Will an improperly functioning PCV valve cause
oil leak issues at the rear main seal?
This is what I have recently experienced on my 392 Ford Racing motor stroker. There is a breather on one valve cover and a PCV valve on the other cover. A couple of months ago, I replaced the stock PCV valve with a much nicer looking PCV valve/breather with a chromed finish from Spectre performance. The other day while underneath the car, I noticed a very small bead of
oil at the bottom of the block plate which was not there months ago. Immediately I figured it was coming from the rear main seal since I did not see evidence of an
oil trail from anywhere else. The car is a 2011 build with only 5200 miles on the stock motor. No oil cooler and I use 10W-30 non-
synthetic oil.
After reading up on a couple of threads about rear main oil seal leaks, I noticed some references to proper ventilation of the crank case. I then replaced the chromed PCV valve with the original that came with the car (just your standard old school PCV valve with a 90 degree bend). After a couple of days of driving, I now notice that the bottom of the block plate is dry. No more beads of oil.
Could the aftermarket chromed PCV valve have been the issue?