Req Service for our XC90

eddie13231 · Post by **eddie13231** » 01 Apr 2012, 19:52

Just had the 90k mile service completed on our 2006 XC90 2.5T. Our volvo drives amazing and we love our car. The dealer did have a few suggestions:
1) PCV hose to cylinder head broken (330)
2) PCV vacuum port clogged (458)
3) Remove throttle body and clean (208.50)

We maintain our XC really well since purchasing CPO at 62K. We have completed all service intervals. I used to work on my motorcycle quite a lot but am not really as comfortable working on vehicles. I do have a full set of tools but currently live in the city and don't have access to a garage where I could work on the vehicle. Basically I would have to pay the dealer for the service and they want $997.00 for all of the work which seems like a lot. I was going to compare the price to our local volvo mechanic. I looked up PCV replacement how-to on the XC and it looks quite difficult. Do you guys think that the throttle body needs to be cleaned? I can understand the PCV system repair but am not sure if the other service needs to be done.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

huzzsaba · Post by **huzzsaba** » 04 Apr 2012, 15:42

Hi,

#1 and # 2 on your list come under the same repair. all the hoses and breather box come in a kit for around $200 or cheaper depends on where you are buying from.

#3 is not really needed if the car running well.

Labor should be 3-4 hours at the most. Should not cost more than $500 parts included for the whole replacement.

Just in case you didnt know, just pull out the dipstick when the car is running and the engine is warm and if there is smoke coming out, then the PCV should be replaced, otherwise i think you could wait.

eddie13231 · Post by **eddie13231** » 08 Apr 2012, 17:35

So I checked the PCV system and indeed there are little puffs of smoke coming out of where the oil dipstick lives. I did the "balloon" test which actually was negative-it did not fill. I think this means that our XC90 needs the PCV service.

On another note I noticed that there was a low drone noise coming from the front passenger side. The dealer had rotated the tires which I guess is not suggested by volvo as regular maintenance. I checked out the tires and noticed that there was significant "feathering" wear on the outside of the tire. I was astonished by this because the tires (Perreli Scorpion) were brand new on the CPO vehicle 1.5 yrs ago and we have had all the maintenance intervals completed on the vehicle. The vehicle was also aligned when we purchased it. The service department said that the tires are not covered under our CPO warranty.

huzzsaba · Post by **huzzsaba** » 12 Apr 2012, 21:55

Hi,

by feathering of the tire, do you mean cupping? That is usually caused by worn suspension part. This I find is usually more common on the rear tires.

Just read the reviews on the Pirelli Scorpions and they werent great. I guess these tires are known to go bad pretty quick.

I just recently bought my xc90 and they came with a set of almost brand new Firestone destination St on them. So far they have been great with a smooth and comfortable ride. The reviews are also much much better than the Pirelli and OEM Michelin tires and I believe they are cheaper than the Pirellis and Michelins. I would recommend you try these for your next set.

eddie13231 · Post by **eddie13231** » 14 Apr 2012, 23:56

Just wanted to update everyone:
I got quotes from around the area for complete PCV service with hose replacement. Local indy Volvo places wanted about 800 dollars. I said F-that.

I went to the Volvo dealership and spoke with a few of their mechanics. They recommended only replacing the broken hose (from valve cover/head to flame trap) now and doing PCV service at 105k per reqs. They also gave me great guidance and instruction so I could do the job without removing intake manifold, fuel rail, etc. I ended up buying the broken hose replacement on Thursday and replaced it today. It took me 1.5 hrs (20 min was on an annoying hose clamp for charge tube) and was easy. I drove to a parking garage to do the work since it was raining today. The old hose was extremely brittle plastic (only the pieces connecting flame trap and valve cover were rubber) and I could break it with my hands into pieces without out much effort. The replacement hose was all rubber vs old plastic hose and cost about 40 bucks. Took the vehicle back to the dealer today and they said PCV system is working fine

. I guess the small amount of blue smoke is not an issue. I tried the paper test and could tell it was getting sucked in a little near the dipstick outlet after I replaced the hose

They said watch out for whistling noise, pressure on dipstick when putting it back, or replacing the oil cap.I cannot tell a difference at all-volvo still drives great. I never had any check engine lights.

