So last night I did the PCV and rear shocks in four hours!

 

Cool did you go with the OEM PCV parts or do the catch can?

How did the parts look?

 

I am planning to do mine this week sometime. Can you please tell if Iwill be goodwith only the oil catch and intake gasket and the small hose/seal that goes into the blockOR I have replace all the tubings mendatory? What is thebest technique to open the volvo clamps without damaging the tubings and parts etc?
Any replacement remedy for the gromet that hold the PTC into the intake hose? Mine is kind of rotten with oil and Iam using cable-ties to keep it in place.

 

Yup, I went with the kit from FCP. I didn't get the new intake tube with the PTC, but mine was clean enough anyway.

Most of the parts were pretty clean. I did see some foam in certain areas, and as I have read, is a cause of a bad PCV system.

The ports were pretty clean.

I just cleaned everything up anyway


Only problem was that the throttle linkage fell off into the abyss of the engine bay, so I'll have to grab a new one at one of the salvage yards tomorrow off of an N/A 850. Right now its zip tied!!...lol


Shocks were easy. I went with the Bilstein Touring and the FCP "aftermarket" shock mounts. They seem better constructed than the OEM ones. I did purchase new top spring pads and the bump stop retaining pins, but didn't put them in. I'll wait until I lower it with Eibachs.


I think the radiator job looks harder than the PCV system, or maybe it is just misleading.

The radiator will be here tomorrow.

Friday, since I don't have to work, I'll be putting on the radiator, new 87 deg. thermostat, and lower radiator hose, along with an external engine oil cooler.

Trans side was fine.

Hopefully the radiator goes smoothly.

I read another persons post that claimed to do the job in two hours with little mechanical knowledge.

hmm




But, when we started up the wagon after the PCV job, it seemed like it ran well.

Fired up the first time, with no glitches. Boost gauge still worked right, and all the hoses were connected properly.

This was easier than doing a valve cover gasket and tune up job on my SC. That job can be a PAIN. My vac hoses are still not correctly placed.


I even did the PCV job after bringing the car in off the snowy street and having water drop all over me.

 

I call those clamps "*** clamps" because they're a pain in the *** to work with.

Had I been thinking, I would have just ran to CarQuest and bought a whole lot of screw driven hose clamps for this job.

BUT I found the best way to do this was to pry the old ones off with a screw driver (flat blade) or side cuts on the notched up part where you can fit it through.

Putting them on is simple, just use side cuts after you latch them on the hooks (like crimping together).

Trust me, its a strong hold

You could buy the correct tool to do it, as shown in the write up, but I'm strapped for cash, so I just improvised, and it worked well I would say.

You might invest in some standard hose clamps to save time and your fingers. I have some gashes from the screw driver. So does my friend that helped me.

Don't cheap out on this job. Its $118 shipped and well spent for the FULL FCP kit, minus the intake hose and PTC. The only thing I didn't order was the new intake hose and PTC. It wasn't needed for ME. Just clean your PTC and intake tube and inspect for cracks. This kit will have NEW clamps for you!

As far as the PTC grommet, just take the thing into an auto parts store and see if they have one. If not, you might want to buy the new hose and PTC. I will eventually, as just replacing that isn't too hard.


Make sure you have a good supply of GoJo or something similar, you'll need it! Improvise on swear words, since you'll use them all once or twice each...lol. Then again, I swear a LOT.


Keep an eye out for those blue rings on the top of the intake manifold where the injectors go in. Note that you CAN run the car without these, as the black washers ON the injectors are the ones you need to worry about. The blue ones seal out dirt and stuff. Which, I will get a new pack of those soon, as I lost one.

Good luck!


So, at the end of this week, I'll have a new rear suspension, cooling system, PCV system, oil change, and coolant flush.


BTW, is typical premixed engine coolant (green) good enough for this car? If not, I'll swing up to Volvo and grab some of theirs.


My SC calls for Toyota Red, which is why I ask.

 

Thanks,
Since I am in Canada and wonder howthe delivery works for me, I am thinking of just getting the oil trap and intake gasket and do the job. Well, I also read somewhere that I dont have to take the injector rail off the manifold?? Is that workably true?

 

I would recommend getting the whole kit, but if you're short on cash, I suppose you COULD just buy the Flame trap and manifold gasket. I don't know, I just figured to do the whole thing the right way and get it over with.

if you are going to do it your way, make sure you spray some cleaner down the actual hoses to clean junk out.

 

And yes, you CAN leave the fuel rail on, I just took mine off because I wasn't thinking. That would have saved me a few minutes.

