A BMW is a beautiful, elegant, powerful, and high-performing car exuding excellent craftsmanship both in its interior and exterior. Over the course of its long life, your BMW may experience certain parts failing over time, especially if regular maintenance is neglected.
The positive crankcase ventilation valve is one component that will have a significant impact on the performance of your BMW if not properly maintained. Detailed information about the PCV valve, how to tell if it is malfunctioning, and what to do next can be found below.
What is the Crankcase Ventilation valve?
The Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve (PCV valve) is a component installed in your BMW that allows exhaust gasses and unburned fuel from an engine block to enter the intake manifold rather than escape into the atmosphere. It is possible for exhaust gasses, fuel, and oil to bypass the pistons in your BMW engine so that they don’t get used. The intake manifold is likely to build up this material once this happens. In other words, the purpose of the PCV valve is to prevent the accumulation of materials that can lead to sludge that reduces the engine’s performance.
To accomplish this, the PCV valve maintains the proper amount of vacuum in the crankcase to get rid of these particles blown by the engine, as well as any moisture that might remain in the intake manifold. Keeping the oil in the engine clean and preventing crankshaft pressure build-up from blow-by materials is another benefit of the PCV valve.
Common Reasons For PCV Valve Failure in Your BMW
Your BMW’s PCV valve may malfunction as a result of different causes. The seal may crack or break if the engine of your BMW overheats, preventing the valve from closing fully when it should. As with all auto components, age and normal wear encourage the damage to the PCV valve. Early detection of these issues is critical for avoiding valve failure.
Danger Signs of A Faulty Positive Crankcase Ventilation Valve
Most commonly, you’ll notice the check engine light turning on. In essence, the check engine light is an alert from your car to you that something is not functioning correctly. The warning indicator lets you know if diagnostic testing is necessary, even if the issue is not apparent. You might also notice the following symptoms if your PCV valve starts to malfunction:
- The underperformance of your BMW: The durability and performance of BMW are well known. If your BMW is underperforming, there is likely a problem. There may be a problem with combustion due to imbalanced pressure or a faulty PCV valve causing the engine to stall.
- Poor or Rough Idling: Lean fuel mixtures can also be caused by a problem with your PCV valve, which can lead to rough idling or poor idling. There is a lot of damage that can be done because of this, from stalling to sluggish acceleration to backfiring.
- Oil leakage: A stuck or clogged PCV valve will cause increased pressure that pushes oil out to try and relieve the buildup. A leak will result if this gets through gaskets and seals. If the leak is not repaired your oil will drain, which can cause extensive engine damage.
- Sludge build-up in your car’s engine: In an engine with a clogged PCV valve, engine oil can mix with combustion gasses, leading to sludge build-up. Eventually, this will wear out your engine and lead to a breakdown.
- Black smoke from the exhaust pipe: Overheating & increased engine pressure cause black smoke to emerge from the exhaust pipe.
Bavarium Autoworks Can Help Replace a Faulty PCV Valve
It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with 
your BMW service technician as soon as you notice any of the above signs of PCV valve failure.
In Mountain View, CA, Bavarium Autoworks is the best place to bring your BMW. We serve BMW drivers from Cupertino, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Mountain View. Providing quality maintenance and repairs for German cars is our specialty. A comprehensive diagnostic on your BMW will be performed by our highly trained and certified technicians using the latest diagnostic tools. As a BMW owner, we want to keep you in control by supplying you with all the information you need to decide your next course of action if it develops a problem.
Keeping your BMW in great condition is our top priority. Get a free estimate by calling or coming by today.