Lvangundy

Here is a little how to on replacing the PCV valve. It has been suggested by another CL member (thanks to jbrady) to try this for my non-stop-ever-growing quest to fix my car's extremely sloppy performance. Here's a description I found on the net of what the PCV is..

""The Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve is a one-way (check) valve that takes blow-by gasses from the engine's crankcase and feeds it into the extension manifold where it is sucked into the engine and burned. ""

Another -

"""The purpose of the PCV valve is to prevent unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, present in blow by gases, from being expelled into the atmosphere. This process also helps to reduce moisture and the presents of corrosive gases in the crank case ,which extends the life of you engine and engine oil by keeping it cleaner longer.

The PCV valve accomplishes this task by redirecting the the unburned gases from the crank case into the fresh air being fed to the engine, the fresh air and unburned gases mix with the fuel and are burned off when the air fuel mix combusts achieving cleaner emissions.
""""



The part from Carson toyota ran less than $12. It is titled "valve sub-assy, ven" w/ part # 12204-50010. I guess this is something that can get clogged over time, but mine as far as I could see form the outside wasn't too dirty.

So, start by grasping the little hose clamp and moving it up so you can pull the top hose section off of the PCV.

Use a good strong pair of pliers to grab the PCV and PULL. It will take a little wiggling and maybe a few pulls for the weak (like me LOL) It is held in tightly by a rubber seal. I cleaned the area around the seal and used a screwdriver with the rag on the tip to get into the PCV hole and wiped out whatever dirt I could.

Now, replace the old one with the new one by plugging the PCV into the top upper hose (with the calmp on it) THEN push the PCV back into it's socket. It is MUCH easier to get the PCV back in with the top hose attached so you have some leverage.

Reclamp the top hose and you're done. Here's pics--

Lvangundy

No PCV, cleaned seal.

Lvangundy

Back in with new PCV!

SQ-LS

Thanks for the great info.
Someone needs to clean his engine bay.

Lvangundy

My coolant box has a leak on the rubber seal and when it gets hot it leaks and sprays coolant all over.

When I got my car the engine bay was like ULTRA extreme clean..here's a pic from Oct of 2001. Wow already been a year..;-(

How do I get it this clean again?

Lexozz

Lvangundy does it again, what next?

hyperopt

Good old engine degreaser and rinse with water (be sure to cover sensitive areas) will remove the grease and dirt. Spray Gum Out carburetor cleanser on a rag and polish to perfection.

chliansh

Lvangundy

Where was the leak?

Mine leaks under the sensor with wire on the left side of the coolant over flow, I just thought it was too full. Did you buy the part/seal from Lexus?

retrodrive

So, did it help? I'ts cool that you do that man...mad props!

JBrady

Good post. If there is no improvement something else to have checked out... EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve/system. This adds (believe it or not) actual exhaust gas into the intake charge under certain conditions to reduce oxides of nitrogen by cooling the burn. Obviously you do not want too MUCH or recirculation at the WRONG time. I do not have the technical info on the 1UZ-FE engine but it is another possible cause.

PS. diagnosing over the NET is hardly an accurate thing to do. I am not trying to get you to needlessly spend money... just trying to help. We can't have any dog slow LS400s out there... can we now...

lexie

my coolant tank also leak under the sensor on the left side; I plan to replace the whole reservoir when it gets worse. The coolant reservoir cost $110.34 at irontoad.com.

I wonder I could just replace the seal or o-ring?

GA400

Guys,

I am having exactly the same leaking problem in the same place on the reservoir. I thought my system had a pressure or blockage issue but I have had it flushed, new water pump and coolant, and the leak is still there. Have to clean the !@#@ thing off every few days now.

GA400

Lvangundy

Yup, the most common fix I hear from local shops is to replace the actual reservoire. Around $100.00

SQ-LS

Believe it or not brake cleaner does a great job on cleaning the engine bay.
I learned this from a mechanic friend of mine.
It evaporates pretty quick so it won't harn the wires but still cleans.
Just spray, scrub, and wipe off!

gserep1

Guys,
I would be a little careful with brake cleaner on certain parts. That stuff ispretty caustic, and may strip some paint off. Try not to get too much of it on your exhaust system either, because it will burn and smoke on the next start-up.

My past experience with cleaning an engine was just covering ingintors and air intake systems, and washing the entire engine down with soap and water (usually the same water I used to wash the car, and then rinse off. I usually wash the engine as the last step of a car wash. I also let the engine idle, and this lets me know if I wet something important, as the engine will sputter a bit if I get something important wet......(it also helped me find a bad spark plug wire, as it will be sparking and arcing from the water if one is bad. Saved me a trip to the dealer once when I had a misfire.

NUFF SAID!
GSEREP1