PCV valve LH 3.2L engine

Has anyone here checked the PCV valve on the 3.2L second gen. LH engine (3.5L is similar)? I haven't tried it yet, but it looks awfully cramped back there in the very rear of the hood compartment because of close clearances. Even the simple PCV hose disappears in maze of spaghetti. Any hints or tricks out there?

My air filter smells a little oily and I figure its time for a PCV check. Which hose is the "Make Up Air" and which is the "Cylinder Head To Intake Manifold PCV" hose?

Mopar Part #s and Prices I found:

4573561 (1999 3.2L) pcv valve $ 6.97 4792256 (1999 3.2L) make up air hose $ 2.51 4663961 (1999 3.2L) PCV -manifold hose $ 9.99
Reply to
Greg Houston
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Greg,

The plumbing to the PCV valve is a single hose from the rear of the left (U.S. driver's side) valve cover - a couple of 90° bends in it. The make up air hose is a short hose from the rear of the right valve cover into the plenum attached to the throttle body (cowl/rear of engine area)

- can't miss it.

Be sure to check the PCV hose - I discovered about 6 months ago that my PCV hose was completely choked off with dry soot in one of the 90° bends. The rubber was also softening in places, almost gooey. I ended up replacing the PCV valve and the hose - that's on a 2.7L, but the plumbing is very similar (schematically identical, though exact hose attach points and shapes are different).

Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")

Reply to
Bill Putney

Thanks Bill. Yeah, I can see the PCV and everything back there, but they=

sure don't give you any room to work, as the PCV valve is tandalizingly j= ust beyond the hood opening.....

Oil sure doesn't do rubber any favors, but I guess it was the best materi= al they had for the hose.

Reply to
Greg Houston

You'll find there's *just enough* room to get it out of there. It clears, but without any room to spare.

Wasn't hard, though. Nothing at all like the PITA changing the belts is.

--Geoff

Reply to
Geoff

Are there any brands of PCV valves that are better than others? Or should I get the MOPAR part?

Yeah, I'll think I"ll outtask that job to the dealer.

Reply to
Greg Houston

I think in the case of PCV valves, I'd go with the OEM part. I've seen some pretty crappy aftermarket PCV valves even in the major brands, including Purolator.

BTW - all the visual clutter around in the PCV valve area of your engine I think is the cooling system hoses - heater hoses tee-ing into the hoses going to the pressurized coolant reservoir, etc.

Bill Putney (to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with "x")

Reply to
Bill Putney

I noticed something interesting from the 2002 LH service manual. The PCV hose on these vehicles contains a heat exchanger. Coolant from the cooling system is circulated through this inline heat exchanger. I suspect that this improves engine performance somewhat by cooling the hot PCV gases before they enter the intake manifold, although I can't imagine the gain would be that great with this setup.

But get this: Step one for replacing the PCV hose is to drain the engine coolant. Good grief.

I have a 99 LH vehicle, and my service manual for this model year makes no mention of this, and I didn't notice anything like that on the car, so I guess my year was spared.

Anyone know why Chrysler did this?

Reply to
Greg Houston

I can't imagine it either. Maybe it's actually supposed to warm the vapor in cold climates to prevent the vapors from condensing out in the line before getting to the intake?

Holy cats. And I thought the liquid-cooled alternator on some Cadillacs was the height of unnecessary stupidity....

Reply to
Steve

Reply to
mic canic

How is a car that's left overnight in sub zero freezing weather going to have any heat at all in the cooling system to keep this condensation warm enough to not freeze? Not to mention that when the engine isn't running that the coolant isn't circulating to keep this part warm.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

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