2001 S60 2.4L U.S. ~ PCV System

summerpryncs · Post by **summerpryncs** » 09 Jun 2008, 07:49

I went to Volvo dealer in Maryland; I was told I need to have the PCV system replaced because it's clogged.... Volvo want 520 bucks!
(It was causing the whistling sound i thought was the serpteine belt!!! they said this could cause the car to cut off)

My question is can I take it too Midas? or Precision Tune? and get it done for like 350 bucks!

Help what should I do? The manifold has to be taken off for that.

oh and

I need to have the transmission fluid changed they said it was burnt!

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 09 Jun 2008, 08:14

Welcome to MVS. There are write-ups in the repair database for the transmission flush (Take a good read- it's not hard and you can do it yourself) but if your fluid is indeed burnt I would not do a full flush but just a drain and fill and then drive it for a week or so and do it again (repeating the procedure several times). You do not say how many miles are on your car. And, is it truly burnt?? Dealers often say things to try to stir up more business and $$ for themselves. Times are tough right now at Volvo (lack of sales) and some are resorting to scare tactics with their customers to make money...so beware.

About the PCV...yes your intake manifold does have to come off. I've never heard of a car not starting from a clogged PCV, but it might blow dark smoke out the exhaust and the added pressure of a clogged system could cause expensive engine seals to fail, not to mention blow-by of oil from the oil filler cap onto the top of the engine which will drip down and cause the owner to think he has a major engine leak. The good news is that the PCV system replacement for your vehicle is easier than the earlier 850 replacement as there are less hoses to replace. Still it's a 2.5 to 3 hour job for someone who has done it before. I would not take the car to just any place for service. Find a good independent mechanic who knows Volvo's unless you want to tackle this yourself. The dealer is always more expensive than anyone else. The parts for the PCV replacement are readily available on line, at a savings, at places like www.fcpgroton.com and eeuroparts.com (last one has free shipping on orders of $39 or more) which you might have to buy if you take it to someone or decide to tackle it yourself. If you want to do the later, let us know- we can guide you through it.

Back to the transmission- please be aware that your transmission takes a special fluid. It is JWS-3309 compliant (either the special, expensive Volvo fluid or Mobil-3309 or Toyota Type IV for the Aisin-Warner 5 speed auto transmission- they are all the same stuff, just repackaged). Don't let anyone put Dexron III in your transmission. Most places not familiar with your car are going to make this mistake and that could spell the death of your car.

summerpryncs · Post by **summerpryncs** » 09 Jun 2008, 08:26

the car has 89,000 miles on it I bought it used in April

summerpryncs · Post by **summerpryncs** » 09 Jun 2008, 08:34

I questioned the car cutting off because....

While at a low rpm the sometimes cuts off! It will sputter and then cut off, however, it will start right back up!

1) I used the wrong gas in my car (regular)... and that blew 1 of my 02 senors. I went to autozone and they ran the check engine light test and it said the 02 senor failed. Last week I started using premium and that car is running much better

2) I got the oil changed at Midas. Special oil? I didn't check to see what it took nor did I ask... I'm a boob head for that! I'm learning the hard way!

3) It was still cutting off and making that whistling sound that's why i took it to volvo.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 09 Jun 2008, 08:35

At 89K miles it's hard to believe that the transmission fluid is burnt. Get a second opinion....this is a difference between replacing and just doing a flush, depending on if it's truly black and has that odor...at those miles, though I would be very inclined to do a full flush. when you get much past 100K miles, it's getting into the danger zone for the flush as you can dislodge gunk that will end up clogging up your transmission lines.

Btw, you mentioned Precision Tune. Several years ago I had them (locally to me, here in Knoxville, TN) do a tranny flush for our 850 and they did a great job....they had a machine that they hooked up to the tranny that filled with new while sucking out the old fluid...hooking the machine to the transmission lines coming off of the radiator. It was very efficient and all I did was take them the transmission fluid I wanted them to use. you might check with them to see if they have the machine. You might also print off the flushing instructions from here: https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/chat/p ... php?t=8767
because it shows which hoses does what (opposite of earlier cars as yours is considered a P2)...something that Precision might not know about (confusing the hoses can spell disaster). Other than that, you can buy the Mobil-3309 on line here: http://store.avlube.com/mobilatf3309.html or like I said before you could go to a Toyota dealership's service department and buy their fluid (just make sure they give you what goes in an A-W 5 speed auto transmission). Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

summerpryncs · Post by **summerpryncs** » 09 Jun 2008, 08:47

Would the wrong oil cause the problem?

Up above I listed the chain of events!! pray for me! lol

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 09 Jun 2008, 09:12

The special oil I'm speaking of is the ATF (automatic Transmission Oil) and has nothing to do with what you put in at an oil change. Have someone check all of your small vacuum hoses (you mentioned a whistling sound- probably from a/some hose leak(s) ) and clean your MAF (Mass Airflow) Sensor...these can cause the front 02 to act like it's not any good and throw trouble codes. Oh, and at your miles, if the spark plugs have never been replaced, you should get them replaced. Don't settle for just any cheap plugs. Use Volvo plugs or Bosch coppers and gap them at 0.030...don't use any platinum plugs as they are known to be problematic on our cars. What you describe as your problem (rough running) could be as simple as your car needing new plugs. I would replace them every 30K miles whether you need them or not.

Gas and oil should not make a huge difference... even regular gas will only retard your timing (something that Volvo's computer does for you) to keep things operating correctly- so there should be no worries about anything you posted unless the wrong weight motor oil was used...see if your receipt has the oil weight on it and post back to let us know. T

Btw, from what you've posted, you really need to find someone who knows your car to work on it and not try to attempt things yourself...sorry but a general knowledge of how these cars operate is essential before taking a wrench in your hand to begin undoing things.

Good luck and please keep this forum up to date on how things are progressing.

summerpryncs · Post by **summerpryncs** » 23 Jul 2008, 08:34

Forgive me for the lateness but.... Here's the outcome

My husband MADE ME take the car to Volvo ta have it looked at AND...

The oil PCV pan was clugged up! it cost me $480 to fix. That was the only thing wrong with the car....it just caused all those other problems i.e. car cutting off in idle, the whisle noise etc...

Herb Gordon Volvo in Silver Spring is AWESOME!!!!!

I priced the service and everybody else wanted to charge me $740 and UP

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 23 Jul 2008, 21:42

Glad you got it sorted!

jbray.cfm · Post by **jbray.cfm** » 02 Sep 2008, 18:10

summerpryncs:

I'm have the same problem that encountered... Can you please elaborate on your repair? My Volvo dealer would say a whole heck of a lot, however, he wanted me to dish out $880 to make the repair... Do you have any part numbers of what was replaced? Any help would be appreciated.

-JBray