Serious Engine Trouble

[phant0m-je$ter]

Wow - I thought I was one of few, but it looks like a lot of VX owners are on their way to a blown motor. I never got a chance to post - but in the fall of last year my motor threw a rod in what I believe was also the #1 cylinder and once I heard the rapping\clicking sound - I knew it was all over. I took it to my local dealership and they did indicate that it's happened plenty of times before because of excessive oil consumption. My 2001 Proton VX had right about 78,000 miles on it and was still well within the 120,000 power train warranty. They asked that I provide all of my oil change records illustrating that I have changed the oil in no more than 7500 mile intervals. Upon reviewing all of my records they replaced the motor with a long block under warranty. I now have about 83,000 miles on it and all is well. However I love my VX like no other and would like to hold on to it for a while longer as I am the original owner and have quite an attachment to it. I would be VERY interested in this PCV valve fix if it stops the excessive oil consumption - especially it I am going to just run into the same issue again.

From what others have experienced - has adding the breather and plugging the hose solved the consumption problems? Has it had any negative side effects?

Thanks all,

-Rob

[nfpgasmask]

Hey Rob, yeah, that is what I am afraid of. My VX runs well and I baby it so hopefully I can avoid this tragedy in the future.

With the new engine, do you have the oil burning problem?

Even if I get this oil consumption problem solved, I will still check my oil once a week as I have done since I owned my VX. Nothing is worse than catostrophic engine failure. Trust me, I know from experience.

Bart

Wow - I thought I was one of few, but it looks like a lot of VX owners are on their way to a blown motor. I never got a chance to post - but in the fall of last year my motor threw a rod in what I believe was also the #1 cylinder and once I heard the rapping\clicking sound - I knew it was all over. I took it to my local dealership and they did indicate that it's happened plenty of times before because of excessive oil consumption. My 2001 Proton VX had right about 78,000 miles on it and was still well within the 120,000 power train warranty. They asked that I provide all of my oil change records illustrating that I have changed the oil in no more than 7500 mile intervals. Upon reviewing all of my records they replaced the motor with a long block under warranty. I now have about 83,000 miles on it and all is well. However I love my VX like no other and would like to hold on to it for a while longer as I am the original owner and have quite an attachment to it. I would be VERY interested in this PCV valve fix if it stops the excessive oil consumption - especially it I am going to just run into the same issue again.

From what others have experienced - has adding the breather and plugging the hose solved the consumption problems? Has it had any negative side effects?

Thanks all,

-Rob

[VCrossfan]

I can't believe I missed this post, anyway I've had this installed for alittle less than a year now and has worked well. 90 degree pvc fitting with the original hose from the intake still in place with the end plugged and a new pvc valve in my storage trunk just in case I have to reinstall it for some reason away from home..

[nfpgasmask]

OK, so let me get this straight:

The hose connecting to the upper end of the PCV Valve is blocked off or plugged, and then the PCV Valve is attached to a vent or "breather"?

And that's it? Voila? No more oil consumption and no related problems/side effects??

Sounds simple...
Bart

I can't believe I missed this post, anyway I've had this installed for alittle less than a year now and has worked well. 90 degree pvc fitting with the original hose from the intake still in place with the end plugged and a new pvc valve in my storage trunk just in case I have to reinstall it for some reason away from home..

[thedutchguy]

BTW these valves cost practicaly nothing!
So just replace it everytime with your oil change!
http://www.fram.com/products/accessories.php

FRAM part number:FV384

[VCrossfan]

OK, so let me get this straight:

The hose connecting to the upper end of the PCV Valve is blocked off or plugged, and then the PCV Valve is attached to a vent or "breather"?

And that's it? Voila? No more oil consumption and no related problems/side effects??

Sounds simple...
Bart

Sorry MASK..A wrong order of letters by me lol. I now have the PCV valve removed and a 90 degree piece of PVC in it's place in the valve cover w/a small air filter attatched to it to allow the engine to vent without any vacuum
support..

[thedutchguy]

[nfpgasmask]

And this is totally safe for the VX?

Someone please educate me on what the purpose of the PCV Valve is, and why it can be safely taken out of the picture.

Bart

Sorry MASK..A wrong order of letters by me lol. I now have the PCV valve removed and a 90 degree piece of PVC in it's place in the valve cover w/a small air filter attatched to it to allow the engine to vent without any vacuum
support..

[nfpgasmask]

Nevermind my last post, this from Wikipedia:

"PCV system
The PCV valve is only one part of the PCV system, which is essentially a variable and calibrated air leak, whereby the engine returns its crankcase combustion gases. Instead of the gases being vented to the atmosphere, gases are fed back into the intake manifold, to re-enter the combustion chamber as part of a fresh charge of air and fuel. The PCV system is not a classical "vacuum leak." Remember that all the air collected by the air cleaner (and metered by the mass air flow sensor, on a fuel injected engine) goes through the intake manifold anyway. The PCV system just diverts a small percentage of this air via the breather to the crankcase before allowing it to be drawn back in to the intake tract again. It is an "open system" in that fresh exterior air is continuously used to flush contaminants from the crankcase and into the combustion chamber.

The system relies on the fact that, while the engine is running, the intake manifold's air pressure is always less than crankcase air pressure. The lower pressure of the intake manifold draws air towards it, pulling air from the breather through the crankcase (where it dilutes and mixes with combustion gases), through the PCV valve, and into the intake manifold.

The PCV system consists of: 1) The breather tube , and 2) The PCV valve. The breather tube connects the crankcase to a clean source of fresh air, such as the air cleaner body. Usually, clean air from the air cleaner flows in to this tube and in to the engine after passing through a screen, baffle, or other simple system to arrest a flame front, to prevent a potentially explosive atmosphere within the engine crank case from being ignited from a back-fire in to the intake manifold. The baffle, filter, or screen also traps oil mist, and keeps it inside the engine.

Once inside the engine, the air circulates around the interior of the engine, picking up and clearing away combustion byproduct gases, including a large amount of water vapor, then exits through a simple baffle, screen or mesh to trap oil droplets before being drawn out through the PCV valve, and into the intake manifold."

So, basically, what we are doing, is sort of bypassing the whole PCV system process? Is that correct? With the hose that leads back into the intake blocked off, does this cause any issues? Or is it ok for the main intake to be used fully?

My problem is that I am not understanding the point of the PCV system if it should just be vented off instead of fed back into the intake. Is this just a serious design flaw with this particular PCV system on Isuzu's part? Is it basically that the existing PCV configuration is not functioning properly (i.e. not venting or getting clogged)?

I have been changing my PCV with EVERY single oil change, and my oil consumption has not gotten any better....

Sorry for all these questions, just trying to learn this stuff so I have a solid understanding....

Thanks - Bart