Crankcase Breather

Tips on Buying a Replacement Crankcase Breather

The components that make up your automobile are made from some tough stuff, but over time, they will have to be replaced. The crankcase breather in your car's engine is one of them. Typically, a crankcase breather should be replaced once every 12,000 miles along with the PCV valve, but if it becomes extremely clogged with oil and dirt, it should be replaced immediately. Luckily, crankcase breathers are not that hard to install in the engine and are easy to find in the market. In this guide, we are going to show you some pointers on buying a replacement crankcase breather for your vehicle.

Types of breather

There are different types of crankcase breather on the market. Some of these include:

• Alloy base to atmosphere breather: This crankcase breather is fitted with a 13mm diameter neck leading to a crushed aluminum filtration medium that's resistant to most chemicals and one that absorbs moisture. Some models also come with either polished silver or anodized filter caps.
• Rubber base to atmosphere breather: This is similar to the alloy base to atmosphere breather except that, as its name implies, it has a rubber base. It also comes in more varied neck diameters, ranging from 13mm to 19mm.
• Alloy base sealed inline breather: This breather comes with a reticulated foam filter, which provides good filtration capabilities and high air intake. The filter can also be reusable and washed regularly. In addition, the breather also comes with a 13mm inlet and outlet neck for the air to come through.

Make sure that you get the right crankcase breather for your car. Installing the wrong kind of breather in your car may lead to oil dripping out of the valve cover gaskets.

Aftermarket breathers

In addition to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) replacement breathers, there are also aftermarket crankcase breathers that you can purchase. This type of breather is not made to follow the exact same specifications set by the manufacturer (as with OEM crankcase breather) but instead has its own unique features that may increase the efficiency of the engine or make it last longer than a factory breather. Some aftermarket breathers, for example, are made from lighter but more durable spun aluminum alloy, while some are fitted with special media traps that collect more contaminants. However, these aftermarket components are not guaranteed to perform or last in a similar fashion as OEM breathers.

How to Change Your Car's Crankcase Breather

The crankcase breather is designed to vent oil-contaminated air out of the engine block. And when the breather in your car breaks down, the mixture will flow back into the engine directly or through the air filter. This, in turn, will spoil the optimum air-fuel ratio in the engine and lead to significant power loss. Typically, both the crankcase breather and the breather filter should be replaced every engine tune-up, but if these components already show signs of wear or they are extremely soiled, they must be replaced immediately. In this guide, we are going to teach you how to replace the crankcase breather components in your car.

Difficulty level: Moderate

Tools needed

• Flat-head and Philips screwdrivers
• Pliers
• Damp cloth
• Can of compressed air

Step 1: Pop open the hood and look for the crankcase breather. The breather's location is dependent on the car make and model, so the car's user manual is a good reference.

Step 2: Once you've found the crankcase breather in your vehicle, loosen the fasteners of the filter housing cover and lift out the cover and the air filter itself. Check the condition of the filter; it it's completely dirty, replace it with a new one. If it's fairly in good condition, clean it using a can of compressed air.

Step 3: Remove the crankcase breather element. If it is too oily and dirty, it will have to be replaced as well.

Step 4: Remove the fasteners or retaining clips that hold the crankcase breather housing in place and lift the housing out. Once the housing is free, detach the breather itself.

Step 5: Clean any accumulated debris on the crankcase breather housing and install the new breather.

Step 6: Clean the filter housing cover with a damp cloth. Replace the filter housing cover and the air filter.

Step 7: With all the components back in their places, close the hood and test drive your car.

Additional notes:

• Be sure that the engine is turned off and cooled down before you start working on the crankcase breather.
• Be careful not to get any dirt or debris in the air duct when replacing or cleaning the crankcase breather components.
• Keep all the screws and fasteners in one place to prevent them from getting misplaced