Changing pcv valve and cleaning a k&n filter
ok so today was car maintaince day for me, i was changin the oil and all that good stuff, and i decided to bring the digi along for part of it. *authors note* im not a mechanic, im just a goofy kid with some free time. i take no responsibility if you mess up your car by following my instructions. this worked for me, on my car, a 95 civic ex with the d16z6. your car/ motor combo may be different.
Replacing the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve: the reccomended interval is about every 3 oil changes or so, and its cheap (about 3 bucks) so just do it. i havent done mine in awhile, so i decided to do it now. its important to do, as if it gets stuck open you can h ave problems like low idle and poor gas mileage (it basically acts like a vaccume leak) . if it gets stuck closed (like if a piece of stuff gets caught in it) theoretically the pressure could build up enough to blow up the crankcase. more likely, it would burst a vaccume hose, making a big pain in the ass. oh well here goes...
the brown piece there between the intake runners is the pcv valve. i believe this is pretty similar in most honda motors, but i could be wrong, i dont study engines pcv's. pull it out, it slides right out of the hose its in.
pull the pcv and hose out of the intake manifold, and rest it on the fuel rail. pulling it out isnt necessary, but it makes it a hell of a lot easier to work on.
depending on how long its been since you last changed the pcv, it may be mildly difficult to almost impossible to pull it out of the hose by hand. make sure to remove the metal pinch clamp first (may need a pair of pliers, i did) i needed to slide a screwdriver under the hose to get it out. *warning* dont cut the hose with the screwdriver if you need to resort to this, otherwise you need to replace the hose.
whew, got that sucker outta there
the old valve next to the new one, they should be almost the same size or you bought the wrong one. mine was purolator part # pv1039
slide the new pcv valve in the hose, and put the pinch clamp back on.
slide the hose and new pcv back under the intake manifold. you will probably need to twist the valve some to get it to line up with the hole, so you may need to remove the pinch clamp again, or at least loosen it. i didnt, it spun free enough so i could do it by hand.
re insert the new pcv into the bottom hose, and your done!
cleaning and recharging a k&n (or any other oiled cloth air filter)
this should be done, depending on manufacturers reccomendations, every 20,000-50,000 miles, if not less. the cleaning kit was 12 bucks, and its good for several cleanings, so why not do it fairly often. i have about 22,000 miles on my filter, and it was dirty as hell. i definitely dont reccomend goin to 50,000 miles, as your filter probably would be totaly clogged by then.
remove your old filter. mines pretty nasty, it really needed to be cleaned. first step is to knock off all the loose stuff you can off the filter, and its a good idea to take a soft brush and brush it down too.
i got the k&n kit, but any brand will work on any filter. its all pretty much the same stuff, get whatever you prefer. or whats cheaper. it should contain 2 products, a cleaning solution, and a re-oiling bottle. unfortunately, the pic of me spraying the filter with cleaner didnt come out, but its pretty simple. just liberally spray the cleaning solution all over the filter, then wait ten minutes. let as much of the used solution drip off by putting it at different angles. then use a hose or faucet to wash the solution off. it is VERY important to wash from the inside out, not the other way around. so stick the hose in where the intake tube goes, and make sure to get all the filter wet and all that cleaner out. let it dry for about 10 mins.
liberally spray the re-oiling stuff all over the filter, one pass for each pleat in the filter. when your done, let it dry for about 10 mins, then wipe off any excess with a dry towel. but dont rub it or anything, as that will remove oil from the filter that you want in there. or you can just leave it on and let the engine suck up the excess, it wont hurt it a bit.
reinstall filter and your done! depending on how dirty it was, you will probably see some improvement in gas mileage, (and maybe power, but thats only if it was really filty) but exactly how much i cant tell you, cus i dont know. but it certainly doesnt hurt anything.
ok so today was car maintaince day for me, i was changin the oil and all that good stuff, and i decided to bring the digi along for part of it. *authors note* im not a mechanic, im just a goofy kid with some free time. i take no responsibility if you mess up your car by following my instructions. this worked for me, on my car, a 95 civic ex with the d16z6. your car/ motor combo may be different.
Replacing the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve: the reccomended interval is about every 3 oil changes or so, and its cheap (about 3 bucks) so just do it. i havent done mine in awhile, so i decided to do it now. its important to do, as if it gets stuck open you can h ave problems like low idle and poor gas mileage (it basically acts like a vaccume leak) . if it gets stuck closed (like if a piece of stuff gets caught in it) theoretically the pressure could build up enough to blow up the crankcase. more likely, it would burst a vaccume hose, making a big pain in the ass. oh well here goes...
the brown piece there between the intake runners is the pcv valve. i believe this is pretty similar in most honda motors, but i could be wrong, i dont study engines pcv's. pull it out, it slides right out of the hose its in.
pull the pcv and hose out of the intake manifold, and rest it on the fuel rail. pulling it out isnt necessary, but it makes it a hell of a lot easier to work on.
depending on how long its been since you last changed the pcv, it may be mildly difficult to almost impossible to pull it out of the hose by hand. make sure to remove the metal pinch clamp first (may need a pair of pliers, i did) i needed to slide a screwdriver under the hose to get it out. *warning* dont cut the hose with the screwdriver if you need to resort to this, otherwise you need to replace the hose.
whew, got that sucker outta there
the old valve next to the new one, they should be almost the same size or you bought the wrong one. mine was purolator part # pv1039
slide the new pcv valve in the hose, and put the pinch clamp back on.
slide the hose and new pcv back under the intake manifold. you will probably need to twist the valve some to get it to line up with the hole, so you may need to remove the pinch clamp again, or at least loosen it. i didnt, it spun free enough so i could do it by hand.
re insert the new pcv into the bottom hose, and your done!
cleaning and recharging a k&n (or any other oiled cloth air filter)
this should be done, depending on manufacturers reccomendations, every 20,000-50,000 miles, if not less. the cleaning kit was 12 bucks, and its good for several cleanings, so why not do it fairly often. i have about 22,000 miles on my filter, and it was dirty as hell. i definitely dont reccomend goin to 50,000 miles, as your filter probably would be totaly clogged by then.
remove your old filter. mines pretty nasty, it really needed to be cleaned. first step is to knock off all the loose stuff you can off the filter, and its a good idea to take a soft brush and brush it down too.
i got the k&n kit, but any brand will work on any filter. its all pretty much the same stuff, get whatever you prefer. or whats cheaper. it should contain 2 products, a cleaning solution, and a re-oiling bottle. unfortunately, the pic of me spraying the filter with cleaner didnt come out, but its pretty simple. just liberally spray the cleaning solution all over the filter, then wait ten minutes. let as much of the used solution drip off by putting it at different angles. then use a hose or faucet to wash the solution off. it is VERY important to wash from the inside out, not the other way around. so stick the hose in where the intake tube goes, and make sure to get all the filter wet and all that cleaner out. let it dry for about 10 mins.
liberally spray the re-oiling stuff all over the filter, one pass for each pleat in the filter. when your done, let it dry for about 10 mins, then wipe off any excess with a dry towel. but dont rub it or anything, as that will remove oil from the filter that you want in there. or you can just leave it on and let the engine suck up the excess, it wont hurt it a bit.
reinstall filter and your done! depending on how dirty it was, you will probably see some improvement in gas mileage, (and maybe power, but thats only if it was really filty) but exactly how much i cant tell you, cus i dont know. but it certainly doesnt hurt anything.