legacycentral bbs

Hi guys,

Last night I was checking the PCV valve due to high oil consumption (about a quarter every 1500 miles).

Well, i've replaced it (PCV) not long ago and it was still Ok. But I've ended up removing the hose and was astonished with the amount of gunk in there.

Then I nwas able to remove the "T" shaped plastic connection and took me at least 30 minutes to "clean" with carb cleaner and paper towel since it was almost clogged. Looking down, i could see a lot of sludge inside the engine. I'm a bit worried.

What part of the engine is that (the one the PCV hose routes to)? I have circled the connection between them in red in the pic bellow. There is a lot of gunk in there...

Anyways, I might be up for a throttle body clean st least. However, car runs great, idle is fine, and I have put more than 10k miles this year alone. Mileage is surprinsily good averaging 25 mpg. Thanks in advance.

Thiago

That is the PCV system or positive crankcase ventilation system. It is common for that system and the hoses to get gunked up. You can clean it how you have done. As long as it's not blocked it should be ok, so that's the big thing I think you should ensure.

Thanks Josh. Maybe when doing a clutch job I'll be able to reach "that part of the block" and cleanup a bit more. I have sprayed down some carb cleaner in there as well and was wondering where the lose gunk ended up and the consequences (if any). Cheers.

That vent on the block will drain back down into the oil pan. It will pass through the passages of the block and oil separator plate and then back into the oil pan. As long as there aren't any big chunks it should drain into the oil pan.

What I'd suggest is when you change your oil spray a bunch of brake or carb cleaner down there and try to flush the gunk out. You'd want to make sure that the solvent is drained out as it will dilute the oil.

Hi Dlee

The other day I was replacing the PCV valve and accidently broke that plastic T-shaped conexion (I think my PCV hose is old and too stiff). I have already replaced it, but my temporary fix with epoxi was holding up pretty well.

When I pulled the engine few months ago I was able to super clean the bell housing and replaced the oil separator plate as well. Also, I've read somewhere that using too thick oil could cause excessive slugde in there. My onwer's manual says 20w40 particularly for sustained high RPM (sovietic driving as we call it), but I'm still to try 5w30 for city driving / light use. What engine oil are you using?

cheers