pcv valve

[migoreng]

should a pcv valve be fully wet with oil whem you take it out? mine is even after checking it overnight.

i did an oil change 1300-1400km ago and i've had to top up around 700-800ml of oil (just hit 180,000. did oil change at 178,700ish).....i bought a 5L bottle and i've got just over 4L oil left after topping up.

i have been told my valve stem seals are worn but i don't think i should be loosing this much oil. 95% of the time i drive without visble smoke...other times i get stupid blue tint smoke coming out of my exhaust. a few mechs have said my pcv is fine but i don't think so.
they seem to think a pcv will last for ever and you shouldn't have to change it.

yeah..this is still sorta related to my blue/whitish smoke during idle/and slow speeds.

i took it out and gave it a shake..i don't think it rattled straight away i. i had to shake it for another few seconds then i could hear it rattle a little...

any ideas?
also how much is a generic one pcv valve and where can i get one?? should i also change the rubber tube between the pcv valve and intake manifold?
i'm starting to think they may be craploads of oil somewhere between my airfilter and intake...i stil have to take my air filter out and have a look. i can't find the right tool at the moment to take my battery clamp off >_<
thanks..
:wave:

[JasonGilholme]

PCV Valve should be changed every 40,000 k's (if i remember rightly)

They certainly do not last forever thats for sure.

OEM PCV Valves can be quite expensive but if you search on ebay you'll find some generic item that would be usable. :thumbsup:

[migoreng]

what about normal auto shops? (i've heard supercheap/autobarn won't' be able to get em)
does a pcv valve have specifications? like spring pressure?
anyone know what i should be looking for? h22a engine...
getting sick of mechanics that can't tell me the correct things... ><

with a pcv valve can it sometimes malfunction? like for a few mins it might stay open when it's supposed to closed..but then it will work fine for a while...then get stuck again later?

[absolutR]

expensive??????????
man they're like 40-50 bux from honda..

[migoreng]

expensive??????????
man they're like 40-50 bux from honda..

i guess i should just get an oem one.
$40-50 for a pcv valve that lasts 40,000km (2-3 years) is nothing...

[migoreng]

You are using excess oil and that is why your PCV valve is not working because it's full of oil. The oil is ending up in the PCV system after by passing your rings. Either you have worn oil control rings or worn valve stem seals. Simply replacing the PCV valve will not cure the problem.

no idea what you said...
my pcv valve is not working because it's full of oil...

so it's ful of oil and i shouldn't change it?

[jdm_kid]

no idea what you said...

other words, time for a rebuilt

[migoreng]

ah thought my engine would last longer...it just hit 180,000km...
guess i will book my car in for a rebuild sometime in the next few weeks then...
any idea how much it will cost and what needs to be done?

[bennjamin]

start by calling hannys and getting a number - 9725 5115. ask for robert or peter.

get a LEAK DOWN test to work out where there is leaks in your engine....valves or head or rings etc.

[migoreng]

compression test was fine a week ago it seems..i couldn't be told if my car was doing 200 across all 4 cylinders or something...apparently i'm doing around 135-145 across all cylinders but the needle on the guage only popped 3 times..so i guess my car was cranked 3 times only..
leak test was done was wasn't a proper one i think...
i was told my radiator pressure was fine..so coolant is not leaking anywhere at all...
well before the test i knew that my radiator wasn't leaking or anything...i specifically asked for a compression test and leak down test...
oh well..that sucks that it couldn't be done for me...

so now you think it's best for me to go to Hannys and pay for a proper leak down test?

basically i still need to find a mechanic that i can trust...gettinig sick of ppl that can't tell me the right things...
i will see how good Hannys is then...may drop by on Sat or something.
my car drives fine!...perfectly fine...it's not rough at all..pretty smooth for the km it has done...my fuel usage is like 10.2L/100km avg...
><

[jdm_kid]

u will have to leave the car over night, a leak down test has to be done when the car is dead cold i think? or am i getting mixed up ben ?

[T-onedc2]

migoreng: I was suffering similar smoke problems until on the weekend I removed the PCV, blew into it both ends and found it flowed both ways and didn't close. Rinsed it in degreasing handwash and water, flushed it clean, cleared the build up and now it only flows one way as it should, reinstalled and no smoke since.

[dsp26]

compression test was fine a week ago it seems..i couldn't be told if my car was doing 200 across all 4 cylinders or something...apparently i'm doing around 135-145 across all cylinders but the needle on the guage only popped 3 times..so i guess my car was

erm wtf.. should be 210-220psi... i know you said 'mechanic' but di they do it:
- warm temp
- throttle wide open
- i crank about 4-5times just to be sure...

[migoreng]

yeah engine was sorta warm...been off for 10mins or so after a 5km drive..
wide open throttle? i don't think so?
the person turning the key was standing outside i think...i can't remember..i didn't know the pedal had to be floored before before...i thought the key just had to a turned with the guage screwed in...
crank 4 or 5 times? definately not 5 times
like i said needle popped 3 times or something...
i think it went something like 75 then popped to 110? then popped to ~140

..so i guess if it was cranked 5 or 6 times it would have been something like 70 > 110 > 140 > 180> 220 ?? which is what i want right? somewhere around 200+ ???





mr migoreng go get it done.

sigh..
another $30-40 at hannys?

