Crankcase ventilation system

[manthas]

Hey all,

New to the forum, but I've got a 2004 Liberty and have been doing some maintenance on it; specifically working on replacing the valve cover gaskets and the whole process has been a pretty significant headache. While working to get things disconnected and moved aside to gain access to the passenger side valve cover, the T junction on this assembly just straight up snapped:

https://www.moparpartsoverstock.com...2695&ukey_driveLine=9410&ukey_trimLevel=20297
(Edit: It's the system marked with box 1 in that diagram which includes the two crankcase breather elements)

While maneuvering to get it fully disconnected it snapped a second time, leaving me with it in three pieces. Took me some time to track down what the component was that snapped, but it leaves me with one question:

Why is this thing made out of a plastic that turns brittle under the high heat of being right next to the engine? The same situation has caused the retention clips on all 6 injector electrical connectors to break in some fashion or another, making a couple of them a serious bear to remove. (Oh no, they couldn't break in a way that would allow them to slide off easily.) I ordered the above replacement for the system, but honestly, it seems like a horribly engineered thing to me. Does anybody have any experience with trying to put something together here that would be more resilient? Heater hoses are easy enough to come by for parts of the system, but it's the structured tubing that I am unsure what I would use in its place.

Any suggestions you might have here would be appreciated. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well, because whoa boy, those ridiculous little plastic bits that keep falling apart on me are starting to get on my last nerve.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I broke that 3 way "T" in mine too years ago, I just spliced it back together with a generic t fitting and heater hose.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Recently did this to my own as well..
The valve cover gaskets can be made into a really simple process if you have adequate instruction beforehand..
Done it a couple times if you haven't finished up yet and want a couple tips..
Also.. you can get the T vacuum fitting at most any auto parts store for a couple bucks but I did end up getting the Mopar part online as you've been looking at.
While you're putting it on though, may want to get a foot of heater hose and replace the small vacuum fittings that attach.. 1/4" or 3/8" if I remember correctly but may be different..
If that fitting was that brittle, you may want to take a good look at the crankcase breather hoses as well.
They tend to Crack and deteriorate at the ends on our jeeps.. might want to take a peek at the molded hose attached to the pcv valve as well.. if you take the pcv off, be cautious though as like many others..mine snapped very easily when taking it off (about $17 at local dealership and came with the molded and plastic hoses attached.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

For awhile I did have some heater hose hooked up in place of all my crankcase hoses. Holds up really well and the tubing didn't collapse when running. Kept it that way for about a year until I decided to just buy the hoses.. about 15 bucks each online for Mopar parts.
The heater hose works really well if the right size and length is used.. I added about 2 inches to the passenger side one to keep it from bending too sharp, and about an inch to the drivers.
Believe me though, much easier option to just get the Mopar preformed hoses online or at a dealer.

Also..since you brought up the T vacuum connector, I'd assume you were doing the drivers side valve cover gasket just wanted to say.. if you disconnect the fuel line above it (if you haven't already) makes a world of difference.. done it both ways and felt really dumb the second time for not having taken the 30 seconds to do so..
Either way, just wanted to add some input and say hope you get your issue resolved and get that libby back on the road again!!

ps...don't over torque the valve cover bolts only takes and extra turn to hear...ssssnnnaaappp..


p.s.s.... no need to remove the injector harness, just zip tie it as far upward as it goes until you're done.
Although.. half of my injector clips are broken off as well lol

 

[manthas]

Thanks for all the responses here, folks. I actually started with the passenger side, as I knew that the gasket on that side was in worse shape than the one on the driver side so it was my priority. I did find the T joint eventually at the auto parts shop with the idea of building out a replacement using just heater tubing, but I wasn't sure if there would be issues because of it having to basically rest on whatever surfaces I could route it through.

Re: the fuel line disconnect - I probably should have, but will admit to have seen the big old "fuel line" sticker on it and being a bit intimidated to even touch the line on the off chance that I would foul something up getting it off or putting it back on. Even with it in place, the driver's side wound up being easier than the passenger side, as I was able to shift all of the electrical wires completely out of my way easier.

New gaskets are in place now, and I'm headed out there today to finish rigging up a replacement for the crankcase breather system until the Mopar replacement comes in. A previous mechanic had replaced the heater hose connecting in to the driver side of the crankcase earlier, and looking at the existing connections, I don't see any issues with the molded connectors headed in to the PCV valve or crankcase, but tempted to replace them anyway because I'm paranoid. (Idle has been off on this thing for ages, but not enough that most mechanics have even been able to notice.)

Most of the tubing is 1/2", but the one that leads from the breather element/filter to the crankcase is 5/8" in case anybody is looking for the info, lol. I've got a few more things lined up for the ol' Libby, but need to get this done so I can make sure she is running before getting to any of the rest of it. Guaranteed I'll be back!

 

[manthas]

...
ps...don't over torque the valve cover bolts only takes and extra turn to hear...ssssnnnaaappp..


p.s.s.... no need to remove the injector harness, just zip tie it as far upward as it goes until you're done.
Although.. half of my injector clips are broken off as well lol

Just had to reply directly to this one - yeah, I read a lot of the info about the valve cover bolts before hand. When I took the old ones off, it seemed pretty likely that the old ones had been over torqued because the grommets were almost every single one of them over compressed, cracked, and in one case straight up broken and barely existent.

This is my first major auto project, and every time I've gone out there I've learned more about things. Don't suppose you guys know of a similar forum to this one for Kia Soul owners? lol (The Libby is technically my wife's, and my own is an '11 Soul, but I love both of these cars.)

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Well good to hear that the projects wrapping up well for you. That's what the site is here for, to ask people who've likely run through the same situations. Keep us updated if anything else comes up

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Don't suppose you guys know of a similar forum to this one for Kia Soul owners? lol (The Libby is technically my wife's, and my own is an '11 Soul, but I love both of these cars.)

Unfortunately I dont, but feels like there's a forum for everything.. wrongforu.gif
Only way I know to find you a forum is for you to switch vehicles with your wife and continue to use this one lol epper: