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Is it necessary to replace crank case vent valve if minor oil leak?

14K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  atwnsw 
#1 · (Edited)
I recently hired a BMW independent mechanic (formerly with dealership for 5 years) to do some work on my car on the side. He is a very nice person and very capable.

While doing some other work for me he noticed the the valve has some oil on the exterior and suggested that I replace the crank case vent valve and all the hoses.

He would charge me $175 parts and $245 labor = $420 total. While I have read that some people have done this DIY, I won't be doing it myself. From what I have read the labor seems reasonable.

If the car runs fine, do I need to have this done now? Is it better to do before a hose leaks or valve breaks or wait until there are some visible issues with how the car runs, etc...

Any thoughts on what he is charging me?

This is over my head and I would appreciate your input.

Thanks for any guidance.

Anthony
 
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#2 ·
You don't need to have it done, as in like your car isn't going to explode as a result of it. The downside is you're going to need to keep adding oil until you fix it.

Rule of thumb is, fix common things that can kill your car immediately, then go from there.
 
#6 ·
If you drive it in cold weather it could give you issues in the winter. Having replaced that part on my car myself 240$ seems like a very reasonable price. Other places will charge twice that or more. Peace of mind is nice, so if you have the money then replace the part.
 
#9 · (Edited)
The way the mechanic described it was that he could see a small hole in the hose and it looked mushy.....Does that make sense?

I checked the oil level and it was full. No unusual sounds coming from the car.

You mentioned that it can cause the valve cover gasket to blow as well. Are you suggesting I replace it now or wait?

I would prefer not to have additional parts/labor expenses if this can create a dominoe effect.....
 
#10 ·
Well actually I believe the valve cover gasket only gets blown out when the ccv freezes so you should be okay with that.

Depending on how long of trips you take when you drive your car, oil and moisture build up in the hoses can occur. My ccv and hoses were nasty when I replaced mine and it wasn't leaking too bad, but I also live in Minnesota and made short trips in the winter. Oh and when you do decide to replace the ccv replace all the hoses with it as well. At this point just keep an eye on it and you should be okay.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I could've sworn I replied to this thread already. Maybe I wrote something obnoxious and it was delete, but I don't think I would have been too obnoxious in a thread like this. Maybe it was another ccv thread? lol

OP, first, of the hoses a mechanic might see a hole in and which seem squishy, it does not seem like it would be the vent hose coming off vc, but rather the drain hose or maybe the hose running under the intake runner. More likely drain hose.

The vent hose would feel brittle, not squishy. It's hard plastic, not rubber.

Replacing just that hose should be very simple. I'm not sure exactly what needs to come off to get to it, but I think probably just the air intake and upper boot (treat the maf like it's an egg...very gently).

But, even before that, as mentioned, if you're taking a lot of short trips, your oil could get foamed up and clog the guidetube...resulting in the ccv being clogged...or partially so. I'm sure that's not a good thing.

Try taking a long drive--1-3 hours and drying the water out of your oil. You see any foam on the oil filler cap?

Also, get a good led flashlight/inspection mirror and look for this hole. You can actually hear it if it's from the vent tube...use a hose as stethoscope if you don't have one.

Finally, the ccv diy really isn't that big of a deal...you learn to put together by taking apart...don't forget that.

What was the mechanic working on that he noticed the squishy hose?
 
#12 ·
This is pretty funny but I hired the mechanic to remove the dashboard and locate my wedding band. I dropped it in the a/c vent over the dashboard. He found it in the defroster section after removing the dashboard.

While at my house he just did a "once over" to see if there were any other issues to bring to my attention.
 
#13 · (Edited)
So if he wasn't removing stuff from the engine bay, then the only easily noticed ccv is the vent tube. Not squishy, unless it's an insulated tube and he thinks that's rubber...it's not...just a foam layer over a hard plastic (corregated) vent tube.

brb with pic for you in case you're interested...

Were you the one that lost his ring while picking up your wife from airport? If so...glad you finally got it!



#2 is vent pipe...#4 is the drain hose I thought he might have meant.
 
#14 ·
Yeah I was the poor schmuck who dropped the wedding band in the a/c vent while picking up my wife from the airport.

$375 later in labor costs I have the ring back. It was the best $375 I have ever spent (except for the hooker who stole the original wedding band :shhh: :)
 
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