My first PCV replacement was at 233,525 miles so I would say Not Normal.
Just curious- was it oem and where did you purchase it?

 

Bought from rock auto, standard motor

 

Oil on the pcv valve is normal. Having the valve in there not rattling, or sticking is not normal.

 

I find its condition alerting.
Are the spark plugs clean?

 

I find its condition alerting.
Are the spark plugs clean?

I started to look into various things after seeing an intermittent P0420 and CEL. I haven't pulled out plugs yet and will get to it soon (and report back).

 

I pulled the PCV valve from the '07 Pilot and the left is the old one and right side is the new one (see the attached pic).

The old one is oily and the ring gasket close to the tip was hardened and broken. This is after 24K miles of usage since last change.

Is this something expected after 24K miles(or about 2 years) of use? Does the oil on PCV indicate something not working?

It’s a bit odd that the o-ring already failed. Perhaps the part had been sitting on the shelf at Rock Auto for years and the o-ring dried out. I replaced that valve at 60k mile intervals and the o-rings were still intact.

 

Bought from rock auto, standard motor

It’s a bit odd that the o-ring already failed. Perhaps the part had been sitting on the shelf at Rock Auto for years and the o-ring dried out. I replaced that valve at 60k mile intervals and the o-rings were still intact.

I currently have an SMP PVC valve in one of my vehicles. It was purchased from RA several years ago. Comparing it to OEM, it was made well. SMP recently came out with T series. These appear to be lesser quality. Like many items automotive, there seems to be a flood of knockoffs available for profiteering. I’d probably stick to OEM for this item in the future.

Not saying this is why your PCV valve is gunked up in such a short period of time, but possibly if not working.

 

I pulled the PCV valve from the '07 Pilot and the left is the old one and right side is the new one (see the attached pic).

The old one is oily and the ring gasket close to the tip was hardened and broken. This is after 24K miles of usage since last change.

Is this something expected after 24K miles(or about 2 years) of use? Does the oil on PCV indicate something not working?

Seems excessive to me. Are you using synthetic oil? Also like NG I might stick with OEM after that. I used OEM on ours when it was replaced last year though I let the dealer do it since it was already in for an alignment and I was feeling lazy so not sure how my original looked after 80k miLes and 10 years.

 

Op stated a harden rubber, and broken o ring near the tip. And seems like the o ring was leaking many miles ago.
Perhaps that's why the lower part of the valve is looking more on the wet side?

 

That's what I figured.
As many suggested, I will get an OEM one this time around.

 

this pcv sits up inside the valve cover and is therefore exposed to engine oil.
people seem to forget the PCV's job is to regulate crankcase vapors back into the intake manifold. a good quality synthetic oil changed in a timely manner would limit the gunk buildup to some extent but that all depends on how the vehicle is driven. a worn out high mileage engine will most likely produce a lot more blow-by gasses causing things to get "dirty" more quickly.

 

I pulled out all 6 plugs and they all look very good -- no oil, no sign of burn/overheating etc.

That’s good news!
Then most likely a fuel/air mixture issue.

Would an old upstream AF sensor and a new downstreamO2 sensor not work well with each other?

Not necessarily an issue, but with that mileage, I’d replace all of them.
I’d make sure the throttle body is clean. If grime buildup, unbolt, remove, clean both sides of throttle plate with idle relearn procedure (new gasket needed, be careful not to get cleaning solution up in the electronic control valve). I’d replace the EGR valve if original, especially if there is an unexplainable rough idle when fuel trims are in an acceptable range.

 

here's the kicker. faulty o2 sensors and A/F ratio sensors can make the computer think the cat is bad. also a bad cat can make the readings come out funky from the sensors. generally speaking once the 420 or 430 codes appear, it's time to start saving for a cat. personally I always replace upstream & downstream sensors together, that way there's no second guessing the readings. been through this a lot with my 2007 over the past several years. currently has 4 new sensors and 2 new cats. running great with normal readings all around and NO CEL which is great

 

almost forgot to mention... after replacing items that directly contribute to the air/fuel mixture and especially monitoring the emissions system, I like to do an ECU reset with a scan tool to force the vehicle to relearn everything and start collecting new fresh data for the readiness monitors. definitely not surprised at all that a new sensor triggered a code. the problem was probably there all along just the old sensor didn't have the ability to correctly read the o2 anymore. cats job is to burn leftover fuel vapor before it exits the tailpipe. they should heat up a good amount because of this burning and you should be able to detect this temp increase with a simple IR temp gun. picked one up at harbor freight specifically for this purpose. serves many other useful purposes too!
cats will take longer to heat up during the colder winter months thus will be the time of year many people will start noticing these cat efficiency codes appear. once the hot summer weather returns you may notice these codes go away entirely.

