Zak is new to the CarBuzz team, working as a freelance content writer. When Zak isn't writing How To articles for CarBuzz he's working as a high school automotive technology instructor. Before ...

The PCV valve (positive crankcase ventilation valve) is a vital part of the emissions controlsystem on most vehicles. Not every vehicle has a PCV valve, but most do. If yours has one, and if your ...

A car smelling like burning oil is usually caused by oil leaking onto hot engine parts (like the exhaust manifold) or internal engine failure. Common causes include failed valve cover gaskets, worn ...

Although some maintenance schedules include an interval for replacing the positive crankcase ventilation, or PCV, valve, others may not. In the latter case, a general recommendation is to replace the ...

We don't mean to be the harbingers of doom, but it's unwise to keep driving if your car's engine has a malfunctioning positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system, particularly a bad PCV valve.

No matter how tightly within the prescribed specifications an engine's piston clearance and ring tension are in its cylinders, a certain amount of fuel and combustion vapor slips past and enters the ...

Positive Crankcase Ventilation—three dirty words, but do they really need to be perceived that way? In general, the PCV system has two main functions: vapor relief and liquid separation. PCV systems ...

Regardless of what type of vehicle you drive, if it was built in the last few decades, its engine has some form of emissions control system designed to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of ...