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First, is this a PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve tube on the 2002 Chevrolet Impala?

It is hard, non-flexible plastic with hard rubbery grommet-like inserts on the ends, with one side going into the air intake just before the throttle body, and the other inserting into a metal casing on the back of the engine.

Ours broke in the middle while removing to change the coolant thermostat, which is below the throttle body.

Below are some pictures found on the internet, in which I indicate the relevant tube in red:

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It appears similar to GM part #24508188 :

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For now the car has been running without the tube, but I imagine that isn't great for fuel economy, emissions, etc.

How could this be repaired cheaply?

Would duct tape be ok? I'm not sure what temperatures and pressures this part has to endure, but given that it's plastic, and the ends are just pressure-fitted with no securing mechanism, I'm guessing neither gets very high.

Or what about squeezing a piece of fuel line hose over both broken ends of the tube and possibly securing with clamps if necessary?

Or other ideas?

Short of searching for a replacement in a junk yard, I'm not sure it's worth buying another one. The shipping on a replacement ends up being (far) more expensive than the part itself.

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    Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 0:50

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If you are in dire need for a replacement on the cheap, either way you suggested would work just fine. In fact, if you used fuel line (or any other rubber based line which fits over the hard plastic), you probably wouldn't even need to secure it. The right sized hose would secure it self. The hard line just has to slide into the hose, so the same inside diameter of the rubber hose to the outside diameter of the hard line would work just fine. To allow it to work, it just needs to have an air passage in between. This area gets no hotter than the underside of the hood during operation, which is warm, but not excessively so. The part doesn't (or shouldn't) run against anything which is extremely hot, so should be good to go. Tape would be just fine as well, but would most likely deteriorate faster. Good duct tape would do the job, though.

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  • Thanks for the welcome and confirmation that the repair ideas are on the right track. One detail I forgot to mention is that the tube did not break cleanly, meaning the remaining pieces don't fit together anymore, thus leaving larger gaps than a simple crack. Also, the fuel line hose is 3/8" and I don't know the tube's diameter, but it seems a touch larger and it's going to be tight, hopefully not crushing the tube. Or I could try fitting a hose directly onto the grommet/fittings if I can remove them from the broken tube. I suppose I'll have to try one or more approaches and see what works.
    – adatum
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 1:20
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    @adatum - You are definitely tracking here. I think you've got it. All you're trying to do is reconnect the two ends together. It doesn't matter what they look like in the end if you're just looking for functionality. Just get the two ends hooked together and make sure air can pass freely between them, hopefully eliminating any leaks in the process. You could always use duct tape to ensure there's no leaks on the ends of where the fuel line goes over the PCV line ... Duct Tape ... there is no substitute! :o)
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 2:15
  • Looks like a 4" section of fuel line hose did the trick. It was a tight fit, stretching the hose and taking a bit of lube, but at least clamps don't seem necessary. The break was right where the tube passes between the intake manifold and that cylindrical canister, so the flexibility of the fuel line helped. All that remains is driving and seeing how the car behaves. Interesting side note: two different ODB2 scanners did not report any error codes with the tube not attached.
    – adatum
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 4:00
  • I would use tie strips to make a good lasting seal between the rubber and plastic.
    – Moab
    Commented Feb 2, 2020 at 1:51

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