PCV valve

[Geesie]

Well, this went from simple maintenance to a problem to a mystery.

I decided to change my PCV valve. Simple enough, pull the hose, the valve comes out, put the new one in, put the hose back.

Not quite. My first clue that there was something wrong was the breather hose filter was in terrible condition, as if I had soaked it in the bottom of a used motor oil barrel.

The breather hose didn't go right to the valve cover as the manual suggests, but it goes to a plastic elbow which sits in a rubber grommet that goes in the valve cover. This did not come out easily. I pulled as hard as I could and it didn't come. Eventually I just started prying with screwdrivers until it partially came out, then I grabbed it with pliers and pulled it the rest of the way. Age and heat had made the rubber very hard.

I thought I had a problem because no PCV valve came out. I thought it had fallen through the valve cover hole. I looked around with a flashlight and felt with my fingers and didn't find it. That, combined with the extreme amount of oil and gunk on the filter leads me to think that there wasn't a PCV valve in there to begin with.

So then the mystery came. I got a new PCV valve at Pep Boys (not my favorite location but there is one about a mile away from my apartment and the Auto Zone nearby didn't have one in stock.

The new valve does not fit with the old parts. I cannot at all figure out how it would. It's too big for the breather hose and the plastic elbow and it only halfway fits through the rubber grommet.

My theories:
- That plastic elbow is not supposed to be there. The hose goes right on the narrow part of the valve and the other part of the valve fits in teh rubber grommet
- The PCV valve I bought is not the right one
- The rubber grommet and/or the plastic elbow that was in my valve cover is wrong

Anyone have any knowledge on this? The vehicle is a 1984 Regal, stock 231 V6.

 

[Uncletruck]

With the 231, the PCV valve is located at the back of the intake manifold on the passenger side of the engine. It's sort of hard to see, but there is one thick hose that connects to the base of the carb. The thing you pulled apart on the valve cover is just the breather hose- just that, a simple hose that connects to the air filter. If that breather filter is real gunky, your engine is developing a lot of blowby or is being driven in humid conditions most of the time. the 231 in its standard setup will not run without the PCV valve in place.

-UT-

 

[Geesie]

Crap. I hope that the thing listed on NAPA and AutoZone as "PCV rubber grommet" is the thing I cracked while removing...

 

[Uncletruck]

There is a rubber grommet for the PCV valve in the intake manifold which sounds like what they are referring to at NAPA and Autozone. I think you cracked the grommet for the breather in the valve cover. You can probably rig up something there to seal it, as the only thing coming up through there is metered crankcase vapors. You do need a good seal the the PCV valve.

-UT-

 

[J-T-]

(Sorry to dig up an old thread)

I just went through THE SAME EXACT THING.

So the hose that goes to the valve cover isn't the location of the pcv valve?
:?:

[EDIT]

Okay, I found the valve after removing the air cleaner assembly. Thank you for your description of the location! You saved me a lot of trouble and cleared A LOT of confusion!

One question:

I also cracked that plastic grommet on the elbow that leads into the valve cover but I replaced the entire stock elbow with a plastic elbow that fits perfectly. Is this alright?