Volvo "Breather Box"/PCV System Replacement!

Hello,



I have a S60 Volvo with 105,700 miles and recently got a full maintenance done, my car was working fine before the maintance, but the Volvo repair shop said that at 105,000 miles it is important to get a “new timing belt” put in and for me to get my breaks replaced as well. After all of this was completed, they said that there is nothing wrong with my car and that they checked everything on my car. The next day my car began to make extremely loud noise when I pressed the breaks and when I put my car in park. I waited another day to see if the problem still occured and it did. I took my car back to the shop and they said that my “breather box” had a hole in it. My car has not leaked oil either! I think that they did not seal the valves properly when they replaced my timing belt and is causing the noise that I am hearing. Please help… They are saying that it will cost $700 to replace the “breather bix” and I think they caused the problem…

I’m not sure what you mean by “seal the valves” The only seals that would be dealt with in a timing belt replacement would possibly be a water pump seal if the water pump was done too, or maybe an oil seal. If either was bad, the car may leak, but would not likely make any unusual noises.

It’s possible that they damaged the “breather box” and what you are hearing is the unmuffled sound of the air intake of the engine, or it could be something different, such as the timing belt tensioner or something else under the hood. Or the box could have failed due to ‘old age’, since the car does have some miles on it. It hard to say what happened from the description you gave.

Can you describe what the noise sounds like and when it occurs? Is it a tapping noise that speeds up with engine speed, or a load moaning or roaring noise that gets louder the harder you accelerate? Or something else?

FYI, the timing belt DID need to be replaced at that mileage. If it would have failed, you would be looking at a very expensive engine rebuild or replacement.

Some Volvos have used a PCV valve of 1960s design that has been called an anti-backfire valve. When it fails the idle will be affected and oil might leak to the back of the engine and out the dipstick tube and the brake pedal might become more difficult to press. The valve is connected to what was long ago called the breather box as it was an oil separator with a road vent tube attached. But I am reading between the lines here FWIW.

They still use a variant of the box on the S60/S70 line. I checked out the one on my cousin’s 1999 S70 when I did a head gasket job, and was lucky enough to only need to replace some hoses.

The cam cover doesn’t need to be removed for just a timing belt, so “sealing the valves properly” doesn’t make sense. Also, if the cam cover is not installed properly, it will leak oil like crazy. The cam cover not only holds the cams in place, but channels pressurized oil to the cam bearing surfaces and lifters. You don’t want to remove the cam cover without a very specific reason, since resealing it correctly is a serious bear of a job.

Shucks, I meant to add that the only way I even saw the box was after I removed the intake manifold. I’m not sure it can be removed and replaced without removing the intake manifold first.

That may explain the high estimate. The box itself I found online for $30.00.
http://www.eeuroparts.com/Main/PartDetail.aspx?id=1271988

Hello,

The noise that I hear is loud, I actually feel my car vibrating when I step on the gas and when I put my car in park it actually gets worse as if someone is pressing on my gas. When I’m driving, I dont really hear the noise as much or my car vibrating. As far a oil, my car is not leaking any oil and it has not leaked any oil before I took my car in. Even when I took my car in and told them about the issue, the machanic “said that he found a hole in my “breather box or vent box” and said that he really cant show me the hole because it would be kind of hard to see and that its under another part on my car”. My car was fine before I took it in…they said that it would be $700 to replace the breather box…Can they patch up the hole, or is the hole that he is seeing apart of the breather box, which allows air pressure to release…

Hello,

The noise that I hear is loud, I actually feel my car vibrating when I step on the gas and when I put my car in park it actually gets worse as if someone is pressing on my gas. When I’m driving, I dont really hear the noise as much or my car vibrating. As far a oil, my car is not leaking any oil and it has not leaked any oil before I took my car in. Even when I took my car in and told them about the issue, the machanic “said that he found a hole in my “breather box or vent box” and said that he really cant show me the hole because it would be kind of hard to see and that its under another part on my car”. My car was fine before I took it in…they said that it would be $700 to replace the breather box…Can they patch up the hole, or is the hole that he is seeing apart of the breather box, which allows air pressure to release…

Hello,

The noise that I hear is loud, I actually feel my car vibrating when I step on the gas and when I put my car in park it actually gets worse as if someone is pressing on my gas. When I’m driving, I dont really hear the noise as much or my car vibrating. As far a oil, my car is not leaking any oil and it has not leaked any oil before I took my car in. Even when I took my car in and told them about the issue, the machanic “said that he found a hole in my “breather box or vent box” and said that he really cant show me the hole because it would be kind of hard to see and that its under another part on my car”. My car was fine before I took it in…they said that it would be $700 to replace the breather box…Can they patch up the hole, or is the hole that he is seeing apart of the breather box, which allows air pressure to release…