PCV Valve was Yucky!

Per advice of fellow members I changed my PCV Valve today and wow... There was a lot of carbon build up inside the valve hose. My car has been consuming oil so, I've been trying to eliminate all of the causes. After changing the valve I'm not seeing nearly the amount of smoke that I was. Do you think changing it helped that much?

The new valve will help the car run better, but not really have an affect on oil usuage. The PCV basically relieves the crank case of any blow-by gases.

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Thanks for the info! The car does seem to run a bit smoother. I've also noticed a bit of oil coming from around the distributor. I have some oil running down the side of the engine beneath the dist. I think.... Any ideas?

make sure your dizzy bolts are tight, or it could be the o-ring of the dizzy needing to be replaced.

Most likely its the distrib. o-ring like T-mo posted. Before you go removing the distrib., remove the cap to make sure there is no oil in there. If there is, then the distrib. needs to be replaced. If no oil - put the cap back on & scribe a mark across the distrib housing(top bolt) & cylinder head - this way when you put it back in, you won't have to time it - just line the mark up. The part cost $0.20 from the dealer. Remove 3 (10mm) bolts holding distrib. in
Pull out distrib.
Remove - install o-ring
Re-install distrib - lining up your mark

This is a very quick & simple repair.
*note* the distributor can only go in 1 way
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Thanks for the great info folks! I'll first check to see if the bolts are tight, if they are, I'll go ahead and mark the timing mark and pull the distr. aprt to inspect for oil... after that I'll replace that O-ring. I don't mind doing the work because I really enjoy learning how to do things by myself on the car.

The o-ring is on the outside, so there is no need to take it apart. Besides removing the cap to check for oil.

Do no over-tighten the distrib. cap screws - you'll crack the plastic.

Just thought id throw a quick little note in here. For anyone who wants to check their PCV valve, when you take it off, if it doesnt rattle when you shake it then it needs to be replaced. A few years ago, it used to be part of a regular tune-up (same time you replace the cap, rotor, plugs) but nobody seems to replace them or even check them lately.

we dont check unless the car is in for a REAL tune up or its running funny... if your getting new plugs or somthing, we wont check.. but if its cap, rotor, wires, plugs, PCV, and air filter

travis