I'm not sure myself, is this another reference to the PCV?

 

If that is what is causing the issues then yes, the oil separator is the PCV, aka flame trap. It's a fairly involved job, lots of removing things to get access to the plumbing that is mounted to the block behind the intake manifold. I would recommend checking out the myriad of how-to threads on the subject to see if it's something you feel comfortable taking on before ordering the parts. Otherwise, get a second or third opinion from other mechanics on cost. I probably would not be driving the car with a clogged PCV as that excess positive pressure can cause seals to be pushed out of the motor and a much more expensive repair. I would also recommend the glove test to see how bad the clog is. Good luck.

 

+1 with the above.

Couple easy finds on the job, if you're not mechanically inclined to the degree you feel comfortable, pay someone to do it.
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?169899-Full-PCV-Service-B5254T2-(2-5T)
http://www.volvoxc.com/0/resources/how-to/pdf/VOLVOXC90PCVSYSTEMREPLACEMENT.pdf
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28487

 

Hi Wayne T5!

Thank you for your reply.

It makes sense about the seals because it appears they are leaking. I lost my job a couple of years ago and haven't been maintaining the vehicle the way I did previously, but it has had a good run--over 205,000K miles on it with no issues.

Now I have to decide if I'm up to the job and if the seals are leaking then it just may not be worth it. The transmission has been shifting hard lately as well.

I really appreciate you input.

Susan

 

Hey ggleavitt,

Great! Thanks! I will fully educate myself before getting into it. I really appreciate the videos!

Susan

 

Hey CDN XC90!

Yes it is.

Susan

 

Check this site out it has a great description of the procedure. http://www.brakeandfrontend.com/volvo-pulling-the-plug-on-plugged-oil-traps/

I was able to remove the oil trap without removing the intake. The trap was not that bad,neither were the holes in the engine block plugged up in my case it was the vacuum supply that was clogged.Look at Photo 16 in the link, bottom left corner of the photo you see 3 hoses the middle hose is the vacuum supply. I cut the insulation back which revealed a white hard plastic line. I cut the line off the bango bolt just slit it from the bolt back 1/2 inch,then cut the slit clean. I used wire to unplug the hole in the bolt and ran the same wire down the line into the oil trap. I used a 12 inch hose to couple the nipple on the bolt to the hard hose,only way to not have a kink in the line considering the work space.Make sure you use a thick hose the vacuum is considerable and will collapse a lesser hose.
OR
The quick and dirty way is to install a T-into the hose that runs from the valve cover (Location oil fill cap hose coming out of the base) to the oil trap. put a 1/2 inch T in and run a short hose to a cheap fuel filter,this will let the crankcase vent and the filter will block contaminates from entering during vacuum conditions.This will keep engine seals from blowing out do to internal pressure. "Note: this is a temp bypass just to keep rolling till the correct repair can be done"

 

put a 1/2 inch T in and run a short hose to a cheap fuel filter,this will let the crankcase vent and the filter will block contaminates from entering during vacuum conditions.

There are crankcase vent filters designed specifically for this purpose. I'd be concerned that a fuel filter might get clogged up with the oil vapors.

 

Few ways to fix the hose, here's another example- http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?240202-rebuilding-PCV-tubes

If any of you are planning on doing this job yourself and not replacing the expensive hose in full, good to have something in place in advance to repair. You'll come across this problem on number of other posts, it's reasonably common for the little hose to break (think the T6 even has it as a separate replaceable part).

If you have a 2003 to 2006 2.5T or 2.9T with over 150k miles on it, you might be thinking about this thread and the others relating to PCV service. Maybe not an emergency job right this second but bears consideration. Rest of world, you get the 5-cylinder engine variant I think until the line runs out in 2014 so it's applicable to you for a far greater timeframe, we lose these engines on the XC90 in the Americas after 2007.

It's not just the XC90, all of the 5 and 6 cylinders in other Volvo models (30/40/50/60/70/80) have the same oil trap system in one form or another. Think it maybe even goes much farther back as a sound environmental "feature" of the white blocks when they show up in the early 90s.

For V8 and 3.2 (I6) owners, those engines have much simpler PCV systems (uh, valve and hose) so you need not concern yourself about this service, it applies only to the 5 and 6 cylinders.

Lots of tests to check to see if things are generally working (rubber glove over the oil fill hole, +/-.5kPa gauge with a hose on the dipstick hole, one or two other ways I think show up on the web). If the system is not working properly (positive pressure is never a good thing on any of these tests), best to get it sorted out sooner than later, avoid adding seal replacement labor to the mix.

As a point of reference, I do mine at around the same time I do my T-belt (100k). First time I replaced everything outright, the next time I'm probably doing new banjo bolt for the intake, gaskets (paper and copper), trap, injector and injector O-rings with everything else cleaned out. I have tubing ready and I'll likely drop the oil pan and do the sump seals and clean out the square passage since this will be my second service.

Something else to consider if you own an early XC90.

Another great write-up with photos here- http://forums.swedespeed.com/showth...hp?479649-No-more-smoke-on-Oil-tap-and-dipstick-Done-PCV-Service-B5254T2-(2-5T), even includes photos of the crappy plastic hose that was on a number of the pre-06 5 cylinders (mine broke at around 60k, didn't catch it before 75k).

 

yes, I had the same concern but after 3 weeks of use the milky residue I was expecting to fill up the filter drained down the pip to the oil trap (Gravity) and the small amount of moisture that did accumulate in the filter would burn off after a 30 min drive.I used a 3 inch pipe off the T and set the filter on the intake between the humps seem to work well.

 

Still, given the availability of both, I'd use the one designed for the purpose.