I've been working with a charity in rural NY state for close to 20 years... And they need a donated car that runs well for a theme-oriented use. It would be donated forever and they would probably only put a few thousand miles per year on it, but it will idle and ride around slowly the entire time lots...
Is there any way of removing the PCV valve and yet keep the mileage high? Maybe plug it or something? But a breather there?
They can change the plugs out when they foul (my car eats oil like most SLs of that timeframe) but the PCV valve can be costly or even hard to remember to do for them...
Seems to me that if you can afford to donate the car to them, you could afford to donate a couple years' supply of PCV valves too.
It's a five-dollar part that takes five minutes to change. What's the big deal? Oil changes cost a *lot* more, take longer to do, and are *far* more important. Why are you so worried about the damn PCV valve?
Just because they have the PCV valves doesn't mean they will use them... Once the car starts running badly, they may just ignore it - thus making the donation frugal for me, but worthless for them.
Anyhow... I've thought through it a bit and still think removal of the affected parts is the best idea if possible.
Anyone can perform the oil change... If "I" Am the PCV valve changer, I've got a 3 to 5 hour commute just to do it.
Why are you so bothered by the fact that I want it out?
The car burns oil. Can't be fixed cheaply. The PCV valve is one of the affected parts (gunks up, then the car runs like poop). The plugs are another. The plugs are an easy swap. The PVC valve probably is too, but it is beyond the average lawnmower mechanic - which is all they have besides me.
Now... Stop harassing me or I'll UPS you a load of used PCV valves! ...That there is a threat!
I know folks who take street cars and turn them into track cars remove the valve and related "stuff" to save even a little bit of weight without negative engine effects (it is, after all, a racing car at that point) so it should be possible to do on this "never to be used on the street again" vehicle. Anyone actually know how to do it rather than trying to convince me not to do it?
That means you need to think it through a little more still, IMHO.
Anyone can change a PCV valve, too.
I'm not bothered -- I'm just baffled.
See, this is what has me baffled -- can you explain why you believe that replacing the PCV valve is "beyond the average lawnmower mechanic"? That's not making any sense.
Most lawnmower mechanics know that a spark plug is. Some may even know how to change the oil in a mower... Although that is rare. Unless they have specific experience with cars, trucks, etc, chances are they don't know what a PCV valve is.
Do you know what a ER16M nut is or what a 560-8M-20 refers to without looking them up? Some of the most basic parts of a globally used machine and found on many other machines for years and years... However the average Joe (er... Better name?) won't have a clue what it is or how it works or even how to use it. In fact, I'd bet there are more ER16M "devices" in the world than PCV valves yet I'd also bet that the average person wouldn't have a clue how to install it or even remove what it retains.
Unless you have experience in a field, the fact is that you probably don't know what an item is. With the PCV valve - and with the way the camp is going to use the vehicle - I am relatively certain it would be forgotten about and then the car would run rough and then it would be put in a barn to await a mechanically acclimated person and then it would simply never be used again.
Oh, get real. In your previous post, you said that "anyone can perform the oil change" in a car. And now you say that it's "rare" for a lawnmower mechanic to know how to change the oil in a mower -- which is easier than changing oil in a car. Which is it: something that "anyone can perform", or something that it's "rare" to know how to do?
I'm quite honestly beginning to wonder if *you* know what a PCV valve is. You seem to be under the impression that replacing one is expensive, and difficult beyond the abilities of a normal lawnmower mechanic -- and you also think that removing it altogether won't have any harmful effect.
Do you have any idea what it's for? Hint: the reason there's a *valve* there is to allow crankcase gases to circulate one direction, but not the other. You propose to plug it (so that gases won't circulate at all), or remove it altogether (so that gases can circulate both directions). To me, this has "not a good idea" written all over it. The manufacturer put that valve there for a reason; that you think it might be a good idea to plug it shows clearly that you don't know what that reason is. Maybe you should find out.
.. none of which has *anything* to do with answering my question: Why do you think replacing a PCV valve is beyond the reach of the average lawnmower mechanic? It just ain't that hard. That you think it *is* suggests that, as another poster pointed out, you may have it confused with something else.
