PCV valve filled with oil after just a few thousand miles?

[laegion]

Is it normal to fail this quickly? '03 Outback H6 Ez30D JDM imported motor with ~70k on the clock.

Time for an oil catch can? or is this a sign of some deeper issue?

Edited May 8, 2022 by laegion

[1 Lucky Texan]

maybe some breather and PCV hoses have been misrouted?

[laegion]

1 hour ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

maybe some breather and PCV hoses have been misrouted?

No, I don't think that is the case. I even looked at the original engine (I have it on my engine stand still) and it all looks the same. I replaced the injectors with a rebuilt set today and I didn't see any cracked lines or anything. The only potential issue I saw was the hard plastic part of the PCV line going from the valve to the TB. The mounting bracket molded into it has broken off, but it doesn't look like a hole or leak there...so I'm not sure.

 

To clarify, it is clean liquid oil, the valve seems to be functional so I cleaned it out with some TB cleaning spray and a towel and reinstalled it for now. There was some oil in the bottom of the tube where it connects to the valve also, and when I removed it there was oil up to the top of the fitting on the valve...I will likely be replacing that hard plastic tube, it doesn't look like it's in poor condition but I'd like it to mount like it's supposed to.

[jonathan909]

Isn't that what the oil separator plate is about?  Keeping the oil from splashing up into the PCV valve, which is right above it?

[laegion]

3 minutes ago, jonathan909 said:

Isn't that what the oil separator plate is about?  Keeping the oil from splashing up into the PCV valve, which is right above it?

Exactly, so I have to assume that it's oil vapor that has condensed in the line above the valve and flowed back down...or it came from the throttle body...but even though I'm not familiar with the internal construction of this throttle body, that doesn't seem a likely possibility. Especially since it would have to travel up for a few inches to be able to flow back down to the valve.

[jonathan909]

I was thinking of something less complicated, like a broken separator plate.

I've never had a reason to try, but can you poke a probe down into the block vent and touch the plate?

[1 Lucky Texan]

how did you connect the brake booster hose on your JDM engine? any issues with that?

[laegion]

7 hours ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

how did you connect the brake booster hose on your JDM engine? any issues with that?

Well, after the pipe plug that was in the correct position refused to come out under any circumstances and was so soft it fell apart.......I just got a piece of appropriate sized vacuum hose and hooked it up with a fitting to the stock hose from my car so it still has the one way valve on it. It is possible the original brake booster hose from my car is deteriorating but I checked it while I was doing the install of the injectors and it seems completely intact. I didn't take it off and test it though.

[1 Lucky Texan]

yeah, I think that's how everyone does it - just throwing that out there....