Quote Originally Posted by VX KAT View Post
OK, this may be a really stupid question....If the PCV should freeze up along the way (and I'm carrying a spare of course), is it possible to just remove it and leave it out of the equation, and somehow cover the port and the tube with something breathable? (I'm kinda thinking of how a breather filter is set up, and thought a breathable cover might work OK as a quick fix).
That's essentially what some here on Vxinfo have done. There are other ways to do it I'm sure, but I took an old PCV valve, removed the internal valve (check-ball and seat), bought a small breather filter with an inlet tube the same diameter as the one on the PCV valve, then connected the two with a section of rubber hose.

The gutted PCV valve is then placed back in it's original position in the valve cover, and there's your PCV/breather filter setup. If internal crankcase pressure builds up, it's simply vented out of the engine, and if there's any oily residue in what's being vented, it's caught by the filter element of the breather filter.

A PCV valve is only supposed to allow air to flow at certain times ---> when there is positive crankcase pressure ---> allowing the pressurized air to open the check valve and flow from the crankcase (oil pan area) via various passages up to the cylinder head and valve cover area ---> through the pcv valve and tubing ---> into the intake manifold. If the pcv valve get's stuck open though, the vacuum in the intake manifold will have the potential to suck in oil and oil vapors all the time and is where the oil loss occurs.

Just remember that since you are removing the connection between the pcv valve setup and the intake manifold when you install a breather filter, you also have to cap the port on the intake manifold where the pcv valve tubing went. Otherwise you'll have a vacuum leak.