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[Steve B]

I understand exactly where you are coming from.  But what others are saying is if we do the cleaning of the breathers and reg maintanace, there is no need for a safety valve to save us giving the main dealer around £30 for gaskets that have blown cos we never bothered to maintain our car.

But yes i see what you are saying 

[chrisgixer]

We all see what your saying, but do you see what people here are saying?

[Steve B]

Imagine this....All cam covers are locked down,So they cannot blow under(higher than normal) crankcase pressure.

On the cam cover (or both) if its a V thing is a valve(s) that senses the pressure.

When there is higher than normal pressure the valve trips and opens up.. it also gives us the warning light on the dash,And it also puts us in limp mode,And limits the rpm,It gives us a code...IE ( high crankcase pressure) Get off your ass and clean your breathers

[Entwood]

Lets simplify things a wee tad ... 

I totally DISAGREE with those who say drilling holes etc will give an unmetered air supply etc etc ... the amount of air removed from the crankcase and injected into the plenum is controlled by the size of the airways in the breather bridge, and the top hat seal (look how small the damned holes are when you try to clean them). Also .. just remove the oil filler cap .. does the engine sudenly misfire /lose power .. yet you have a dirty great hole into the crank case, that COULD cause a huge air leak if it wanted .. what actually happens is the excess pressure takes the easy route and leaves via the oil filler, the breathers now virtually stop working.

As the crank case, both cam covers, and the oil filler are all part of the same "void" .... if you are really serious about this extra hole / relief valve idea - which again I say is not needed, however  your engine and time   - why not drill the hole / fit the valve in the oil filler cap ?? It will achieve the same result .. but when you realise it doesn't work/isn't needed .. all you have to replace is the oil filler cap .. not the cam covers !  Be a damn sight cheaper and easier !!!!!!!!

[dublin.jd]

Another well explained good idea from Entwood  instead of answering questions that weren't asked or being cynical.
Anyway I haven't decided what I'll do yet. Apart from changing gaskets and cleaning breathers.
Maybe this topic has ran its course? Someone please bury it
Thanks again for all the comments.

[chrisgixer]

[Sir Tigger KC]

I understand exactly where you are coming from.  But what others are saying is if we do the cleaning of the breathers and reg maintanace, there is no need for a safety valve to save us giving the main dealer around £30 for gaskets that have blown cos we never bothered to maintain our car.

But yes i see what you are saying 

Last time I bought a gasket set it was about £85 and I think someone recently said they were quoted £100 odd from their local dealer!!    These prices are for V6 though, but that's why I think it's not a bad idea to introduce a simple system to save the gaskets should the breather system get clogged and of course save the hassle of changing them which compared to other cars is a PITA!!! 

I agree with Entwood ( ) in that it's not a sensible idea to introduce an extra vent into the system, but I can't see the harm in creating a weak spot that would blow before the gaskets. 

[omega3000]

Lets simplify things a wee tad ... 

I totally DISAGREE with those who say drilling holes etc will give an unmetered air supply etc etc ... the amount of air removed from the crankcase and injected into the plenum is controlled by the size of the airways in the breather bridge, and the top hat seal (look how small the damned holes are when you try to clean them). Also .. just remove the oil filler cap .. does the engine sudenly misfire /lose power .. yet you have a dirty great hole into the crank case, that COULD cause a huge air leak if it wanted .. what actually happens is the excess pressure takes the easy route and leaves via the oil filler, the breathers now virtually stop working.

As the crank case, both cam covers, and the oil filler are all part of the same "void" .... if you are really serious about this extra hole / relief valve idea - which again I say is not needed, however  your engine and time   - why not drill the hole / fit the valve in the oil filler cap ?? It will achieve the same result .. but when you realise it doesn't work/isn't needed .. all you have to replace is the oil filler cap .. not the cam covers !  Be a damn sight cheaper and easier !!!!!!!!

 

[dublin.jd]

We all see what your saying, but do you see what people here are saying?

I totally see what others are saying.
Not everyone gets what I'm saying.
For the last time, I'm not looking for a a way to avoid regular maintenance.
I was just trying to see if anyone had any ideas on adding a fail safe.
I thought I made that clear??? Yet some people are still telling me to clean my breathers!!!!! I understand that regular maintenance should prevent problems in the first place, but that's not what I asked.
Try thinking outside the box.

[05omegav6]

Ok, try this for out of the box thinking...

Perhaps you've replaced the gaskets with genuine GM and used the sealant where you're supposed to, and cleaned the entire breather system, yet it still leaks

Maybe the covers themselves are warped...  No amount if venting will sort that 

[Sir Tigger KC]

Ok, try this for out of the box thinking...

Perhaps you've replaced the gaskets with genuine GM and used the sealant where you're supposed to, and cleaned the entire breather system, yet it still leaks

Maybe the covers themselves are warped...  No amount if venting will sort that 

I think it must be me, because hardly anyone else seems to understand what Dublins idea is all about.......     

[omega3000]

What about vectra metal rocker cover replacements  Thats a hornets nest 

[05omegav6]

What about vectra metal rocker cover replacements  Thats a hornets nest 

There's always one

[dublin.jd]

I must be typing in tounges! As so far only a minority of people understand what it's all about!
Forget I have a car and try to think hypothetically. That's obviously easier said than done, going by some of the comments.
It's getting old now!
 

[05omegav6]

You seem to be looking for a problem that doesn't exist...

You say the car is dumping half a litre of oil on your drive every week, and that it's coming from the cam covers. Yet the plug wells are dry, the vee is dry and it's not burning off the exhaust on the way to the drive...

Call me what you want, but your camcovers are the least of your leaks... Oil pressure switch, crank seal front/rear, both sump gaskets... All likely suspects based on what you have said/suggested