1996 850 Turbo Positive crank case pressure / dash acts low

[bultacobill]

Okay, these are two possibly unrelated problems, but here goes:

First, the car bogs down badly, especially at low RPM; turns at 4-way stops and just starting to go up hills are worst. Some background:
Positive crank case pressure - smoke out of dipstick when warm
Do no believe that it is a low compression or blown headgasket issue (happened pretty much all at once, runs good at highway speed, no oil-coolant mixing, no bubbles in the coolant).
Air filter is good
No vacuum leaks
PCV valve heater area clean (no PCV valve on this car, right?)
Same behavior no matter what the tank level
Easy stuff like plug wires, distributor cap and rotor have been done
Getting about 14.5mpg around town.
No oil leaks yet...
Theory is that this is a positive pressure issue that I just don't understand.

Second, dash just generally behaves low-voltage erratic
gages work fine, but indicator lights come on like Christmas lights, especially the ABS which actually engages, worst at startup or when the engine is under load
Alternator is new, 13.4V at idle across the terminals
Confirmed good positive and negative bat cables
Bat is new and maintains charge

I know this isn't much of a start, but I'm more than willing to try every suggestion I get and provide feedback.

Thanks for your time,

JE

[Ozark Lee]

You are correct that there is no PCV valve on the whiteblock Volvo engines. There is, however, a PCV "System" and it is only slightly less complicated than the space shuttle. The PCV system on these cars does need to be serviced or you will start blowing oil seals, including the dreaded rear main seal.

Details on servicing the PCV are in this tutorial.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=28487

If you deal with the PCV then some of your other performance issues may clear up at the same time.

The electrical gremlins sound much like a bad electrical portion of the ignition switch. The next time it acts up try to jiggle the keys and see if things change.

...Lee

[kahl]

To me your Vol is acting as if it were in safe mode. Is the CEL lighted? Orange up arrow? Disconnect the ABS module and clear any code. This should take your car out of safe mode. I had a 96 850 that behaved the same way. Found the ABS went bad. Got a replacement from Midwest ABS and my issues were solved.