How can you tell if your PCV System is working?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 เม.ย. 2022
- This Question of the Week comes from a number of questions that we received after last week's video.
How can you tell if your PCV system (positive crankcase ventilation) is working properly?
It is a seemingly simple question, but it can certainly get complicated quickly. But there are a couple of obvious things to look for that will give you a good indication about how your PCV system is functioning.
And what if you have something like a Radium Catch Can, or IAG Air Oil Separator installed?
Should you look for the same indicators to make sure that it is working properly with your PCV system?
And when and why would you want to consider installing a catch can or AOS?
We talk about all of these questions in the video this week.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned! - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
the whole asking common/uncommon questions to really bring insight on subjects is just amazing. Personally i love how one guys just asks questions and one to answer. its easy to follow with the subject and understand the concept and even issues. Thank you guys, you have alot of knowledge and its nice to have a very reliable source when it comes to Tech Talks
Thanks very much for that comment. We really appreciate it, and it is great to hear that these videos are helpful.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Amazing content, especially for individuals interested in deeper level engine diagnostics. I really enjoyed your in depth look at Subaru pcv systems posted a while back. I have found that it is typical to find a certain amount of oil pooled within the throttle body/IC area on boosted Subarus. There is a fine line between too much and normal, when not running an aos or catch can setup. Those breathers will throw some oil when Cornering hard for longer periods or when running higher boost thresholds.
Thanks for the comment, and definitely agree. I'd say the way to tell which side of that line you are on if you see that oil residue is how much oil you are using/losing over say 1,000 miles. If you aren't losing enough to need to add much oil, then you are most likely okay. If you are having to add more than about 1/4 quart in that interval, then something like a catch can or AOS would be advisable.
Thanks again for watching, and Stay Tuned!
Love the information you guys are providing. I've spent a lot of money with your company and plan on spending a lot more. You guys are great
Thanks very much Lam. Really appreciate your support! Stay Tuned!
Keep up the great information videos !!
Absolutely! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Great episode! keep them coming :)
Will do! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Great video, amazing knowledge 👏 thank you
Thanks for watching. Stay Tuned!
I think you guys have helped me with my oil issue. New motor, but one hose had a hairline crack, so I think that’s been the issue all along! Thanks for the vid 💪🏼
Very cool! Glad that the video helped and Stay Tuned!
Just the video I was looking for.
Excellent! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Amazing amazing amazing amazing. Did I say amazing?! I am currently having an issue with an oil leak I can not pin point and when you said make puddles on top of the engine like mine is doing the look on my face must of been priceless. I hope that is my issue cars at the shop with the intake manifold already off so tomorrow I investigate! THANK YOU SOOOOOO much for literally all of your content. Super informational and easy to follow
Thanks very much for the comment, and very glad we could help! Really appreciate it.
Stay Tuned!
I've really been enjoying the content! You guys take a very logic approach that pushes aside what is popular for what actually works. Thank you for this!!! I have several things that have been sitting in my head for a number of years, and finally feel like I'd get a straight/factual answer.
Would having a dual oil filter setup (standard spin-on filter for the 1st oil filter, extremely high filtration rate on the 2nd oil filter) be a useful setup?
On a WRX (EJ255) with stock boost (Cobb AP Stage 1 + Cobb ECBS) and stock TD-04 turbo, what is the average leak down results (ie. what percentage of blowby) of a healthy engine?
Would thermally coating the stock WRX intercooler end tanks (not the fin stack) be beneficial compared to the time/money spent or would the time/money be better spent on upgrading to an STi intercooler?
Are phenolic spacers (8mm thick) useful or not very useful?
What would be the benefits & drawbacks of ceramic coating the intake manifold, pistons (crown & side skirts) and top of the combustion chamber (bottom of the heads)?
Are there any negative effects from adding an engine grounding kit?
Thank you again for all of the shared information!
Also I don't know if you already posted a video on this but my suggestion is going over all the oil feed lines I can not for the life of me find content like you create on that subject. Keep up the hard work sending EVERYONE to this channel 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
Awesome! Thanks for the support!
Stay Tuned!
Great episode 👏. The GM LGX 3.6 has a two-stage PCV system. Do you think this alleviates these issues?
I believe the pcv system is basically a water separator system system that’s can be used to mask blow by which is a broken ringland haha, and I know because as an early Subaru finatic, I had blow by, then masked it with an aos and then after pulling the motor due to rod failure the rod failure was caused because the ringland was. Broke, and oil in the intake, then after doing a fresh rebuild I put a clear top on the aos, and saw tons of water. So I added a hole untill I saw no water. That water I believe to be the first clue of a pcv system being over run, and or my case building my own aos had to spontaneously engineer a fix then modify my exit point and drain point and shape untill it worked but I notice it’s a water separator. It’s a whiskey sthil but taking water out of oil.
