PCV Elbow

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Kyle Keller

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Ok so I am having some trouble figuring this one out and I've posted several times but I really need some help. I got the CEL, got the codes its 171/174 lean bank which people are saying is the PCV elbow being cracked. I looked at it and around and wiggled things and pushed and pulled and nothing is happening. The engine isn't overheating, its running fine, no leaks, no weird noises nothing out of the ordinary and its also idling fine but the CEL is still on but I'm not gonna take it to a shop to fix because they're just gonna screw me over anyways so what else should I be looking for in this instance to solve the problem or get rid of the code?I have my battery unhooked now to see if the code will go away and maybe its just a fluke of the system so if that happens then all of this is irrelevant but I still need ideas on what it could be.



BTW: about 2 weeks ago I did an engine maintenance day.

-THOROUGH Radiator flush (with prestone and bleach and water)

-Carb cleaner on the IAC motor and throttle body and intake

-Seafoam through the brake booster



Let me know if any of this would have effects but it didn't show a CEL light until about 250 miles later.
 
You flushed the cooling system with bleach??? Never heard of doing that. Doesn't sound too good for the engine to me.
 
CELS typically don't come back on right away if there's still a problem. Did you take the elbow off and check it, most times like on mine it was cracked on the bottom and couldn't tell at first even after removing. Check both elbows, the front one on the TB and rear on the rear drivers side valve cover on the PCV valve. Check the valve itself too, it may be clogged with oil. The elbows could be clogged with oil as well.
 
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That's true about the coil causing the code. My stock coil never did but when I installed the Screamin' Demon coil it thru the code so I just sent it back and put the stock coil back on.
 
ok first off when I went back out and plugged the battery back up, no CEL so we will see about that. but as far as some of the responses..



Train trac,

yeah my radiator was NASTY. it only has 65k on it and me and my dad ran prestone flusher through it first and it was still gunky and nasty so then he decided to mix bleach and water and that helped better. still a little dirty but got it the cleanest i could. he said he's done it numerous times without any problems.



Jerry, i didn't take off the elbows but I can when i get a chance, but i squeezed them and they seemed ok but i couldn't see any cracks so i will try and take them off and see. where would the oil come from that would do the clogging and what effect would this have on the engine? and could any of the maintenance I did on the truck have caused this or is it just time to replace the PCV valve?



and I haven't changed any coils so I don't think it would be that throwing the code but I did see that on another post as a potential problem.





thanks for all the help gentleman
 
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The elbows will still be soft and not dried out like you'd think to make it crack. The oil comes from the engine, the PCV valve plugs into the rear of the valve cover, it's normal. A new valve only cost $6, $30 for a new elbow hose. It's easy to replace, takes about 15 minutes for both.

 
Kyle,

You normally have to have the elbow in your hand to see if it is defective.



They fail in one of two ways normally. They crack (almost always on the bottom) and they get spongy and collapse closed when they engine is running...



Here is a picture of the crack.



[Broken External Image]:
 
this post may be too far down for anybody to check it but ill try anyways. If my check engine light went back off does this mean maybe it was a fluke? or should I go ahead and just check the elbow? I'm at my dorm room and don't have all my tools just some of them and whenever I go back home to Atlanta (where I have more tools and my dad's helping hand) it is easier to do but I do not want the elbow to totally give out and screw something up while I'm driving down the road.



btw thanks for all the responses to this
 
You'll only need a flathead screwdriver if that to pull the elbow off and check it. It's really easy and can be done in about 2 minutes. Keep posting here, we'll still respond to it. There's certain posts that I know I can help with that I'll keep checking even a month later just in case.
 
The CEL light going out doesn't make it a fluke...it went out for me, and my elbow was still truly cracked.



If your elbow is anything like mine was, you'll need a knife and good grip to get it off, as it had basically bonded to the plastic tubing and ripped on extraction, and the other parts had to be cut off...still nothing major required. PCV valve requires 5 minutes and 90 degree bent pliers, if you're doing that part as well.



The elbow completely breaking is not fun, leads the engine stalling out, which happened to me @ 50 mph and about a quarter mile from a red light. Thx brakes, ebrake (fun), and downshifting :D



(Had to use a piece of bike inner tube to sub for the elbow to get back home)



Hopefully you won't repeat my fun :grin:
 
KL,



You just happened to have a spare inner tube lying around that you didn't mind destroying? What are the odds? :banana:
 
Yeah, I have a ton of em just lying around from when I used to bike a lot...now it just isn't convenient to get anywhere, and I'd rather hike than bike through the woods. Tragic, since the ST is far better to haul bikes than my old ride. Also, my bikes were cheap and I abused them such that they aren't really ride-worthy anymore...



The tube already had a hole in it, so no big loss. Now I carry around a length of 3/4" heater hose & 2 clamps, just in case the new one should go out.
 

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