Expert: Mike Evans - 11/2/2009

Question
How do you remove the pcv valve from a 1980 Pontiac turbo 301 engine?  I tried to pull the valve up, but it will not release.  Do you have to turn to a certain spot to remove.  The valve is in the valley pan.

Answer
    I'm going to assume that the valve has never been replaced, or hasn't been replaced in about twenty years.  Pontiac stuck that thing back there in a hard-to-reach spot, I don't know why.  It's in the same place on all Pontiac v8s.  The grommet that the valve fits into has dried out and shrunk.  In addition to that, it has sort of welded itself to the valve and the valley pan.  You will probably have to get under there with a utility knife and carve away at the grommet until you remove enough of it that the PCV valve will come loose.  Before you start that business, buy a new grommet.  If the guy at the parts store can't figure out which one to sell you (the catalogs on theses things can be a bit vague) just buy all the possibilities.  They don't cost much and if you have the wrong one it will cost more to run back to the store than to throw away an extra grommet.  But don't throw it away, you can always use an extra grommet or two floating around in the bottom of your toolbox, they have a thousand uses.  And, yes, if everything were working right, you just pull up.  If the grommet is that bad, you ought to replace every piece of soft rubber and gasket on the engine.