Thanks for the warning. I cleaned my pilot's ('05 with 106k mi) last weekend. I used brake cleaner. The rattle was still there but I still cleaned it anyway. Yes, it is somewhat tricky to remove the pcv valve (and to locate it, first. Lol). Heeding your advice, I carefully wiggeld it up and down with slight pressure as I pushed it out to create a small space so I can insert the flat head screw driver. Even then, I knew I had to be extra careful as I pryed it gently. Putting it back, I had to use the handle of the screw driver to tap (gently) it back in place.

 

I replaced mine with a new one, very inexpensive.:29:

 

You know what? You are right about this. Just called the Honda dealer nearby. It costs $20. I will stop by tomorrow and place the order (they don't stock this). Now that I know the location of the PCV valve and how easy to replace it. Initially, I was just curious if I can do it without much difficulty --so, I didn't have the new part handy. Thanks.

 

Same thing happened to me today. While getting other stuff done (15% oil life reminder came on, so this time I decided to switch over to Mobil 1 full synthetic oil from now on, etc.), I had the PCV valve I had just ordered from Rockauto, so I asked my mechanic to change it out at the same time. Well, he tried to pry it out and it snapped, leaving the broken half inside. After unsuccessfully trying pull it out with a small hook, he had to resort to removing the entire valve cover. Took the better part of the afternoon...:werd:

I guess it's better to try gently twisting it out first, before any prying, but also wish I had read about your 7/16-14 tap solution.

 

Another reason to replace it every once in a while, so it's not in there so long the plastic gets brittle.

 

Just a shout-out thank you to jrf313. I bought a used '09 Pilot and the same thing happened to me yesterday. Spent a couple of hours trying to get the brittle piece of crap out with nothing to really provide purchase. I found this answer via google search and a 7/16-14 tap was exactly the ticket!
Thanks!

 

You're welcome. Glad it worked for you. My 2005 EX-L has 220,000+ miles. Runs beautifully! Good luck. This forum has an unbelievable amount of information.

 

Wanted to also thank the original poster as although I found this post too late for my 2006 Accord which also broke I did find it before doing our 2007 Pilot. Sure enough it broke even after being extra careful trying to remove it. I was prepared though with a new tap/die set and sure enough with a little work I was able to get the 7/16-14 threaded and persuaded the old broken piece to pull right out. Thanks again saved several hours of work and a new set of gaskets.

Jeff

 

Me too?

 

Warning this is a cheap plastic part. Do not attempt to change it out yourself unless you are prepared to remove the valve cover. I attempted this as a maintenance precaution and I had no idea what I was getting into. It seems like a simple enough task. Half of the old PCV Valve came out quite easily. The other half is at the repair shop with the rest of my 2013 pilot!

 

I got the same problem.. Half came out and half still inside...

 

Within the last year or so, I changed the PCV on both my 2006 Pilot and 2008 Ridgeline and had no problems whatsoever. I'm curious why our experiences are so different.

 

I was unfortunate and had mine not come out in one whole piece then tried to pull out with pliers and it disintegrated falling back into the valves so had to completely remove valve cover to get the pieces out. Hadn't been replaced in a 2005 pilot so definitely replace them every few years. It will save you a ton and only takes 2 min. to do normally. Good luck and hope you learn from my mistake as they are cheap plastic!

 

PCV Valve broke off in my 2011 Pilot EX-L and it looks like I will have to remove the valve cover. Can anyone point me to a good video on removing the valve cover, I cannot seem to find one.

 

I hope you read my original post on this thread. Not sure about the location on a 2011 but for earlier models I found a solution using a tap. Good luck.

 

I didn't need to remove the valve covers on my 2006 Pilot and 2008 Ridgeline to replace the PCV valve. You sure you need to do that? Maybe they changed the location/design.

 

^^ You need to remove the valve cover when you’re unlucky and the valve breaks off inside the block.

 

The first post in this thread indicates otherwise unless I mis-read it.

 

After trying everything to get the broken PCV valve out, thanks for all of the great ideas, but unfortunately I could not get it all out. I had to remove the valve cover to get all of the pieces out. After putting everything back together, I am now good to go. Big lesson here is be very careful when prying the valve out and don't wait to replace it at 200,000 miles! Thanks for all of the advice.

 

Glad to hear you were able to remove the broken pieces and got it put back together.

 

Decided to change the PCV valve on my '05 Pilot. Loosened the one bolt holding it in and it would not come out. I tried to wiggle it and turn to get it out with no luck. I slipped a small flat screwdriver blade behind the housing and the end cracked off leaving the rest inside the engine.

After some messing with it, I found that a 7/16-14 (not even sure why I had this size) tap fit perfectly into the exposed hole. I was able to thread the tap into the plastic housing and then use a pair of pliers to pry against the engine to pull it out. Crisis solved.

A 7/16 bolt would fit in there as well but wouldn't thread in as easy as a tap does.

I just wanted to post this in case this happens to anyone else.

Thanks for heads up!

 

It was very brittle.
The tap worked until it broke more.
Also a small bent nose priers.

 

Well.... dang!! I should have done it while adjusting valves- it’s the original one with 216k+/- miles

 

Well.... dang!! I should have done it while adjusting valves- it’s the original one either 216k+/- miles

It's easy to do. No engine disassembly required.

He's right. No need to tear things open like when doing a valve job. The only thing you have to remove is what Scotty Kilmer calls the plastic crap beauty cover. The PCV valve is one bolt on the outside of your engine, sort of below your oil dipstick, near the radiator. Just remember to be careful, as mentioned above.

 

It's easy to do. No engine disassembly required.

 

Thanks Guys!!👍👍

 

The videos were pretty helpful. Prying gently at the stem rather than the bolt flange is key for a better outcome.

 

I didn't even have to remove the plastic cover. I used a small flat head screwdriver and a hammer to "gently" beat it out, then I twisted it out.

 

Same story here, had to resort to the tap. On the second gen the PCV valve is located on the drivers side of the engine, but the PCV itself is identical
or similar enough for the 7/16 tap to work. The local ACE only had metric. Happy to report that a 12 mm tap also works (the 7/16 tap is 11.11 mm).
The 12 mm tap was biting at its very tip. In order to get more purchase I gently narrowed the tip (roughly the distal quarter of the tap) with a grinder.
A 10 mm tap will probably work too, since the valve cavity has a slightly conical shape. Excellent suggestion OP, thanks!

 

12 mm tap also works

A 10 mm tap will probably work too, since the valve cavity has a slightly conical shape.

Good of you to add to the knowledge base.

If you had known, would you have gone with a 10 mm, so as to avoid having to grind down the 12 mm?

Does an 11 mm even exist? Would you say that's the metric sweet spot?

 

I wound up using a 1/2" x 4" lag screw, and it took about 20 tries for it to finally catch. I held the lag screw with a pipe wrench and whacked the wrench with a rubber mallet and it finally came out. I have a tap & die set, I probably should have tried that first.

Did you guys with the broken PVC valves recover the piston and spring? I think I shot mine somewhere into the engine bay when I revved the engine to try and pop the broken PCV valve out.

 

You extracted all that with just bent-nose pliers? Did you have to use or do anything else?

 

Wondering if sticking a shopvac nozzle in would help get anything else out? If you aren’t pulling cover to make sure all is good I would at least try the vac

 

I use the thread tapper as suggested and it snapped. I tried the tapper again and the damage was in such a way that the tap wouldn't grab anything. I use a small mirror and a flashlight and a tiny piece of wire to move the broken piece around till I could move it so the needle nose can grab it.
I don't think a Shop-Vac would have helped because the pieces I removed were very gummy with oil.