ME Wagner adjustable PCV valve

[lippy]

Check this out. It looks like a great idea. A bit pricey, but I may add one, along with a PCV Air/Oil Separator. It looks good too.

M/E Wagner Performance Products | High Performance Crankcase Ventilation Systems

An Adjustable PCV Valve For The Street - Power & Performance News

[PaulProe]

I'm running one on my FE with Weber Eight Stack system and previously with Webers and it works great.

Solved the issue of the valve not working or opening too much

You're right about it being pricey, but you get what you pay for

Paul

[Gaz64]

That is a great piece of engineering.

I like it.

[Sydney]

I installed one recently along with a small oil separator tank. it works great. if one is so inclined, it can even be used to tweak the idle A/F ratio. Pretty neat.

[Ron61]

That looks like a good setup. Has anyone used it with a fuel injected engine and if so, did it not affect the idle as the ad says?

Thanks,

Ron

[lippy]

I spent some time on the phone with Gene (owner) at ME Wagner this morning. Super nice guy. He's done a bunch of research on PCV systems and has recently done some work on the effects of size of breather on the effectiveness of the PCV system. This is a question I've been trying to answer. Gene agrees with Brent, who told me not to run a smaller breather on the driver's side, like this one:https://www.holley.com/products/plum...rts/3434112ERL.
Right now I'm running a larger K&N breather, but may convert it to a closed system with a larger hose, which should breathe even better. The key point here is that the fresh air side does matter, and you want as much flow and filtration as you can get.

[RACERAL]

Just in time... Here is a good story from HOTROD about PVC systems on a FE
Jeremy Brown

[Bernica]

Thanks all. Now you have me worried! I don't run PVC and just run two breather caps and nothing to the carb as I was told to do a long time ago. No, I don't have a puke tank either...

[lippy]

I'm putting in this valve and a Moroso oil/air separator. The more I read the more I think a PVC is a good idea unless it's a race car.

[Gaz64]

There has been some leaps and bounds in crankcase breather systems.
This valve is certainly one of them.
As they say, the last PCV valve you will buy.

Coupled with a Moroso or Stef's air/oil separator would be a good system.

The more time the engine can run with a slight to significant negative pressure, (less than atmospheric) in the crankcase, the less acid buildup in the oil, the oil lasts longer, the less chance for oil leaks etc.

[blykins]

Originally Posted by Bernica

Thanks all. Now you have me worried! I don't run PVC and just run two breather caps and nothing to the carb as I was told to do a long time ago. No, I don't have a puke tank either...

You're perfectly fine.....

I don't use PCV valves at all unless the state the engine is going to has to have it to pass inspection....

[Bernica]

Thanks Brent! I feel better now.

[lippy]

So I adjusted the PCV per ME wagner's instructions and I also installed the Moroso oil separator. The car does run and idle better. I drove 100 mi this morning and collected 0.69 in^3 of oil, which equates to about 0.11 qt in 1000 miles. When you look at it, it seems like a lot of oil but in the context of 1000 miles I guess it seems right.

[blykins]

Remember, at part throttle, you're still pulling vacuum and if the PCV is open, you're going to be sucking in whatever oil is bouncing around in the valve covers.

I don't understand how adding this would make the engine idle and run better, as a PCV valve is emissions control only.

[lippy]

Originally Posted by blykins

I don't understand how adding this would make the engine idle and run better, as a PCV valve is emissions control only.

From what I read a PCV is generally good because it keeps blow-by and moisture out of the engine, and lowers crankcase pressure. If you change your oil every 500mi then maybe you don't care, but if you leave it in a PCV probably helps. If you believe that, then you want a PCV that works properly with your engine.

They claim a few things:

(1) While the PCV that comes with a stock car may be matched perfectly to that engine (I'd assume it is), you are effectively guessing with an aftermarket engine. Consequently, with a random PCV valve, you may be pulling in far more air than necessary at idle or at cruise, making it more difficult to tune the car. If your idle adjustment is off on your carb then the car may not run right throughout the range.

