Valve cover breather / PCV?

Hey everyone, brand new to the forum and to the jeep world. Im having trouble finding info on this valve cover. The motor is a AMC 232. Obviously I have an oil leak, and I cant figure out what i actually need. Most other valve covers I have seen dont have all these holes. Any help is appreciated. [/URL][/IMG]

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Is it the original motor to the Jeep? You need to put the year, model and equipment into your posts, either explicitly in the text or include them in your sig (signature file) and personal info. These are set from the user control panel for your account.

The series of holes along the top of the cover are unlike any that I've seen. Clearly a PO (previous owner) "modification." The holes for the two original breather hoses are plugged with a bolt and fender washers. Look at figure 4A-19 here http://oljeep.com/edge_74_tsm.html Do you have the TSM for your Jeep? I heartily recommend getting that.

You need to sort out the crankcase breather and PCV, then clean it up and see where your oil is coming from. These valve covers are notorious for leaking, but you can seal it a lot better than how it is now. Lots of discussion about sealing the valve cover in old posts - search.

First post - welcome from Boston! Maybe you want to start an intro thread in that section?

 

Thanks timgr. It is a 1973 cj5. I was told that the motor was out of a 1969 ambassador. But im not to sure if that is true. maybe the easiest thing to do is get a new valve cover and start fresh? And i do not have the tsm for it but will definitely be getting one now. Thanks for the info!

 

The 232 from a '69 AMC car is different from a 232 from a '73 Jeep. Not swappable. Different bell pattern, and starter is on the driver's side.

The '74 TSM that I pointed to will be real close for '73. A '74 is very little different from a '73. Watch out for differences in the emissions section. Wiring diagram should be pretty much the same, but I'm sure there will be some minor differences.

Look in the '74 TSM about the 232/258 engine codes. They are stamped in a little platform near the middle of the block, below the 2 & 3 (?) spark plugs.

Not sure you can buy the steel valve covers new, and if you can, parts quality is often pretty poor. Nothing wrong with that valve cover once you seal up the holes, I expect. You'll almost certainly need to straighten the sealing edges to make it not leak - again, lots about this on older posts. Take off the cover, clean it up with some solvent, and take a good look at it.

Do you have a lot of blow-by? What's the compression like?

 

Not to sure on the compression but it runs great believe it or not with lots of torque. I believe a lot of the oil is coming from that cap and obviously those holes. Here's what is stamped on the motor "306E21" here's how i read it, 3= year 1961, 06= June, E= 232 1 bbl, 21'st day. Like you said, looking through old post, i havent seen any with those holes. Dont know if there is a special part that goes on it or how else to seal it up? I bought the jeep for 500$. To good to pass up. Thanks for all your advice and help!

 

Hey, your welcome. This is fun for us - we like these vehicles.

Ok, it's not a '61 engine, unless the starter is on the driver's side. And the first year for the early 232 was 1964. And a '61 engine will not bolt to a Jeep bellhousing.

"7" is 1974, so you need to add or subtract from that to get to "3". You can add 6 to get 13 and that would be a 1980. Or you can subtract 4 to get 3 and that's 1970. Unlikely it's a 1970 because the first full year for the unified 232 (this engine, unified because it has the same bolt pattern as the V8s) was 1971. Can't be a 1980, because the last year for the 232 was 1979 - even postal Jeeps got a different engine after 1979.

You sure it's a "3" and not a "5" or an "8"? Maybe go back with some brake cleaner and bright light and double-check?

 

Hers a picture of the jeep and the stamped code.

 

Huh. It's a mystery. No doubt it's a 232 though.

Is it a 3-speed or a 4-speed? The shifter stalk looks like a 4-speed (reverse right and up).

Not bad for $500. You want comments?

 

It is a 4 speed. Il take any comments as well.

 

Friend has a 232 (mid 70's) that has a bracket bolted in those holes in the middle that stabilizes the breather.

 

Ok, mystery solved. It goes 74=7, 75=8, 76=9, 77=1, 78=2, 79=3, 80=0 according to the Jeep factory parts book. So it was produced in 1979, last year for the 232. Could have come from a CJ or a postal, but not a car, since both the Hornet and Gremlin were gone by 1979.

The 4-speed is pretty desirable. In 1973, it was a close-ratio T-18, which means it did not have the "granny" 1st gear like the truck T-18s. IME a Jeep with a 4-speed almost always got the 258, not the 232. The 258 was a cheap option upgrade ($30? $50? something like that), and if the buyer was willing to pay for the 4-speed, they'd spring for the larger engine. The 232 was the base engine, and it got great mileage in the little AMC cars, but few buyers were so cheap that they picked the 232 over the 258. There was a noticeable "peppiness" difference between the two engines - I expect that's mostly due to the 258's long stroke, which gives you a lot more torque at low speed. What does your VIN say about engine type? Both transmission type and engine are coded into the VIN.

