Today I was removing the PCV valve to check it and looked inside the valve cover and saw this. This doesn’t seem like normal, is it? I would think not? Granted this is a small area it just seems awfully dirty in there. I’ve replaced oil every 5000 with Mobil1 5w-20 full synthetic until this past oil change I used 5w30. I had a oil test done 10000 miles ago and it came back healthy.

Recently I’ve been having poor fuel economy and a light rattle upon acceleration so I’m wondering if this is all correlated.

Thanks for the help!

 

The photo is taken by viewing into location where the PCV sits. Most valve covers have a baffle that prevents viewing the actual valve train so you maybe seeing the baffle. My personal opinion is that what you see here is normal even if you are seeing the rocker and I would not be concerned.
Jimboy

 

Hey where is the pcv on the 5.0

 

 

Put the valve back in and not worry about it.The PCV get a healthy dose of comustion by products, it's not surprising to see that in the port. You might want to change your oil more frequently.
To investigate your poor mileage, I would check to see what your fuel trims are at to see how your engine is burning.

 

Look inside your fill cap for more drivetrain stuff, that panel you're seeing there should be a baffle to stop direct oil flow from the top of the engine.

 

Thanks for all the replies! Makes sense that it’s just a baffle, but the buildup of “sediment” on it had me concerned. I’ve been noticing more of that same “sediment” in my catch can as well.




I’ve been struggling to diagnose poor gas mileage among other issues and started with checking and replacing the PCV valve. Hasn’t resolved anything yet, and instead that plus an oil change has led to a more aggressive oil pan leak.

 

Could be oil pan gasket material. I'd get that fixed and see how much is left. Oil sediment is/could be blow-by products, your best bet would be to send off a sample to blackstone for analysis.

 

Yea, I'm going to have to tackle it again. I was quoted $1000 from my local dealer. I replaced the gasket in March with a fel-pro and it was leak free up until my next oil change, ~5000 miles later, and started to leak. Now ~10000 miles later on its second oil change its back with a vengeance. I don't believe it is the RMS, especially with the bellhousing being dry. Maybe its the pan itself. Either way, I might have a shop diagnose it for me so it isn't something beyond the pan gasket.

On a similar note, yesterday I started my truck and had a consistent rattle that match the noise I had been hearing randomly on acceleration, and it turned out to be the PCV valve rattling. I pulled the hose to check vacuum, which it did(I do have a catch can installed if that has any affect), and re attached it and the rattle stopped. Vacuum test might be next on the list.

 

Check the gasket between the engine block and the Oil filter Adapter housing, they are known to leak and it coats the bottom of the engine/pan. I used a Fel-Pro 70801 gasket and it cured my leakage problem.