ZX3 PCV rail?

[GFboughtafocus]

Well, I'm back.

My girlfriend's 2000 Zetec automatic is still having idle/stall issues. I managed to snag a new TPS/TB assembly on the cheap, and it stopped giving me TPS codes, so that's good. This week I dove into replacing the Cylinder Head Temp Sensor, and man is that a PITA to get to. I've got the alternator out, still can't get to it, so I've decided to remove the intake manifold. No biggie there.

But I noticed that there was some oil in the manifold. Not a lot, but enough to make me wonder about the PCV. Since I couldn't get any leverage on the PCV from the bottom, I used the old rope trick and it worked almost perfectly.

I say almost because it snapped off the little elbow coming off of the PCV. For whatever reason it's made of hard plastic (as opposed to rubber, which is what all the other ones I've encountered are) and despite my best efforts getting in there with a knife and pliers, I haven't gotten it all the way off.

So my question is this: How hard (and are there any how-to's) is it to get that rail out of there so I can sand it? It's pretty well buried, and I can't tell how it's attached to the block. Anybody have any ideas?

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