 

Where do you disconnect the fuel line? Is it just bolted on?

 

Green prestone coolant is fine.

 

RE: the coolant. Sorry for the digression. If I have Volvo antifreeze in my system (light green) can i add other green, like Prestone, w/o harming anything? I bought the car in November and am not sure what coolant is in it. I'll probably flush it in the spring, but need to add some now.

JimBee

 

If your car has, or came with, the green coolant, then top off and flush with green coolant; vice-versa for the red.

The red stuff is DexCool which GM and some others have been putting in new cars for awhile; supposedly it is more stable and lasts longer. If you are using the green stuff then you should do a coolant flush (ideally) every two years; the DexCool I believe only recommends a flush every five years. But there is lots of debate if it really is better; just google "coolant, red vs green" for more info.

No real difference between Prestone green and Volvo (or fill in any other OEM) green coolant IMO. More important to just change it out every few years.

And please recycle the coolant; I wish every town had facilities to recycle coolant like they do motor oil. It is really bad to pour coolant down the drain. [:'(]

 

+1 for a full kit; you do not want to dig in there again. FCP ships to overseas, as far away as Japan so why not Canada?

>Only problem was that the throttle linkage fell off into the abyss of the engine bay
I lost my beloved Craftsman spiral socket in this manner on a POS 1992 Ford F-350 Custom[8D].

+1 for Prestone or any reputable aftermarket products that are safe for aluminium. The owners manual may threaten you to use only Genuine Volvo Coolant or the world will come to an end, but it is THEIR world that may come to an end, not ours[8D].

+1 for fluid recovery. I used to donate them (oil, ATF, coolant, brake fluid, etc...) to PepBoys and as a courtesy Ibought some consumables. Dumped fluid will end up in your grand children[X(]. This actually may introduce the end of the world.

BTW, the thread title reminds me of my current job. "Shock Job", well said, because you will be shocked every time you get your paycheck.


JPN

 

VJZ, with the PCV job, was it that straight up and easy to do? That's the last thing I need to do to my 850 job and as I keep reading I'm going to order the kit from grtotton like all the parts I have done so far but I am a little clueless on this Volvo. I want to make sure I am not getting over my head and messing up! What are your thought. I know there's a step by step write up I have seen, but I know reading and doing are sometimes 2 different things.

 

Somthngfrce,

The PCV job is really not that difficult. My son and I changed it out using the fcp kit on his 97 850 GLT. We had to remove the fuel rail since the fuel lines were routed a little differently, but overall the job was not hard. Took us the good part of a day since we ran to the store a few times for a tool I didn;t have, etc and we lost a screwdriver somewhere along the way. We also managed to break the transmission dipstick accidentally, but that was about the worst of it. My automotive expertise up to that point was replacing disc brakes, so this was diving in for me at the time.

Jeff

 

Word!

I plan on getting a linkage from one of the NA 850s at the local yard.

Guys on CLubLexus say just get Toyota coolant (red), which is why I ask.

As always, please take your crap fluids to somewhere that takes old fluids.


As far as the PCV job goes, I would rate it as a skill level of 6/10.

The hardest part was when I realized that the bolt holding the dipstick bracket broke, so I cut off some of the extensions on the intake manifold, and made my own bracket for the dipstick.

Other than that...not too bad.


The radiator job looks more difficult actually.

just got my Cryomax radiator in this afternoon. Actually is was the morning, since I decided to stay out all night and sleep in until noon...lol

 

Here is a link for those that need it: http://www.lakesidedp.com/uploadpics/pcv/

Awsome VJZ.
So you still want to do the catch can? I think I will being doing one after all.
And when are you going to do swaybar upgrade? That will help make a big difference.

 

I don't think I'll do a catch can, considering I just did the whole PCV system, save for the intake. I suppose if I could figure it out how to work WITH the PCV system...maybe. But honestly, its my daily driver, and I'm not out to make this car a F&F Dominic Torretto special...lol.

I think i can safely say my biggest plans for this car are an MBC, iPD color matched A-pillar pod, gauges to fit, BOV, lowering springs, and....get ready....WINDOW TINT!!!

lol

My car looks different than my sig, and I need to upload new pics...Damn snow!

And TIPSP, did you mean the sways on my SC? We're utilizing Daizen bushings on them.

I'm waiting to sell my MOMO racing seats so I can buy new tires for the SC.

 

Post up a couple of pics of the seats.
I meant sways for the wagon [sm=smiley2.gif], but I guess it doesnt really matter!

 

Soory for out of the way question but I am still trying to add a Sig picture and wonder how it is done? ...