I found out the road nose was due to cupping. The suspension checked out and had no issues. The dealer said that XC90's eat tires and we are lucky to have gotten about 30k out of them. And yes the OEM tires are crapola

I think these will be their replacement:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... rd%20Model

Post by **matthew1** » 15 Apr 2012, 01:43

eddie13231 wrote:The dealer said that XC90's eat tires and we are lucky to have gotten about 30k out of them. And yes the OEM tires are crapola I think these will be their replacement...

Good work on the PCV fix. Thanks for detailing what you did.

Shameless plug: when you buy tires, please use the "Tires for Volvos" link near the top of every MVS Forums page. From there click through to Tire Rack and put tires in your cart, buy em, and this site gets a cut. Getting a cut of course helps me to keep the site going, and improve it, and it doesn't cost you a thing.

For those interested readers out there, here's my experience buying from Tire Rack.

Post by **gshadow325** » 15 Apr 2012, 06:28

i disagree with XC90 eat tires as the dealer stated. It does get prone to worn suspension components.

Had my 2003 since 143k and now she is at 167,750.

Before it hit 145k i proactivly changed everything in the front suspension with the exception of the front struts, strut mounts and spring seats (had a reciept they were done @ 135k). Why? To eliminate the squeaks, groans, moans ect from the front end that everyone complains about.

I found that the front control arms looked good but was actually worn out compared to new ones. I also did my rear bushings since i lowered my car with IPD camber bushings.

PCV is a real easy job to do. If you replaced the hose from the valve cover to the PCV trap with out removing the intake manifold, you probably would have been more than halfway done with the WHOLE PCV service. if you click on my 98 v70 link you can see how a PCV system goes on a 2.5l. they are all the same.

this is my throttle body from my 01 c70 @ 85k

my PCV return back into the block at the same mileage

this is one from my 98 V70 with 155k ! you can see this one has been cared for. look at the bottom hole. could be misleading also since there was coolant in the oil. that may have loosened some of the crud built up.

This is from my 99 XC70 that i bought with a blown head gasket, you can see it has been neglected

this is from my 99 xc70's newer engine @ 131k

this is from my 97 850R @ 122k

i show you all these pictures because even if the dealer tells you eveything is ok. You cant be sure until that PCV trap/box comes off and you look at it. PCV service is one of those preventive things that if it gets neglected can cause horrible things. like blow seals out, and the hardest and most expensive one to get to is the rear main seal!

I change my oil in my xc90 with royal purple, rotate and balance my tires and inspect my brakes every 2500 miles. I figure 1 hour of my life every 2-3months should get me to 200k!!!

eddie13231 · Post by **eddie13231** » 15 Apr 2012, 09:44

Thanks for the pics and info Shadow. Very enlightening. I love your XC90 FYI. We have had our xc90 and babied it with regular synthetic oil changes and I hope it looks like your 98 V70. How did you clean all the gunk out of the block holes? I didn't see any on my valve cover but there was a tiny bit on the flame box. It seemed very hard like a resin. Is it more like gunk?

I do feel confident that I could do the PCV service on our XC90 but I don't really know for sure where the hoses in the engine bay are (thus would lean toward going to indy shop) For example:
Hose that connects throttle body and intercooler (I don't even know where the throttle body is and I looked for it)
The intercooler is attached/part of the radiator correct? I figure this because the charge hose is connected to a small bendy hose attached to the radiator (or is this the intercooler?)
Fresh Air Hose with PTC nipple inside

My other question is why one of the PTC nipples has coolant going (crankcase ventilation hose) into it? Is the Crankcase ventilation hose part of the PCV system or is the removal just required to service the PTC nipple?

eddie13231 · Post by **eddie13231** » 15 Apr 2012, 10:09

matthew1 wrote:
eddie13231 wrote:The dealer said that XC90's eat tires and we are lucky to have gotten about 30k out of them. And yes the OEM tires are crapola I think these will be their replacement...
Good work on the PCV fix. Thanks for detailing what you did.

Shameless plug: when you buy tires, please use the "Tires for Volvos" link near the top of every MVS Forums page. From there click through to Tire Rack and put tires in your cart, buy em, and this site gets a cut. Getting a cut of course helps me to keep the site going, and improve it, and it doesn't cost you a thing.

For those interested readers out there, here's my experience buying from Tire Rack.

Thanks Matthew. I will definitely click on the link when we are ready to purchase