Also IV been tackling my own aos design and watched and read as much as I could gather of info, and I’m with dom the aos system is always biased towards one spectrum of the engine and getting the most out of an aos is tough to do
Great stuff!
Thanks very much! Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Reminds me I still have to hit up the Flatirons chat and get some sage words on the catch can plumbing
@@mranderson3927 You know where to find us :-) Will do our best to help.
Love this channel with the tech content. Have a few questions that i'm hoping you can cover in future content in no particular order.
1) Does a front strut brace make any noticeable handling improvement (theory versus practise)?
2) I have seen claims of up to 7 BHP for lightweight crank pulley, myth or valid claim?
3) Regarding upgraded bolt on oil pumps when is an 11mm or 12mm optimum e.g. below 500bhp 11mm above 12mm
4) TGV deletes DIY (flap removal with rod maintained to not trigger engine light codes) versus custom billet TGV. When does this mod make sense e.g. to complement full bolt on's or 400 whp etc
5) Upgraded VF series billet compressor wheels, 16G, 18G, 20G worth it or to risky with the higher EGT's due to inducer/exducer imbalance?
6) When does headers/Up pipe come into the mod equation? i.e last due to very small gains or 1st due to lowering EGT and thus promoting engine durability?
7) Single plate or dual plate clutch for street car?
8) Lighten flywheel suitable for street driven applications?
9) Subaru upper engine cleaner worthwhile doing as part of engine maintenance or snake oil?
10) What considerations should be given regarding how much headroom do you allow before diminishing returns on your bang for buck e.g. if going E85 full bolt on VF turbo how much head room allowance for injections, fuel system etc. Full bolt on E85 on stock turbo i see popular choice for 1050cc but is 1300cc or higher a better choice given natural progression of upgrades given speed is addictive.
Thought of another questions, is a stiffer Wastegate spring beneficial on VF series turbo that have a boost target say 17-19 psi range given this is the common sweet spot for these turbo or is falling/tappering PSI more an outcome due to being outside its efficiency range and any higher just promotes higher EGT's?
Hi, so you recommand to kkep the pcv and adding catch cans or remove them, please? The fact is if the pcs are overload in pressure even throught line and occ, the pressure will be the same on the pcv. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I havecall my maintenance done on my 2020 STI done @Irvine Subaru here in CA. I'm keeping my STI stock. This might be a dumb question, but the Subaru dealership is monitoring the PCV system right? A great video. I thought if you changed the AOS you needed a tune. 😊
Thanks for your question Paul, and not a silly question at all.
The short answer is that it is fairly unlikely that they will be paying any specific attention to the function of your PCV system. In the short amount of time that they would have your car in the shop, there is not much that they could tell really.
Your best bet would be to keep an eye on your oil consumption, and also keep an eye out for any signs of oil leaking from the PCV hoses, etc. (which the dealership should hopefully catch if they come up as well).
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Hey Jon,
From the three OEM short blocks offered on the Flat Irons Tuning website which EJ20 do you recommend? Also what are the differences between them? What kind of reliability can be expected from them? How hard can they be pushed? Would it be a direct drop in?
- Subaru OEM Shortblock (WRX EJ205 2.0L)
- Genuine Subaru JDM 2015+ EJ20 Thick Wall Short Block
- Genuine Subaru EJ20 Short Block Assembly GDB V7-V8.
Thanks for the great question Edwin. We'll add it to the list.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Can you cover proper sizing of turbo exhaust housing? A turbo is an expensive to be just trying many before you hit the right size
Thanks for your question. We'll definitely add that to our list. Have you watched the video where we talk about picking a turbo yet? You should take a look at that if you haven't seen that yet.
th-cam.com/video/agvMG3ZxaYg/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Love the content, my question is with the Banjo bolt with the oil screen in EJ engines there seems to be debate about leaving the screen in the banjo bolt on top of the block or running the engine without the screen in the banjo bolt. What does Subaru recommend and what does Flatirons recommend??? With or without the oil screen???
Thanks for your question. For the Turbo, even Subaru has a bulletin that says the screen in the turbo oil feed banjo must be removed.
For the AVCS solenoids, I think that they are important to be left in place, but there are those that disagree with that.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
To remove or not ? 70 retired 2006 sti with 143,000 miles. Just finished fixing oil and PSP leak. PSP rebuilt. Oil leak on passenger side valve cover bottom dripping. Replaced all gaskets and replaced valley half seals with billet aluminium seals
Can you please do a video on ej205 performance and just overall over look on the engine weak points , how to go about modding , should you mod , flaws , good things !! Would Be cool..
