Guys, I'm really getting tired of this issue. The PCV replacement worked for all of a week and now it's back to a plume from the dipstick. What could POSSIBLY be the issue?? It's quite frustrating to have done all that work for it to NOT work. Please help me before this thing puts me in a padded cell. I'm running I tested the compression a while ago, wet and dry and the rings are a little worn but the numbers are good. That was with 10w-30 now I'm running 10w-40 so it SHOULD reduce blow-by some. Apparently not since I'm still smoking from the block. The exhaust smoke has almost ceased at this point but I still get a little puff after idling for a while. I'm about ready to grab a JY motor to rebuild from scratch and stop fooling with this one. Probably should anyway, but that was intended for later.

 

When you did the black box did you make sure the ports in the engine block were open ?? Did you try to blow through them (use rubber hose).
If those passages are blocked then replacing the box is pointless. The box itself is just a big open baffle to allow oil vapor to condense and drain back into the engine.

Did you clean out the PTC valve on the intake ??

Are you sure you didn't miss a vacuum line or that one didn't get pulled loose during re-assembly ??

 

Do the glove test. If that is good don't worry about it. If you have a torn of loose vacuum like, especially on the end of the manifold, it will cause the dip stick to smoke.

What were your compression numbers? If under 150, that could be your issue. Not sure if I'd replace a motor unless the numbers were under 140. I checked a R motor today, the numbers were 135/147/145/148/138. I suggest that he get a motor if he wanted good performance. But he might be able to put 20,000 on it before it starts misfiring.

 

After I changed my pcv setup I still had head pressure until I changed the PTC valve. On mine this valve and its gasket were really a mess but you might be able to remove yours and clean it.

 

I've cleaned the valve and everything. I didn't blow through the ports but I did ream them as best I could. I may pull this thing apart here in a few days but I know the vacuum lines are fine. I already fixed that issue. It also causes a bad idle having a disconnected vacuum line. I also don't need the glove test, it's pushing quite hard. Not as bad as before I changed the box but pretty close. The compression numbers are over 160 dry and all are 180 wet. I also seafoamed the crap out of the motor too, starting with the hose to the valve cover to try to clear up any blockage in the return port since I was changing the oil today. No help there.

 

I don't understand your glove test statement. :?

 

I also don't need the glove test, it's pushing quite hard.

"a plume from the dipstick."

If he's getting that much out the dipstick then the "glove test" is going to be pretty redundant as he already knows there is excessive back pressure.

The glove is likely more accurate for a small amount of back pressure when you're unsure if you have some but if you can see it blowing out of the dipstick or from under the oil fill you already know you have a pressure problem.

Just a matter of finding out if it's actually that much blow by that the PCV can't handle it or something is off in his install.

 

Ok, this is nuts. The pcv problem has gotten worse. I'm losing power as well as a lot of oil. It's burning a lot now and it's when I let off of a good pull instead of just when I hit the gas off of idle. Haven't had a free day to tear down the car yet and it's killing me.

 

I think he means putting an surgical glove to cover the oil filler hole. When you start the engine you can see if the glove gets bigger (pressure in the system) or if it's sucked in (vacuum). If the glove stays the same it's ok.

 

You didn't install the breather box hoses backwards did you? All of the parts diagrams are wrong. The rear passenger side port goes to the cover and the fwd drivers side port goes around the motor.

I also read the other day where someone connected the hoses at the base of the intake tube near the PTC wrong. Didn't know that was possible but that was their issue.

 

I'm no volvo expert, but when I did this on my turbo, I was thinking it just doesn't have much capacity to handle blow-by. Under boost, there is no vacuum to be had, of course, so you are trying to dump it in upstream of the turbo, and there is no suction there. At idle, there is suction available, but the system is not configured to isolate that suction from the point at the intake where you're at atmospheric pressure. How much volume can you pull through a 3/32" hose 3 feet long, starting with a known vacuum leak at the PTC? Not much.

I may be seeing it wrong, but it just doesn't seem very robust to me on the car that I had (a 94). There are several ways it could be valved to help it, but it doesn't have that.

 

Judging by the design, it seems like the little vacuum line to the ptc valve acts as a venturi assist with the large one. Believe it or not, there is a fair amount of draw from RIGHT in front of that turbo. Usually a couple hundred cfm. The small line looks like it blows down into the mouth of the valve to draw more air from the line in a similar fashion to the soap draw on a pressure washer.

 

honestly, I think that could be my problem. Wouldn't surprise me, although I tried to follow the same exact setup as the old one which, believe it or not, was factory(don't doubt it at all)

 

Well, hoses are on correctly. I have another problem. I'll update when I can.

 

Ok, newest update. I pulled EVERYTHING apart and checked all the lines and ports, I fished the block through both holes, I even cleaned the PTC. Nothing has worked yet. It's not AS bad but it still blows a glove up when I rev the motor. I also notice one intake valve on my low cylinder, #1(driver side), being dirty so I plan on drowning the motor in seafoam through the intake to clean that crud off the valve. I'm about done with this car.

 

When I do the glove test, I do it at idle. If I rev the motor, I do it softly and only up to 2,000 rpms. So, if you have vacuum at idle and at a mild rpm raise, I would not worry about it.

 

Even at idle there's no vacuum. It doesn't draw the glove in like it did at first. It sits there til you just hit the throttle. It's still crappy.

 

Personally, I think all that Seafoam you have been putting in has freed up a lot of crap that builds in an older engine and is causing some, if not most of your problems.

Think about it, you just cleaned out everything and replaced PCV parts with new and you state you have everything hooked up correctly, but still issues?

Clean out everything again, check connections and DO NOT put Seafoam in, change your oil, including filter and let us know the results, good luck.

 

But I already changed the oil since the SeaFoam was last used. I do that right before I change the oil. There isn't any in the oil. I need to run SeaFoam through the intake to clean the valve that's all nasty and covered in cylinder 1. I have nothing blocking any ports in the PCV system, I have 10W-40 Mobil1 oil in it, it has a brand new filter, the PTC has been COMPLETELY cleaned out, and I have had very little results. It's better than it was but only marginally. I still have a lot of pressure building that shouldn't be. I double and triple checked everything.

 

Maybe it's time you try a leak down test to see if the rings have reached the end of their life ?? You seem to have covered everything else at least three times now.