Looks a little sway-back over the rear wheel wells. The front fenders have been cut out, so I'd speculate that a PO had much larger tires on this Jeep at one time. The fuel filler has been moved to the side of the Jeep for some reason - normally you fill from the rear. No tailgate? '73 was the first year for the solid back panel option. Tiny steering wheel could be an issue without power steering - I'd put the bus wheel back (but I like the bus wheel). Looks like the southern Califonia desert in the background ... Imperial county?

 

Here's a search about your valve cover https://www.google.com/search?q=site:earlyCJ5.net+258+valve+cover+leaks - lots of tips in these old posts.

As mentioned by Walt, the factory air cleaner has a bracket on top of the valve cover that supports it via the snorkel aka snout IIRC. The bracket is roughly in the loction of series of holes you have. You can kinda see it here on the top of my '77 258



The big tie-wraps holding the hoses go through it. (The shoestring has since been replaced with a bracket for the spring, and fuel filter reversed). On my engine, the PCV valve is at the front of the valve cover, and the air intake is at the back.


It should be easy to find a factory air cleaner, if you want to go back to that. The molded hose from the air cleaner to the valve cover is NLA, so far as I know. You can put an aftermarket vent in that hole if you want to. You need a supply of filtered air for the crankcase, and then this air and crankcase vapors are purged by the PCV valve and hose.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. The jeep is from Cibola, AZ. Close enough to Imperial County. It does not have a tailgate. The filler neck was moved to that side because a new tank was installed by the previous owner. I will check the vin out to see the tranny type. Ya you are right about the steering wheel. Definitely need a larger wheel. I would like to put electric power steering on it some day. I let ya know what i find out from the vin. Thanks again guys!

 

here is a pic of my 74. That front molded hose is still available, believe it or not.

 

What about the filter that goes inside it just before it connects to the snorkel? I haven't been able to find one.

Btw, great looking engine compartment. Makes me want to clean mine up a little. Is that a stock master cylinder for the brakes? Mine is a little different (it looks like this - http://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-1971-J...INDER-ASSEMBLY-WITH-BOLT-ON-CAP-/111276205694). And it looks like you replaced the wiper fluid reservoir with one for coolant?

 

I found a metal filter that shoved into the hose at autozone. It was about an inch in diameter and length and was in the crankcase filter area. Don't remember the part #.
The master cylinder is a stock napa replacement for the 11" drums. I wanted the coolant overflow protection more than the piddly washer fluid reservoir that is more expensive than its worth.

this might be the filter...it looks like this at least
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com...v2&year=1992&gclid=CO3TlIzxw7wCFUqSfgodRy0AUg

 

Just a comment - the windshield washers are a safety item, and required for inspection in Massachusetts. You can have the washer reservoir and add a generic coolant tank if you want that.

 

Thanks. I'll check my FLAPS for one.

Thanks. Looks like mine is stock for the earlier 67-71 CJ with 10" drums. The PO installed it and I have no idea why (didn't know enough about CJs to ask when I bought it). I've got 11" drums. Should I swap it out or will I be OK with this MC? The brakes seem to work just fine, but I have nothing to compare them to.

 

So i got my motor cleaned up and the oil is coming from the valve cover gasket. Got a new one on the way. I have a question for you guys. Since i do not have the stock air box on mine, can i get away with a simple oil breather filter in place of the pcv valve? Put one breather up front and one in the rear? Or do i have to track one down and hook up all the vaccum lines. Thanks guys. i figure there is a way around this for guys that are running aftermarket air cleaners.

 

The valve cover breathers are intended as an inlet for fresh air. I think they will not perform well as a vent.

Back in the days before the PCV, engines had a "road draft tube" pointing from the crankcase down at the street below. The passing wind as the car was driving made a slight "draft" in the tube, drawing the crankcase vapors out. Its only purpose was to vent the pressure build up in the crankcase due to normal operation.

Why don't you want to connect the PCV? Get a grommet, lever it in to the hole in the valve cover, and connect the hose to the intake manifold. Easy. Then your crankcase vent will admit filtered air, like it should.

The aftermarket air cleaner only affects the air intake aspect of the PCV system. Mostly-clean air comes in the air cleaner, goes through the filter in the molded hose, into the crankcase, and exits through the PCV valve under engine vacuum. There's no point to having a second vent if you aren't purging the crankcase vapors with the engine vacuum.