That is a great question. Thanks Drew, we'll add it to the list!
Any tips on chasing p0171, replaced pcv, maf, stock intake 2014 wrx
Thanks guys great video, I have some questions I'd really appreciate your input on, I'm looking to install a IAG AOS to my 94 WRX but I don't believe they sell a kit for that year?
1. Do you know if I buy the kit that is available for a later model, will this still be able to be installed to my 94 WRX?
2. Do I need to have return line welded into my sump? Is it necessary to have a return back to the sump or could a hose be attached to the bottom of the AOS with a valve that I could periodically drain as need be?
Thanks for your question. I am not familiar enough with the PCV plumbing on the early EJ engines to confirm that one of the newer kits would work. But there may be something out there. I'll see what I can find.
As far as not returning the oil caught, sure, that would basically be a catch can setup, and could definitely be helpful. I would assume you have the circuit from the top of the factory AOS, and from the valve-covers. If you put one can on each of those circuits, you should be fine.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks mate, really appreciate your feedback, looking forward to see what you can find on an AOS for the early EJ, I'm hoping the plumbing setup is the same / similar enough so that I can use the IAG AOS?
Great series! What is the biggest limitation to the EJ257 platform for power or reliability? compared to other 4 cylinder engine designs?
Thanks for the question. That is a good one. I'll add it to our list.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Fuel.
The owner
Available fuel and the owners wallet.
Boxer engines are not efficient, require more than normal maintenance, and aren’t “over built” from factory. They hold about the power they had and not much more. If you want power go for Honda , if you want sound , character , and AWD buy a Subie (assuming you have a fat wallet for either choice , but Hondas make good power cheap , but also require overhaul for pretty much every surrounding part.
Realistically here your talking exclusively about stock systems or stock systems with catch cans or seperators.
I think it's important to note that positive pressure is only a sign of a failure in the stock system and not a vented system where negative pressure isn't something you would ever see.
Thanks for the comment, and that is a good point. I would just add that even if you are running a vent to atmosphere system, you can still run into issues, and the same indicators would apply there.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Buying a JDM 2.0 liter motor to replace in WRX. A lot of small items and parts have to change but what are some key points when doing the swap. This is all considering you’ve had a USDM 2.0 motor blow up and needs to be replaced and you go the JDM import route as your solution.
Low Budget.
Thanks for the comment. Sometimes a JDM engine can be a reasonable solution. but they do typically bring with them some extra complications, and it can be a problem if you don't know what you are getting into.
This is particularly true with something like the EJ20X engines. We have a discussion about that on the channel actually.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Whats odd with my 2000 model GF8 WRX Wagon it now has 240,000km on it and there is still ZERO Blowby and Zero oil build up in the intercooler or other places only some slight "stains"
I still decided to change the PCV valve since it was over 100,000km since i t was last changed and the spring was completely missing and it was more floppy than a 100 year old man, but still Zero Blowby.
But i think my Rings are very healthy along with cylinders as Compression was tested at 200,000km and it was 155,155,154,155 psi down only 8 psi from factory 163psi.
Over 21 years of daily driving and lots of boost most gears.
I have an IAG AOS and I'm losing about 1qt every 800mi. I have the car in the shop now for other maintenance, and they're saying it might be time for a new short block from the engine wearing out. Could this be the real issue? Is there a way to know for sure if the AOS doesn't actually return air back to the inlet?
Thanks for your question. Yes, if you look at the vent/return hose for the AOS, they should be dry. If you see any signs that oil is moving through that hose, that would indicate that there is an issue with the PCV/AOS.
I'd also recommend taking a close look at your drain hose and how it is sitting on the engine. If you don't have a steady downward angle on that hose, or if it is pinched at all, then that can cause issues because the AOS can may not be draining properly.
Looking at crankcase pressure can also give you some really helpful insight as to what may be going on.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
So I got a question. From the Na world I have an IAG aos to help with oil control. I have their baffle and "crank scraper" and pick up as well. What would be a tell tale sign for us Na guys that we needed such measures? Now I did my own little theory and the oil burning smell reduced and my consumption dropped to barely noticible. Wearas I was burning up to a half quart every 500 miles or so. Now you have me thinking maybe I didn't need the Aos vs rebuilding the factory pcv system.
Thanks for the question Craig. I would say first that since you got that result after putting on the baffle, then that definitely helped. Most likely you were getting a lot of oil sloshing which was sending oil through your PCV system.
On higher power NA engines, a catch can can definitely help though too.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Hello! You mentioned the design of a certain AOS that replaces the oil filler cap. Does this mean that that product is not recommended?
