S55 PCV 'SQUEAL' - Easy Fix (so you don't have to replace the entire valve cover)

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by Tangent

I had the same PCV failure recently. I was on the fence about getting the cap replacement alone because of mixed results but I figured I might as well try. Unfortunately the post office lost the package. I contacted the seller and they offered to ship me a new one which I happily accepted but unfortunately it never actually shipped. It just added up to a bad gut feeling so I'm actually expecting a FedEx package with a complete valve cover today. I'm planning on keeping this car long term so I got it through FCP Euro so my next one in another ~80k miles will be free.

Free? Do they have some sort of warranty program?

[fiveohwblow]

Originally Posted by nv_f82

Free? Do they have some sort of warranty program?

You pay shipping, they swap out parts. Including oil. Yes, you read that right.

[slaughter.mode]

Well my VTT billet crankcase oil cap breather came in today. I am not thrilled about it's aesthetics considering I have a pretty oil cap but now the only thing left to do is wait for this PCV repair kit...seems to be taking forever. I think this is also the first time I was given this red/angry banner message on Amazon to approve the delayed shipping. It still hasn't shipped, either. Seems really strange to me considered I bought the 'last one' in stock and now it's re-stocked and I just bought another one that's supposedly coming Sunday.

Anyway... the breather is beefy, the ball feels heavy. There's definitely a well designed baffle with larger sized vents on the engine side and smaller towards the breather side. I'll disassemble it should I choose to leave it in and after an oil change of miles or so to justify doing so.

UPDATE: THIS does NOT fit the S55 Engine despite it's claims that it does. You can't even fit it into the oil filler location without contact from the metal parts of the breather's retention bracket. Also looking at this breather and factory oil filler cap side by side, I could definitely see oil leaking occur, it doesn't seal nearly as well. Great idea, poor design.

[Zstyle]

Originally Posted by fiveohwblow

You pay shipping, they swap out parts. Including oil. Yes, you read that right.

If bought through paypal, paypal will reimburse you the "return" shipping costs.

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by Zstyle

If bought through paypal, paypal will reimburse you the "return" shipping costs.

That's good to know. With the way things are going with the PCV repair kit not shipping, I'll probably just get the whole cover and definitely from FCP.

[rmanm4]

Originally Posted by nv_f82

Well my VTT billet crankcase oil cap breather came in today. I am not thrilled about it's aesthetics considering I have a pretty oil cap but now the only thing left to do is wait for this PCV repair kit...seems to be taking forever. I think this is also the first time I was given this red/angry banner message on Amazon to approve the delayed shipping. It still hasn't shipped, either. Seems really strange to me considered I bought the 'last one' in stock and now it's re-stocked and I just bought another one that's supposedly coming Sunday.

Anyway... the breather is beefy, the ball feels heavy. There's definitely a well designed baffle with larger sized vents on the engine side and smaller towards the breather side. I'll disassemble it should I choose to leave it in and after an oil change of miles or so to justify doing so.

Looks good. Get a vacuum cleaner and create a bit of suction to see how it works???

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by rmanm4

Looks good. Get a vacuum cleaner and create a bit of suction to see how it works???

First thing I did. Confirmed nothing can go in but it can definitely vent out.

[rmanm4]

Originally Posted by nv_f82

First thing I did. Confirmed nothing can go in but it can definitely vent out.

Good stuff. Maybe it's engineered right! keep us updated once installed.

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

It's just a vent. That's not a complete PCV system, it can be part of an upgraded PCV system.

For those concerned about too much vacuum, we also have a vacuum relief valve. The whole system needs to be looked at in the two primary scenarios; idle/low throttle conditions and WOT/boosted conditions. There are many ways to skin the cat, just depends on your goals.

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by Chris@VargasTurboTech

It's just a vent. That's not a complete PCV system, it can be part of an upgraded PCV system.

