pcv puck for stock 1.6 diesel

[sgnimj96]

I don't know how much blow-by is going on, but when I took my air filter off there was more oil puddled up in there than I'd like to see. And that's even after running the "t" from the crankcase into it. Sucks vw didn't really care when they designed this engine. The only thing they did was suggest adding a T fitting and running it down to the crankcase (to help prevent diesel run-away from excessive blowby)
So I had bought the pcv puck for my ALH , but then thought I'd try to hack it into the old IDI .
The brass T is just a 3/4" pex fitting from hardware store. The long 3/4" hose is fuel hose from Oreilly's

I used 2 rubber 90's that are for the old mercedes diesels valve cover pcv system.

https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/6170160281

The MK4 ALH pcv puck https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/028129101E

And here's where it gets weird, the sizes don't match up great so I just winged it.
The 3/4 hose joins up to the intake with just a small metal pipe from something laying around
pretty easy had a slight bend in it that helped line it up. I may have used a little silicone tape on the small pipe where the 3/4" hose clamps to it. Self-sealing silicone tape is handy stuff for permanent hacks.
Where the rubber elbow fits to the bottom of the puck it's too tight but I jammed it on anyway.
Not ideal, probably the weak link. Good idea to have a spare one if that thing breaks or, better yet, find something that is stronger and fits better.
Edit: I'm thinking THIS elbow would work better to connect the puck to the valve cover https://www.hansautoparts.com/06B103221GHose.aspx


And where the puck goes into the brass T I had to heat things up, literally.
The tube on the puck was too small so I softened it up a little with a lighter. To make sure it sealed I put a wrap of silicone tape on the brass fitting - when I jammed it on there it became solidly stuck in place - no hose clamp needed.


If you're wondering where the 3/4 hose is coming from, it's where the old style vacuum pump vented into the crankcase


The puck and the hoses are easily moved out the way If you need to take the valve cover off.

[sgnimj96]

I will add, if your going to mess with it might want to upgrade to the one-piece valve cover gasket (stud upgrade)
and get the baffle that sits on the valve assembly.
https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/026198025C
https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/15948

And shop around, deals come and go. I like buying closeouts from rockauto if I can. Hansautoparts can be amazing sometimes. Rmeuropean, fcpeuro, eeuroparts, lots of places to check for good pricing. Some sites will rob you (eg. Amazon) if your not aware.
I used autohauz for the links because the part numbers are correct and the prices are accurate of what those parts are worth
An outdated vw 1.6 diesel is NOT something you want throw a lot of money at.

[Fatmobile]

I don't think I have a picture but I've been using the pucks off
the 2.0 ABA gasser blocks.
With a MK2 gasser or TD valve cover.
It plugs right onto the top of the valve cover with one inlet
and has another 3/4" inlet from the front of the block
and a 3/4" outlet going left,.. to the turbo in my case.

[sgnimj96]

yea a proper stock puck setup would be nicer. I'm just surprised it works and is easy to move out of the way when needed.
The reason I did it was because I just did the head gasket and saw a lot of oil residue built up in the combustion chamber.

Seems like vw just didn't care about a pcv system when they first designed the diesel, just let the engine burn it all.
The catch cans people do look like a PIA. Getting a G60 valve cover would be nice but those things are $300?. Any different valve cover is actually pretty hard to find, info and parts seem to be disappearing from the internet. I just used what I had already, mostly driven by frustration of the obvious problem of the stock design..

I did just find a different valve cover that is actually cheap and IN STOCK - HansAutoparts does it again, odds are when he runs out, that will be it.
https://hansautoparts.com/068103469K-Valve-Cover.aspx
So this and whatever the proper grommet and puck are would a definite WIN ,
and this looks like it
https://www.hansautoparts.com/028103500 ... asket.aspx
https://www.hansautoparts.com/023129101 ... Valve.aspx

Aside from all, I think the old-style 1.5/1.6 valve covers could be done with the alh puck, just one rubber elbow, and 3/4" fuel hose from the puck outlet straight to nipple on the air cleaner housing. Maybe $20

[sgnimj96]

I don't think I have a picture but I've been using the pucks off
the 2.0 ABA gasser blocks.
With a MK2 gasser or TD valve cover.
It plugs right onto the top of the valve cover with one inlet
and has another 3/4" inlet from the front of the block
and a 3/4" outlet going left,.. to the turbo in my case.

This one? https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/037129101RURO
so the bottom and one of the sideways ones are both inlets?

[Fatmobile]

Right.
It works great with a MK2 gasser valve cover that just has a hole in the top.
The ports that connect around the edge are inputs and the one coming from the center is the output,..
pretty sure.

Probably will need a new grommet for the cover too.

[sgnimj96]

That rubber elbow coming off the valve cover already started cracking on the overstretched end to the puck- leaking out blowby gases.
Quick fix, wrapped it in silicone tape and clamped it back on.
Might actually last a while until I figure something else out for it.

[colby]

I took some heater hose, hooked it to my valve cover, and dropped it behind the transmission.

[sgnimj96]

Nice and direct (old school) solution with just a hose. I bet it adds some chassis corrosion protection that these classics desperately need.

If my engine was tighter I might do that. I don't know who rebuilt the engine - runs well but has enough blowby that it would make a mess.

I did the head gasket w/ studs recently and saw how blowby oil was coating the valves. The head itself was fine so I cleaned the chambers a bit with carb cleaner and put it back on.

So I'm trying to keep less oil from making it to the intake without having to add a catch can. It seems like there has be some good reason the puck pcv was added, though I'm not sure that's what it's for, or how much difference it makes -but there is less oil pooling in the intake now.

[colby]

I did it because the engine had 300k miles and a ton of blow by. It had already blown the intermediate shaft seal out going down the road and blew 4 quarts of 15w40 all over the side of the car and on the road. The hose was to keep that pressure off the seals.

[sgnimj96]

wow - that's beyond what a pcv valve is for, the opposite problem.
Now you got me wondering if I have crankcase pressure causing slight oil leaks at the main seal. Sometimes it has a mystery drip there.

[colby]

Well, I can tell you with certainty it was the crankcase pressure that blew the seal out. When I replaced the seals and timing belt, I did the hose mod and never had a problem with it again.

[Fatmobile]

Hey Colby, your smoker was a MK2 right?
There were restrictors in the intake on those.:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5235&p=29379&hilit= ... ill#p29379
They only allowed about an 1/8" X 2
of crank gasses to vent.

There is so much info on this site.
Thanks for bringing it back.

I was looking for a picture of my TD crankcase vent pics,..
couldn't find any good ones.

[colby]

Yes, it was an MK2, and I was aware of the restrictors but it was easier to get some 5/8 heater hose and pop it to the ground then drill out the restrictors and worry about metal shavings getting into the cylinders. I didn't own the car much longer after that. I sold it to someone out of state. It was in rough shape. Lots of miles. Lots of neglect before I bought it too.

[Fatmobile]

I think I used a 1/2" copper T to drill it out.
The vacuum was hooked to the side,
I might have even put a 3/8" reducer on one end.
The drill went straight through with a constant vacuum pulling chips from the drill.