Blow-Out Protection for PCV Failure

[Again]

You can look down the intake and check if the check valve is still in place. When I installer the Trifecta tune and it didn't work they had me check a bunch of things. They were saying I had a problem. This was the first thing they had me check. I posted my picture earlier in this thread. My check valve was visible. Also you can remove your engine cover and check if the regulator is leaking.

 

[Daytona@88]

Got it, just a little concern when disconnecting that hose to look for the check valve as I heard that it can break easily. I will give it a try, I'll keep you posted.

 

[Again]

Just be careful when removing the clip then it pulls right off straight up. If you don't have an endoscope you can use a mirror and light.

 

[Daytona@88]

Thanks, I will try it that way.

 

[Steveyo]

The CEL needs 3 startups before it will turn "OFF" after code P0171 is fixed. So the spring hung up in the boot may have been the cause for your code. Changing the breather cap will not set a code.

Update: So, I went ahead and put the breather cap on and within 15 miles light comes back on. Not sure if I have a defective cap but it's almost certain that's the culprit of my CEL coming back. At this point I'm not going to keep trying with this cap and just keep the factory one on it. I'll see if I can return it and if not I'll have to take it as a lost.

This is a bit concerning, for I wonder if my aftermarket cap will have the same problem. I may have not been clear in my previous post about the breather, since when I got mine, not long after I purchased the car, I put it on, drove the car a bit to see if it worked ok and there were no leaks, put the OEM cap back on, and stored the aftermarket cap in the back of the Encore to have it ready if and when the engine had problems with the PCV system. So I may have the same experience as you if I were to use the cap for some time. Anyway, I just looked at the bottom of the breather/check valve cap where one can see the check ball, and it does look as if it wouldn't take much pressure to lift the ball allowing air to escape from the crankcase, which air release might be the reason a code was set on your vehicle.

I think I'll put my aftermarket cap back on and see if I end up with the same code as you. Since I purchased my cap two years ago, no return for me, but I basically wanted it for when a problem arises anyway.

 

[Daytona@88]

Thanks for this info Steveyo, light came on this morning so I immediately did the switch to the OEM cap. I'm just going to wait for the 3 startups or so to see if the ECM will clear the light but I'm not going to deal with the aftermarket cap again. I mean don't get me wrong, breather is great quality but I guess I'm not 100 percent sold on it's functionality. Let me know if you do the switch and if the light comes on, I'll keep you posted on my end. Thanks again.

 

[Daytona@88]

Update #2: so after driving for about a week and almost 200 miles later no CEL. My little Encore didn’t like that breather cap. Not sure if it was defective but either way I tried and didn’t work. Seller was nice enough to give me a full refund. Encore driving great now.

 

[G-301881]

Ma vanne PCV est toujours là après 97000kms. Photo prise avec mon endoscope.

 

[Again]

Why translate my post in french?

 

[Daytona@88]

Why translate my post in french?

Hi Again,
How many miles you have in your Encore now? Have you replaced your intake at all due to the stuck or missing check valve?

 

[Again]

My Encore is low miles but I have a Trax same year with 120,000Kms ( 75000 miles ). Same everything, I have purchased all the spare parts and I'm still waiting for a failure. I have a box full of parts including spark plugs. Yesterday on the trip to my mom I checked for misfires with the torque APP and had "0 count" over 20 minutes of driving, so won't change the plugs anytime soon.

 

[Daytona@88]

My Encore is low miles but I have a Trax same year with 120,000Kms ( 75000 miles ). Same everything, I have purchased all the spare parts and I'm still waiting for a failure. I have a box full of parts including spark plugs. Yesterday on the trip to my mom I checked for misfires with the torque APP and had "0 count" over 20 minutes of driving, so won't change the plugs anytime soon.

My Encore is low miles but I have a Trax same year with 120,000Kms ( 75000 miles ). Same everything, I have purchased all the spare parts and I'm still waiting for a failure. I have a box full of parts including spark plugs. Yesterday on the trip to my mom I checked for misfires with the torque APP and had "0 count" over 20 minutes of driving, so won't change the plugs anytime soon.

It’s good to know that at 75,000 miles you haven’t have any issues related to the pcv considering how many people had the failure between 30-50,000 miles. I’m wondering if somehow is the way you drive your car meaning taking good care of it and going slow instead of the foot on the pedal like some people do thinking this is a race car. Well thanks for the reply and I hope you get many more troble free miles.

 

[Again]

It’s good to know that at 75,000 miles you haven’t have any issues related to the pcv considering how many people had the failure between 30-50,000 miles. I’m wondering if somehow is the way you drive your car meaning taking good care of it and going slow instead of the foot on the pedal like some people do thinking this is a race car. Well thanks for the reply and I hope you get many more troble free miles.

I baby the Encore. The Trax is my daily driver and not babied so much. I really like to test it's limits. So far so good.

Unidentical twins

 

[Again]

Oops!

 

[Daytona@88]

View attachment 29071

Very nice! I actually loved the color of the Trax. Originally I was going to purchase the Trax but there was an issue and deal didn’t go thru so I went with the certified pre owned Encore and I don’t regret it one bit, loved everything about it. Hope to keep it until the wheels fall off.

 

[Again]

For sure the Buick is better finished and rides nicer, the Trax on the other hand I'm not scared of going to WalMart with and leave it in the parking lot. For a salvage it has treated me very well over the past 4½ years and 100,000Kms $9340 Cdn on the road and ½ a day's work to put back together, can't beat it.

 

[Daytona@88]

For sure the Buick is better finished and rides nicer, the Trax on the other hand I'm not scared of going to WalMart with and leave it in the parking lot. For a salvage it has treated me very well over the past 4½ years and 100,000Kms $9340 Cdn on the road and ½ a day's work to put back together, can't beat it.

Totally agreed! 👍

 

[G-507699]

Just received a notice in the mail from GM for the PCV valve freezing problem.

share the gm bulletin please! 🙏

 

[mfenberg]

Purchased my one-owner 2018 Encore two years ago. 56K original miles and now has 77K miles. I replaced the water outlet pipe and glad I did, as it was cracked where the hose connects. Otherwise, no real issues. Still, I decided to be proactive and, just today, I finished installing the Cruzekits V1 kit onto a NEW GM intake manifold. Just didn't want to deal with cleaning up the original manifold! I also replaced the camshaft cover, corrugated PCV hose and even the purge valve, since it wasn't that much more. All parts were GM. Because I chose the V1 kit, I also needed the BNR spacer. And, if you're wondering why I went with the V1 kit, it's because I live in California! We have to have our cars smogged every two years and many of the smog technicians can get picky when they see something under the hood that doesn't look right! You really can't see the one-way valve and associated parts under the manifold and it's also tough to even notice the TB adapter! At 71 years old, I move just a little slower these days and it took me 2.5 days to complete, as there are always issues that crop up. Returned not long ago from a test drive and my little Encore is running great! Nothing better than a job well-done, knowing that I feel I did a much better job than probably any independent shop or dealer would do, simply from a time vs. profit POV. If a torque value was involved, I made sure to use it. This Cruzekits PCV bypass kit will insure a lot more years, and mileage, of trouble-free driving. I took pictures along the way, but need to resize them before posting. Stay tuned!