Hi there! Just bought my Volvo 850 Turbo, 1995. This is my second Volvo 850 (bought my first from a sketchy dealer who forgot to disclose a blown head gasket), but still loved the car. Love this one now, did my due diligence.
Couple codes came up when diagnosing:

232
315

I was told that the car's fuel system is "too rich", and that 315 is an "EVAP" code. I am a total newb when it comes to cars, but I am totally willing to get my hands dirty and learn some new things, and to do any repair that I can by myself.

I was told by the mechanic at the pre-purchase inspection that I would need to do work on the "PCV system". Now that I think about it, I really should have asked for more specifics. Oh well.

Some things I have done:

I looked at the vacuum lines the best I could, and saw nothing ragged or seemingly out of place.
I did notice that there's some wet oil around the oil cap.
I pulled the dipstick when the engine was hot, and saw zero smoke.

Any thoughts on what I should do/where I should start?

Thank you so much!

 

oil is probably because of the PCV. here are the codes you'll get: http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/read-codes-volvo-850

 

 

Thank you so much! Do you think that PCV replacement is a job a beginner could/should attempt? I don't mind if it takes a long time, I just don't want to mess up anything major in the process. I know that 5-6 hours of labour in the shop + the parts is going to run me over 1000, so if I can do it just for the cost of the parts, that would be preferable

 

i would argue that yes, i did mine over the summer and i have little experience doing any major repairs. it will take some patience but make sure you keep everything organized and have the right tools. also, from personal experience i would be ready to use new bolts on the manifold because i had one break on me and thankfully was able to get it out but would not risk it. i cannot say for sure, but if your car has an EGR valve be ready to fight with it to get the manifold back on. just be ready for some snags cause it will almost definitely not go as planned.

 

The '95 cars do have EGR system so this video will be perfect for you.

 

If I do the PCV service, would this stop most oil leaks and fix a possible vacuum leak. I check all my hoses and I found nothing out of the ordinary or any age/damage/holes.

 

I wouldnt say it would stop those. It will help the oil leaks depending on how badly clogged the system is. For the vacuum part you're gonna be taking some hoses off, so from there you might as well check around for any suspicious lines. Just pay a lot of attention to anything you do. Everything will make sense, unless you have to refer to the vacuum diagram lol

 

The black box itself isn't anything special. It's just a slightly baffled box to separate oil from the vapor going into the intake to be burned. Unless the ports of the box are plugged you likely only need to replace the hoses. The hoses can and do break down internally more often than externally so looking usually won't tell you their condition or if they are plugged internally.

You also want to make sure to carefully remove and clean the PTC valve in the intake tube just before the turbo.

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...c.php?p=226269

https://www.google.com/#q=volvo+ptc+cleaning