When I went to Discount Auto Parts to get a new PCV valve for my car, the one the guy said that is made for my car looked totally different. It was aluminum and had 2 vacume fittings comming off of it... Is this the right one for our cars? Heres a quick picture I drew up of it.
Ya, thats the correct unit. The Motorcraft unit only has the one port, the aftermarket units come with a little plug you put into the top one, you only use the bigger, bottom one IIRC.
iv had the same thing going on here at the auto zones and other parts stores the pcv looks like the diagram drawn above. so what exactly do we do? what is IIRC
I am pretty sure most PCV valves that you will find in parts stores look just like the one in the diagram, but you can get a Motorcraft replacement for a buck or two more I think. I am running Fram unit and havent had a problem with it and it looks just like the one drawn.
I think that the lower leg of the "F" breaks off and caps the top leg or something. I bought one of them but it seemed a little loose in the rubber grommet. I didnt really NEED it so I just put the stock one back in and took it back.
The PCV valve from Discount Auto Parts and Autozone should come apart into two parts. You only need the metal part, not the plastic part.
When you remove the stock PCV valve, you'll notice what I'm talking about. Don't forget to also remove the grommet that is below the PCV valve. You'll need a pair of pliers to remove it, but with a flash light and a good deal of leaning over the car it should not be difficult. In fact, when you pull on the hose that disconnects from the PCV valve, sometimes the valve comes out with the hose. Clean the grommet by spraying it really good with carb cleaner (I hold it over a plastic container with pliers and spray it well until the fluid pouring out becomes very clear). Be careful putting it back in place, but should be easy with a little patience.
It took me a while to find the PCV valve. Actually, the parts stores people never could find it and it turned out they weren't even looking in the right area.
I payed $10 for my PCV valve at Ford. Do it right, and throw the Fram thing away. Just blow on it to see what I mean. Air is not suppost to go through that thing!
I ended up paying $24 over at Ford for a Filter, Grommet, and PCV.
You can save a few more dollars buying the Gommet from Advance Auto Parts