Warning Signs That Your
Oil Vapor Separator
Is Failing

And what to do about it

By Rick Lesniewicz

Sponsored by the AONE Shameless Commerce Division

The Oil Vapor Separator — you know, that little black "thingy" in your engine bay that has no moving parts? All Spica and Bosch cars have them, and they are all on their last legs of functionality after 30-40 years because they CORRODE internally. They are designed to remove engine blow-by oil from returning to your intake system and to return it to your oil sump where it belongs. A failed one, simply put, is the equivalent of having the old "road draft tube" or crankcase vent piped directly into your fuel mixture.

The warning signs that they are failed or losing efficiency are:

1. Attempts to clean them draw rust and sludge from them — the tip of the iceberg
2. Oily film and residue in your engine bay and on the unit caused by external rust (pinholes on the OVS body and lid)
3. Excessive oily residue in your air filter and cannister
4. Poor starting and running characteristics because the spark plugs are oiled and have built up carbon
5. Compression and power is down from carboned valves
6. Excessive smoke from the tail pipe
7. Prematurely blackened oil when you pull the dipstick after a recent oil change
8. Sludge on the oil cap
9. Oil return line to the sump is blocked with debris from the OVS corrosion
10. Oil pooling in your intake runners where it condenses from the intake filter cannister
11. False diagnosis that your piston rings are worn

Any ONE of these warning signs will be confirmed and supported by a handful of the other ten. But wait — there's a solution!

Shameless Commerce Division content: I am having kits produced that let you assemble your own high-quality replacement OVS. They're available now, right here as an AONE Classified Ad. Click here to view the ad and photos.

Read an interview with Rick about the OVS