2.3L ('83-'97) PCV / Oil Separator Woes

[Nubs]

Hi Guys, I went out the other day to change the PCV valve on my pickup. It's a 1990 xlt 2.3L 5 SPD Ranger.

I unbolted the alternator so I could get better clearance to the Oil Separator, and located the PCV valve in the hose that comes off of the oil separator. I couldn't get the PCV valve out, and basically cajoled the hose off of the separator, and finally got it out so I could change the PCV.

However, I cannot for the life of me get the hose that comes off of the separator routed like it was originally. I left it hanging towards the dipstick, and ran a new length of 3/8" hose back to the throttle body, and the truck runs amazingly! All my rough idle issues are done for and it runs really well now, except for it's oil separator hose is just kinda hanging out on the dipstick tube.

How in the world do I reroute it so it's back like it was originally? I ordered a intake manifold gasket set, just in case I have to yank the upper intake manifold and throttle body off to rectify this situation. Also, does the oil separator have a grommet that holds it in? Mine's kinda easy to turn, and I'm concerned that there may be oil coming out of it around the base unless it's a press fit. I was tired when I took the hose off of the separator, and have slept since then, and I cannot figure out how it was originally in there to where the PCV is in it's little 'cage' in the hose at the back of the throttle body.

My oil separator doesn't appear bolted in, so any and all advice is welcomed!

As an aside the PCV that was in it had to be original, it was a Motorcraft, and although it shook and rattled, I could see daylight through it and it wouldn't stop airflow either way I blew into it, so I guess it was worn out. Probably the original PCV as from the factory if I had to guess. Truck seems way smoother and lots more power than I'm used to for a little Lima. Thanks for reading and your advice!

Kind Regards,

Nubs

 

[Nubs]

I finally got it routed correctly! It seems that the hose comes straight out of the oil separator, turns back 180, then kind of snakes under intake runners 2, and 3, goes behind the dip stick closest to the block, and then comes up into the little metal cage that holds wiring clips and the part of the hose where the PCV valve goes.

My particular hose was stiff, so it's not so easy to bend and put into place as it was 37 years ago. The little metal 'cage' is bolted to the rear of the upper intake manifold mounting studs with it's own nuts on top of the rear intake manifold bolt stubs. I removed the throttle body, and upper intake not only to clean them out, but to help gain access to the oil separator from the top.

The upper intake had carbon and oily black gunk all in it. I had to remove the alternator, it's bracket with three bolts, and the lifting eye that's bolted to the intake. Figured while I was there I'd do the valve cover gasket and that was a nightmare to get the valve cover off. It was like it was epoxied on there or something, the old cork gasket had cooked to the valve cover and the head, and some yahoo had decided that RTV would fix it, torqued it down and then it cooked like that for decades.

The once cork gasket was more like hard plastic and sharp kind of like glass. For the life of me could not get that old gasket off whole, it just kept breaking to pieces. I got a little debris in the area under the camshaft which I shop vacced out, but I'm changing the oil anyway before I start it just to be safer.

I cleaned the valve cover and the head sealing surfaces religiously, and used one of those blue rubber Fel-Pro gaskets with a little ultra black on the 90 degrees spots in the front. After I change the oil and filter, I'll probably pull the coil wire, and crank it for a minute, let it set, crank it for a minute, let it set, etc, to try to flush out the oil passages easily and without having to actually run the engine at first. I did clean the lifting eye, the alternator brackets and bolts.

I also used some ultra black on the bolts since I saw they had a little orange RTV on them from 1st assembly, so figured it was there for a reason. Now I just need the torque specs for the upper intake manifold and throttle body if anyone has those handy.

I've looked online but I see 22ft lbs, and I always thought it was much lower than that, like in/lbs. Could someone please clarify this for me? Thank you guys for following along with my truck, and hopefully this post will help someone out down the road if they make the same mistake I did.

Kind Regards,

Nubs