1) Should the 97 SSE PCV have a spring? Mine doesn't...

2)There any trick to getting the housing to twist back on? I can't get it at all.

Every Series II PVC has had one... its a fairly tough one, and it goes on top of the PVC valve under to twist on PVC housing... which brings us to...

Well, if you don't have the spring, twisting on the housing should be easy. In my experience, however, the spring makes twisting the housing back on a real pain in the ***. You have to push down and twist... and it takes a lot of force, which makes it easy to break the housing top.

If yours is not twisting, I would take a close look at the groove in the housing and the housing cap... and see if you smashed some plastic or broke off the plastic "thread" that holds it in place.

BKNJ

Mine def doesn't have a spring...

I've never changed a PCV on a NA engine, but done more then I can count on the SC engine. And everyone of those had a spring. I checked the parts and none show the spring. Makes me wonder if the last person that changed the PCV had a hard time closing it up and decided it was less effort to simply toss the spring and no one would notice.

It'* been without a spring since at LEAST before August 2006.

I'm thinking I'm going to buy a new PCV kit anyway(housing needs new clips for MAP sensor) and it comes with a spring.

What will I notice different with a spring?

(granted this is all just for when I finally get the P0171 figured out..)

Not having a spring can cause a vacuum leak giving you that p0171 code, and can also cause the engine to run a little rough.

Is it possible...

I didnt have the P0171 code until I took the PCV out and checked it and put it back in.

Is it possible that for years without a spring, it was fine, by some stroke of luck or some magic placement, but when I put it back in, I basically took away that delicate positioning of it??

It is possible. Just needs a little build up to seal it.

I am pretty sure my 95 doesn't have a spring, but I know the value itself is always difficult to pull it out. It has been like that since I bought it 5 years ago. Where could I get just the spring?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...350#fragment-1

Would this part be okay or do I need to get AC Delco?

I wish I knew for SURE if I needed a spring...I just cant believe I've been driving for years without one!