I got a bit of a problem:
I remember from the past (unless I am imagining) that the PVC valves of the 2.1L and the 2.5L X-Type are different - most of all in price: The valves for the 2.5L were a multiple of the PVC valve for the 2.1L, which is why I bought years ago only the valve for 2.1L. And when I last ordered parts from britishparts, I noticed that the PVC valve for the 2.5L does not seem to be that expensive anymore, I bought 2 of them:



My old PVC valve in the 2.5L X-Type was the green valve above - I received the grey part...
If that would be the only issue, I would not mind - but:
The black "snorkel" was in the wrong position: 90° twisted. And normally it would not be possible to twist it into the correct position, but I used a heat gun to do that.
Furthermore: The grey PVC valve absolutely did not fit at all into its opening on the valve cover: The green measures 9.5mm, where the thread is, the grey 10mm. I reduced the diameter a bit with sandpaper, applied WD40, and then I hammered the modified new grey PVC valve with a rubber mallet into the valve cover.
I really do not think that this is right.
I contacted britishparts about that, and they don't see anything wrong with that... !?!
Does someone here know, what's going on and if they have send me the wrong part? Is the grey AJ812570 PVC valve wrong for my 2004 2.5L X-Type?

Does anybody know, if at least the "intestines" of the grey and the green valve are identical?

 

Info for you.

 

Thanks, Bob,
luckily I have never seen a PVC valve with a black body, witch is unlikely anyway, as the 2.5L I am working on is 2004 MY. The TB was for 2002 MY.

The TB says furthermore:
>. If the crankcase breather valve body is green or grey no further action is required.

I wonder, if that is meant to suggest that green and grey are interchangeable? Why then do they have green and grey?

 

I don't remember all the colors I have replaced but every black one got replaced if it came into the dealer.

Parts dept had the correct one so I never noticed ant different ones?

 

You probably know the routine better than I do Peter, but I was sentenced to a few years in the auto industry in the 90s/2000s. Parts going to an assembly plant had strict quality control. Once the car model went out of production those parts went out of production and as a supplier we had to produce hundreds or thousands of parts per year for dealer parts/maintenance. All had quality equal to full production. After some time production tools were usually sold to a sub-supplier who would crank out the parts to support the after market. Their quality control wasn't the best for a lot of reasons. That could explain the poor fit.

The 90 degree turn just seems wrong but I like your solution.

As for the color, parts were often color coded for chemical compatibility. Remember Freon? A/C O-rings were all black. Then came R134a and O-rings became all green. Just a visual indication between neoprene, Buna, or other types of rubber to quickly determine if it was right for the job. It could be the green vs gray vs black PCV was an indication if the part could be used in NA with 10% ethanol or there in Australia burning vegemite and Foster's. Also if company XYZ sold 100k widgets to Jag and 100k of the same widgets to Hyundai they would be molded in different colors so QC could differentiate despite them being physically identical in size, shape, and use. In the aftermarket those color codes would be completely ignored.

 

Yes, I know Freon - luckily this ozone-killer was before my time. My seal rings are all green for R134a.
Yes, maybe you are right.
britishparts still owe me a proper answer of what the difference is.
They came back meanwhile with the information that they did some research and found that there is another valve:
https://www.britishparts.co.uk/class...valve-c2s25648
46.41 POUNDS!!!!! for the green one (which is a rip-off beyond believe) - the grey one was just above 10 Pounds.
The description of the grey one says its for al 2.5L X-Type, all years. That is what I saw and why I bought it.
The description says some mambo-jumbo about engine No. 173663. I cannot find an engine number on my engine and the engine number in my papers is way longer with some letters strewn in. Regardless: The grey one is sold as for all 2.5L X-Type, which is why britishparts own me the answer, what the difference is, and in which way their description is wrong. However, they do not reply, which is think is appalling customer service.