Donating Car to Rural Charity...

1995 SL1 - SOHC

I've been working with a charity in rural NY state for close to 20 years...
And they need a donated car that runs well for a theme-oriented use. It
would be donated forever and they would probably only put a few thousand
miles per year on it, but it will idle and ride around slowly the entire
time lots...

Is there any way of removing the PCV valve and yet keep the mileage high?
Maybe plug it or something? But a breather there?

They can change the plugs out when they foul (my car eats oil like most SLs
of that timeframe) but the PCV valve can be costly or even hard to remember
to do for them...

Thoughts?

Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg
http://www.youthelate.com

Help Cure Cancer: http://yunx.com/UDvroc.htm

PCV valves can be bought from any auto parts store for about $2-10. a piece,
are you sure you mean the PCV valve?

marx404

In article <jfhUg.15154$3T2.8826@trnddc06>, "Joe" > wrote:
>1995 SL1 - SOHC
>
>I've been working with a charity in rural NY state for close to 20 years...
>And they need a donated car that runs well for a theme-oriented use. It
>would be donated forever and they would probably only put a few thousand
>miles per year on it, but it will idle and ride around slowly the entire
>time lots...
>
>Is there any way of removing the PCV valve and yet keep the mileage high?

Why on earth would you want to do that?

>Maybe plug it or something? But a breather there?

What for? What is the point?
>
>They can change the plugs out when they foul (my car eats oil like most SLs
>of that timeframe) but the PCV valve can be costly or even hard to remember
>to do for them...

You call five bucks "costly"??

As for "hard to remember"... if you donate the car to them, it becomes *their*
car = their problem. Not yours.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

> You call five bucks "costly"??

For a charity out in the middle of nowhere, yes. Sorta.

> As for "hard to remember"... if you donate the car to them, it becomes
> *their*
> car = their problem. Not yours.

Not entirely true. My involvement is deep enough that it could affect it a
bit and/or make me the mechanic.


Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg
http://www.youthelate.com

Help Cure Cancer: http://yunx.com/UDvroc.htm

In article <PwkUg.15200$3T2.1421@trnddc06>, "Joe" > wrote:
>> You call five bucks "costly"??
>
>For a charity out in the middle of nowhere, yes. Sorta.

Seems to me that if you can afford to donate the car to them, you could afford
to donate a couple years' supply of PCV valves too.
>
>> As for "hard to remember"... if you donate the car to them, it becomes
>> *their*
>> car = their problem. Not yours.
>
>Not entirely true. My involvement is deep enough that it could affect it a
>bit and/or make me the mechanic.

It's a five-dollar part that takes five minutes to change. What's the big
deal? Oil changes cost a *lot* more, take longer to do, and are *far* more
important. Why are you so worried about the damn PCV valve?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

>>For a charity out in the middle of nowhere, yes. Sorta.
>
> Seems to me that if you can afford to donate the car to them, you could
> afford
> to donate a couple years' supply of PCV valves too.

Just because they have the PCV valves doesn't mean they will use them...
Once the car starts running badly, they may just ignore it - thus making the
donation frugal for me, but worthless for them.

Anyhow... I've thought through it a bit and still think removal of the
affected parts is the best idea if possible.

>>> As for "hard to remember"... if you donate the car to them, it becomes

>>Not entirely true. My involvement is deep enough that it could affect it
>>a
>>bit and/or make me the mechanic.
>
> It's a five-dollar part that takes five minutes to change. What's the big
> deal? Oil changes cost a *lot* more, take longer to do, and are *far* more
> important.

Anyone can perform the oil change... If "I" Am the PCV valve changer, I've
got a 3 to 5 hour commute just to do it.

>Why are you so worried about the damn PCV valve?

Why are you so bothered by the fact that I want it out?

The car burns oil. Can't be fixed cheaply. The PCV valve is one of the
affected parts (gunks up, then the car runs like poop). The plugs are
another. The plugs are an easy swap. The PVC valve probably is too, but it
is beyond the average lawnmower mechanic - which is all they have besides
me.

Now... Stop harassing me or I'll UPS you a load of used PCV valves!
....That there is a threat! <GRIN>

I know folks who take street cars and turn them into track cars remove the
valve and related "stuff" to save even a little bit of weight without
negative engine effects (it is, after all, a racing car at that point) so it
should be possible to do on this "never to be used on the street again"
vehicle. Anyone actually know how to do it rather than trying to convince
me not to do it?

Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg
http://www.youthelate.com

Help Cure Cancer: http://yunx.com/UDvroc.htm

In article <eNlUg.23927$gF3.1946@trnddc02>, "Joe" > wrote:
>>>For a charity out in the middle of nowhere, yes. Sorta.
>>
>> Seems to me that if you can afford to donate the car to them, you could
>> afford
>> to donate a couple years' supply of PCV valves too.
>
>Just because they have the PCV valves doesn't mean they will use them...
>Once the car starts running badly, they may just ignore it - thus making the
>donation frugal for me, but worthless for them.
>
>Anyhow... I've thought through it a bit and still think removal of the
>affected parts is the best idea if possible.

