 210k, '98 NA V70 182k, '98 S70 NA 225k, '96 855 NA 169k

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Post by polskamafia mjl »

cn90 created a modified PCV kit using a larger diameter hose to replace one of the stock size hoses that the kits come with. I can't find his write up for it now but apparently the larger diameter hose can handle more pressure from excess blow by gases. Might be worth looking into.

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Post by xHeart »

polskamafia mjl wrote:cn90 created a modified PCV kit using a larger diameter hose to replace one of the stock size hoses that the kits come with. I can't find his write up for it now but apparently the larger diameter hose can handle more pressure from excess blow by gases. Might be worth looking into.

- Marcin
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proracer
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Post by proracer »

Thanks Guys,

I am on the way to the parts store....

Jim

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