1997 855 base - PCV: what can I do pre-full overhaul?

[S373N]

Hi guys... I finished my timing belt change and alternator rebuild and aside from a few hiccups along the way, all is well. Thank you all for taking the time to provide me counsel along the way...

Next up on projects to knock down is the PCV overhaul. There is some motor oil under the spark plug cover in the cavities of the head, some smoke escaping when the oil filler cap or dipstick is removed, and the oil filter looks a mess which leads me to believe the PCV system is clogged up... Everything else looks good and so far leak free and I'd like to keep it that way of course...

The crux is that I won't be able to do the full overhaul for another month or two due to time/funds but will still need the car for work, which is a very easy 12-13 mile return trip - all highway driving...

So my question is whether there is anything I can do with the PCV system that won't take the car out of service for more than a few hours per repair and won't cost more than a six-pack? I have everything in terms of tools and work in an environment in which I have access to all sorts of fasteners and tubing and wiring and so on and so forth, so am looking for a way in which I can get the system working somewhat efficiently for the time being until I can do a full-on replacement...

Any links, photos, advice, tutorials are much appreciated....

Also, that thin, brittle tube that runs from the box beside the PS pump to the top of the radiator, what is its function? I broke it when getting the alternator out on a cold day and have just Gorilla Glued it back together until I find another at a wreckers....

[Ozark Lee]

if you leave the dipstick slightly out it will keep the crankcase pressure from getting too high and blowing seals but it may spew some oil. Try it and see what happens - check the oil often.

The tube with the accordion flex joint is a air line for the ECU/TCU cooling and it has very little pressure. Most of them on the road are broken. If enough of it is left you can wrap it with electrical tap and it will work fine. I just replace them, they are only about $10.00, but that is more aesthetics than function.

...Lee

[rmmagow]

On another V70 a friend owned we pulled out the dipstick a little, wrapped the pulled out section loosely with a rag and some electrical ties and he ran it like that for a while until the PCV could be done properly. Helped keep the blown out oil to a minimum and kept pressure from blowing out any seals.

[S373N]

Great idea with the dipstick.... I'm going to do that right now and grab a few extra quarts of oil to throw in the trunk just in case... Any cleaning that can be done to the system? Or lines that can easily be replaced with off-the-shelf tubing etc etc?

[rmmagow]

Be sure to read up on the "heater hose" modification here. Once and done. My car is at 213K and the system was done using the heater hose thing. 60K or so of the 213K is mine and the PCV system is more or less perfect, sucks the glove in when I tested the system.

[S373N]

Beauty... Will do. I recall reading somewhere to not bother buying the kit from the websites and to instead cobble together the pieces from various sources for a better system and less money?

[rspi]

If the system is clogged, it likely has been that way for a while. Don't worry to much about it and don't drive it to hard until you get the system replaced.

[thedancingfiddle]

You could take out the flame trap if yours still has it in there. It might help a bit, and certainly couldn't hurt! Shouldn't be too hard to do, as long as you can get the hoses off the flame trap housing.

[erikv11]

... I recall reading somewhere to not bother buying the kit from the websites and to instead cobble together the pieces from various sources for a better system and less money?

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... hp?t=53448

Be sure to read the whole thread, there are a few updates to the original post/method.