PCV Puck life expectancy?

casm · **Joined:** Sun Jan 29, 2006 5:05 pm **Posts:** 694

Roughly two years ago, the KJ's PCV puck was replaced with a new OEM unit. Today, I noticed that it's puking oil all over the valve cover about as badly as the old one was. Is this about right for their longevity, or is something else going on?

There is a Provent 200 installed along with Sasquatch silicone hoses, but I doubt that has anything to do with it.

geordi · **Posted:** Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:13 pm

Did you put a hose clamp around the outlet hose?

There's NOTHING inside the CCV puck other than a rubber flap and a thin spring. It isn't a filter at all. The hot air softens the hose, which expands and leaks oil out. OR the o-ring underneath has been cut / damaged and that's leaking.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:19 pm

casm wrote:

Roughly two years ago, the KJ's PCV puck was replaced with a new OEM unit. Today, I noticed that it's puking oil all over the valve cover about as badly as the old one was. Is this about right for their longevity, or is something else going on?
There is a Provent 200 installed along with Sasquatch silicone hoses, but I doubt that has anything to do with it.

I would remove the CCV Puck, take it apart and inspect everything. Also inspect and clean out the "J" tube drain as pictured below and make sure it is not stopped up. If it stops up, oil would back up in the puck instead of draining out as it should. I believe there are some "O" ring type seals that can also be inspected or replaced.

View from inside valve cover underneath CCV Puck.

mrhemi · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:46 am **Posts:** 180

WWDiesel wrote:

casm wrote:

Roughly two years ago, the KJ's PCV puck was replaced with a new OEM unit. Today, I noticed that it's puking oil all over the valve cover about as badly as the old one was. Is this about right for their longevity, or is something else going on?
There is a Provent 200 installed along with Sasquatch silicone hoses, but I doubt that has anything to do with it.

I would remove the CCV Puck, take it apart and inspect everything. Also inspect and clean out the "J" tube drain as pictured below and make sure it is not stopped up. If it stops up, oil would back up in the puck instead of draining out as it should. I believe there are some "O" ring type seals that can also be inspected or replaced.

View from inside valve cover underneath CCV Puck.

Keeping the "J tube" (loop seal) clear is very important. It is even mentioned in an obscure entry in the FSM. I believe a large number of CRD's are driving around with this clogged, hence exasperating oil carry over issues. It can be difficult to get a clogged one cleared initially, but once completed it is fairly easy to keep clean as in WWDiesel's photos. I pop mine off to clean every second oil change. Neither of my CRD's experience noticeable oil carry over now and I do not have Provents or equivalent separators installed.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Mar 28, 2020 11:32 am

mrhemi wrote:

Keeping the "J tube" (loop seal) clear is very important. It is even mentioned in an obscure entry in the FSM. I believe a large number of CRD's are driving around with this clogged, hence exasperating oil carry over issues. It can be difficult to get a clogged one cleared initially, but once completed it is fairly easy to keep clean as in WWDiesel's photos. I pop mine off to clean every second oil change. Neither of my CRD's experience noticeable oil carry over now and I do not have Provents or equivalent separators installed.

Once I got mine ("J" loop) cleaned out good, my ProVent collects very little actual liquid anymore between oil changes.
ProVent is capturing ~2 oz.s or less.

To clean out "J" tube; spray a little brake cleaner through the tube and then snake a pipe cleaner or a small piece of flexible wire down through the tube and then respray with cleaner. The little small thin plastic tube that comes with a can of brake cleaner and attaches to the spray nozzle works great for this. :wink:

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Mar 28, 2020 1:10 pm

Can't say I've ever messed with that on any of the CRDs I've worked on... But what's the need of a "drain" when the galleries right under every rocker and valve spring have drains to the pan?

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 28, 2020 3:01 pm

I had nothing better to do, so I grabbed a pipe cleaner and went out to the Jeep.
This is what I learned:

1. The CCV outlet was not perfectly round. Like maybe it got hot and warped. Maybe that’s why oil was leaking.
2. The CCV puck gets brittle with age. Trying open it up could break it.
3. Finding the J tube is a poke of faith. Almost impossible to see.
4. Carb cleaner dissolves latex bandaids. I already knew that carb cleaner on an open wound was painful. Now I have pain AND a sticky mess all over my index finger.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Mar 28, 2020 4:35 pm

flash7210 wrote:

I had nothing better to do, so I grabbed a pipe cleaner and went out to the Jeep.
This is what I learned:
1. The CCV outlet was not perfectly round. Like maybe it got hot and warped. Maybe that’s why oil was leaking.
2. The CCV puck gets brittle with age. Trying open it up could break it.
3. Finding the J tube is a poke of faith. Almost impossible to see.
4. Carb cleaner dissolves latex bandaids. I already knew that carb cleaner on an open wound was painful. Now I have pain AND a sticky mess all over my index finger.

