Volvo Forums - Volvo Enthusiasts Forum - My take on PCV Kit installation

I tackled the PCV on my 855R. Started yesterday, worked about 2 hours, and finished tonight in another 3 hours or so. So, I spent about 5 hours total on the job.

This job seems to be a 'right of passage' for 850 owners. I got a lot of good advice from others, so I thought I'd pass some of it along, along with some of my observations.

I had 2 reasons for taking on this job.

1) I'm losing oil out the dipstick tube and around the oil filler neck
2) I am getting a code P0172 Bank 1 System Too Rich. Upon googling the P0172, I found a common fault of this code was the vacuum hose that plugs into the passenger side of the intake manifold. Mine was broken clear off, and there was no way to get in there with the intake manifold installed and reconnect it.

I can see this being a 2 hour job or less if you have all the right tools on hand, know how everything goes together and comes apart, etc. I always tread very lightly when taking on a new project, in my younger days, I broke my fair share of studs and bolts, and paid the price for rushing.

I used this kit:

Volvo PCV Breather System Kit (850 C70 S70 V70 Turbo) - 850T200 | FCP Euro

FCP has a kit for your car, too, depending on what model and trim level it is.

I used this video for guidance:

A couple things worth mentioning:

1) Have plenty of extensions and swivels of various lengths. Along with an assortment of torx bits, you also need 10 and 12mm sockets in both 1/4 and 3/8 drive. Most of the job can be done with the 1/4 inch drive just fine - but getting to some of the intake manifold bolts is difficult without a number of stacked extensions and swivels.

2) Have about 10 feet of good silicone tubing around for replacing failed vacuum lines. Many of them crumbled just upon being touched. Don't forget clamps for the tubing, and maybe a few zip ties.

3) It's a good time to replace your oil fill cap gasket. I got mine from IPD in another order. I cleaned the oil cap and the dipstick tube with brake cleaner to get all the accumulated oil residue off everything so I'm starting 'clean'. I also had a ton of oil under the spark plug cover.

4) The OEM style Oetiker clamps are a pain in the butt. I used this style tool to crimp them:

Shop Kobalt 7-in End Cutting Pliers at Lowes.com

I know there's a 'correct' tool, I don't have one, and couldn't wait for one to be shipped - my getting more than an hour at a time to tinker is rare with 3 small children, a business and a job!

The hardest part of the job? No doubt, it's the 12mm fasteners holding the dipstick tube and the intake manifold brace. 1/4 inch drive fit, 3/8 didn't. 1/4 inch drive wasn't long enough to get enough torque to loosen the fasteners, 3/8 drive would've been, but it couldn't be swung.

Also worth mentioning: the video didn't tell me this, but I should've known! The intake manifold brace has to be lined up perfectly for the screw to go into the intake manifold correctly. I had mine tweaked to the side slightly, and had to loosen the bolt into the block, line up the bolt into the manifold, and then snug both bolts again.

There *is* a fan shroud mod that looks interesting. I may tackle it the next time I'm working on that area of my car. It's detailed here:

850/x70 Fan Shroud Mod - FWD/AWD 1998 and Prior - Volvospeed Forums

Things I wish I had had for this job, and didn't think to have before hand:

A floppy neck style ratchet - the kind where you can tilt the head to help reach in tight spots. It's on my tool shopping list for the next time I have tool budget

O-rings for the dipstick tube *and* the injectors. My originals look kinda tired. I'll add some to my next FCP order and be ready for the next time I take things apart.

Vacuum lines. I had several crumble, and I was able to pirate some leftover scraps from previous jobs I had around my garage.. I'm going to add some good vacuum line to my next parts order, along with an assortment of clamps, elbows, etc.

You *may* want to have a complete set of worm style clamps on hand for this project. Some of the spots with the Oetiker clamps were really tight to get to - no doubt the worm clamps would be easier. I understand why Volvo used these, but I don't have to like them :)

All in all, it was a good project. Not the most difficult automotive project I've undertaken, I think most shade tree mechanics could tackle it in 4-5 hours and get good results.

I also managed to break 2 things on this job. I think it was a combination of trying to rush, and also old, dried out fatigued plastic. I broke the hose that runs from the radiator shroud to the ECU box - luckily only $11 to replace, and the vacuum tree near the throttle cable. On the hose, I taped it up with some duct tape until my next FCP order, and on the vacuum tree, I sealed up the 'branch' that broke off, and reconnected the line that went to that branch to an adjacent unused branch.

I drove down to Advance Auto and cleared the code. Hopefully, it stays gone. This weekend, I'll try to get the car on my ramps and do an oil change - where I can also clean the undercarriage of the car. I'll pressure wash my driveway, and know whether this helped with my oil leaks or not.

If you're on the fence about doing this job, do it. That is, assuming you have basic tools, and the patience/ability.

Next project? Installing the 70 series door handles that I got in the mail today :) Well, after the oil change, anyways!