Clean or replace PCV system?

jshwhite · Post by **jshwhite** » 06 Jun 2010, 10:32

I have a 2001 V70 with 165,000 mi. I noticed some oil leaking around the turbo, after looking at it and doing some research, I think that something in the PCV system is clogged. (Little bit of smoke coming from the dipstick too.) I'm wondering, do I need to spend the $$ on a new PCV system kit, or can I just take the whole thing apart and clean everything? What's the best thing to do? Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Post by **xtrattitude4u** » 06 Jun 2010, 10:57

First of all, if oil is leaking from the turbo, I don't believe the pcv job alone will fix it. If oil is leaking, that means the pressure from the clogged pcv has already blown a seal. At the very least that will have to be replaced also.

You could almost clean out everything. The problem arises at the flame trap. There is really no way to clean it and it is most likely the main problem. You would have to destroy it to take it apart. I thought my flame trap was fine, I blew into all the holes with no resistance. But after installing a new one, my smoking dipstick went away.
So in short, no.

The kit from FCPgroton is way worth the $$$ imho. Yours is here for $125.
http://www.fcpgroton.com/product-exec/p ... 99-2002%29

While installing the kit, I discovered some previous owner had used very incorrect hoses for the lines that run under the intake manifold. It also came with heat guards for the rubber lines, which I did not have. You also need a new intake man. gasket to do the job, which they include in the kit. There are some great tutorials on this website for a pcv job.
Good luck!

jshwhite · Post by **jshwhite** » 06 Jun 2010, 11:05

Thanks for the help. I think I'll go ahead and buy the kit. Now my question is, IPD sells a kit for $233 that has all the other lines and hoses included that the one from FCPGroton doesn't have.
http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?strPa ... V_ID=12665
Do you think it would be a better buy?

Post by **xtrattitude4u** » 06 Jun 2010, 11:14

The only thing missing is the bundle of 2 hoses together. I think you could get those missing hoses for less than $110. Or if you are still wanting to clean stuff, those hoses are something you could clean. (assuming the correct ones are there)
They appear to be made of metal, so it's unlikely they'll be damaged in any way.

jshwhite · Post by **jshwhite** » 06 Jun 2010, 11:37

OK, great, thanks so much. Now I just have to do it.... and why did they have to design it so you have to take the intake manifold off to get to it ?? ....

Thanks again.

Post by **xtrattitude4u** » 06 Jun 2010, 14:04

The location of the two hoses together just make it a logical path. If it's the same setup as my vehicle, one of the hoses connects to the left side of the intake manifold and the other connects below it to the flame trap.
I don't think it would help much even if you were to route them outside the manifold. To disconnect the hose from the flame trap you would have to remove the manifold anyway, and that would be the only proper way to tell if it were clogged.

On a side note, I'm glad they moved to using metal lines for these. The previous owner rigged in some large flimsy rubber line in place of the small hard vacuum line in my vehicle. It would collapse under vacuum and make a whistling sound that was very interesting.

Post by **jblackburn** » 07 Jun 2010, 10:08

The 2001's are different in that tube. It's metal for the newer cars, so they *say* it doesn't need to be replaced with the rest of the system, but I'm not so sure about that anyway.

It's under the intake manifold, which is a pain, but the oil seperator box must connect to the holes in the block itself, so there's really no other place they could put it where it would be effective. I agree routing the hose from the turbo to the intake manifold is dumb though. I wish the vacuum hose at least went up and over the top of the engine somewhere, as that's the one that tends to crack and cause problems.

jshwhite · Post by **jshwhite** » 13 Jun 2010, 10:43

"

xtrattitude4u wrote:First of all, if oil is leaking from the turbo, I don't believe the pcv job alone will fix it. If oil is leaking, that means the pressure from the clogged pcv has already blown a seal. At the very least that will have to be replaced also.

I'm in the middle of this job now and I'm just wondering, how can I tell if a seal has blown? I really don't want to have to put this back together and then have to take it all apart again when I find out a seal has blown. Anything you can tell me about this? Thanks!

Post by **jblackburn** » 13 Jun 2010, 11:01

Are you leaking oil from one of the cam seals? There is one behind the timing belt, another beside the distributor cap (behind cam position sensor). If you've got oil splurging out of one of those from the PCV system being clogged, I would go ahead and replace them. The other possibility, the rear main seal between the engine and transmission, is a different matter, as it's very difficult to replace.