Bought it back from a mate with the advice “the motor or turbo or something is rooted”.

I washed it, and the body/paint are ok so I am not immediately inclined to scrap it.

It starts and runs, badly.

As soon as it starts, it belches smoke from the exhaust and somewhere at the back of the motor/turbo.

Give it a rev and it pops the dipstick out of the dipstick tube and it belches smoke from the tube.

The oil that is in the motor is used but fairly clean.

I am NOT in denial here: the signs clearly point to a lot of combustion pressure getting into the crankcase. But the smoke from the turbo is making me wonder if maybe there’s some weird variation of a blocked crankcase breather or something??

Edit: 200,xxx km on the odo. Hasn’t been flogged, will have been given reasonable maintenance but not pampered.

Turbo passes the “spins freely and doesn’t wobble too much when you put your fingers onto the compressor wheel” test.

Blocked pcv will stop the turbo oil return from draining properly, sending excess oil out the seals, usually on the intake side.

Bare minimum you would need to at least clean breather box and replace the hoses + intake manifold gasket.

Oily throttle body will also make it run rough as guts on startup.

Removed the oil filler cap and started it - still the same.

Should probably do a compression test to make sure, but I can’t see how the motor isn’t rooted.

Tell me if I am wrong.

15 days later

Try the rubber glove test at the oil filler cap to see if the PCV is blocked. Remove the cap and stretch a soft rubber or latex glove over the opening. Start the car and watch what the glove does. If it inflates your PCV is blocked, if it gets sucked in by vacuum the PCV is working fine. This costs nothing and could eliminate unnecessary spending.

The PCV kit isn't that dear from Volvo, around $200 for box, seal, 2 hoses and inlet manifold gasket. It can be a pain to replace due to a fitting under the inlet manifold. Plenty of videos online to show how it's done.

9 days later

Spac, I have a spare parts car if required. Its complete, Including a new turbo ::

Call me if you need any bits, you know Im cheap :)

© 2013-2023 Oz Volvo. All rights reserved. | Forum Rules | Privacy Policy