Hello again,
I was wondering a few things. I've got a 1994 850T and have a bizarre oil leak. After checking the camshaft seals (looked like they were leaking) and the front and rear main seals, they're all bone dry. If you take off the spark plug cover, there's one hose that looks like it's leaking oil up onto the top of the engine. This is only a part of the problem. My car also smoke like a train at idle. Blue smoke. Only at idle.
I guess my two big questions here are, what are some of the symptoms of a clogged PCV and does the turbo have seals that need to be replaced or is my turbo just beat? How common are either one of them? Thanks for the help beforehand.

 

You have two symptoms of a clogged PCV system. 1) oil on top of head, and 2) oil smoke in exhaust.

When the system plugs, the oily vapor goes somewhere else. Replace the PCV system (you can get complete kits with hoses, container, etc). See if the exhaust smoke disappears.

 

I had a clogged PCV system and didn't have smokey exhaust. Check your dip stick tube while idling. If there's smoke coming from there then it's the PCV system.

 

I FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS NOT THE VENT HOSE BUT THE BOLTS...THE OIL WAS MAKING ITS WAY UP THE BOLT SHAFT...MEANING THE CAM COVER OR VALVE COVER GASKET (silicone) WAS OLD OR GONE...I HAD TO PULL OUT ONE BOLT BY BOLT AND SPREAD A PEA SIZE AMOUNT OF GASKET MAKING SILICONE ON THE TOP THREADS OF THE BOLT WHERE THE SMOOTH ARE IS...ALL OF THEM.....NO MORE OIL ATOP...BUT YES I REPLACED MY BREATHER BOX TOO(PVC FOR OTHER CARS) "I learned that on volvoforums.com"...just to let you know...he he

 

Why are you yelling at us??

 

+1, we are only trying to help. :cry:

Anyway, glad to see you resolved the issue. More then likely, replacing the PCV helped the most.

 

.

One note: 850's head cover is not like others; it is used to hold the camshafts and special adhesive/gasket must be used (available at the dealer, or of course, at FCP Groton).


JPN

 

I'm pretty sure it's just the clogged pcv system since my dipstick "shaft" or whatever looks like a damn train when I'm idling. My car has been leaking oil for a while, but I could never spot it. That seemed like my last option since the seals were bone dry.

Welp, how easy is the pcv system to try and change or am I better off buying it and taking it to the shop? If that's the case, I've got another question (that's right, my 850 is like a Rubik's cube)

What's a noticable difference between a 94 850T engine and a 98 850T engine? I'm asking this only because everytime I order a part for a 94, it never fits my car. At first I was thinking the places I was ordering were getting it wrong.

My car looks like it's been in a fairly decent front end collision. It's been like that since I bought it. So I started thinking one day when I was sitting there waiting for parts that since my engine matched all the diagrams for a 98, maybe that was the case. I am rambling, I will stop.

Thank you. I will ramble more if folks want me to.

 

The PCV system is fairly easy to change, you just have to have the guts to dive in. It involves removing the intake manifold and several hoses and what not. If it's your first time doing it, it'll probably take about a day to do it. I did it in one afternoon and one morning. Then I found out it was leaking after a couple weeks, I had it all apart and back together in about an hour.

The 850 engines and the 98 x70 engines are fairly similar, there aren't too much that is different. Most parts should be interchangeable.

 

It is even easier for you being that you do not need to worry about the EGR system like I do with my 94 850.

 

Is oil leaking up through the dipstick tube a sign of PCV problems? The missus noticed a bit of oil after I drove off and after a quick look, I noticed oil is dripping down the dipstick. I haven't double checked everywhere (ground was wet) but that seemed the culprit. Reasons please?

 

that EGR valve gets all kinds of crud man...

 

Both times I did the PCV system I totally forgot about it and was trying to pull the manifold off and was like why the hell is it not coming off? And it was that stupid EGR. Hopefully the engine I drop into my wagon is either a 96 or 97.


And to vpatrol, that could be PCV system too, that happened to me before as well.

 

What exactly is the EGR valve? What's it look like? What's it's purpose?

 

I think it re-circulates exhaust gases back into the intake manifold...it further reduces emissions of the car...it looks like a blow off vale on a turbo EHHH KIND OF...the top portion sort of

 

I think it's also for cold start ups. It's a metal tube that runs from the bottom of the throttle body to the backside of the engine.

 

The EGR takes hot exhaust air and runs it into the motor to help it warm up faster.

 

I did my PCV System this weekend, wow...what a job for a newbie. Good way to find out about your engine for sure. I started Sat at about 11am and finished at 6pm, then Sun from 1pm to 5pm. When it was all said and done...no more white smoke from the dip stick, also found a small coolant leak (no more mystery puddles under the car in th morn). The walk thru I had was a godsend. (http://www.lakesidedp.com/uploadpics/pcv/) The hardest part of this venture was getting EGR gasket in place and putting the bolts in. Also make sure you have plenty of extra hose clamps around....small to med. Make sure you buy a short piece of fuel hose handy as mine was totaly baked to the metal pipe going to the fuel rail (had to use a razor blade to remove the old one). Like I said, even with all the hrs of work and frustration (tying to find dropped bolts), I learned alot of where other parts are located in the engine. Hint: change your antifreeze temp sensor, you will thank your self later.

 

Hi, have I said something wrong? Don't mean to insult no one...

 

wait, what?