2007 S80 PCV Dipstip Pressure, No Noise Topic is solved

Post by **Skymongrel** » 15 Mar 2020, 17:43

I have a new 2007 S80 121K that I'm going over and discovered that I have positive pressure at the dipstick during idle. From what I've gathered on this site, PCV failures are usually accompanied by a variety of loud noises. I don't have any noise and the PCV cap only has a small amount of oil residue!

Have I just caught this problem early or is there something I'm missing. I can clearly see oil vapor coming out of dipstick at idle.

Still working on a variety of issues, just found a dryer sheet stuck in my airbox! Acorns here and there! Previous owner must have been fighting small critters.

Appreciate the help!

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 15 Mar 2020, 22:43

Do the PCV glove test.

Pass:

Fail:

Post by **Skymongrel** » 16 Mar 2020, 08:14

I did the glove test but the glove blew off. I'll try it again with a rubber band holding it. Still my understanding of the S80 which has a rubber diaphragm, is that it makes noise once its ruptured. I'm inclined to change it anyway as the repair history is not complete. Thanks!

Post by **Skymongrel** » 16 Mar 2020, 12:28

Performed the glove test again. This time I taped the glove so it wouldn't blow off. On start-up it momentarily got suck down into oil filler hole, but almost immediately inflated! No noise and no noticeable oil leaks! Hate to throw parts at a problem if I don't have to. Thoughts?

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 16 Mar 2020, 14:06

Skymongrel wrote: ↑16 Mar 2020, 12:28 but almost immediately inflated!

That is a fail The PCV system needs service.

Don't have any idea where you getting mandatory noise and oil leaks on a PCV fail but it is misinformation.

A clogged PCV can produce oil leaks, can make funny noises but they are not mandatory.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 16 Mar 2020, 15:41

Skymongrel wrote: ↑16 Mar 2020, 08:14 I did the glove test but the glove blew off. I'll try it again with a rubber band holding it. Still my understanding of the S80 which has a rubber diaphragm, is that it makes noise once its ruptured. I'm inclined to change it anyway as the repair history is not complete. Thanks!

I have the 03 S80 2.9 T6 and not sure how different it is from the 3.2. Not sure if it's the same engine bore out minus turbos so don't know whether it should make a noise.

Pertaining to noise you might be referring to, our 08 C30 T5 has a Diaphragm and that does whistle when it goes bad.
.

Post by **Skymongrel** » 16 Mar 2020, 16:27

Yeah, I have no idea where I got that idea that failed PCV's are noisy and produce oil leaks. Although there are videos that discuss it, here's one...

Looks like mine needs to be changed due to failed glove test. Thanks for advice.

Post by **Skymongrel** » 19 Mar 2020, 19:06

I changed the PCV in my 2007 S80 3.2l (121k) today. I a new third owner and just did the glove test as a maintenance check and it failed. I didn't have any symptoms that I noticed!

: Tools I used

I used a 3/8 swivel socket and a T30 socket with a ratchet to remove the easy screws in front. Near the firewall I used a torque wrench because it had a low profile head giving me just enough room with the 3/8 swivel and T30 socket. All screws (there are a lot of them) were removed by hand once broken free using a long extension with the swivel and T30. Just held the extension between thumb and finger for dexterity so I wouldn't lose any screws down the firewall. Worked great.

: Original S80 3.2 PCV System

: Using extension between thumb and finger for control

With the PCV cover removed, there was a lot of oil sludge buildup and this was carefully cleaned up. I used brake clean with bunched up paper towels held by a pair of angled long nose needle pliers and probed into all the channels and crevices.

: Pretty dirty (121k)

: Nice and clean

Installed the new PCV system, carefully tightening by hand and used the torque wrench to try to make them all equally tightened.
Crossed my fingers and ran the glove test again. It passed!

IMG_3863.MOV: My S80 3.2l glove test after the replacement; (26.9 MiB) Downloaded 132 times

Inspected the old PCV diaphragm and it looked quite normal. Stretched it out and maybe there was a tiny week spot but I couldn't be certain. The only thing I know is the old one didn't work and the new one does.

: A pretty normal PCV Diaphragm

So it looks like you can have a asymptomatic failed PCV, no noise, no leaks. Run a test as maintenance and catch it early!

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 19 Mar 2020, 20:29

MoVolvos wrote: ↑16 Mar 2020, 15:41 I have the 03 S80 2.9 T6 and not sure how different it is from the 3.2. Not sure if it's the same engine bore out minus turbos so don't know whether it should make a noise.A

Completely different engines. The 2.9 is a Volvo Modular engine. The 3.2 belongs to the Volvo SI6 (Short Inline 6) family.