PCV replacement how-to with photos

[brick]

This is going to come in very handy, Galaxee. Thank you!

[Ct. Ken V]

Hi, all,

Just a quick note regard'g galaxee's comment in post #1 about start'g with a dirty windshield to help you re-align the windshield wipers when you re-install them. You shouldn't need to have a dirty windshield to get them re-aligned right because if you look in the black area of the windshield near the tips of the wipers, you should see a little clear dot about 1/8 of an inch in diameter near each wiper tip in the parked position. I think they were designed as a re-alignment aid.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

[sparkyAZ]

D@mn that's a lot of work to replace a stupid PCV valve! I'm used to it being a 5 minute job, but I guess they can't make everything easily accessible. If I take another rock in the windshield I'll keep this in mind as I had to take off half the stuff in the photos for the repair guy to access the glass.

Originally Posted by galaxee

you could probably expect about a half hour labor charge for the job. that's $45-50 depending on shop rates in your area.

If it took your DH 27 minutes I'm guessing shop rate would be something like 2 hrs

Just out of curiosity, has your DH worked on any Prii that came in with a plugged PCV valve and what were the major symptoms?

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by galaxee

...brake cleaner and rubber are incompatible. there may be some deposits, but unless it's clogged (in which case, the PCV itself will also be sticky) there isn't too much of an issue.

Hi Galaxee,

I looked at the warnings printed on the brake cleaner spray can, and it says to protect paint and rubber brake parts from overspray, so I accept your comment. Perhaps it would be better to use gasoline, kerosene, or paint thinner to clean the PCV hose.

However I've seen mechanics liberally spray brake parts (including the drum brake wheel cylinder that has rubber seals) with brake cleaner fluid, without apparent concern for rubber parts or not.

When I replaced the PCV valve on my 2001 at ~60K miles I noticed that although the old valve would rattle it seemed to have deposits built up within, based upon the muted nature of the rattling. Perhaps that is why I noticed more deposits in the hose than you might think normal.

[galaxee]

Originally Posted by sparkyAZ

Just out of curiosity, has your DH worked on any Prii that came in with a plugged PCV valve and what were the major symptoms?

nope, he has never seen one of the new types of the valve (like the one in the prius) actually plugged up in ANY car. the older ones, yes. a normal symptom of a plugged pcv is leaking oil seals everywhere. plus black smoke from the exhaust. if the hose is pierced and leaking air, the engine will run rough and probably set MAF codes.

[galaxee]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

Perhaps it would be better to use gasoline, kerosene, or paint thinner to clean the PCV hose.

if the hose is of concern to you, it's pretty cheap and easy to just replace the hose too.

However I've seen mechanics liberally spray brake parts (including the drum brake wheel cylinder that has rubber seals) with brake cleaner fluid, without apparent concern for rubber parts or not.

those rubber parts are dust covers, not pressure bearing seals. that's standard practice, to liberally spray like that.

When I replaced the PCV valve on my 2001 at ~60K miles I noticed that although the old valve would rattle it seemed to have deposits built up within, based upon the muted nature of the rattling. Perhaps that is why I noticed more deposits in the hose than you might think normal.

the classic has always had more problems with oil entering the intake than the 2g prius. DH always thought that oil probably came from the pcv.

he has never seen a plugged PCV hose, but has seen deposits on them. it happens, that's pretty normal. he has replaced PCV hoses because they do dry rot. sometimes they soften due to oil exposure, but that's rare because it's supposed to be an oil-tolerant hose.

[Patrick Wong]

I changed the PCV valve on my 2004 today, at 70.4K miles. The rattle sound of the old valve is pretty similar to the new valve, so I would venture to say the valve installed in 2G is good for ~100K miles.

I'd like to list a few torque specs for the various fasteners involved:

80 in.-lb for the three bolts securing the wiring harness cover
74 in.-lb for the two bolts securing engine room relay block #2
57 in.-lb for the seven bolts securing the cowl to the body
49 in.-lb for the five bolts securing the windshield wiper motor assy to the cowl
16 ft.-lb for the three windshield wiper arm nuts

There is no torque spec for the PCV valve, so I suggest around 25-30 ft.-lb. My old valve did not have thread sealer on it, and I did not use thread sealer on the new valve.

I suggest removing the wiring harness connectors to the spark igniters and the fuel injectors as needed to provide sufficient slack on the wiring harness.

It was easier to replace the PCV valve in my 2004 than my 2001 because the wiring harness on the 2004 is easier to get out of the way. At the 90 degree bend, the 2001 wiring harness has cabling running down to the transaxle area and I could not figure out how to remove those cable connectors without damaging them.

I also cleaned the throttle body and throttle plate for the first time today, and would say there's much less black soot compared to the accumulation on my 2001 at a similar odometer reading.

I expected the plastic clips at the ends of the cowl tops to break due to the vehicle age, and my expectation was realized. I bought replacement clips, but the new clips are one-piece, unlike the two-piece construction of the original clips.

1st photo of new PCV valve after installation.
2nd photo of throttle body interior, not too sooty.
3rd photo of engine compartment in disarray, to gain access to the PCV valve and throttle body interior.

[depriusoto]

Hi Patrick,
Did you post the replacement process for the PCV valve on your 2001 CLassic anywhere?
Thanks,
Ed

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Ed,

I did not. The process is essentially the same except that Classic has two screws holding the plastic cowl pieces down instead of plastic clips; and the Classic engine wiring harness is harder to get out of the way as mentioned in my prior post above. If you can remove those wiring connectors, then you'll have plenty of service clearance. If not, then it will be more difficult.

In my case, I ended up removing the valve cover (because I wanted to look at the valve train and measure valve clearances anyway) and then replaced the PCV valve once the cover was off the engine.

[boston71]

Toyota recommends PCV replacement every 15K (the maintenance sheet that my dealer sent). Is this really true? I replaced mine @ 30K and now it is getting close to 45K. Please share your thoughts.

Originally Posted by galaxee

nope, he has never seen one of the new types of the valve (like the one in the prius) actually plugged up in ANY car. the older ones, yes. a normal symptom of a plugged pcv is leaking oil seals everywhere. plus black smoke from the exhaust. if the hose is pierced and leaking air, the engine will run rough and probably set MAF codes.