[bennjamin]

u will have to leave the car over night, a leak down test has to be done when the car is dead cold i think? or am i getting mixed up ben ?

best if warm/hot so everything is expanded and seated.
a compression test is done when HOT too
A air tool is inserted into a spark plug hole , and air pumped in and the exit place observed

as an example - air from exhaust indicates worn exhaust valves or stems , air bubbles in coolant is headgasket , air from throttle body is worn intake valves or stems etc


mr migoreng go get it done.

[migoreng]

pulled out my pcv valve just then, still connected to the intake manifold. gave it a shake just then..
a soft shake doesn't make any rattling at all..
a slightly harder continous shake will make a tiny rattle but it's not even...it will sorta make 2 clicks, stop then click again...if you know what i mean...

[jdm_kid]

for compression test, u crank until the needle stops and cant go any furthur. ie if u keep cranking and the needle does move above 200~ then ur compression for the cylinder is 200psi

[bennjamin]

pulled out my pcv valve just then, still connected to the intake manifold. gave it a shake just then..
a soft shake doesn't make any rattling at all..
a slightly harder continous shake will make a tiny rattle but it's not even...it will sorta make 2 clicks, stop then click again...if you know what i mean...

the proper way to test your PCV , is to CLAMP the rubber hose from the PCV while the engine idles.
If its fine working order it will CLICK CLICK or rattle as the engine idles. If no noise its likely clogged or failed so time to replace with a new one

[bennjamin]

http://www.ozhonda.com/gallery/data/500/PCV_test.jpg

[migoreng]

will i be able to hear the click over the engine idling?

[bennjamin]

i can with my one on my engine.
use a DIY stethoscope (long flat headed screwdriver) - place one end on the pipe itself or close to the pcv , and place your ear on the handle. you should be able to hear the click click

[dsp26]

i can with my one on my engine.
use a DIY stethoscope (long flat headed screwdriver) - place one end on the pipe itself or close to the pcv , and place your ear on the handle. you should be able to hear the click click

lol the ONLY end... i'd hate to have the flathead in my hear :p

tried that when you first mentioned it last year.. works better with a real long one though

[migoreng]

the tube going from the pcv valve is bloody hard.
can't pinch it at all with my fingers...
gave it another shake up and down..
is it meant to make a really noticable sound?
cause all mine is making is a couple of very soft 'ticks' even though i'm shaking it up and down as fast i as i can 15 times...
sounds like it's stuck or something

[bennjamin]

lol the ONLY end... i'd hate to have the flathead in my hear :p

tried that when you first mentioned it last year.. works better with a real long one though

better watch out or ill get a neg rep for someone taking that literally while im trying to help out assuming the reader has common sense rofl ;)

big long one with a big solid plastic handle is best ! works

[dsp26]

the tube going from the pcv valve is bloody hard.
can't pinch it at all with my fingers...
gave it another shake up and down..
is it meant to make a really noticable sound?
cause all mine is making is a couple of very soft 'ticks' even though i'm shaking it up and down as fast i as i can 15 times...
sounds like it's stuck or something

use a small vice grip

[migoreng]

so hannys don't want to do a compression/leak down test for me..there's no point..
called good performance centre at yennora as well
and they go my car should be shaking? and stuff because they say my valve stem seals are worn and my rings are bad...topping up 700ml of oil after 1000km is bad...and i should be blowing a massive blue cloud of smoke after starting the car...

well my car drives pretty smooth...my car was parked for a few days and no blue smoke puffed out at startup when i drove it yesterday.
i don't get constant smoke...after a hard drive i can walk to the exhaust and nothing is coming out

it seems mechanics like to make things sound worse than it actaully is...

so what now? who can help me without palming me off? or do they expect me to come to their workshop and say 'i'll leave my car here, please change my valve stem seals, piston rings for $2000'..thanks?

i'll go get my self a new pcv valve later anyway...

[migoreng]

omfg..
now i know what people mean by a pcv valve rattling.
a new one bloody rattles like a metal ball inside a spray can.
my old pcv valve doesn't make any noise like that at all !!..

[beeza]

haha sweet mi :)

[migoreng]

quick q...
it seems like the new pcv is more free flowing than my old one..
is there a problem if too much gases are let through the valve?
it seems there's really little resisitance with a new pcv so it might be letting heaps more gasses back into the manifold while my old one may not have let much back into the intake manifold at all...

cheers

[bennjamin]

its a small valve which seals under WOT preventing oil blow by from entering your intake charge. dont worry about it , thats a normal noise.

tell us how your oil consumption is after awhile

[migoreng]

gee had a real close look the honda valve..the honda one is heaps better in quality than this $20 one.

i've used a screw driver to push the old valve in and i can feel a soft spring but the new valve appears to have a very weak spring or no spring at all!!
that's why i asked if this new pcv valve of mine will let through too much air...
is there anything bad if a pcv valve flows too much?
so far my car idles fine...will take it for a cruise later
:D

[T-onedc2]

I was under the impression you got a Honda PCV, I've heard it's best to get OEM as the spring tension may not be quite right.

