I'm a real stickler when it comes to maintenance costs on my cars, especially with the high price of gas recently. So I was wondering, instead of "changing" the PCV valve, could it be soaked in isopropyl alcohol overnight, dried, and re-used?
Re-using PCV valve???
- Thread starter Chuck1986
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Well, depending on the vehicle, PCV valves are less than $3, so why bother?
I was reading up on this lately (changed my PCV last week) and I found an article that said the PCV valve may not only clog up but may wear out in ways that can't be fixed just by cleaning it. Whether that's good science or an attempt to sell more valves, I dunno. I put in a new one.
Off topic: My Geo Metro, cheapest car on the road, uses a PCV valve that was the most expensive one in the store. $9.
Off topic: My Geo Metro, cheapest car on the road, uses a PCV valve that was the most expensive one in the store. $9.
The internal spring may lose it's tension, and the sealing surfaces may leak, even if clean [with an old PCV valve].
Buy the best, most expensive one available for your car.
Many low price ones aren't flow matched to your vehicle, and leak.
Buy the best, most expensive one available for your car.
Many low price ones aren't flow matched to your vehicle, and leak.
So what is a good brand to get? Or should we just stick with the stealership?
Stick with stealership for Japanese cars.
Most of the so-called OEM or aftermarket ones aren't flow-matched, causing all kinds of driveability problems (esp. Suzukis and some Toyotas).
Get the original ones and you'll rest easy in the night knowing that it will not throw your engine control or emissions testing off the chart!
Most of the so-called OEM or aftermarket ones aren't flow-matched, causing all kinds of driveability problems (esp. Suzukis and some Toyotas).
Get the original ones and you'll rest easy in the night knowing that it will not throw your engine control or emissions testing off the chart!
The only PCV valve that has worked best for my car was the Motorcraft replacement from the dealer. The aftermarket ones would not stay in the valve cover, one of them would just pop out while the engine was idling. The price for the Motorcraft one may be $10, but it's worth it to me to know that it will stay in the valve cover while going down the road.
the cheap ones leak. i needed one and pd for it and returned it after i opened it on the counter and tried to blow through it. it leaked. went to napa.. did the same. bought a fram at the farm and fleet and it was well made and didnt leak. i've used a few more frams since and they are decently made. the oe is the best if you can wait to get one otherwise check out a fram next time.
Thanks to everyone for posting. I'm going to pick up a PCV valve at the stealership for my 91 Honda.
I had a bad experience with an aftermarket PCV valve on my GM 3800 V6. The engine would idle poorly and chug at startup. An OE PCV valve fixed the problem.
Same here, tried an aftermarket one, leaked. Went back to the OEM one, have recleaned it 4 times now, still works. Cheapest part to replace, IMHO.
I have a cheap one and while they work, I still prefer the fit/finish of the OEM.
What I did is put the OEM in a jar of IPA for a week and then swap them back, and keep the cheap one for the next round of maintanence.
What I did is put the OEM in a jar of IPA for a week and then swap them back, and keep the cheap one for the next round of maintanence.
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