So I might have a PCV system about to kick the bucket. It 50/50s the glove test, it sucks the glove very slightly but not as forcefully as I see in videos. I haven't got the time to DIY or money for the 2021 labor cost of replacing the PCV system. I was thinking of using this Valve Cover Breather (since it has a check ball to keep air from being sucked in): . Will it work though given the strange oil fill design on these cars? Most other cars have a much deeper oil cap. Anyone try Valve Cover Breathers on these cars? Or will I have to bite the bullet and pay all my emergency fund savings to get the PCV system replaced since on these turbo cars it's a pain in the *** to get to.

 

why not pull out the dipstick to vent the crankcase and save even more money (not serious)? My personal recommendation is to fix this right and keep your car healthy for another 100K miles. If you're sucking in the glove or it fluffs in/out, it doesn't sound like you have a clogged PCV but a properly equipped shop can actually measure the pressure for you. Also note that the PCV service differs by model year. Older cars like the 850s were a pain since as noted you'd need to pull up the intake manifold to get at the hoses and you'd need to rod out the block ports as part of the process. Newer models can have just the oil separator serviced so best to look into what's right for your car.

 

Going off of this video it looks to be the same process on the 2004 S60. .

 

There’s two different problems that can happen with the PCV. First, it can become clogged - that results in increased pressure in the crankcase and valve covers because blow-by gasses can’t escape. Venting your valve cover might be a possible solution to that problem.

Second, the PCV diaphragm can be torn or stiff, causing the whining noise. The whining is a leak - air being pulled past the PCV when the intake manifold and throttle body is under vacuum (i.e., mainly at idle), and this leak will cause your car to run lean - not a good thing to do for very long. So, in this scenario, blow-by gases are not building up - they can escape just fine. The problem is a vacuum leak, and venting your valve cover will not solve unless you disconnect the old PCV from the throttle body and block the opening in the throttle body. This because even if you vent the valve cover, the throttle body is still pulling air through the PCV valve.

All of this presumes that the PCV actually has a problem in the first place. The noise might not be the PCV, or might be just a tiny leak or some stiffness that’s not yet causing much of a problem.

 

The whistling noise I've traced to be linked to the power steering somehow. Turning the wheel all the way left causes it to get much more noticable. The PCV I'm worried about as the car doesn't suck in the glove the way it shows on videos, but also isn't filling it up (yet). I'm probably gonna get the breather if it will fit as I'm worried that crankcase pressures are getting too high.

 

I think you’re probably fine. Ideally, crankcase pressure is near neutral - not strongly evacuated or pressurized. But it will fluctuate a bit. If your PCV is blocked, crankcase pressure will build up and the glove will inflate, particularly on revving the engine when there are more blow-by gasses. A high mileage car with worn rings might also give a little inflation of the glove even with a good PCV system. If the PCV is torn or leaking, the glove will get sucked in more strongly at idle as the throttle body vacuum has free access to the crankcase/valves and is not properly blocked by the diaphragm.

 

Gonna go with the worn out rings or something cause this car just ran a 17.8 and down about 10mph from what I looked up to be stock at the dragstrip. These are supposed to run mid 14s right? I was up against a Regal GS and he ran a 14.7. (ignore the date it was today, I will say it was 32 degrees Celsius when I made my pass but still 17.8 seems really really slow for this car.

​​​​​​I didn't know much about Volvos when I bought this and it shows. This car must have been through hell and back.

 

I have no idea what its supposed to run at the drag strip, but I imagine that 2004 car has well over a 100K on the odometer. It’s probably gonna have some ring wear and some coked up valves. Put a compression gauge on it and see what you get. The top of that T5 engine is so easy to access. You can borrow a gauge from the auto store, or buy one for 30-40 bucks - try to get one with an extension to get down into the plug holes (not sure what this engine looks like on the top - my 2012 has really deep holes).

 

​​​​​I will do this for sure. I love these cars just frustrated with how off the pace this one seems. My grandfather has a 2006 and it feels much faster at WOT.