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Has anyone used the adjustable PCV from M.E. Wagner?

9.5K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  AutoGear  
#1 · (Edited)
Backstory:

My dads 6" rod 383 has had issues with oil leaks from one corner of the head/valvecover since day 1. The valve covers are O.G. M/T calvecovers, the heads are ProFiler 195s. Ive checked pan rails, played with all manner of gaskets and stickum, even used some "DevCon" that we have at work to seal the pores of the aluminum in the valve cover. Pops can't remember if the engine assembler used a HV Pump, but its not High Pressure.

One of our friends is an automotive engineer and a Mopar guy to the bone. His 400 "low deck" stroker motor responded extremely favorably to the adjustable PCV; yeah its expensive, but to be honest I'm past the cost of the parts at this point.
ETA: See here Dual Flow Adjustable PCV Valve – M/E Wagner Performance Products (mewagner.com) and for more: Hemmings-Muscle-Machine-Jan-2016-p64-67.pdf (mewagner.com)

Im a research kind of guy and I've noticed 2 trends (one of which was identified years ago here at HR . com)
1. The PCV sold at the parts emporium is super generic. I couldn't find a reliable P/N for a specific engine (Perhaps a PCV for 396 or a 454 would be better suited to the 6" rod). P/N's exist but if you dig hard enough, they all redirected to the same unit eventually. This means all Chevy-oriented PCV's are now considered the same.
2. The people with the types of complaints noted above (Persistent leaks, excessive oil loss) that tend to be cured by the adj. PCV seem to fall into 2 camps: Stroker SBC's on the street; and big-inch Mopar guys. At least that I've found. Purely for curiousity: Why these two camps? Why not the 460+ci BOP guys, the FE stroker Ford guys? Hell whats the 472 and 500 Cadoo guys doing correctly?

So, anyone here at homebase have experience? The theory seems sound and we as a forum have occasionally lamented that PCV support in the aftermarket amounts to "Does it rattle? If so, its fine."

We're gonna try one and see if it cures the symptoms, even better if it helps driveability slightly or even up the MPG.

Nate
 
#2 ·
The MT covers have the PCV hole right above a rocker and the the oil from the PR gets sucked into it.
PVC valves have vacuum ratings, you might find the rating and try a lower rating valve OR do what I do, and drill the intake valley and put it there with a rubber grommet and plug or weld up the covers.

 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm a stroker FE Ford guy and I run one. After the stroker I noticed an increase in oil consumption and installed an oil vapor separator from moroso. I also modified the baffles because the aftermarket aluminum valve covers I had had horrible baffling. I'll take a pic of my setup tonight when I get home and try to post it for you.

Before the separator, oil would drip from pcv hose when disconnected from the carb, and the car was dieseling real bad and spark knocking. After the separator the hose cleared up as did the dieseling and knocking but I was draining about 8 to 10 ounces every 500 miles.

I found M.E. Wagner's site and decided to try to fix my baffling. After I fixed that I now only drain 1 or 2 ounces from the separator every 1000 miles, much more acceptable.

I was still running a box store pcv though at this point. It's in the right valve cover with a push in breather in the left. I started seeing an oil film on the left cover and could smell blow by gas on aggressive but not totally wot acceleration. I decided the generic pcv couldn't keep up with the increased blow by from the short stroker pistons over stock.

I bought the m e Wagner valve and adjusted it and the blow by film and smell went away. I've since converted to Holley EFI, and converted the me Wagner valve to a fixed orifice as that is more stable for the EFI. Wagner included instructions on setting that up.

To sum it up, baffling fixed most of my oil consumption issues, but the valve did help stop blow by from escaping the breather cap and making an oily mess on top of the engine.
 
#4 ·
So here are my pictures, maybe. One is a pic of the moroso oil vapor separator. One is a pic of the inside of the screw in baffle. One is a pic of the valve in another baffle, and a shot of the underside of that setup, and one is a pic of the standard chrome push in breather in a screw in baffle.

The valve covers had a very poor aluminum plate tacked inside, it was exactly what me Wagner showed on their site of a poor baffle design, and I think they were showing a MT cover too. My stroker uses a HV pump, and FEs are notorious for poor drain back anyway, plus the shaft mount rockers flood the top end. Basically enough oil was getting above the baffles that airflow kept it there and it would start siphoning more at that point.

The screw in baffles are from summit racing, pn sum-440332. You basically open up the stock valve cover hole to 1 3/8" and install them, and they take a 1" breather. They only hang down half an inch inside the cover which barely clears my roller shaft mounted rockers but they have plenty of holes to allow airflow and drain back. Since a pcv is 5/8" you'd either need to fab up some sort of bushing, or use the other baffle as I did if you go this route. If you have enough room you may be able to fab a better sheet metal baffle inside your cover and skip all that. Me Wagner shows how they fabbed a baffle in a mt cover on a sbf, but I don't have the room.

I then bought that black oil baffle from rock Auto. I don't remember the number but it's a stant part. Classic industries has a version number ta4041 though. It's an Oldsmobile pcv breather. The nipple that pushes into the cover won't fit the summit breather, so I soldered an old steel sleeve onto it as seen in one pic, it has a screen and a brillo pad type material inside to help stop oil passage as well. A standard pcv grommet fit the top side and the me Wagner valve goes in that.
 

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#7 ·
The prototype installation is complete. Engine runs seemingly a little cleaner, no combustion gas smell under the hood and ZERO oil consumption. Is it worth $130 or whatever? If this kind of thing annoys you? Absolutely.