That means you need to think it through a little more still, IMHO.
>
>>>> As for "hard to remember"... if you donate the car to them, it becomes
>
>>>Not entirely true. My involvement is deep enough that it could affect it
>>>a
>>>bit and/or make me the mechanic.
>>
>> It's a five-dollar part that takes five minutes to change. What's the big
>> deal? Oil changes cost a *lot* more, take longer to do, and are *far* more
>> important.
>
>Anyone can perform the oil change... If "I" Am the PCV valve changer, I've
>got a 3 to 5 hour commute just to do it.

Anyone can change a PCV valve, too.
>
>>Why are you so worried about the damn PCV valve?
>
>Why are you so bothered by the fact that I want it out?

I'm not bothered -- I'm just baffled.
>
>The car burns oil. Can't be fixed cheaply. The PCV valve is one of the
>affected parts (gunks up, then the car runs like poop). The plugs are
>another. The plugs are an easy swap. The PVC valve probably is too, but it
>is beyond the average lawnmower mechanic - which is all they have besides
>me.

See, this is what has me baffled -- can you explain why you believe that
replacing the PCV valve is "beyond the average lawnmower mechanic"? That's not
making any sense.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

> See, this is what has me baffled -- can you explain why you believe that
> replacing the PCV valve is "beyond the average lawnmower mechanic"? That's
> not
> making any sense.

Most lawnmower mechanics know that a spark plug is. Some may even know how
to change the oil in a mower... Although that is rare. Unless they have
specific experience with cars, trucks, etc, chances are they don't know what
a PCV valve is.

Do you know what a ER16M nut is or what a 560-8M-20 refers to without
looking them up? Some of the most basic parts of a globally used machine
and found on many other machines for years and years... However the average
Joe (er... Better name?) won't have a clue what it is or how it works or
even how to use it. In fact, I'd bet there are more ER16M "devices" in the
world than PCV valves yet I'd also bet that the average person wouldn't have
a clue how to install it or even remove what it retains.

Unless you have experience in a field, the fact is that you probably don't
know what an item is. With the PCV valve - and with the way the camp is
going to use the vehicle - I am relatively certain it would be forgotten
about and then the car would run rough and then it would be put in a barn to
await a mechanically acclimated person and then it would simply never be
used again.

Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg
http://www.youthelate.com

Help Cure Cancer: http://yunx.com/UDvroc.htm

In article <DrrUg.23940$gF3.13982@trnddc02>, "Joe" > wrote:
>> See, this is what has me baffled -- can you explain why you believe that
>> replacing the PCV valve is "beyond the average lawnmower mechanic"? That's
>> not
>> making any sense.
>
>Most lawnmower mechanics know that a spark plug is. Some may even know how
>to change the oil in a mower... Although that is rare.

Oh, get real. In your previous post, you said that "anyone can perform the oil
change" in a car. And now you say that it's "rare" for a lawnmower mechanic to
know how to change the oil in a mower -- which is easier than changing oil in
a car. Which is it: something that "anyone can perform", or something that
it's "rare" to know how to do?

> Unless they have
>specific experience with cars, trucks, etc, chances are they don't know what
>a PCV valve is.

I'm quite honestly beginning to wonder if *you* know what a PCV valve is. You
seem to be under the impression that replacing one is expensive, and difficult
beyond the abilities of a normal lawnmower mechanic -- and you also think that
removing it altogether won't have any harmful effect.

Do you have any idea what it's for? Hint: the reason there's a *valve* there
is to allow crankcase gases to circulate one direction, but not the other. You
propose to plug it (so that gases won't circulate at all), or remove it
altogether (so that gases can circulate both directions). To me, this has "not
a good idea" written all over it. The manufacturer put that valve there for a
reason; that you think it might be a good idea to plug it shows clearly that
you don't know what that reason is. Maybe you should find out.
>
>Do you know what a ER16M nut is or what a 560-8M-20 refers to without
>looking them up? Some of the most basic parts of a globally used machine
>and found on many other machines for years and years... However the average
>Joe (er... Better name?) won't have a clue what it is or how it works or
>even how to use it. In fact, I'd bet there are more ER16M "devices" in the
>world than PCV valves yet I'd also bet that the average person wouldn't have
>a clue how to install it or even remove what it retains.

... none of which has *anything* to do with answering my question: Why do you
think replacing a PCV valve is beyond the reach of the average lawnmower
mechanic? It just ain't that hard. That you think it *is* suggests that, as
another poster pointed out, you may have it confused with something else.
>
>Unless you have experience in a field, the fact is that you probably don't
>know what an item is. With the PCV valve - and with the way the camp is
>going to use the vehicle - I am relatively certain it would be forgotten
>about and then the car would run rough and then it would be put in a barn to
>await a mechanically acclimated person and then it would simply never be
>used again.

And is there something stopping you from explaining the importance of the
valve, and showing them how to change it?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Hahahaha, maybe you should donate that good sh*t you're smoking, hahahahaha,
PCV valve....and it's not even April!, lol......this is gettin deep,
lol...sorry, this post is getting so ridiculous I had to laugh.

marx404