PCV valve LH 3.2L engine

Has anyone here checked the PCV valve on the 3.2L second
gen. LH engine (3.5L is similar)? I haven't tried it yet,
but it looks awfully cramped back there in the very rear of
the hood compartment because of close clearances. Even the
simple PCV hose disappears in maze of spaghetti. Any hints
or tricks out there?

My air filter smells a little oily and I figure its time for
a PCV check. Which hose is the "Make Up Air" and which is
the "Cylinder Head To Intake Manifold PCV" hose?


Mopar Part #s and Prices I found:

4573561 (1999 3.2L) pcv valve $ 6.97
4792256 (1999 3.2L) make up air hose $ 2.51
4663961 (1999 3.2L) PCV -manifold hose $ 9.99

 

Greg,

The plumbing to the PCV valve is a single hose from the rear of the left
(U.S. driver's side) valve cover - a couple of 90° bends in it. The
make up air hose is a short hose from the rear of the right valve cover
into the plenum attached to the throttle body (cowl/rear of engine area)
- can't miss it.

Be sure to check the PCV hose - I discovered about 6 months ago that my
PCV hose was completely choked off with dry soot in one of the 90°
bends. The rubber was also softening in places, almost gooey. I ended
up replacing the PCV valve and the hose - that's on a 2.7L, but the
plumbing is very similar (schematically identical, though exact hose
attach points and shapes are different).

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

Thanks Bill. Yeah, I can see the PCV and everything back there, but they
sure don't give you any room to work, as the PCV valve is tandalizingly just
beyond the hood opening.....

Oil sure doesn't do rubber any favors, but I guess it was the best material
they had for the hose.

 

You'll find there's *just enough* room to get it out of there. It clears,
but without any room to spare.

Wasn't hard, though. Nothing at all like the PITA changing the belts is.

--Geoff

 

Are there any brands of PCV valves that are better than others? Or should I
get the MOPAR part?

Yeah, I'll think I"ll outtask that job to the dealer.

 

I think in the case of PCV valves, I'd go with the OEM part. I've seen
some pretty crappy aftermarket PCV valves even in the major brands,
including Purolator.

BTW - all the visual clutter around in the PCV valve area of your engine
I think is the cooling system hoses - heater hoses tee-ing into the
hoses going to the pressurized coolant reservoir, etc.

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

I noticed something interesting from the 2002 LH service
manual. The PCV hose on these vehicles contains a heat
exchanger. Coolant from the cooling system is circulated
through this inline heat exchanger. I suspect that this
improves engine performance somewhat by cooling the hot PCV
gases before they enter the intake manifold, although I can't
imagine the gain would be that great with this setup.

But get this: Step one for replacing the PCV hose is to drain
the engine coolant. Good grief.

I have a 99 LH vehicle, and my service manual for this model
year makes no mention of this, and I didn't notice anything like
that on the car, so I guess my year was spared.

Anyone know why Chrysler did this?

 

I can't imagine it either. Maybe it's actually supposed to warm the
vapor in cold climates to prevent the vapors from condensing out in the
line before getting to the intake?

Holy cats. And I thought the liquid-cooled alternator on some Cadillacs
was the height of unnecessary stupidity....

 

not really they found that after the engines were run that when they cooled
down condensation would form and in the cold, freeze so that was the fix
from what they told us in school at the training center

 

How is a car that's left overnight in sub zero freezing weather going to
have any
heat at all in the cooling system to keep this condensation warm enough to
not
freeze? Not to mention that when the engine isn't running that the coolant
isn't
circulating to keep this part warm.

Ted