Hello All. Just joined the forum so bear with me.

I own a 1995 Altima. Bought her new (Oct 1995) and have just shy of 146K miles on her. She's been a great vehicle and I try my best to take care of her.

The PCV valve is original and I thought I would replace it.....yeah right. As you know, its located under the intake manifold.

I called a local dealer to see about having them replace it. I was told:

1. It would cost $400 to replace.

2. There is no need to replace it because they are "good for the life of the car".

3. Nothing bad will happen if it fails.

Life of the car to the dealer is probably 5 years.....I will have had the car for 14 this Oct.

Do I need to replace the PCV valve and if so how do I do it myself?If it fails, what's the worst that can happen?

Thanks for the info and I look fwd to participating in the the forum.

yea i also want to replace it anyone know anything about this?

As far as the dealer goes he'll tell you anything to make a sall and they will charge you the hourly/estimated time from the factory time to replace so $400 is about right cause they will charge you the time to remove the intake to replace the vave and re-install of the intake.

As for it last the life of the car or never goes bad. A huge line of crap! they should be replaced about every 15,000 miles.

A bad PCV can cause poor idle and dirty oil

The PCV valve is very important, with a bad valve or cloged lines you motor is at risk of sludge build up and pre-mature wear on internal parts. To check it pull it out and put your finger in front of the valve and feel for a small vac from the PCV valve. It helps filter out blow-by gas from the oil so it doen't become contaminated(the real reason your oil turns black). So get it out if you haven't.

Now I have done it many times and it's not that hard, IF you are willing to get dirty. If you have a lift to use this helps ALOT. Jack you car up as high as you can, SAFELY. And attack it from under the car it's hard to see and move and get to, BUT it is alot cheaper than to pull out the intake and replace gaskets for a dam PCV valve. I still don't know why they just didn't put it in the valve cover instead.

Good Luck

Deville13

I thought the same but why didn't the Nissan tech try and push me towards dropping the $400 to have them to replace it? I was surprised that he basically told me I would be wasting my money to have them do it. Sounds like he passed up on a potentially easy $400.

PaulD

wow, another original owner. not many around.

the PCV is VERY intimidating to the uninitiated. There is a trick the dealer doesn't want you to know so he can charge you 4hrs labor for a 1.5 hr job (yes, your first time).

remove the power steering pump from its bracket (don't disco any lines), and wire it back to the a/c line (carefully) near the firewall.

you now have enough room to get at the 3 bolts on the breather/separator and remove.

p/n is :VALVE-NISS#11810-86G01HOSE, AIR NISS#11826-1E400

that hose is unfortunately about $17 even from one of our sponsors, but it is shaped perfectly and may be worth it to you (it is to me, but i'm a perfectionist) vs. bulk hose.

use permatex grey, but not so much that you plug up the inner passages.

since you are not working by the hour, let the 'grey' set up for about 4 hours before engine start.

have you done your distributor yet? you will. OEM reman only.

3Q Jay

Thanks a bunch. I will be investigating this further today. Your tip may just be the trick I was looking for.

My 1995 is original. Purchased it in Oct 95 and brought our first child home from the hospital in her. Now almost 14 years and 4 kids late,r she's still going strong. Best part....no car payment since Aug 98!

The distributor did go bad about 3 1/2 years ago. Been told it is common with this make/model. Starter went at 5 years, had it replaced and its still going strong for almost 10 years now. Cam shaft position sensor went too. Other than that, she's been a real doll. Hope to get another 2 years out of the ol'girl. Struts squeeek a little, wind shield is cracked but I liken these to "beauty marks".

Thanks again.

PaulD

FINALLY I find the info about replacing the PCV on a 1995 Nissan U13 KA24DE (Bluebird/Altima 2.4 DOHC)! My car has only 132,000Ks (approx. 82,000Miles) but the distributor has the oil seepage that plays havoc with the sensor. Got a new distributor from Nardek and it specifically says that on U13 Bluebirds, the PCV MUST be replaced and crankcase checked for negative pressure or the distributor warranty is void. I understand the reasoning as crankcase pressure can blow seals, and the distributor seal is especially vulnerable it seems. I haven't been able to even see the PCV from my under-hood-with-light search and before now only found the 240SX procedure posted. I'll take a good under-car look-see as I would like to find the hose and check if it is indeed clogged. Now, in trying to source a PCV, which I'm told is a 'dealer-only' item here in Australia, and they quoted me $61AU! I see the Fram AHFV337 is only $6US in the states!

The PCV may be related to my other problem... oil leak from the front (timing chain) cover. It looks like there is minimal room to replace a gasket, or the silastic as the dealer tells me.... Grr....

Anyway, thanks for the 'direct' way of getting at and changing the PCV.

Has anyone tried re-engineering the PCV to make it more accessable?

welcome to NICO. the front cover leak is more likely from an o-ring down low on the aft (firewall) side of the front cover.of course if your PCV valve is indeed original, then either the valve or the hose or both will be leaking by now.

(nearly 5 years later)
Thanks for the reply 3Q Jay. I'm still driving the 95 to work and back, and it still leaks oil from the front cover. It comes from the back (firewall) side of the cover part way up about where the head and block meet. I keep the oil changed at regular intervals, and know it needs it because when the oil filter gets restrictive, it leaks more. Environmental nightmare I know, but I assume this O-ring is a pain to fix.