[dsp26]

gee had a real close look the honda valve..the honda one is heaps better in quality than this $20 one.

i've used a screw driver to push the old valve in and i can feel a soft spring but the new valve appears to have a very weak spring or no spring at all!!
that's why i asked if this new pcv valve of mine will let through too much air...
is there anything bad if a pcv valve flows too much?
so far my car idles fine...will take it for a cruise later
:D

installed my new onda one today ($47 i think) and your right.. seems weaker than whatever i had on.

[migoreng]

I was under the impression you got a Honda PCV, I've heard it's best to get OEM as the spring tension may not be quite right.

does the spring tension really make a difference?

well drove 60km here and there...car drives fine still.
><

[T-onedc2]

yeah it's what I read in one of Bennjamin's posts, but if it works then all good :thumbsup:

[migoreng]

yeah it's what I read in one of Bennjamin's posts, but if it works then all good :thumbsup:

BUT...i did puff out blue smoke twice with the new pcv valve...is some oil still stuck in intake manifold or something? i dunno

i will need to do more driving first then see where my oil level is at...
meh i'm really thinking of installing an oil catch can...how hard is it to do lol

anyone have one and can comment on how many ml it catches? like 100 or 200ml of oil every 1000km...?

[T-onedc2]

well with mine I just took it out and rinsed it thoroughly, checked flow during rinsing by blowing in each end and not the slightest puff since.

[migoreng]

oh yeah got a new rubber seal as well. the old one was full hard and had dried up oil and stuff! looked shocking.
also i didn't change the rubber tube...
what can i use to clean it?

[T-onedc2]

I used some Amway LOC degreasing handwash lol, I guessed detergent would work too but hand wash might be more gentle

[beeza]

Yeah a Catch can is easy,I got one.I had it in for a year,took it out cause I thought it was hardly catching anything but a couple of months later I put it in again cause it definately catches some oil.I plan on tracking my car soon so I know it will definately be catching oil on the track.Not a necessity but I would rather the blow back oil go into the catchcan than the Intake Manifold.
To hook it up,you use what the PCV hose is connected to at both ends.So one hose runs from the PCV end to the catchcan and the other hose from the Intake Manifold to the catch can.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/CatchCan.jpg

[migoreng]

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l287/beeza2/CatchCan.jpg

cool

but i'm wondering how does oil go up to the pcv valve?
does it only happens at high rpm?
what if you drove your car under 3000rpm for a while..could you say your catch can will be close to empty?

[beeza]

Under high RPM it must be able to make it up the tube...
Under 3000rpm,I doubt very much that you will get blow back.

[migoreng]

so you are saying drive using the bottom half of the rpm range and you will get very little oil going up the pcv valve...stay in the top half rpm range often and your oil catch can will fill up fast?
i did some testing today..
stayed under 3000/3500rpm all the way to work...and same all the way home. 40km total.

from what i could see i didn't leave any blue smoke at all today like i did every other day last week...

i'm gonna do this for a little and see what happens with my oil level
><

[beeza]

No the catch can will catch very little.I've heard in my d-series after a track session you might catch 10-15mm at most.
It's hardly even worth checking for street driving,a little bit might go in there but it's oil so it just sticks to the inside of the catchcan and hoses,it wouldn't even fill up at all on the bottom.
I drive my d-series to redline 6,500rpm all the time and just a dirty catchcan but no oil on the bottom as such.Most people take them out after a year cause they would raher the engine space or it's not doing anything.It does stop that crap from going in your intake manifold but big deal really.I'm just a clean person.The only reason I put it back was cause I'm gonna track it.

[migoreng]

hmm
i've read from people that h22as can suck up oil through the pcv valve after hard driving...which after a while will leak oil into the IM and then you will puff a cloud of blue smoke...
but a good pcv valve is meant to reduce oil consumption.?
so i don't get it..
is this just how the h22a engine is?
i don't blow a cloud of blue smoke when starting my car...so does that mean my valve stem seals are okay?

if they are fine how so how exactly am i loosing oil could it have been the pcv valve the past few months?
it has only been 2 days since i got my new pcv valve so i gotta see how i go in the next 1000km.
cheers for your replies again.

[TheGoodDeal]

BUT...i did puff out blue smoke twice with the new pcv valve...is some oil still stuck in intake manifold or something? i dunno

i will need to do more driving first then see where my oil level is at...
meh i'm really thinking of installing an oil catch can...how hard is it to do lol

anyone have one and can comment on how many ml it catches? like 100 or 200ml of oil every 1000km...?

I have DIY oil catch can with steel wool inside to catch oil fume. It catched about 3 oil's bottle caps of oils after 1 year. I'm daily driver. My car didn't blow any blue smoke before and after install catch can. I didn't need to top up any oils between every 6 months (10,000 Kms) services.