 

An update:
Swapping plugs and boots did not stop P0420 which came back after driving for 100 miles or so from a dtc reset.

Today I replaced PCV, EGR valve, new engine air filter and B1S1 AF sensor.
-----
I ordered a new PCV from rockauto and the new one does not have that click sound when shaking it. What gives?

The B1S1 AFR sensor is a new NTK (OEM). We will see if it does anything to P0420.

The old air filter is still very clean after 10k miles / 1 yr.

Whoever did the EGR last time forgot /did not use a gasket. No information how long it was. I acquired the pilot as a used car 2 years ago. Would EGR be affected negatively and materially without a gasket?

 

An update:
Swapping plugs and boots did not stop P0420 which cam back after driving for 100 miles or so from a dtc reset.

Today I replaced PCV, EGR valve, new engine air filter and B1S1 AF sensor.
-----
I ordered a new PCV from rockauto and the new one does not have that clock sound when shaking it. What gives?

The B1S1 AFR sensor is a new NTK (OEM). We will see if it does anything to P0420.

The old air filter is still very clean after 10k miles / 1 yr.

Whoever did the EGR last time forgot /did not use a gasket. No information how long it was. I acquired the pilot as a used car 2 years ago. Would EGR be affected negatively and materially without a gasket?

The PCV valve should have a rattle sound when shaken.
No gasket on the EGR valve would cause a vacuum leak, so yes, this can cause air fuel mixture issue.

 

think I read somewhere that some Pilot pcv have a small spring inside that would prevent the normal rattle sound when shaking. everything needs a gasket or a seal and the EGR system is linked directly to intake manifold which is under vacuum. the computer is throwing you the 420 code not just because it thinks the cat is bad based on readings comparing s1 to s2 but it's also comparing these readings to your other cats sensors which may or may not be giving accurate readings. everything in Honda land must be very accurate and precise for these engines to run smoothly. I had a crank sensor that was causing the engine to run like crap at a cold idle throwing misfire codes. everything else was fine except that crk sensor. if you have any issues other than 420 fix those first then save up to replace that cat. must use OEM.

 

think I read somewhere that some Pilot pcv have a small spring inside that would prevent the normal rattle sound when shaking.

17130-RCA-A02 part is used in all these Honda models and it’s always had a little rattle to it.

• 2014-2017 Accord 2.0L
• 2003-2017 Accord 2.4L
• 2003-2007 Accord 3.0L
• 2008-2017 Accord 3.5L
• 2012-2015 Crosstour 2.4L
• 2012-2015 Crosstour 3.5L
• 2005-2022 Odyssey 3.5L
• 2019-2021 Passport 3.5L
• 2005-2021 Pilot 3.5L
• 2006-2021 Ridgeline 3.5L
• 2017-2022 Ac-u-ra MDX 3.0L
• 2003-2022 Ac-u-ra MDX 3.5L
• 2013-2018 Ac-u-ra RDX 3.5L
• 2005-2008 Ac-u-ra RL 3.5L
• 2004-2008 Ac-u-ra TL 3.2L
• 2007-2014 Ac-u-ra TL 3.5L
• 2009-2014 Ac-u-ra TL 3.7L
• 2015-2020 Ac-u-ra TLX 2.4L
• 2015-2020 Ac-u-ra TLX 3.5L
• 2010-2014 Ac-u-ra TSX 2.4L
• 2010-2014 Ac-u-ra TSX 3.5L

I am back to purchasing OEM on this item because of quality concerns and the uncertainty that it’s working properly.

 

An update so we have a closure:

After replacing the bank1 sensor1 AF (firewall side) , PCV, EGR valve, P0420 hasn't come back after 350 miles since the replacements. I hope that the new parts cured the problem.