Hi, My 2013 S60 sounded like a spaceship at idle. Searched YouTube and found several videos discussing replacement of PCV diaphragm and, consistent with the videos, the noise stopped when pulling out the oil dipstick a little to relieve vacuum pressure. Ordered the part and had it installed yesterday. Tech said the car no longer makes makes the whistling noise but that there's still a strong vacuum so there may still be an issue. He isn't keeping the car for further diagnosis because I need to take it to the airport today.

Is it normal that there would remain a vacuum? I don't recall a vacuum being present in the few years I've owned the car.
Is it ok to drive the car (about 100 miles each way) if I pull the dipstick out a little? (His opinion is "No, because it can suck dirt in.")
What else could be going on?

Also, am I posting in the wrong area of the forum?

Thank you.

 

re testing the PCV - what happens if you pull out the dipstick or crack open the fill cap to vent the crank case? does the whistle go away?

 

Yes and the part was replaced. My concern was why it would still have a vacuum or if that's normal. However, I drove it and it seemed to run ok for me. I'll post again if issue persists. Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Did the vacuum at the oil filler cap ever go away? Did you plug in an OBDII and get any code??? I have that same problem and read a P1071 code meaning too lean fuel mixture. Planning on removing/ replacing the diaphragm.

 

An OBDII was not plugged in so we did not get a code, sorry. I believe the vacuum went away but I will double-check that and reply again asap.

 

Thanks for the reply. May I ask how many miles was on the car when it first made the noise? Thanks.

 

I finally had the car checked yesterday. There is no longer a strong vacuum but there is still a slight vacuum. The tech says that's normal. I forgot to check on the mileage. I'll try to confirm but it was probably around 155k when it happened.

 

Thanks for the reply. 155K sounds about right. Mine happened at 57k. YouTube has been a far greater resource than this forum. While the repair was not easy to perform, it has been very effective so far and the car is running fine.

Check your oil level, as I lost @ .5 quarts due to this fiasco. The lack of integrity/honesty/competency of the local Volvo stealership AND the indies actually qualified to work on volvos is shocking.

I wouldn't be surprised if I lived in Bum****, Iowa, but I am in the SF Bay Area next to Silicon Valley. My Certified Pre-owned 2013 S60 had 27K when I bought it and it needed 4 new tires and a new battery. WTF?

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the check oil advice. I'll keep a close eye on it. Good luck finding an experienced, honest tech. The person who bought my S70 a few years ago had a similar issue recently finding a Volvo tech. My mechanic was too far away for him and his solution was to get rid of the car. I know several techs who came from the same now-closed Volvo dealership and went off on their own but I guess they're becoming a rarity.