Pulled the RH PCV tube to clean the separator. With hose removed at the inake (vented to atmosphere) the engine dies. Blew in the pipe still connected to RH valve cover and it is blocked. If engine dies when port is vented, how does the system function? What am I missing?

 

Removing hose from intake makes bigger vacuum leak, MAF complains to ECU that "I measured that air going into the the engine, what do you mean some snuck by me?" If you close off hose to intake should improve. But it also does not always stall. I can disconnect my hose, and attach a vac gauge to intake, engine does not stall. So you may have some more vac leak to deal with.

 

So the separator provides a calibrated vacuum leak, eh? I'll have to take a second look. Then nipple in the RH valve cover looked like a stub with a small hole through it. Didn't look like anything is removable.

 

The air flow is actually thru the air cleaner, out of throttle body into left side valve cover, through internal areas under valley pan, and out separator thru hose into intake, and burned to save fumes. If you can't get separator out (may have been broken off) you can squirt carb cleaner down it to clean out. In the pix, I removed and cleaned out the PCV line and the EVAP purge port, with a combination of carb cleaner and Qtips. A small caliber rifle or hand gun cleaning kit would be handy with the tiny brushes. I feel like my ports for evap and PCV were 100% constricted.

 

I capped off that port on the plenum that the rigid plastic tube from the purge valve in Savannah's pic and mine is running better than it ever did and so far my repetive P1316 code has not resurfaced.

Acceleration improved tremendously. It idles better as well.

Prior to capping the port I did a very thorough cleaning of all of the ports on the intake with CRC TB Cleaner Spray.

If your oil separator is stuck, spray and a good pair of needlenose pliers may work to extract it. I bought a new one from AB and replaced mine, but they can be cleaned and put back in if not broken.

Also when I first got mine, those hoses were in bad shape, I initially replaced them with some tubing I had on hand. Since those hoses are differnt ID on each end, the generic tubing did not work well, so I ordered correct ones again from AB.

I suggest a thorough cleaning and replace the two hoses if they are original.

 

With some carb cleaner, I was able to clear the separator enough to pass vacuum - don't know how clear, but better than no flow and not enough to change the character of the idle. I have seen the pics of the type that are essentially flatted disks on a common stalk (plastic) and reside inside the thin walled nipple protruding from the rocker cover to which the vacuum side attaches. Mine appears to be steel with approx 3/32 hole in center. Anyone know what this is, I don't want to damage anything.

 

Different integral with breather tube version with same function, carb cleaner is fine. But if that side is dirty, so is the other side of the engine. You'll want to clean out the driver side vent hose and port from throttle body. On driver side, it is bi-directional, most of the time filter air flows into engine and out the oil separator to plenum. In some throttle positions, air from engine flows into throttle body. See attached.

 

This is exactly like what I have, found it in another post regarding the separator that never ended with a solution. Is this removable from the outside? Is this meant to be cleaned in place with solvent & compressed air?

 

Just a few blasts of carb cleaner from the straw that comes with the spray can.

 

PCV Tune-Up Kit For GEMS Engines | Land Rover Engine Parts

When the hoses become old they start to fall apart, it is not a bad idea to replace them.
My oil separator was in good shape so I bought new vacuum hose at AutoZone and cut to length.