And is there something stopping you from explaining the importance of the valve, and showing them how to change it?
Hahahaha, maybe you should donate that good sh*t you're smoking, hahahahaha, PCV valve....and it's not even April!, lol......this is gettin deep, lol...sorry, this post is getting so ridiculous I had to laugh.
Your arrogance is astonishing -- you don't think that anyone else but you could learn how to do this, and it's beneath you to teach the lesser mortals.
Neither do I. I'm convinced that you've made up your mind -- for reasons unbeknownst to anyone else -- that you *need* to remove the PCV valve from this car, and are completely unwilling to listen to anyone who suggests that doing so is either unnecessary or unwise.
"Trolling for a response"?? The whole thread is in response to *your* question, not mine.
Odd... I was just thinking the same thing about you.
It wouldn't have become so strange if people answered with technical advice instead of their opinions on why something should or should not be done. I got sucked in and (stupidly) answered those baited opinions with my own.
Usenet used to be such a great resource for all to find info - now it seems everyone has a chip on their shoulder and has to try and prove why they are right / smarter / more frugal / whatever. I fell into that trap on this thread...
Anyone have any technical answers to the question originally posed? How to remove the PCV Valve and replace it with something that won't gum up with an oil burning SL1 for long term, non-public road use?
simple answer, you asked for an answer, so listen to the answer. You Dont. Always replace the PCV valve as should be done, this should not even be an issue. End of thread.
You still haven't figured out that the opinion that this should not be done
*is* the "technical advice" you claim you were looking for.
The only "baited opinion" that ever appeared in this thread was the idea firmly fixed in your mind that you needed to do this. You came here looking for validation of that bad idea, and got all snippy when you didn't get it.
Physician, heal thyself.
Wrong again. You *set* a trap here -- you don't have an open mind on this subject.
You've already received the technical answer, to wit: this is not a good idea, and you shouldn't do it.
Well, if you insist of removing the PCV valve (an integral part of the emission control system), there are a few points to consider:
1 - You will need to plug the vacuum hose it's currently connected to as the engine will probably not want to run otherwise - or it'll run so lean that it will likely overheat.
2 - You will need to plug the grommet in the valve cover or (as you suggested) install some kind of breather.
3 - If the PCV valve gums up, it is not closing properly resulting in a vacuum leak and a rough idle.
All things considered, #1 theoretically shouldn't be a problem. However, #2 presents a host of other problems that could be detrimental to both the engine and anyone driving the vehicle:
Based on your original post, your PCV sucks a lot of oil, and that is the reason you would want to disable it. Without the PCV system funcitioning, the intake cannot recycle blow-by gasses from the crankcase -- Those gasses need to go someplace.
If you install a breather, it will likely saturate with oil and eventually blow it out all over the valve cover. When enough oil leaks out, I could very likely cause a fire.
If you stick some kind of plug in the grommet, blow-by pressure inside the crankcase will need to go somewhere, and it will eventually blow out your valve cover gasket - causing the same oil leak scenario.
That said, as a fellow resident of the State of NJ, disabling the PCV system will remove an EPA required emission control -- The vehicle will no longer be in compliance with NJ state inspection requirements. Based on my (sadly) vast experience with NJ State inspections (and those infamous road-side spot-checks) this situation could be bad for anyone who happens to be driving the vehicle. Like it or not, regardless of how much (or how little) a vehicle is driven, in NJ you are still subject to safety and emissions inspection.
Thank you! I most definitely appreciate a technical answer rather than someone trying to simply convince me to not do it...
Car is going to NY state.
Car is going to be "decommissioned" for road use and highly modified for theme use.
Car will never touch a public road again - and will probably be driven across fields and campgrounds only.
Your points on what to do with the "stuff" that comes out of the breather are very good... I guess it is harder than I thought to do - unless I want to spend time designing some sort of containment system... Which would take more time than teaching someone to check the PCV valve. :)
The technical solution is don't do it. Cars nowadays are integrated systems that won't work right unless the system is complete. If they can change spark plugs on this car, changing the PCV would be a snap.
If you absolutely feel that disconnecting the PCV is the only solution, disconnect the hose from the PCV and plug it so there isn't a vacuum leak. Expect further problems.
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