If it is warped and brittle, sounds like it's time for a replacement.
Use Brake Cleaner and wear some mechanics gloves, much less painful. :wink:

Chrysler calls it a "Pressure Control Valve".
VALVE. Pressure Control.
This Fits Your 2005 Jeep Liberty LIMITED EDITION 2.8L Turbo 4 Cyl Diesel A/T 4X4
Part Number: 05114348AB

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Mar 28, 2020 5:53 pm

Yes - it is a valve, that's why I said it has a rubber flap inside and a weak spring. That's ALL that is inside it. The idea is that the turbo suction draws out the air and any combustible gasses (what little might be there) from the block, and keeps the vacuum pump discharge from building up pressure. Then if the turbo suction gets too strong, the flap is sucked closed and prevents the block from (maybe) imploding or inhaling a gasket until the suction backs off and the spring opens the flap again.

Keeps the block between 1 psi and 1 inch of vaccum / -1 psi or so.

That's all it does.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 28, 2020 9:22 pm

Quote:

Use Brake Cleaner and wear some mechanics gloves, much less painful.

Uh NO!
Brake cleaner is worse!
And it turns my skin into open weeping blisters.

Yeah. Somewhere along the line I developed a hypersensitivity to the stuff.
I only use carb cleaner now.

mrhemi · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:46 am **Posts:** 180

geordi wrote:

Yes - it is a valve, that's why I said it has a rubber flap inside and a weak spring. That's ALL that is inside it. The idea is that the turbo suction draws out the air and any combustible gasses (what little might be there) from the block, and keeps the vacuum pump discharge from building up pressure. Then if the turbo suction gets too strong, the flap is sucked closed and prevents the block from (maybe) imploding or inhaling a gasket until the suction backs off and the spring opens the flap again.

Keeps the block between 1 psi and 1 inch of vaccum / -1 psi or so.

That's all it does.

That is not entirely correct. It is also a cyclonic separator. Hence the drain in the bottom of it that requires a "loop seal or J tube" functioning properly to drain the separated oil back into the cam cover. Section 9 - 1675 of the FSM refers to this as an "Separator-Oil" and instructs to keep the drain hole clean.

PZKW108 · **Joined:** Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:23 pm **Posts:** 461

mrhemi wrote:

geordi wrote:

Yes - it is a valve, that's why I said it has a rubber flap inside and a weak spring. That's ALL that is inside it. The idea is that the turbo suction draws out the air and any combustible gasses (what little might be there) from the block, and keeps the vacuum pump discharge from building up pressure. Then if the turbo suction gets too strong, the flap is sucked closed and prevents the block from (maybe) imploding or inhaling a gasket until the suction backs off and the spring opens the flap again.

Keeps the block between 1 psi and 1 inch of vaccum / -1 psi or so.

That's all it does.

That is not entirely correct. It is also a cyclonic separator. Hence the drain in the bottom of it that requires a "loop seal or J tube" functioning properly to drain the separated oil back into the cam cover. Section 9 - 1675 of the FSM refers to this as an "Separator-Oil" and instructs to keep the drain hole clean.

Thanks for the accurate info !!!!

TURBO-DIESEL-FREAK · **Joined:** Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:29 pm **Posts:** 1167

Following...

casm · **Joined:** Sun Jan 29, 2006 5:05 pm **Posts:** 694

geordi wrote:

Did you put a hose clamp around the outlet hose?

Yep. It's still on there and is tightened down as much as it was when it first went on.

WWDiesel wrote:

I would remove the CCV Puck, take it apart and inspect everything. Also inspect and clean out the "J" tube drain as pictured below and make sure it is not stopped up. If it stops up, oil would back up in the puck instead of draining out as it should. I believe there are some "O" ring type seals that can also be inspected or replaced.

Thanks for that - I'd forgotten about the 'J' tube. It was cleaned out when the puck was installed, but haven't touched it in probably 50,000 miles since then. If these thunderstorms ever stop, I'll give it another cleaning.

mrhemi wrote:

It is also a cyclonic separator. Hence the drain in the bottom of it that requires a "loop seal or J tube" functioning properly to drain the separated oil back into the cam cover. Section 9 - 1675 of the FSM refers to this as an "Separator-Oil" and instructs to keep the drain hole clean.

Interesting - it's basically doing what the Provent does, but internally rather than externally and using a different separation method. Hadn't caught on to that before.

In any event, if we can get some clear weather this weekend, I'll give it a cleaning and see what happens. It is also possible that it has worn out as well; even though it's only been in there a little over two years, that equates to around 53,000 miles. Despite the fact that we've put a decent number of miles on the CRD in a relatively short time, it's easy to overlook.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:10 pm

casm wrote:

Interesting - it's basically doing what the Provent does, but internally rather than externally and using a different separation method. Hadn't caught on to that before.
In any event, if we can get some clear weather this weekend, I'll give it a cleaning and see what happens. It is also possible that it has worn out as well; even though it's only been in there a little over two years, that equates to around 53,000 miles. Despite the fact that we've put a decent number of miles on the CRD in a relatively short time, it's easy to overlook.

If you remove the puck and then very carefully take it apart, you can examine it and see how the spiral cyclonic internals functions to capture some of the oil and drain it back into the engine before it leaves the puck.
It does have a rubber diaphragm and spring that can act as a valve to regulate suction from the turbo vacuum.

PCV Puck life expectancy?

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