Sorry if this post is a repeat. I started a new thread yesterday and haven't seen it posted yet.

My son has a 1993 940 Turbo Wagon with 224K miles. To fix some oil leaks, (valve cover cap, front cam seal, rear cam seal) we decided to replace the PCV system and bought the oil separator box (or breather box) from IPD. They recommended changing out the rubber hose that goes from the bottom of the box into the engine block and down into the oil pan. We removed the oil separator box with no problem (thanks to other forum members for good instructions that didn't require removing the intake manifold). But when we tried to remove the old rubber hose going into the engine block it was brittle and hard and the top 1.5 inches broke off. The remaining 10-12 inches of hose is stuck in the block. There's a slight bend in the hose about 2 inches down and because the hose is hard and brittle, is stuck at the bend. We've tried for about 3 hours now and no amount of wiggling pulling will get it out.

My question is, can we cut the new replacement hose at about 1.5 inches and install it in the hole and hope the oil passes from the old hose to the new hose and down into the oil pan. It seems gravity would be enough to do the job of getting the oil back into the engine block. Wondering why the oil has to travel through the hose all the way to the oil pan.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Jeff

 

I see this from a related post: "Does it need to be replaced? If it's not wasted leave it alone! If it's bad, it goes "into the engine block" by some attachment which is meant to be disconnected."

Unfortunately, I'm past the go/no go decision on replacing it. Can you tell me more about this attachment that needs to be disconnected to get the hose out? How do I access it? I am looking at the replacement rubber hose and I don't see any way to connect it to anything along the length of it or at the bottom. It's just a straight rubber hose.

Also, can anyone answer the question about why it would not be sufficient to just cut off the top 1.5 inches of the new hose and install it (it's needed to seal the hole at the bottom of the breather box). I'm hoping gravity will do the job of getting the oil from the separator box back into the engine block.

Thanks

 

Well, it's one of those things. You have to risk it that it won't leak, and only someone with the same previous experience can verify but that is hard because of all the variables like the exact length of the hose, etc. Usually this hose is left alone brittle or not. Your other option is to remove the oil pan but that's a lot more work so some improvisation is understandable. If you do what you propose, use some oil proof sealant gasket material and see if it works, there is not much pressure there if the box is new as is in your case. If it leaks, the pan has to come off to get at the old hose piece left inside.

 

Thanks for your reply. I will give it a try. Where do you propose I put the oil proof sealant gasket? At the lower end of the 1.5 inches of the new rubber hose I am planning to use? Am I trying to create a seal between the old hose and new hose? If yes, it seems I would be risking creating a clog in the hoses where they meet.

Or are you suggesting I use the oil proof sealant gasket at the base of the breather box to make sure it doesn't leak from between the block and the breather box?

Thanks for the advice. These forums are really valuable reading and I can usually find what I need without starting a new thread.

 

There is no gasket per say. Just use gasket making sealant like Permatex to connect the old hose to the new at the break if possible (may be post a picture to see if it's feasible) depends on where the break is. It is a Mickey Mouse fix but may be the only choice besides the oil pan removal route...

 

Lev,

Thanks for the additional guidance. The top of the old hose stuck in the block is pretty uneven and we don't think we can accurately cut the new hose to fit this uneven shape. So i think there is a risk that the gasket sealer won't be able to connect the surfaces of both old an new hose and the gasket sealer could clog the hose.

I'll try to put it back together this weekend and let you know how it goes.

 

We put it back together by cutting the new hose about 1.5 inches from the top. So we are counting on gravity to convey the oil coming from the separator box back into the block. We drove it 600 miles on the highway up and down mountains as well as about 200 miles in the city. So far so good.

Thanks for the advice.