For those concerned about too much vacuum, we also have a vacuum relief valve. The whole system needs to be looked at in the two primary scenarios; idle/low throttle conditions and WOT/boosted conditions. There are many ways to skin the cat, just depends on your goals.

A solution to remove the factory PCV but not by replacing the entire valve cover. Where would the relief valve go? In line with an OCC?

[behindthen0thing]

Originally Posted by Chris@VargasTurboTech

It's just a vent. That's not a complete PCV system, it can be part of an upgraded PCV system.

For those concerned about too much vacuum, we also have a vacuum relief valve. The whole system needs to be looked at in the two primary scenarios; idle/low throttle conditions and WOT/boosted conditions. There are many ways to skin the cat, just depends on your goals.

How can you upgrade your pcv system? where would you put both valves to do a complete system? How can you see your crankcase pressure during WOT conditions? do you know of a remote sensor or some kit that can be installed to check these things?

[Tim_M56]

Damn, all I can say is I'm watching this thread closely and hope for a resolution. You're doing a great service for us all trying these different methods. My M4 is getting up there in mileage and if the PCV starts to squeal, I would hope there is an easier and honestly less wasteful solution than a whole new valve cover.

[rmanm4]

Fucken sucks! Let's hope the other ones work better. Also let's home you don't have a leak somewhere else. Might have to replace the whole VC on a S55.

You check for any faint oil leaks from the RMS?

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by rmanm4

Fucken sucks! Let's hope the other ones work better. Also let's home you don't have a leak somewhere else. Might have to replace the whole VC on a S55.

You check for any faint oil leaks from the RMS?

I haven't checked the RMS because I already found that the oil cap opening removes the sound and has a super loud hiss...and then there's the fact my PCV was ripped so I know it was stuck.

[behindthen0thing]

you guys have any idea how much vaccuum at idle is normal when you pull the oil cap? I'm wondering if my PCV system might be pulling allot of vaccum at idle and pressurizing the crankcase during boost.

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by behindthen0thing

you guys have any idea how much vaccuum at idle is normal when you pull the oil cap? I'm wondering if my PCV system might be pulling allot of vaccum at idle and pressurizing the crankcase during boost.

I'm going to head over to BMW today to pick up a valve cover. I'll see if a SA can get me the info from a mechanic because I am definitely curious myself.

Update:

So I drove all the way to BMW without a single hitch in the drive. I decided forget it, I'm not spending $800+ on a valve cover. I did however speak to a foreman and he could not give me a definitive answer as to what the proper vacuum and ventilation characteristics of each of the PCV components should be. I basically insinuated random numbers and he agreed so he doesn't know.

I'm going to go with what I've learned from doing a considerable amount of PCV, blow-by, and engine breather research and that is:

• The factory PCV system is good for stock and maybe up to Stage 1. Stage 2 or higher means it's going to take a dirt nap prematurely (probably).
  
• The more power you have means the more blow-by gases you have and therefore as you've taken measures and steps to increase the power, you also need to do the same for the crank case ventilation. You're exponentially increasing the amount of blow-by gas and pressure within the crankcase so it only makes 1+1 sense that you need a more sophisticated method/system to get the additional blow-by out. This just seems to not be a popular or commonly spoken about topic but I guarantee you anyone pushing 600-700+ WHP is going to be dealing with this or has dealt with this.

[slaughter.mode]

So comparing the factory PCV 'flap' vs these Amazon/E-Bay/etc. specials, it's pretty clear from my testing that even though these line up with the spring, they don't actually do anything. I mean side by side comparing the innards of these PCV systems, they don't even look alike:



These PCV repair kits do not work at all for our engine. I have tried 3 of them with the SAME result. I didn't notice ANY suction nor pressure release from any of them. I needed to know more so I gutted one of the PCV caps out to see if it's actually doing anything. I ripped out the 'flap' from the second kit I tried, removed the factory PCV spring and popped it back into place. Guess what? The squeal came right back when I did a warm start. I felt nothing coming out of the vent nozzle. I popped off the cap again and just didn't understand how this is possible. Is my PCV not the only issue? It was ripped but this doesn't make sense. I decided f-it, let's drill a hole in the middle of the cap. I did that and guess what? Squeal gone.



