do we need to have a pcv valve on our covers? I have some aftermarket ones, I use a breather on one side, should I somehow install one to pull out the fumes ect and keep the breather on one side?? curious to see some of the forums pcv hookups..

 

I'm also curious to what others have done with their breathers. Right now as the engine is still on the stand I have hooked up a hose from the carb to the breather to pull the acidic gasses produced from the crankcase out. But then I see a lot of engines with just plain breathers too. I think if you change the oil every 3 months reguardless of miles driven, the plain breather should be fine. The breather I got has a larger sized fitting on it than the carb so I have to use a reducer to connect them. Also, with the kind of vaccum I'm going to have with the large cam I have in it I was wondering if it will help any not to have the extra line connected. This way I will have more vaccum for the headlights/ vaccum advance/ and vaccum modulator. Could I be wrong?

 

Check with the DMV in your state. You may be required to run the PCV valve in order to meet emissions reqirements.

 

 

I run the L88 PCV setup. The breather is just a tube that dumps into the air filter. The other side has the PCV valve and vacuum connection to the carb base.

(click to enlarge)

 

Yes you absolutely should run one. They've been using them on Chevys since 1963 for a reason!

 

hers what my current setup looks like.... http://wopr.myftp.biz/pics/8%20Corve...1/IMG_0249.JPG

 

I'm running dual breathers. In John Lingenfelter's book, John Lingenfelter on Modifying Small-Block Chevy Engines: High Performance Engine Building and Tuning for Street and Racing , he runs dual breathers on his crate engines, suggesting that PCV valves are not a necessity. I don't want to say that Lingenfelter is the defining source, but he had built and tuned a lot of engines in his day, so he seems like a good, trustworthy source to me.

trw

 

stroker vette...
I am going to do the same as you.. I wonder if you have more carbon build up or if there's a chance you could foul plugs with out the pcv..

anyone here ever check there plugs before swapping in the pcv.. then checking later to see if thee's a difference, or what experiences you had running with or with out one..

 

well, I went out to get the pcv, for my valve cover. my problem is that I only have one vacume source, it's on the back of my carb, and it's used for the power brakes, I have an air gap manifold, can I run the pcv into the power booster?

 

You won't pass a visual inspection without a "closed" system. This means both the vents have to be hooked up to the air cleaner/carb. One will draw higher vacuum (carb base usually) and the other will be to the fiber filter on the air cleaner.

If you don't have inspections to worry about, I think that you could add one of the aftermarket vents on one side, but you still need a vacuum source, usually the PCV system, to scavenge crankcase fumes.

 

In my case I'm not really concerned with inspection because it's getting registered as a QQ car. What I'm am worried about, since the engine has a lumpy cam, is vaccum. I found a site that offers recessed headlights so I can eliminate everything thats associated with the light system with vaccum. Including : #1 the reserve vaccum tank for the headlights #2 both stock headlights and actuators and all of the lines running to and fro. My newly aquired sawzall will be put into action soon. I will have to measure 100000 times and cut once. lol. But all of this started with the same question that Madvette74 had and this is where I've been led to. I also don't like the way the breather/PCV device clutters up the whole package. It's the only thing that looks out of place because of the need to use a reducer to hook the line up to the carb. Besides as long as I change the oil at regular intervals there should be no problem with any kind of build up anywhere. The stock 1979, 50,000 mile engine had all of the original pieces and there was all kind of carbon sludge in the carb,valve covers and lifter galley because even though the car didnt see that much driving the oil wasn't changed often enough and even with a PCV it still got dirty. My 78 chevy van with 260,000 miles and a PCV, sees about the same amount of driving but I change the oil every 3-4 months reguardless of miles and it is spotless.
Here is a pic of the van engine right before I did a cam swap. I had not done anything to clean the galley or rockerarm area, this is how clean it was when I took it apart.
http://wopr.myftp.biz/pics/3%20Hotro...valvetrane.jpg