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The PCV Valve -V-The DynoValve (Part 1)
The PCV Valve is the grandfather and origin of all emissions control systems to date. In the early 1950's a GM Engineer was dispatched to California in the hopes of discovering why the Smog condition was so prevelant there versus the rest of the country. At the time NYC was running second but that was attributed too all the manufacturing which was taking place here during that time. Los Angeles and the surrounding counties did not have a large manufacturing infrastructure so clearly there was something else causing it.
It was found that it was Blow-By, in where the lost fuel and hydrocarbons were being vented to atmosphere. The accumulated crankcase gasses were far worse than what was coming from the tailpipe. The solution was to add the lowly PVC Valve to reroute the lost gasses back into the combustion stream.
Oddly enough the PCV Valves origin stemmed from WWII in where it was added to tanks so they could forge deep water.
In 1953 GM ordered that all production luxury cars be equipped with the PCV valve. (Buick, Olds, Caddy) In 1962 the Federal Govt' ordered the PCV Valve be equipped on every gasoline passenger vehicle produced or imported in the USA.
To Date, even with all the advancements is tailpipe emissions reductions the PCV Valve has remained virtually unchanged.
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