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A clogged crankcase breather filter, also referred to as a PCV Valve screen can cause your motor to run poorly.
It can also cause:
-Bad gas mileage
-vaccum leak (if the grommet has cracked)
-Oil to be sucked into the upper intake
-Oil to leak into the throttle body causing a fouled MAF reading
-Oil leak at back of intake.
-Failed gaskets (hearsay)
Needed:
-PCV Grommet
-Crankcase breather filter
-RTV Silicone
(Part numbers below)
The crankcase filter is below the PCV Valve.
The PCV valve is located behind the upper intake and seated into the lower intake plenum. There is one vaccum line connected to the PCV valve.
The picture below is not mine but here is a solid clear photo:
If you are replacing the PCV valve as well note it does not have to look like the one in the photo. There is a valve with an F-Connector. Be sure to connect the vaccum line to the bottom of the F-Connector and plug the top of the F-Connector with the plug provided when you purchase the valve.
F-Connector PCV Value.
When you remove the PCV Valve be sure to shake it and listen for the value to move. It will make an audible click. If it does not the valve will need replacement. If the value sounds sluggish you may want to go ahead and replace it anyways. They are about 5$
Once the PCV valve has been removed the tough part comes in, especially if your grommet has never been removed...DO NOT let anyone tell you this is easy. Removing that rubber grommet can be a REAL pain.
To remove the grommet I used a flat head screw driver to wedge between the housing and the grommet. It took a solid 45 minutes since the grommet was hardened from 19 years of high heat. I mean this grommet was seriously solid as a rock. I hit the grommet with a little PB Blaster to assist in removal. I ended up using the flat head screwdriver and a hammer to wedge it between the grommet and worked my way around. Then I used needle nose pliers to pull it out. Also...do not worry....you are not going to hurt anything.
Here is a photo of the damage that had to be done to the old grommet to remove it:
Here is a new grommet:
Once the grommet is out. The toughest part comes next...removing the crankcase breather filter. Now if yours has never been replaced this will be pretty tough...Don't let some Joe tell you "Just lift up the tab and pull on it with needle nose pliers and it will come right out". That is a lie. In fact I wish I could meet the guy who told me it was easy. Some say to use a screw to screw into the breather filter then pull...that will not work if yours is stuck all it will do is tear up the wire mesh inside.
To remove it use a flat head screw driver and pried the filter from the walls...No it wasn't easy. But if you take your time and continue to pry it will become loose enough to use your needle nose pliers to grab the tab and pull it out.
Here is my old one as you can see...if it is stuck then you will mess it up pretty good, LOL if you want to, wait until you go to change yours.
Here's a new Crankcase breather filter:
Once the filter is out it is all down hill. The photo above is upside down, there are tabs on the other side. Be sure to drop your new filter in with the tabs facing up. The new grommet may not fit perfectly snug so be sure to spread some RTV silicone around the new grommet before installing it.
Grommet and filter removed
Filter installed
New grommet installed
PCV installed , car ready to start
WARNING: If you tear up the wire mesh on the old filter be sure to invest in a magnetic extension to get any wire mesh pieces out of your crankcase. Before completely removing the filter USE the magnetic extension to remove any loose wire mesh pieces.
If the grommet does not fit snug you will need to spread RTV silicone around the grommet to avoid a minor exhaust leak.
Ensure to reconnect all vacuum lines which were removed or may have came loose during the install. Here is a reference photo of a line that came loose during my install.
Part Numbers:
Grommet
42327
Crankcase breather filter
47064
It can also cause:
-Bad gas mileage
-vaccum leak (if the grommet has cracked)
-Oil to be sucked into the upper intake
-Oil to leak into the throttle body causing a fouled MAF reading
-Oil leak at back of intake.
-Failed gaskets (hearsay)
Needed:
-PCV Grommet
-Crankcase breather filter
-RTV Silicone
(Part numbers below)
The crankcase filter is below the PCV Valve.
The PCV valve is located behind the upper intake and seated into the lower intake plenum. There is one vaccum line connected to the PCV valve.
The picture below is not mine but here is a solid clear photo:
If you are replacing the PCV valve as well note it does not have to look like the one in the photo. There is a valve with an F-Connector. Be sure to connect the vaccum line to the bottom of the F-Connector and plug the top of the F-Connector with the plug provided when you purchase the valve.
F-Connector PCV Value.
When you remove the PCV Valve be sure to shake it and listen for the value to move. It will make an audible click. If it does not the valve will need replacement. If the value sounds sluggish you may want to go ahead and replace it anyways. They are about 5$
Once the PCV valve has been removed the tough part comes in, especially if your grommet has never been removed...DO NOT let anyone tell you this is easy. Removing that rubber grommet can be a REAL pain.
To remove the grommet I used a flat head screw driver to wedge between the housing and the grommet. It took a solid 45 minutes since the grommet was hardened from 19 years of high heat. I mean this grommet was seriously solid as a rock. I hit the grommet with a little PB Blaster to assist in removal. I ended up using the flat head screwdriver and a hammer to wedge it between the grommet and worked my way around. Then I used needle nose pliers to pull it out. Also...do not worry....you are not going to hurt anything.
Here is a photo of the damage that had to be done to the old grommet to remove it:
Here is a new grommet:
Once the grommet is out. The toughest part comes next...removing the crankcase breather filter. Now if yours has never been replaced this will be pretty tough...Don't let some Joe tell you "Just lift up the tab and pull on it with needle nose pliers and it will come right out". That is a lie. In fact I wish I could meet the guy who told me it was easy. Some say to use a screw to screw into the breather filter then pull...that will not work if yours is stuck all it will do is tear up the wire mesh inside.
To remove it use a flat head screw driver and pried the filter from the walls...No it wasn't easy. But if you take your time and continue to pry it will become loose enough to use your needle nose pliers to grab the tab and pull it out.
Here is my old one as you can see...if it is stuck then you will mess it up pretty good, LOL if you want to, wait until you go to change yours.
Here's a new Crankcase breather filter:
Once the filter is out it is all down hill. The photo above is upside down, there are tabs on the other side. Be sure to drop your new filter in with the tabs facing up. The new grommet may not fit perfectly snug so be sure to spread some RTV silicone around the new grommet before installing it.
Grommet and filter removed
Filter installed
New grommet installed
PCV installed , car ready to start
WARNING: If you tear up the wire mesh on the old filter be sure to invest in a magnetic extension to get any wire mesh pieces out of your crankcase. Before completely removing the filter USE the magnetic extension to remove any loose wire mesh pieces.
If the grommet does not fit snug you will need to spread RTV silicone around the grommet to avoid a minor exhaust leak.
Ensure to reconnect all vacuum lines which were removed or may have came loose during the install. Here is a reference photo of a line that came loose during my install.
Part Numbers:
Grommet
42327
Crankcase breather filter
47064