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Where is PCV?

2002 Subaru Legacy L wagon

Trying to find where is the PCV valve. Its never been replaced so figured it's about time. They get gunky over time so the plunger might stick opened or closed or not move smoothly.

From the air cleaner housing (top back of engine), there are 2 hoses going to it. One runs from the right side of the air filter housing down to the engine block near the battery. The other hose on the left side of the air housing runs to the left side of the engine block. However, neither hose connects to a nipple on the block that has hex surfaces for a socket. That is, I cannot see beyond the end of the hose the hex sides for a socket on the nipple coming from the engine block. The hoses look to slide onto nipples all the way down to the block.

So maybe the PCV valve does not go to the air filter housing. Maybe instead it goes into the throttle body. Anyone have a clue where is the PCV valve on this particular year and model?

I uploaded some pics (click on them to enlarge) of what I think is the PCV hose but I could be wrong. The hose (either end) is smaller than the nipple in the replacement PCV part (also see uploaded pic). The plunger inside the PCV probably requires a vertical mount so the vacuum pulls it up to allow exhaust fumes back into the intake. I'm guessing the PCV is at the bottom of the hose and screwed into the block. I only showed the new part at the top because I couldn't get in close with the camera with the new part alongside the hose at the bottom at the block.

Pic of what I think is the PCV hose:

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(left side of block, firewall & air filter assy to left, front to right) Pic of new part next to PCV hose:
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(nipple of new part is wider than outside of hose) The hose won't fit over the fatter nipple of the new part. Could be the auto parts store gave me the wrong part (wrong year or model).

Or did I pick the wrong hose and the PCV is somewhere else?

Reply to
VanguardLH
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Google is your friend. Take a look at the illustration on this page:

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Reply to
John McGaw

That is the PCV hose. You were given the wrong PCV valve. Go to

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where you can see a picture of what the valve should look like (under Engine Tuneup for your model).

P/N 11810AA040 is only $12.98, and you know it will work and fit properly.

Also consider buying a replacement PCV hose if yours is hard as a rock. The old hose may not seal against the new valve or may crack when removed.

P/N 11815AA96A, $20.99.

Use a 6-point deep socket to remove the old valve. (One end of the hose is the valve, the other end is a nipple.)

Reply to
Bob Bailin

I did an online search before posting. My search criteria (2002 Subaru Legacy L PCV location) was probably different than yours (unknown).

I kept hitting articles that said it's here, no it's over there, nah somewhere else. Even for those articles that looked like they matched on my guess, the new part with the fat nipple still threw me: its size did not match on the hose's internal diameter.

Yep, looks like my guess was right for location; however, looks like it is at a horizontally slanted end at the top of the hose in the throttle body instead of vertical at the bottom of the hose in the crankcase.

The poster in that forum article had the same problem as I: the new part had a fat nipple but the original PCV had a skinny nipple. I'm was hunting around trying to match the new part's nipple with a hose that would fit onto it, so the searched articles didn't match up, either. They had the correct part: a skinny nipple.

The parts store gave me the wrong part, perhaps because the books they used list the wrong part (both of looked in the book. Both of us saw the same fat nippled part listed from 3 manufacturers. We even compared two brands and both had a fat nipple. Looks correct part is:

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With a bit more search at the car parts site, I managed to find one with the small nipple. Geez, what a hike in price. The fat nipple one was $2 (discounted from $5) and the skinny nipple one is $18.

Reply to
VanguardLH

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