(2) They have data that shows that a stock PCV is open usually from 3-50% of the time. Theirs is adjustable so it's open most of the time, except full throttle. When it is open consistently you don't get a buildup of crankcase vapors and acid. When it isn't you get blow-by and moisture, and possibly excess pressure.

(3) More to do with the oil separator, but it keeps oil out of the PCV flow. Oil lowers the octane of the fuel and can foul plugs over time. And if you have a PCV that is flowing too much, you get more oil in the mixture.

You can check out some of the articles here: Press and Media Coverage | M/E Wagner Performance Products

Their valve is open at cruise, so they emphasize the importance of valve cover baffles. Mine are fully baffled, so I think the amount of oil I'm getting in the separator seems reasonable and not excessive.

[blykins]

I understand all of that....

But saying a Pcv makes your engine idle and run better means that some air is being introduced into the system to change the air flow ratio. The same thing could have been done with a bleed or jet change.

I agree that the amount of oil you are getting is not excessive and prob can be reduced further by limiting the suckage at cruise rpm.

I have never really been a PCV valve fan simply because it's something else that's not really necessary (unless you're in an emissions testing state) and it's something else that can fail with bad consequence. A pair of valve cover breathers are sufficient for crankcase venting and *most* guys will drive long enough to get the oil hot and boil any condensation out of the system.

With all that being said, the above setup is kinda cool from an engineering standpoint.

[289fia_cobra]

I am happy I was searching on this subject. I've had a standard PCV for essentially, a 302 or 5.0L motor, however, I have a 347. After my last 450 mile trip this past weekend, there was a lot of oil buildup around the PCV area. It got me thinking about what this valve really does and from the answers in this old thread, I have a good idea and with the M/E Wagner article of how a conventional PCV and their PCV are designed, I'm sold on it and just put an order in.

I may even provide a small catch can but may look into the inexpensive Ebay stuff; Summit/Moroso stuff is WAY too expensive for just an aluminum canister!

[Kit Coyle]

I was getting minor seepage from the base of my PCV and decided a new
one, since they are cheap, might be in order. The PCV did rattle when I
shook it which indicated it wasn't plugged. The guy at O'Reilly actually had
a PCV for a 1970 BOSS 302 which is the engine in my Cobra. He figured it
had been in stock for many years and the dusty packaging looked it. The
valve opening was bigger than the old one I pulled out. Voila, no more leak.
Intuitively, it would seem maybe the correct valve was the solution...maybe
not.

[BOBOCobra]

I have a 521 stroker with high volume oil pump and FITECH throttle body EFI. I was having problems with valve cover gasket leaks, rear main drips and oil on the underside of the opposite side breather, some other annoying drips and leaks. It was most notable if I did some hard WOT pulls while cruising around for a few hours. I put on one of these and the leaks and drips went away and the breather is clean. It made no difference on the idle or performance. I installed a small Jegs separator and it collects the mist that was sucking into the throttle body, not a lot but enough to collect and drain every 3000 miles or so. I like the fact I am not sucking that crap in the intake and the small vacuum is keeping the oil in the engine and off the floor. valve covers are clean, no drips onto the heads or exhaust. I like it, worth the money IMO but it does not make the car run better. I played with it quit a but and can get it to suck a LOT of oil so I know it works better than a stock PCV. Adjusted properly it is as advertised. That in itself is nice as there is a lot of snake oil out there.

[Gaz64]

The one thing I don't like is how the manufacturer claims the crankcase is "under vacuum" in most driving situations.
The only way this can happen is a highly restrictive breather filter is fitted, or an undersized (about 1/4 id) breather hose is connected from one valve cover to the aircleaner.

Then at anytime the engine is loaded the crankcase cannot be vented correctly. It may well not leak while idling/cruising, but will certainly leak under load.

High Performance PCV Valve Shootout – Flow Test Results – M/E Wagner Performance Products

Gary