how much oil flows through the pcv valve? yesterday i replaced the valve cover on my mom 08 535xi and didnt realize the new valvrle cover didnt have the pcv valve and plug. the car never left the driveway but this morning her husband started the car for her to warm it up so it was warmed up when she wad ready to leave for work. when i left for work i noticed the car didnt sound right so i called her and told her to shut the car off and not take it to work.
when i got home i scanned it and it came up banks on and 2 running lean so i started it to see if i could find the vacuum leak. at first i thought it was the intake box not connected to the back tube properly cause thats where it sounded like itnwas coming from at first so i took the air box off and found another hose that was leaking. the hose with the grey lock ring type thing. it was some how unlocked and the hose pulled right out. i had never touched that hose or lock ring so i have no idea how it was unlocked. so i got that squared away and the airbox and clamps sealed properly, started it up again, still didnt sound right and thats when i found the missing plug/cover and pcv valve.
took it off the old valve cover and could not for the life of me get the pcv valve to start threading, so i set it in and put the plug/cover in nand threaded it all the way down properly. started it up, now it sounds like its low on oil, but the oil level sensor isnt workin so no idea how much oil is in it. put 2 qrts and now it sounds 100 times better but still has a tick in the top end. told her not to drive it to work tomorrow and ill put the level sensor in and do the oil change.
from the time i finished installing the new valve cover until now the engine ran at idle for about 20-25mins, pressed the accelerator about 3-4 times quickly but went no higher than 2k rpms and never held it down, just a few quick revs and sounded fine when the rpms where up slightly but ticks at idle. how much oil could have came out the valve cover without the plug and pcv valve being in there for that amount of time? im really worried the motor may be damaged running low of oil. thank god i heard it this morning and it never left the driveway/she didnt drive it to work
oh damn. this doesnt seem good. i just did an oil change, used 6qrts of castrol edge 5w 30, and 1 qrt of lucas. the motor is still ticking pretty bad. i couldnt measure how much oil i drained out because there was some already in the drain pan, but it seemed like quite a bit came out. i would think at least 6-7 qrts came out.
without the pcv valve and its cover not being in the valve cover, how much oil could really come out at an idle and a couple short revs/blips of the throttle?
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