This gives me a lot of faith that the Vargas valve cover will in fact work just fine while eliminating the factory PCV system. I ordered another one of these PCV kits, didn't drill a hole in the center cap=still working but I get a tiny amount of PCV creak when I'm in 1st gear and zipping though a parking lot, just as the engine goes into vacuum and only for a half a second tops. I am going to drill a series of tiny holes directly beneath the vent nozzle which sit underneath a relief cap which I am confident will be enough to block crap from coming in but be adequate in releasing pressure. I'll update when done.

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by nv_f82

I'm going to head over to BMW today to pick up a valve cover. I'll see if a SA can get me the info from a mechanic because I am definitely curious myself.

From what I've read it's supposed to be pretty light, like under 1 psi. I'm trying to find the same info because I replaced the valve cover with a new OEM one from FCP Euro and I'm still getting the squeal that goes away when I open the oil filler. At this point my best guess is I was unlucky enough to get one that was bad right out of the box. I cut open my original valve cover and did find a tiny little tear in the rubber membrane so it was for sure defective, I just don't want to do that with the one from FCP to confirm that one being bad in case that causes issues with the warranty...

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by Tangent

From what I've read it's supposed to be pretty light, like under 1 psi. I'm trying to find the same info because I replaced the valve cover with a new OEM one from FCP Euro and I'm still getting the squeal that goes away when I open the oil filler. At this point my best guess is I was unlucky enough to get one that was bad right out of the box. I cut open my original valve cover and did find a tiny little tear in the rubber membrane so it was for sure defective, I just don't want to do that with the one from FCP to confirm that one being bad in case that causes issues with the warranty...

I can confirm the fix I have mentioned above works. I do have a oil catch can so I am not sure if that assists in the vent/vacuum but I have driven over 100 miles today in different temperatures and elevation levels with cold/warm/hot starts and I'm having ZERO issues.

[slaughter.mode]

OK, it's been 500 miles and I have been datalogging, commuting, dyno tuning, you name it. Pulled everything apart today just to check it out, it's in great shape. The final product that works wonders is:

This PCV Repair Kit for $20

With that kit you will do the following modifications:

1. Gut the flap/membrane completely (takes some time if it doesn't rip right out, expect to use a xacto knife or something to clean it well.
2. Drill 4 tiny holes (1/16 bit) right next to the nozzle. There is a plastic cap that clips into place on the nozzle (not pictured with the kit on Amazon but mine came with it, or you can re-use your stock one). That cap will more or less protect those tiny holes from anything being 'sucked in' but the likelihood of that anyway is little to none. It's sitting under a plastic shroud AND an engine cover.
3. Line up the little notches and pop it into place. Careful that it lines up properly or you'll potentially bend the smaller notch on the bottom side. You don't need to use JB Weld or anything like that but if you want to, go for it. I can see the need for it if you still had the spring but we removed all that. The cap sits pretty snug and as I just mentioned, it literally 'pops' when it's being pressed into place.

Here's a quick video of what it looks like:

Here's a general tl;dr overview of what I did (sorry for the loud shop fan):

[Tim_M56]

Now that is ingenuity right there, I like that way of thinking to fix the squeal. Much easier stomaching $20 than $800+ for a new valve cover. For sure bookmarking this thread in case it ever happens to my car!

What size were the holes that you drilled?

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by TimmyM56

Now that is ingenuity right there, I like that way of thinking to fix the squeal. Much easier stomaching $20 than $800+ for a new valve cover. For sure bookmarking this thread in case it ever happens to my car!

What size were the holes that you drilled?

Just went to check so I could add that, you read my mind. It was a 1/16 bit, smallest I had.