Ouch, that sucks!

Happens a lot more often than you think - as you have to try and remove the OCV almost prefectly square to their original orientation. But as most found, can be pretty tough (imo, damn near impossible) with all that other stuff in the way. Initially, it can act like it is stuck trying to go in-out, but turns readily inside the hole pretty readily, which people to try and pull on it with a little more force, usually snapping the lower section off in the head.

Possible fix: Some people in that situation were successful with threading in a machine or wood screw that just fits in the center hold of the OCV portion stuck in the head. Once threaded in, it will jam up against the body enough to allow you to yank it out with some pliers. If the screw doesn't want to bite into the broken portion - some have been able to use some dental picks or small screwdrivers to slowly wiggle/rotate enough of the OCV body out to be grabbed with some channel locks or similar. If all that fails - I've seen some people use MIG to tack a piece of rod to the broken end, then yank on that rod in attempt to pull out the broken bits. Trying to drill it out can be really tough - need a good vacuum or slather enough grease on it to keep the shavings from getting into those oil holes. I'd save that as a last resort before pulling the head to be brought to a machine shop (assuming by this point, that part is really jammed solid in there).

 

Thanks for the info. I tried to tap it but more of it just broke off. Do you know if what i can see inside the valve cover is really the ocv or just housing that is part of the cylinder head?

 

So I managed to get the rest of the OCV out today. ? Tried tapping and using a bolt to no avail. Bought a #5 extractor, heated the block up with a torch and shot some penetrating oil on it, got the extractor in all the way to the end of the threads and noticed that the OCV was going further into the block. At that point we knew the OCV would come out so we grabbed the end of the extractor with some pliers and pulled back while we spun the extractor and out came the broken end of the OCV. Happy days. Now it's time to clean up the metal shavings..... ?

 

Great to hear! Sounds like that was a tough one to get out - screw extractor saves the day again.

 

Yep! $7 extractor from Orielly's Auto. Got the replacement OCV from amazon for $50. $90 to $100 everywhere else locally....

 

You need to replace the oil control valve when it is not working. It is one of the most common car issues that car owners face. The OCV valve is part of your engine's piston chamber, and it opens to release excess oil back into the lower oil pan when you're driving around corners. If this happens too often, then you need to replace the OCV valve.

Oil control valve replacement labor is about 1.5 hours. Your dealer will charge anywhere from $150-$300 for this service, depending on your make and model, which isn't cheap. You can save some money by buying it yourself online at various parts supplier websites. However, if you don't have an owner's manual or repair manual for your specific vehicle make and model, I wouldn't recommend going down this route.