# Oil Separator removal & PCV valve replacement. 2000 Nissan Altima, L30



## Zurab (Feb 25, 2020)

Can anybody advise or share experience about removal / installation of the oil separator? [Nissan 2000, Altima, L30].
For PCV valve replacement, it seems better to remove the oil separator, in order to have easy access.
However, I am not sure if one needs a new gasket for the separator. Is there good diagram, instructions or video for this repair?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

If my memory is correct, it uses grey RTV silicone sealant instead of a gasket and it's held on with, I believe, three, 6Mx1.0 bolts with 10MM heads? Yes, it's a real pain to get to! Unless there is a problem with the PCV that is the reason for replacement, I would leave it alone. I've only seen two fail in my 30+ years working on Nissans and they were due to carbon build-up caused by lack of maintenance.


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## Zurab (Feb 25, 2020)

smj999smj said:


> If my memory is correct, it uses grey RTV silicone sealant instead of a gasket and it's held on with, I believe, three, 6Mx1.0 bolts with 10MM heads? Yes, it's a real pain to get to! Unless there is a problem with the PCV that is the reason for replacement, I would leave it alone. I've only seen two fail in my 30+ years working on Nissans and they were due to carbon build-up caused by lack of maintenance.


I find this part, where on diagram, part 11810G is indicated as a gasket.






11837-0Z000 - Nissan Parts Deal







www.nissanpartsdeal.com





I suspect PCV valve, because while idling, when car is wormed up, idling shown irregularities - rough idling and RPM going up and down.. Culprit for this can be also blown intake gaskets. But since PCV valve replacement looks much simpler/cheaper, I'd start from the PCV... Does it sounds reasonable?


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## Zurab (Feb 25, 2020)

Probably, for testing / diagnosing above issues (in my prev message), would be good to perform compression test and also pressure measurement from the vacuum source [to detect air leaks]. Any suggestion / advice about these?
Thanks


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Gasket was discontinued; you could get gasket paper and make one, but if it were me, I would just use RTV sealant. If you can get a long set of needle nose pliers in there to pinch off the hose to the PCV valve, you could see if the idle improves and to test if that is the problem. Blown intake gaskets were fairly common on the earlier KA24DE used in the U13 Altima and which had triangular shaped intake ports, but not as common as the L30 KA24DE with its oval-shaped intake ports...but they could still fail, none-the-less. Spray some carb cleaner in the area where the intake and cylinder head mate and see if the idle increases, which could be an indication of an intake gasket leak. Another place to check would be the EGR valve not seating; sometimes a piece of debris or rust scale would get stuck and keep it from sealing the port. If you do change the PCV valve, be ready to replace the hose as it is probably pretty stiff and brittle at this point.


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## Zurab (Feb 25, 2020)

Thanks smj999smj. These are very helpful advises. Will update how it will go..


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## Zurab (Feb 25, 2020)

Update:
I scanned the car by OBDII and the codes, P0325 and P1336 came out. The latter points to the Crankshaft Position Sensor (CKPS). Since I had the spare CKPS and it is not expensive, I just replaced it. First starts and idling have been rough. But after 3rd, 4th starts all smoothened. Since I was not sure that the problem was solved, I just gave time for observing. Did drive in neighbor areas, within couple of weeks. All looked fine…
Today took the car for tech-inspection and the car passed the test. Car drives fine, no rough idle.
The code P0325 is for Knock Sensor – I Erased it and going to see if it still come out…
For time being, I think that culprit was the old /bad Crankshaft Position Sensor..


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## Zurab (Feb 25, 2020)

I did replace the PCV valve (Nissan Altima 2000)
Recorded some steps. 
Thought it may be useful/helpful for DIY folks:


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

As bad as they were in the day, it's probably worse now because that rubber PCV hose is probably hard as a rock and near impossible to bend without breaking!


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