2005 volvo v70 185 bhp fumes from dipstick-ptc valve?

[sv70]

Hi,my problem is with my 2005 V70 D5 185bhp engine,i have slight fumes coming from the dipstick tube and filler cap-[opened]I have tried the glove over the filler neck and it does inflate but not to the extent where it would burst,just fills it moderately.I have cleaned the egr valve [gunged up]and the oil flame trap/separator and tubes,and also replaced both front and rear vac engine mounts then i read on the forums the ptc valve can cause this problem.After watching the how to clean ptc's i tried to have a go but when i got to the position of the ptc there was nothing that looked like a ptc valve i'd seen on the forum,no electrical connections,only a metal pipe curling around something where the ptc valve fits,so my question is where is the ptc valve on my car so that i can clean it.Incidentally mileage is 274000 and it pulls like a train with no fault codes at all,any info would be gratefully received as i am new to the volvo marque,cheers

[cheshired5]

If you have positive crankcase pressure, revving the engine will increase the pressure and inflate the glove more so try the glove test again but with a helper on the throttle.
I'll bet good money that you don't have a pressure issue and by the time it reaches 1500 revs, the glove will be sucked back in as it should.

Afterwards, if you have a vacuum tester, put it directly onto the vacuum pump to make sure you have a steady vacuum reading above 20 in/hg.
Any needle flickering on the vac gauge points towards a vacuum pump seal problem.

[sv70]

Thanks for the fast reply,i will try your suggestions tomorrow and post the results,it was bothering me because of all the problems i have seen on the forums regarding blowing oil seals,can i also just say thanks for the how to's you have done on you tube,they have helped me do various jobs on my car,cheers.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by sv70

Hi,my problem is with my 2005 V70 D5 185bhp engine,i have slight fumes coming from the dipstick tube and filler cap-[opened]I have tried the glove over the filler neck and it does inflate but not to the extent where it would burst,just fills it moderately.I have cleaned the egr valve [gunged up]and the oil flame trap/separator and tubes,and also replaced both front and rear vac engine mounts then i read on the forums the ptc valve can cause this problem.After watching the how to clean ptc's i tried to have a go but when i got to the position of the ptc there was nothing that looked like a ptc valve i'd seen on the forum,no electrical connections,only a metal pipe curling around something where the ptc valve fits,so my question is where is the ptc valve on my car so that i can clean it.Incidentally mileage is 274000 and it pulls like a train with no fault codes at all,any info would be gratefully received as i am new to the volvo marque,cheers

I wouldn't worry too much , even recent ones have plenty of fumes inside waiting to get out when you take the oil cap off .

[skyship007]

If you don't have an oil consumption issue there is no need to clean the crank case vent system. It probably will never get blocked if you use good quality oil changed at sensible intervals and don't overfill it.
The oil filler cap or dipstick will have some type of seal and it is worth checking to make sure it has not split, as that can cause fumes to enter the engine bay and work their way into the fresh air or heater intake in some cars.

[sv70]

Thanks for the reassurance Clan, i just got a bit jittery on reading the seals can blow and didn't want that to happen for the sake of cleaning a ptc valve,also thanks-Skyship007,i did have a visible fumes/vapour coming from the front of the engine which turned out to be a split y branch rubber hose on the metal pipe going over the top of the engine to one of the oil flame trap/separator connections,which i managed to overcome by cutting off the split and moving down the jubilee clip to a good section of rubber because the cover of rubber onto the metal pipe was long enough to do this,i have put good oil [shell helix]in as soon as i purchased it,to help prolong engine life,but i will check the seals you mention,thanks.

[sv70]

I have just tried the glove test and revved the engine to 1500 rpm,the glove remained inflated,tried around 2500 rpm and still no change apart from some small spots of oil entering the glove,so i also tried a vacuum gauge direct on the vac pump and at tickover-750 rpm the reading was only 5 hg and the needle was flickering around 1hg either way,after going up to around 2000 rpm the needle just went to 6 hg,so does this mean the vac pump has had it and would that be the cause of the fumes from the dipstick tube and inflated glove at 1500 rpm,thanks.

[sv70]

Sorry,I cocked up doing the vacuum reading on the vac pump,i didnt blank off the spare on the vac gauge T piece,i have just took another reading and it is showing 30hg and steady at tickover,so does that mean there is a problem with the vac pump, as that is 10hg more than chesired5 said it should be,thanks

[Clan]

Originally Posted by sv70

Sorry,I cocked up doing the vacuum reading on the vac pump,i didnt blank off the spare on the vac gauge T piece,i have just took another reading and it is showing 30hg and steady at tickover,so does that mean there is a problem with the vac pump, as that is 10hg more than chesired5 said it should be,thanks

that is an excellent reading, although your gauge may be slightly over reading as it is impossible to get a perfect vacuum of 29.9 in/hg :-)

[sv70]

Thanks Clan,at least that eliminates the vac pump,but i still have the fumes from the dipstick-[dipstick removed] issue,i still don't know if my engine has a ptc valve though,as i was hoping by cleaning it,that would stop the fumes,or any other possible causes would be interesting to hear,thanks.