Thanks for your question. That is correct. Here is a detailed explanation of the issues that you can see with that design:
th-cam.com/video/HAvxjSdQsXI/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning awesome! Thanks so much
So with a stock 2020 STI a AOS is really beneficial? I track it occasionally and it hits redline almost everytime I start it. I bought it to have fun ;). I only have 18k miles, should a AOS be next on my list? Next as in first
Thanks for your question. Definitely go through this whole video as that is the topic we discuss here.
I'd also recommend watching this video as well:
th-cam.com/video/iJs1SSAOYiU/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning thanks
My iag aos comp, smoking out of the vent. What could it be the problem? Having a hard time figuring it out.
If you have the IAG Comp AOS, then any vapors from the crankcase will be heading out the vent tube.
So depending on how much smoke you are talking about, you may want to get a professional opinion. It could be normal, or it could be the sign of another issue.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I have a Crawford AOS V2 brand-new in-the-box never used for my 2013 STi SE. Would you recommend using that system or selling and purchasing an IAG AOS instead?
The Crawford AOS is a great option. I think it should work fine for you. I'd say since you have it, install it :-)
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Has there been any recommended modifications to the original hose routing or components of the Crawford V2 AOS?
Not that I am aware of. If memory serves, the V2 runs coolant to the AOS tank, which can be helpful. More than anything, I'd recommend taking a good look at the drain hose routing, and if you aren't able to get a steady downward angle, you would want to try to incorporate something like the 3MI AOS drain hose.
www.flatironstuning.com/3mi-racing-aos-hose-kit
@@FlatironsTuning Very cool did not know that drain hose kit existed. You guys should make a AOS install video showing that setup would probably sell a lot more.
Thanks again appreciate all your information enjoy watching all your detailed content.
you block it off and install a catch can. done..
Thanks for the comment. Stay Tuned!
What are the common cause of piston ring lands braking on ej20 turbo to ej25 turbo?
Great question! I'll add it to the list!
Stay Tuned!
Does the oil from pcv to inlet on turbo harm the turbo? If in excess
Thanks for your question. Not typically. Usually the engine would end up being damaged before the turbo would.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Guys, my STI MY2010 has an oil consumption of 1 quart per 840 miles. The PCV valve is new. The PCV system hoses has never been replaced. Is it possible that maybe a PCV system hose leak may be contributing for such consumption? There is no oil inside the turbo and minimal amount inside intercooler and throttle body. No smoke at all through the exhaust. As an additional info, the car makes 15 MPG in the city.
Thanks for your question. That is a lot of oil to be using. There has to be some kind of indication of where it is going.
I'd recommend first having the car smoke tested to check for any leaks. Next, it may be worth it to take the down-pipe off to look signs of oil there. It could be that the oil is leaking from the turbo. Definitely worth checking.
If everything still checks out fine, you may want to do a compression and leak-down test to see if there is an issue with the rings. You could check your plugs for signs of oil as well.
Hope you can find some indication of where the oil is going and get it fixed.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks very much for the quick reply. I'll follow your advices.
Dame! You guys are ALSOME! I’m having trouble with my Crawford v2 AOS on my 2011 wrx pro tuned by JRtuned front mount flex fuel ect! I WILL NOT!!! GIVE UP ON HER!
But I can use the advice. If you guys can maybe share your email or something I’ll send you pictures everything I used and then to install it but I’m getting oil in my intake system. Also my front mount in a cooler.
Definitely sorry to hear, but we'll do what we can to help.
You should e-mail some pictures with as much detail about your problem to us at flatironstuning@flatironsimports.com
We are actually working on a new series called "Hey, what's your problem", and this would be a prefect fit for that I think.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
th-cam.com/video/H9bS-yWIE48/w-d-xo.html
@@FlatironsTuning will do! THANK YOU 🙏🏽 for the response.. I will definitely get all the pictures & details along with all modifications done. God bless you guys!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙂🙂
Could a stuck PCV cause lots of oil to escape?
Thanks for your question. It is possible certainly. If you are seeing a lot of oil moving through the PCV system, this is definitely a good thing to check. I'd also recommend checking the condition of the hoses that are connected to the engine at the same time as well.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning thanks a lot , I’ll keep trouble shooting , is there a test with a glove to put over a open oil cap ? Before I cleaned my PCV valve the glove was filled with air in and out , I have not tested it sense but will see if I made a diff asap
@@mikeyrov5230 Definitely take a look at our video no Crankcase pressure:
th-cam.com/video/HAvxjSdQsXI/w-d-xo.html
If you are seeing a fair amount of asses coming out of your oil cap at idle, that could indicate an issue, and I'd recommend that you continue checking the engine. You may want to do a compression and leak-down test to make sure that the rings are sealing.
Hope that helps!