Oil catch can - anyone have pics of how they did it?

[PHIL]

I'll be doing this to a Pajero, but the theory is the same. Just wondered if anyone who had put a catch can on their PCV line had pics of how they did it? I'd like to reduce the little slick that I find when cleaning up the intake track...

[Mephisto]

I don't have my camera right now otherwise I'd post a pic. In the mean time, just do a google search, I gaurantee you'll find some DIY posts. I put a bigger breather line on mine, that's only because I am making alot more boost than most peeps, but, if you can weld aluminum it wouldn't be a bad idea. There is also a certain amount of suction from your inlet that you won't have if you just vent to air (another reason for putting a bigger hole in your valve cover).

[Mephisto]

Put a few pics of mine up in my album.

[PHIL]

Put a few pics of mine up in my album.

Thanks a lot!

[Drumster]

Hi Mephisto: I want to install a catch can on my L400 to eliminate or reduce oil in intercooler system. I've been reading a LOT on the net about such things. However, the more I read the more confused I become. Maybe you wouldn't mind helping me sort it out. If you know about these things your comments would be much appreciated.

Some key questions I have:
---Given that in a stock engine the PCV outlet expels oily air via a hose to the air induction box and said air induction provides vacuum which assists the movement of this air/oil/crap back into engine... a sort of sick symbiotic relationship.



1) Why do some catch cans utilize breather/filters and others not, even ones with three separate ports, (inlet/outlet plus breather)? I would think that the in/out would balance each other, obviating the need for any kind of breather... which would be an interruption of a sealed system. The fact that there's a breather plus in & out ports implies that sealed system is unimportant, at least with some engines.

So, is the sealed system important to everything working together in my 4m40 engine in terms of proper balance of air etc? Although it appears to me that the air induction is simply a convenient way for the designers to get rid of the pressurized mess from PCV, I don't know for certain that they didn't consequently, also design the intake system to be reliant on this additional air supply for optimum operation.

2) Is the vacuum provided by air box important in lessening the energy required at PCV to expel it's mixture? In other words, will the engine have to work harder to expel PCV gases and release pressure if that suction is absent? As the PCV "pushes" gases out, so too does the air box "pull" the them in. Is this vacuum important to the balanced functioning of the PCV and prevention of excess pressure on various engine seals etc? If this is the case then blocking or venting air box separately so as to disconnect vacuum from PCV system might not be a good idea.

If blocking air induction nipple or attaching a stand alone breather to it would not upset the engine's mixtures or balance in any way, then I imagine venting PCV to separate vented catch can would also work fine; into the port, out through the filter, air box not involved. But you'd then have to buy either one or two breather/filters. With that scenario it makes sense (at least to me) that one could direct PCV air/oil only to vented catch can with one inlet "in"/ breather "out" and air box nipple could simply be blocked off or given a breather. This would cost a bit more but would guarantee no PCV oil/junk in I/C. (Maybe from elsewhere but not from valve cover/PCV).

The big question is this: What's best for my engine and how do I install to ensure I'm not messing with anything that will affect the performance and fuel consumption of my mule?

So the way I see it, the easiest and cheapest way to do this is to maintain the vacuum system as is between PCV and air box and to remove oil/crud with a single inlet / single outlet, catch can where pressure in equals pressure out and no breathers to buy. This however would require a fairly well designed can such that almost zero oil/crud will get through.

[DelicaFreaka]

This however would require a fairly well designed can such that almost zero oil/crud will get through.

Here is your answer to a very well designed catch can. Dave at Conceptual is a Guru of knowledge and warmly invites questions........Kirk out.

http://www.conceptualpolymer.com/

[EnviroImports.com]

I welded one up and put on a Tiny little K&N air filter on it, its not mounted yet, but I will grab a picture, and post it. going to look Great under the hood

[Drumster]

I welded one up and put on a Tiny little K&N air filter on it, its not mounted yet, but I will grab a picture, and post it. going to look Great under the hood

Cool. I look forward to seeing it. Question: If it's going from engine to can to air box, why the breather/filter thingie?

[mdrive]

we have oil catch can in stock (imported), you are welcome stop by at our shop to see the setup.

[EnviroImports.com]

I welded one up and put on a Tiny little K&N air filter on it, its not mounted yet, but I will grab a picture, and post it. going to look Great under the hood

Cool. I look forward to seeing it. Question: If it's going from engine to can to air box, why the breather/filter thingie?

Well the whole purpose is to Vent the pressure of the crank case,and some oil does get vented out at the same time as a mist, so if it gets directed into another tank it still has to get vented so Lordco had a tiny little K&N breather filter that goes onto the PCV on a small block chevy, so i made a little box to hold the oil drippings and it cant spray out as a vapor and coat the inside of hood.
I still have to weld on a small hose mount on the side,but that will only take a few min and keep in mind , its not polished yet..

[Drumster]

Cool!
Looks good. Did you read my post above with all my musings about whether to include the air box or not etc?
I'm making a can myself and will be including the air box in the circuit for now. This way whatever extra air the induction system has been getting will be maintained; minus the oil.
These are the basic parts I've started with; a bunch of pcv tubing, copper wool & scotch-brite scouring pads basically.
I'll post the finished product when it's done.

[EnviroImports.com]

I thought about routing the catch can back into the air intake, but decided against it, the vacuum of air from the turbo that is pulling out the air is not needed In MY Opinion.
the pcv is just that a vent for the pressure and heat to escape, My lifted L400 has the over the counter in japan catch can that routs back to theair intake , and works great but when I pulled the hose off the air intake to see how it looked,it was still very oily and then pulling off the air intake hose,it was also a bit oily, so I wanted to eliminate all together the oil vapor going into my turbo, so I decided to build my own , every once in a while I will have to clean the air filter, any maybe every couple years replace it,BUT im ok with that. My Royal is the one that will be getting the Aluminium box one I made. and I might also rout the air lines to a larger intercooler than what is there now , a front one.... I will also Plug the inlet where to pcv was routing it into the intake.

[Drumster]

It's nowhere as pretty as yours but here's my end product. Intake is the upper L fitting which takes mist into a 5" length of 3/4" ABS pipe, down through the centre of a 2" layer of copper wool and scouring pad sandwiched between two thoroughly perforated metal discs. The air/oil mist exits the 3/4" tube into the bottom third of the can and is then pulled back up through the mesh etc. The plan is for very little or none of the oil to make it through the can. Bottom piece is a simple brass plumbing tap (for draining) embedded into a removable threaded plug (for cleaning). I used ideas gleaned from a few web sites showing catch can internal design.
Hooking this one up won't be a problem but securing it properly might be a bit challenging. The next thing will be to clean out the I/C and hoses, unless or until I actually replace the I/C hoses with stainless.

[EnviroImports.com]

I think that looks great, and you built it your self. thats why I built mine. my lifted L400 has the over the counter version from delica.us and its good, but not what I wanted, and it got me thinking of how i could improve it and make it look great. I LOVE being able to come up with my own solution to things like this.


WELL DONE!!!!!