So after a little investigation work on my end i have discovered my PCV valve on my 06 5.3ltr silverado is a "fixed/built in" item. This is what Chevy told me over the phone, said if i wanted to replace it i had to replace the whole Valve cover.. NOW, maybee there's something i dont know like tech has caught up and this is a "no maintence required item" or something along these lines..maybee ?? but if its GM just being cheap and requireing that a more expensive part be purchased to maintain this item.. im going to shake my head.. anybody know ? if anyone out there's cleaning this unit since it cant be replaced without the VC, how, and what are you using ?
ALSO: Today i purchased my first $20 PCV valve for my wifes 07 Honda accord 6cyl. Im scratching my head a bit as ive never seen one that looks like this, and ive never paid $20.00 for a PCV valve.. any of you Honda guys tell me where its located on her 6cyl ? anything have to come apart to install it ? any help is appreciated
PCV questions...
- Thread starter OtisBlkR1
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Same year truck here. Ive managed to pull off the tube on the PCV, realizing it was built into the valve cover. I want to think the PCV is just a straight through shot, no moving parts to get gummed up and stick. Perhaps this is why it is a no maintanence item.
On the Honda it is located on the passengers side front valve cover in front of the radiator to the left (looking from the front). 10mm bolt.
Yep That GM PCV is just an orifice tube you can clean it with a plastic spray can tube.
Thanks Travis, this is exactly what i needed to know ! I appreciate your help. Now is cleaning the 5.3ltr PCV something that is necessary, or something that we BITOG'ers would only mess with ? Should i be worried about it gummin up ? Im pretty religous (as most of us are) about maintence.
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The newer styles stay pretty clean, the passage is large enough that it wont plug easily like the one on the Honda.
You can make sure its open once in a while by inserting a plastic wand found on most spray cans. You can even spray a little (very little, one small spray will do) carb cleaner at OC time every 25K or so.
^For a while, a lot of VX owner's I spoke with online were trying to find the PCV valve and mistook an 'elbow' between runners for cylinder 1 and 2(driver side) along the Intake Manifold for the valve itself.
It turns out the valve was further down(upstream of the PCV system) near the sump, seated into a breather chamber off the back of the block/under the I.M. ...not sure how long it had been neglected, but enough that it "APPEARS" to be the original PCV valve.
So, if it's truly the 'original', it was from a 1992 year model than I just replaced within the past year.
Here is a pic, this side was 'seated' into the chamber:
Next step? Remove the breather chamber to make sure it's not caked with gunk. Going to do this when I remove the oil filter at my next oil change.
So, if your's doesn't have a moving part, thankfully just cleaning should suffice.
Next step? Remove the breather chamber to make sure it's not caked with gunk. Going to do this when I remove the oil filter at my next oil change.
So, if your's doesn't have a moving part, thankfully just cleaning should suffice.
Otis this is the valve right? This is the one i referred to.
On the Chevy truck not the honda. If you want to do anything just take off the hose at the valve cover on the left rear valve cover and shoot alittle carb cleaner down in the hole. I have never seen much build up around this port and with regular lof's I doubt you will see any build up at that fixed port.
Originally Posted By: vssjim
On the Chevy truck not the honda. If you want to do anything just take off the hose at the valve cover on the left rear valve cover and shoot alittle carb cleaner down in the hole. I have never seen much build up around this port and with regular lof's I doubt you will see any build up at that fixed port.
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there awfull proud of it ! $$$$$
we have had several of these fixed orifice types in our stable of fleet trucks. Only one gave us any trouble, and that was at 375000 miles!
Fixed it with carb cleaner spray. No big deal at all.
Originally Posted By: Trav
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there awfull proud of it ! $$$$$
How much does it cost? How old is it?
The PCV for my Honda is less than $10 and I would not consider re installing it.
The PCV for my Toyota is $15 and hard to change - again I would never reuse an old one.
The PCV "system" on my BMW is over $100. I might consider cleaning it out and reusing it if it looked fine.
Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
changed the oil today, replaced PCV. thanks for the direction.. piece of cake. back back to my last question, is there any reason not to clean and re-use the last PCV that just came out of the car ?
I have a hard time answering the question. Yes the valve can be cleaned but the tube is so small inside its hard to know if its really clean.
I would say if it doesn't appear too dirty and has no deposits in the holes then yes by all means clean it otherwise toss it.
A bigger concern for me is inside the valve cover where the valve sits. Most of these engines remain spotless their whole life but a few for some reason get deposits that turns into sludge quickly.
The ones i have seen do this have a lot of build up under the valve cover that renders the PCV almost inoperative.
If the engine looks clean down the oil fill hole then i wouldn't worry about it just keep the PCV clean. If it looks dark or showing deposits then IMO its prudent to pop the front cover and make sure it has no build up that could block the PCV.
Check out the threads i posted on Honda 3.5 for pics of the inside the engine to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Some PCV valves have plastic that warps, springs that break or get weak, and seating/sealing surfaces that erode.
So cleaning can be just great, or not enough. It is an individual basis thing.
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