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Dies, idles too low, surges at idle. PCV valve?


JCorliss

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My car is a 1996 Contour GL with a 2.0 liter Zetec, gas-only motor and automatic transmission. I was told by the local Ford dealership's head mechanic that he's seen a bend in some hose off of the PCV valve collapse when the engine is warmed up, causing the problems I've been experiencing. I've also read that a hose up by the intake can crack and rot, sucking in air.

 

As far as I know, my PCV valve has never been replaced though and I'd like to do it.

 

The Haynes manual says to drain the coolant and pull off the exhaust manifold in order to get at the PCV valve.

 

The actual Ford Shop Manual, which I own, say to instead pull off the catalytic converter, which is a WHOLE lot less work than pulling the exhaust manifold etc.

 

To make matters even more complicated, I jacked the car up in front and can easily see the PCV valve and the end of the short, rubber hose one end of it goes into. The other end of that short hose goes onto the "Crankcase Ventilation Tube". The short rubber tube is probably hardened with age and will need to be cut off. This is what's going to make the job a serious pain.

 

So I have two questions:

 

1. What is the preferred method of replacing the PCV valve on these engines?

2. Does anybody have any idea what hose the dealership's talking about, the one which collapses where it bends?

 

I've attached a scan of the appropriate page from the shop manual as a reference. Hope it comes through.

 

Thanks in advance,

JCorliss

 

 

post-16211-0-34307800-1422120132_thumb.jpg

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I have no experience with the 4cyl, but the PCV tubing on Fords of this era is prone to collapse, crack and fail. Seen it many times, so if yours is original, it needs to be replaced as a preventive measure anyway.

 

#1 in the attached image is the PCV tube

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I have no experience with the 4cyl, but the PCV tubing on Fords of this era is prone to collapse, crack and fail. Seen it many times, so if yours is original, it needs to be replaced as a preventive measure anyway.

 

#1 in the attached image is the PCV tube

Spridget, thanks for replying!

 

#1 is a metal tube, seems impossible for it to collapse unless bent. It has a short length of rubber hose at its bottom into which the PCV valve goes, and at the top is that "T" shaped rubber fitting. In the illustration I posted, there's a section on the right titled "PCV Hoses". Maybe it's the hose in #7, the "front evaporative emission hose".

 

To anybody else reading this discussion, my other question is:

 

1. What is the preferred method of replacing the PCV valve on these 2.0 liter, 4 cyl. Zetec engines?

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Well, I guess nobody's interested in this thread. Since replacing the PCV valve on a Zetec is a serious problem, I would have expected more discussion or at least some pointers to where is it being discussed. And yes, I have Googled my brains out on the subject. One place says that removing the thermostat housing so that you can get at the PCV tube's bracket bolt is the way to go, that way you don't have to remove the exhaust manifold. Instead, you can simply remove that bolt and pull out the PCV's crankcase ventilation tube, making PCV replacement easy. What it didn't show though, is how to put the valve back into the motor. Guess I'd do that from underneath the car.

 

It would have taken very little effort on the part of the engine's design team to make the PCV valve more easily accessible. That they didn't, to me, shows that they had a loaded agenda of planned obsolescence and maintenance fee price gouging. That kind of thing can only kick back in the moco's face.

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The tube is metal but the hose connections are rubber. I don't know why Ford used this rubber that likes to dry rot. I have an engine from a late '80s Honda sitting in my barn, when they had 1000 vacuum hoses running everywhere, and the original hoses still look great.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

My car is a 1996 Contour GL with a 2.0 liter Zetec, gas-only motor and automatic transmission. I was told by the local Ford dealership's head mechanic that he's seen a bend in some hose off of the PCV valve collapse when the engine is warmed up, causing the problems I've been experiencing. I've also read that a hose up by the intake can crack and rot, sucking in air.

 

As far as I know, my PCV valve has never been replaced though and I'd like to do it.

 

The Haynes manual says to drain the coolant and pull off the exhaust manifold in order to get at the PCV valve.

 

The actual Ford Shop Manual, which I own, say to instead pull off the catalytic converter, which is a WHOLE lot less work than pulling the exhaust manifold etc.

 

To make matters even more complicated, I jacked the car up in front and can easily see the PCV valve and the end of the short, rubber hose one end of it goes into. The other end of that short hose goes onto the "Crankcase Ventilation Tube". The short rubber tube is probably hardened with age and will need to be cut off. This is what's going to make the job a serious pain.

 

So I have two questions:

 

1. What is the preferred method of replacing the PCV valve on these engines?

2. Does anybody have any idea what hose the dealership's talking about, the one which collapses where it bends?

 

I've attached a scan of the appropriate page from the shop manual as a reference. Hope it comes through.

 

Thanks in advance,

JCorliss

Turns out it was a bad PCV valve AND somebody had not bolted the metal tube back into place on the motor. I checked the old PCV valve once I got it out and it was not closing when I blew in either end. The new one closed in one direction like it should. I probably should have also removed and either cleaned or replaced the oil separator (which the PCV plugs into) but that would have required removing the catalytic converter. Next time I will do this. For the time being though, replacing the PCV and bolting that tube into place like it should have been (which required temporarily removing the thermostat housing) seems to have fixed the problem I was having with the car stalling all the time.

Edited by JCorliss
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I know this is an old discussion,but I feel I have to say something here. The post at that link (above in the quoted material) by CRZYDRVR dated 08/04/00 says "Looking at the hose from the top, there is a small black shield on the manifold side right beside the PCV valve. We used a large pry bar (long enough to reach down there) and bent it just a little towards the front of the car. Then I could get my hand through to grab the PCV valve and pull. All it took was a wiggle or 2, and the whole thing popped itself out."

 

THIS IS EXTREMELY BAD ADVICE!! That "small black shield" (on the 2.0 liter Zetec 4 cyl. motor) he refers to is part of the oil separator, item number 4 on this diagram:

 

Oil separator

 

If you bend it, you run the risk of breaking open the seam which will cause you unbelievable grief. You'll have to pull your catalytic converter so you can replace that oil separator. DON'T BEND IT!

Edited by JCorliss
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I know this is an old discussion,but I feel I have to say something here. The post at that link (above in the quoted material) by CRZYDRVR dated 08/04/00 says "Looking at the hose from the top, there is a small black shield on the manifold side right beside the PCV valve. We used a large pry bar (long enough to reach down there) and bent it just a little towards the front of the car. Then I could get my hand through to grab the PCV valve and pull. All it took was a wiggle or 2, and the whole thing popped itself out."

 

THIS IS EXTREMELY BAD ADVICE!! That "small black shield" (on the 2.0 liter Zetec 4 cyl. motor) he refers to is part of the oil separator, item number 4 on this diagram:

 

 
 

If you bend it, you run the risk of breaking open the seam which will cause you unbelievable grief. You'll have to pull your catalytic converter so you can replace that oil separator. DON'T BEND IT!

This is GREAT NEWS!! This is why we have "old posts" and the ability to correct/update these when a member discovers the "truth", as in this case. We SO APPRECIATE this feedback/post, JCorliss!!!

 

Item #4 acts as a "Catch Can" and you are most correct - break this and you have instant oil leak.

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