PCV Valve 05 T&C
 

Hello,

Posting just in case anyone is interested. I tried to replace my PCV valve because oil consumption is increasing (@ only 51K miles). I went from no consumption to a quart every 2000 miles starting at around 40K. Anyway, I made sure to get a new one from the dealer ($9.95) before starting. I tried everything to gently remove this. Nothing worked. FYI, for at least 05, this just gets pushed in and has a large rubber grommet. It is not screwed in. So, I went with vise grips and crushed the top of the old PCV to try and get it out. That didn't work either as I pulled the metal top right off the PCV. The PCV is located on the back side of the engine toward the passenger's side. Finally, I decided to remove the intake plenum which was suprisingly easy. This allowed direct access to the PCV. I managed to grab an edge with needle nose pliers and lever off the intake manifold to pop it out. I put a wood shim btwn the pliers and aluminum manifold so as not damage it. What I found was that the factory had jammed the existing PCV into the hole and 1/2 the gasket was pinched under the unit. So what should have taken 10 minutes took me over 4 hours. I really hope that this helps with oil consumption. I didn't notice anything defective with the old one. Lastly, removing the intake plenum provides an opportunity for a quick clean up of the plenum and intake passages. There was a heavy layer of black goop on everthing. If my oil consumption doesn't slow up, should I switch to heavier wt oil? I use 5W20 now... Thanks, Bill

Hey Bill.. my 05 seems to be using a little oitl too about the same as yours. Mine has 80k on it. Were the seals re-usable on the plenum? Let us know how it turns out on consumption. I read that the 5-20 would get consumed faster but I think the engine was designed with tolerances that are good for 5-20. Not sure if you should go any higher or not.

Plenum seals
 

Yes, the plenum seals are an orange neoprene type that are reusable. They stay in place on the plenum when you remove it. I just used the air intake cleaner to clean the mating surface on the intake manifold runners. I torqued the hold down bolts to about 10 ft lbs (snug plus a little more).

I know that the 3.8 can use 5W30 but I'm not sure about going to 10W30. My 01 concorde with the 2.7 allows for either 5W30 or 10W30 (depending on ambient temp) but that was before 5W20 was in vogue.

Does anyone endorse going to 10W30?

Bill

PCV Valve Pops Out
 

After fighting tooth and nail to get this out, the new one seemed to drop in and grab on the inside edge on the plastic cover. I could feel this lip with my finger. This edge seemed to align with the lower indent on the gasket. I never really paid attention to how deep the old one was in. I thought the top of the rubber grommet was flush with the top of the plastic housing. Well, I checked it twice and it kept getting pulled out by the system vacuum. It was lodged in the hose. My Haynes book has a picture that shows the valve recessed into the plastic housing about 1/4 inch. After much wrangling, I found a deep socket (5/8") that fit the PCV but would also slide into the plastic housing. I placed this on top of the PCV and used a piece of wood across it for leverage. With even pressure, the valve slid in about 1/4 inch below the plastic housing top edge. I was going to grease the PCV rubber grommet so it would slide easier, but since it kept popping out, I wiped down both the rubber grommet and the plastic housing and put the PCV in dry. Why this isn't a screw in valve I'll never know. So, the moral here is install the PCV with the intake plenum removed and ensure that it sits about 1/4" below the top edge of the plastic housing. I hope I never have to take this out again.

Any thoughts about going to a 10W30 oil? I think I'm still passing too much through the PCV...

Glad you finally got it. You may want to search on chrysler minivan forum. I am going to.

http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/index.php