Call for Appointments
ASE Certified Technicians
Family Owned & Operated
Maintenance Specialists
Towing Available
April 16, 2023
Your gasoline engine goes through some exhausting work. Yes, it's truly exhausting, as in: it produces exhaust! And when your engine starts behaving like it's exhausted, such as running poorly or getting lousy fuel economy, the trouble may be something called a PCV valve.
Did you know it's a series of explosions that creates the power in your engine? The spark plugs ignite a mixture of gasoline and air and BANG! A whole bunch of those and you're engine is humming away. Leftover vapors from those explosions go into your crankcase, which is also a place where engine oil goes. Those vapors still have a lot of unburned fuel in them, and if they had nowhere to go, they'd turn your oil into a thick mess called sludge, not good for a smooth running engine.
Engineers came up with an idea. Re-direct those gasses building up in the crankcase into the engine's air intake and mix them with fresh air. That way the unburned fuel could go through the engine again and produce power. It also means the unburned fuel doesn't pollute the air. The part that makes that happen is called the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve.
Besides reducing pollution and preventing the oil from turning to sludge, the PCV valve also relieves pressure in the crankcase, reducing the potential for oil to leak. One of the reasons you should get your oil changed as frequently as your vehicle's manufacturer recommends is that it helps reduce chances for problems with the PCV valve.
After a while, the PCV valve can itself get gummed up and stick, and the driver may notice oil leaks, reduced power or engine hesitation. That's why it's important to make sure the PCV valve is operating like it should, and often it can be diagnosed during a visual inspection by our technicians. Replacing a PCV valve is usually quick and inexpensive. After it's done, your vehicle will run with the performance and fuel economy you're used to. Goodbye exhaustion!
Tuffy Walled Lake
784 N. Pontiac Trail
Walled Lake, Michigan 48390
248.624.4440
April 28, 2024
It's easy to get letters like PVC and PCV mixed up. PVC is a plastic that's used in a lot of things, especially plumbing pipes. And PCV is a valve that helps your engine burn off excess fumes rather than having them pollute our atmosphere. PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation. When y... More
April 21, 2024
Today's vehicles have some pretty amazing technology in them, including a computerized braking system we all pretty much take for granted these days. Antilock brake systems (ABS) have been around for years but they help drivers stop in much shorter distances reliably than ever before. When you ... More
April 14, 2024
You may have heard the old saying, "My get-up-and-go got up and went." If your vehicle's engine's fuel economy is noticeably worse, your engine is idling roughly or stalling or your vehicle's acceleration isn't what it used to be, ask your service advisor if you might need your vehicle's fuel and... More
