Reasons Behind Crankcase Ventilation Valve Malfunction in Your BMW
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Reasons Behind Crankcase Ventilation Valve Malfunction in Your BMW

BMW’s are a quality vehicle that provides modern and dynamic flair. You take pride in keeping your high performance German vehicle running as smoothly as when you bought it. Unfortunately, your car is not immune to malfunctions. If your performance is beginning to lag or you are noticing issues with oil contamination, you might have signs of a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve malfunction. This is a problem that can lead to sluggish performance and eventually start to wear on and break down other parts of your vehicle.

Common Signs of Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) Valve Malfunction

A common thing that you’ll notice is your check engine light will illuminate. Your check engine light is essentially a message from your car to you that something is malfunctioning. Sometimes you won’t be able to see any of the internal issues manifesting, so the warning indicator helps you become aware that diagnostic testing may be necessary. If you do begin to notice signs of PCV valve malfunction, they’ll likely look something like this:

Poor Performance

German vehicles are known for their endurance and high performance. If your BMW is lagging behind, there is likely something wrong. The engine could stall due to an imbalance of pressure or an issue with combustion due to your PCV valve not closing properly.

Idling or Stalling

Rough idling or poor idling is also a possibility, as an issue with the PCV valve can cause the fuel mixture in your engine to run lean. This can cause a multitude of issues including stalling, sluggish acceleration, or backfires.

Abnormal Oil Consumption and Leaking

If your PCV valve is stuck or clogged, there will be an increase in pressure and oil will push out to try and release the build up. This will seep through gaskets and seals and cause a leak. This will register as a drain in your oil.

Build Up in the Engine

A clog in the PCV valve can lead to a build up of sludge in the engine because it will allow engine oil to mix with combustion gases. This can wear on your engine very quickly and eventually cause a break down.

Black Smoke

Black smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe as engine pressure increases and begins to overheat.

The Importance of the PCV Valve

Your BMW is a well-oiled machine, but if the PCV valve is malfunctioning, your car will begin to depreciate quickly. Every part of your car is connected and provides an explicit function to ensure your vehicle runs to the best of its ability or runs at all for that matter. If your positive crankcase ventilation valve stays stuck or clogged, it will cause pressure build up, oil leakage, and eventually break down your engine from sludge production and overheating.

Your engine cannot function properly unless all of the parts around it are doing their job. This is why routine checks and maintenance is important. Routine service keeps you aware of how your car is doing, like a physical at the doctor’s office, but for your car instead. Just like your body, your car is prone to wear and tear, so you have to try and combat malfunction by taking good care of all of its parts.

BMW Engine Sludge Check

Dell’s Service Center Will Help

Dell’s Service Center is Green Bay’s trusted auto facility for European auto repair and service. We are your dealership alternative for maintenance and repair for BMW, Audi, VW, Volvo, and more. We have served the people of Green Bay, WI and the surrounding communities of Manitowoc and Sturgeon Bay for 46 years with no plan on stopping.

We take your car’s performance seriously, which means all of our technicians are ASE certified and backed by BOSCH Service as our standard. We want you to trust that your car will run better than when it came in, and we will back that up with a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty on most parts and services.

Customer satisfaction is the most important thing to us. So if you are noticing your BMW is acting sluggish, make an appointment today, and one of our qualified technicians will get it running good as new.

* BMW F26 X4 image credit goes to: DarthArt.

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