Well today I am barking about your PCV valve. The PCV Valve is a little, inexpensive part that does an essential job for Los Altos car owners. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.
The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the sedan engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.
These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel.
This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause sedan engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at Allied Auto Works. At high speeds on Los Altos freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.
Back in the old days, car makers simply installed a hose that vented these gases out into the atmosphere. But starting in the 1964 model year, environmental protection laws required that these gases be recycled back into the air intake system to be mixed with fuel and burned in the sedan's engine.
This is much better for air quality and improves fuel economy also. (Budget-conscious Los Altos motorists take note!) The little valve that performs this important function is the PCV valve. The PCV valve lets harmful gases out of the engine, but won’t let anything back in. Over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and decreased MPG.
Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV Valve at Allied Auto Works in Los Altos and quick and inexpensive to replace. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Los Altos auto owners don’t know about it. Check your sedan owner’s manual or ask your Allied Auto Works service advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a replacement.
There’s another aspect to the PCV system. In order for the valve to work correctly, it needs a little clean air to come in. This is done through a breather tube that gets some filtered air from the engine air filter. Now some vehicles have a small separate air filter for the breather tube called the breather element. That’ll need to be replaced at Allied Auto Works when it gets dirty.
Please ask your personal and trust Los Altos service advisor about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals in Los Altos, you can avoid some very pricey engine repairs.
This is Cayenne, til next time!