Large Oil Leak from PCV Possible?

[bubbeck]

Hey everybody!

I noticed some clacking noise from the engine of my '98 V70XC (215k miles) in the middle of a 2h drive, and checked the oil only to find it really low - took 3 qts to get it back to the middle of the dipstick range. It had been about 5k miles since the last oil change.

I took the car in for an oil change later this week, and the techs there advised me that I had a pretty good oil leak, and to get that fixed before getting an oil change. So I took it in to the shop, and after a day they told me that the PCV hoses and breather box needed replacing.

I thought this was a little weird since I had replaced the PCV and all hoses with the IPD kit only 10-15k miles ago. But sure enough, there was oil under the spark plug cover, and the crank case hose had shorn clean off. The joint in the hose near where it leaves the spark plug cover had also come apart. At this point, I checked the oil again and noticed it was below the min line, when only 30 min of driving before it had been in the mid range of the dipstick. Thats like 1qt/30 miles, which seems like a huge amount. A few questions:

1) Is a leak of this magnitude possible from just the broken crankcase hose? If I replace the PCV again and also the filler cap, am I good to go? Or is there something worse going on.

2) What are other possible causes for this behavior?

3) Is it possible to only replace that little section of tube from crankcase to the rest of the hose leading to the breather box? it'd be nice to fix without removing the intake manifold to replace the whole pcv stystem.

4) is my car driveable now if I top it off with oil continuously?

Thanks everyone!

[erikv11]

Hey!

1) It sounds pretty extreme but I guess it's possible. The main cause could be just that the hose is broken, they can be easily damaged there and fall apart, if you are not careful about how you clamp them. Or the PCV could be clogged too.
2) Could be bad piston rings but it basically never is.
3) Definitely, but you have to remove the manifold to do it! You could try cobbling together a makeshift connector hose, just leave the spark plug cover off, otherwise the manifold has to come out.
4) Yep. You can pull the dipstick out 1/2 inch, that will help relieve crankcase pressure too.

5) When you did the PCV, did you clean out the holes that drain oil back into the block, especially at the bottom of the oil trap?
6) When you did the PCV, are you sure you didn't put the hoses on backwards, on top of the oil trap? Worth checking.

[bubbeck]

Thanks! Yeah if I have to remove the manifold its basically worth just replacing the pcv again... Will any damage result from leaving the spark plug cover off?

I think I cleared the holes that drain oil into the block (on the block right?), at least I remember reading about it at the time. And I don't suppose there's any way to check the hoses are on backwards without removing the manifold?

[erikv11]

I never use the spark plug covers any more. The only benefit is it may protect the plug wires from dirt and dust.

About the hoses, I've tried it but don't remember if if you can see down in there with a strong flashlight and a crane of the neck, you might be able to.

[xHeart]

The oil vapors will collect under the cover if oil filler cap seal has deteriorated. How are the engine seals?
Glove test for negative pressure?