2002 EV: Need Help Identifying Part That Has Missing Cap [PCV]

[rstrube]

Hi everyone,

I had to fix a minor coolant leak on the van this weekend, and I noticed something suspicious that I was hoping others could help me identify.

The part itself almost looks like it had a cap that has fallen off, I'm not sure what this is or how critical a problem it is that the cap has fallen off. We're planning on doing an extended road trip next week, so it would be great to know if this is a serious problem

The van seems to be running fine overall, but I'm concerned.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[kourt]

That is the PCV connector from the engine to the intake hose. When it's intact, it snaps on to the back of the black tube that it sits next to in your photos. Stick your hand back there and feel around and you'll see what I mean.

Both the black intake tube and the PCV hose are no longer available through normal parts sources. You can find some on eBay.

It is possible to buy PCV connectors for other cars and mod them to work with the Eurovan, but that's a rabbit hole I don't want to go down right now.

kourt

[samscholz96@gmail.com]

I have glued them in the past.
Whole ones do appear on ebay, kinda spendy
_________________
2001 eurovn weekender 207k fresh batteries

[rstrube]

Thank you guys! Do you think it would be possible for me to glue / tape it back into place place?

[kourt]

Yeah, I've used JB weld to rehab my PCV back together.

You can also buy something like this and then take it apart and try to cobble a similar Eurovan PCV hose from the parts.

These squeeze type connectors have a special name, but I forgot it. The hose is usually 19mm ID. I'll post back if I remember it.

Update: Dorman 800-049 is a good replacement part for the hose end.

There's also a recent thread on this subject... but do not use heater hose to build a replacement PCV hose.

kourt

[rstrube]

Update,

I noticed the PCV connector had a tremendous amount of strain on it when attempting to glue it to the main intake (not the best engineering IMO, and this is clearly why it broke to begin with!).

I decided to jury rig a solution using a piece of PVC pipe that I cut to completely remove any strain between teh PCV connector and the intake. I realize this does change the parameters slightly, but I figure this is better than having a hole in the intake, and the PVC connector venting into the hood!

I used JB Weld Plastic Weld putty, and I let it cure overnight. Seems very sturdy now!

Maybe this was an insane idea, but I figured I would give it a go!

[rstrube]

[gesoffen]

The PVC itself will be the weak link prior to the epoxy failing due to temperature. I'd expect the PVC to soften/loose shape prior to the 300 deg temp rating of the epoxy.
Additionally, I'd be concerned if oil plays nice with your epoxy and the pvc.

As a very short term fix, I say good job. However, I wouldn't count on this lasting more than a couple of heat cycles.

editted after kourt posted to correct "PCV" to "PVC" - not sure if that changes the context of kourt's reponse. Apologies for the typo

[kourt]

I echo what gesoffen said.

When I saw your repair I thought about how vain I was when I repaired mine--I used regular JB Weld and then spray painted it black to match the surrounding materials. I found your unflinching use of white PVC very refreshing.

That was two years ago and it's still holding up strong.

What I would have done in your situation is first pull the PCV fitting out of the elbow. You would do that by squeezing the sides of the elbow, which will release the fitting, and try to use a tool--perhaps needlenose pliers or screwdriver--and get the fitting out.

Then try to JB weld the fitting back in its proper place, and then snap the fitting back on.

[rstrube]

Thank you guys!

I guess I'm a bit confused about what the PCV actually is. @gesoffen you mentioned that you would be more concerned about that failing, but wasn't that always attached to the intake hose and exposed to radiant heat the entire time?

Also I'm a bit confused about releasing the PCV, take a look at this photo, and I understanding you two correctly?

For background I was rushing to make a fix because we have this big road trip coming up, and I just discovered this about a 3 days ago! I did take it out for a test drive yesterday (for a couple hours) checked everything afterwards and it all appears to be holding up well (just on a small road drip).

I was considering wrapping things with some additional high-temperataure silicon tape to add some extra protection.

Thank all of you for your advice / help!

[kourt]

Pinch the ridged sections and pull straight out.

There are a few other such connectors on the engine you can practice on--for instance, follow the PCV hose down to the valve cover, where a similar connector exists.

PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) takes blowby gases from the engine and recirculates them into the intake, which is a form of emissions compliance for cars sold in North America.

kourt

[rstrube]

[kourt]

I'm not recommending anything right now. I think you should ride your repair and see how it goes. I bet it will be fine for now.

My PCV hose had a crack in the shrink tubing, so I bought some new 1" heat shrink and rebuilt the hose. What you've got going is probably fine for the short term, but just keep an eye on it. I don't trust PVC pipe for high energy applications (heat).

kourt

[gesoffen]

For reference, most PVC pipe is designed to handle up to typical domestic hot water temperatures (roughly 120-130 F). It will soften at ~150 F and become viscous around 200.

I'm not sure what oil/hydrocarbons will do to PVC but I'm confident it was never designed to handle them.

It may work as a short term/troubleshooting fix but keep a close eye on it. If you are doing a road trip with it, I'd recommend travelling with a back-up plan and associated parts in case it fails at an inconvenient time.

[rstrube]

@gesoffen, I misunderstood your concern. You had concern about the PVC pipe, not the PCV (god switching two letters causes confusion!).

@kourt, thanks for all the information.

I have a temporary fix for now which is that I wrapped the PVC pipe in some silicon self healing tape that's extremely temperature resistant. It should hopefully allow us to make this trip. I'll investigate a more permanent solution later!

[rstrube]

I slept on my temp fix, and the more I think about it the more I don't believe we should move forward with the road trip with this particular fix in place.

After rereading your comments and doing some more research I now understand that not only is the radiant heat from the engine a problem, but the actual gasses that flow through the PVC pipe would be a problem. These gases are quite hot and carry oil, vaporized fuel, etc. that will degrade the PVC pipe.

I think I was just over zealous trying to achieve a fix without really understanding all the considerations... harsh lesson to learn.

I was curious if anyone had any suggestions on how to properly remove the epoxy. My instinct is to use a file - making sure to vacuum the debris until I can remove the PVC pipe from one end, and then do the same thing on the other - but at this point I'm doubting my instinct.

Thanks for all the help & advice!

[kourt]

You saved me the trouble of writing about the hot gases inside the hose (yet I'm still posting about it).

Acetone and scraping/sanding will remove epoxy. It will take time.

kourt

[rstrube]

@kourt and all - I was able to remove the PVC pipe - I still need to file off some of the epoxy and PVC, but it would be much easier if I could remove this connector.

I'm note sure which side is supposed to where the connection can be broken #1 or #2. I'm honestly also not sure where to actually press, how to remove the connector. Could you please provide some guidance?

Thanks!
Rob

[kourt]

What you're highlighting there is an electrical connector. The separation joint is at position 2. Position 1 is where the wiring loom connects to the connector.

The copper disc on the right side, with the black plastic "radiation warning" shape holding it in place, is the PCV valve, which is intended to be integrated with the big 4" black plastic intake elbow, and is not part of the hose. Use an open set of needle nose pliers, pull straight out, while pinching these sides of the connector:

The end connector on the PCV hose should look like this:

And you need to account for the whole hose, which looks like this:

The electrical connector you're talking about is designed by German idiots. They break all the time. I usually open them by sticking a small jeweler's screwdriver or seal pick into the open square hole next to the round embossed plastic date code shown in your photo.

You fish around with the seal pick until you start to hear your pick on the plastic tang that holds the connector in place. The tang is about the thickness of a guitar pick and is spring loaded against a molded stop to keep the connector from slipping apart. Find the edge of the tang and lift while trying to separate the connectors. It will take 15 minutes of quiet fiddling with the seal pick to find the edge of the tang, and another few minutes to figure out which way to bend your seal pick to get the tang to lift, and another few minutes to integrate your pulling motion to separate the connector.

I also suggest you find another connector of this same design (they are all over the engine bay of the van) disassemble it and study it, so you understand what you're up against. Look on the throttle body, or the mass air flow sensor--they are everywhere. Each coil has a similar connector.

kourt

[rstrube]

Apologies @kourt, I fished around for 15 mins and still couldn't feel the little tab.

Does the tip of the jeweler's screwdriver need to point away from the embossed circle.

Or towards it:

I'm hoping if I know which direction to stick the screwdriver I'll have better luck!

Thanks!