I have a 2003 Dakota with the 3.9L and 72k miles. I was going to change the PCV valve and according to the parts catalog, the number is 53031134 which is discontinued. I must have the original in it now cause it has the Mopar logo on it and when I shake it, it does rattle some but not a whole lot even after trying to clean it. Im losing oil at about 1/2 quart a month or so and its not on the ground or under/on the engine so Im not sure if its blowby or getting sucked into the intake because of the PCV valve. The PCV valve hose doesnt appear to have any oil in it but with the hose off and running, it seems to be pulling A LOT of vacuum but im not sure if this is normal. Last oil change (less than 300 miles ago) I put in castrol 10-30 conventional oil hoping it would slow down the oil consumption cause It was happening with 5-30 conv. oil also. The 90 degree elbow on the passenger side cover isnt obstructed and the hoses arent clogged up. I dont see any smoke coming out the tailpipe either so im not sure whats happening. Im not too keen on putting a additive into my oil like Rislone ring seal or Barrs if I can keep from it. I only drive this truck about 120 miles a month. What are people using for PCV valves since its been discontinued? I seen rock auto has Wells, advance auto has Carquest and Auto Zone has duralast but I was just wanting an opinion before I go buy one

Thanks

 

These engines actually burn pretty clean, so NOT seeing blue smoke out the exhaust does not necessarily imply you AREN'T burning oil. What is your consumption vs. mileage?

 

well Id say I drive about 7 miles a day 5x a week and 3 weeks ago, I had to add a half quart and I checked it yesterday and its back to a half quart low. roughly 100-110 miles and its a half quart low again.

 

Think I would do a cylinder leakdown test, and see what the numbers look like. Or, if you don't have the capability for that, do a compression test. Your mileage is still relatively low, but, the truck is not a spring chicken any more. Also, might wanna have a look down into the plenum, and see how much oil you see in there. These are two-piece intake manifolds, and that lower gasket is notorious for blowing out, leading to high oil consumption. I don't think it is as much of an issue on the sixes though, as opposed to the v-8's...... Still and all, wouldn't hurt to take a peek.

 

I'm sure somebody sells that pcv valve even if not direct from Mopar. My money is on the plenum gasket. And do yourself a favor. DON'T buy fel pro. Use a mahle or Victor reinz. The fel pro is a hard material that has no "give" and is very thin. It's also sharp on the edges, because of the hardness
I've done several plenum gasket repairs with fel pro and over the last few years every time I've tried a fel pro I've had to do the job twice.

 

Well I pulled the PCV hose off again and it does look like theres a trace of oil in it and right now I have a Duralast PCV valve in it i put in 3 weeks ago just to try and pinpoint the problem and the new valve is slightly dirty but still rattles. Mine has a small crack in the hose but it looks like they are about $60 online for a 4-5" hose...lol. I cant use a regular fuel line cause the stock hose is bent to go over the rocker arm cover and if I put a regular hose on it..itll rest on the cover which I assume will just melt the hose. Im guessing you mean for me to take the breather cover off and take a flashlight and look down into the plenum and check for oil?? As much vacuum thats getting pulled through the PCV, I cant see how it wouldnt pull oil thru it...lol

 

Is there a decent video on how to do this? Ive never done one before. I have the haynes manual here and Ill look to see if theres instructions in there also in a while...Im guessing its called the intake gasket?

 

I had a whole bunch of cracks in my emissions hoses. I either cut off the ends and reattached or wiped off the end with brake clean and coated the cracks with permatex black. U should post vehicle year and engine. I can help look for the valve. Also, worn valve stem seals will cause oil burning, but u would also get some smoke along with. Losing that much oil, you have to see something somewhere.

 

My 96 would burn thru a quart of oil in under 1000 miles.... yet I never saw any blue smoke, unless I was getting hard on the go-pedal.

 

2003 Dakota 3.9L part number 53031134