Built a new kind of catchcan for valve cover - Let me know what you think

[Enraged78]

Group,

I've been dealing with a decent amount of crankcase pressure for quite a while now. I have a forged 7-bolt Ross/Eagle setup that I've been running for the last three years. With the stock PCV/Crank Vent setup, I was popping my dipstick or forcing oil back up through the turbo oil drain - not good if you like keeping your turbo alive for more than six months. So, I took care of it the way most members do, and I drilled out my PCV and ran two lines from the valve cover to the ground. This solved my excess crank pressure issue, but I found that after hard runs I would drive the car back into my garage and it would drip a mess out on the floor. Also, not having a PCV would cause the oil to get dirty prematurely, which is never good for an engine. Typically, I would push a quart every 1000 miles with this setup.

Engine compression is 176PSI across all four with 8.5:1 compression. Leakdown is less than 2%. There is no blue smoke coming from the exhaust, and turbo shaft play is non-existent. This has led me to believe that I'm pushing a decent amount of oil out of my valve cover breathers. The crap on my garage floor seems to back this up. The baffles in my current valve cover are also a little loose.

So, I had an idea on how to build a cheap and effective air/oil separator that would utilize all the benefits of the stock system with none of the drawbacks. Hopefully, this will give other tuners ideas on how to better the stock system.

I started out with a used valvecover ($60), and bought a half inch O/D aluminum hose barb from McMaster Carr ($5). I cut the threaded end of the barb off and sanded it flat. I then bored out the crank vent on the valve cover to 3/8 of an inch, the same inner diameter as the hose barb. Next, I sanded the valve cover down with 400 grit paper, and finally, I gave it a nice bath for about a half hour to remove all the particles in the cover. I used a 30 gallon bath and hit it up for a while, so there aren't any traces of particles in the cover anymore. I don't want to get rid of the baffles, as they are important in taking care of oil control.

Next, I used JBWeld to weld the fitting to the top of the valve cover, and used a 3/8 inch bit to center the nipple on the valve cover. After letting it cure for two days, I strength tested it (If I can grab the nipple and swing the valve cover around, it's strong enough). Next, I coated it with blue ceramic engine paint, and let it cure for two days.


With the valve cover finished, I moved on to the oil separator/drain system. I purchased a 65mm X 55mm x 150mm sealed aluminum project box from a local electronics store ($15). This provides me with a .41 quart capacity. Next, I went to Home Depot and picked up a 1/2 inch male to male barb adapter (this goes into the intake, much like the stock system), two 1/2 inch outer diameter hose barbs, and one sheet of polyurethane air conditioner replacement filter. After checking out a few patents, it seems that GM has been using this material in their designs for a while, so it should work well here. I drilled and tapped the project box to allow oil to drain from the lowest part of the system, and wrapped the poly filter in a spiral around the outlet barb. The box was sealed with silicone seal, and the barbs were sealed with copper RTV.


What this does is the following. When the engine is under boost, the PCV closes, and all crank pressure is exhausted through the crankcase vent. Some oil and oil mist makes it out of the valve cover, where it goes into the oil separator and pools in the bottom. The air gets filtered, and then ingested by the engine by way of the intake. This allows the system to not lose any metered air, and the turbo will allow the crankcase vent to draw a small amount of vacuum under heavy boost (I'm running 23 PSI). When the PCV opens back up when not under boost, vacuum is drawn through the oil separator, and any oil that has been pushed out of the engine will now make it's way back in. This allows the system to keep the turbo and intake tract free of oil and contaminants, while allowing the PCV to function. The PCV can now eliminate any contaminants by drawing it into the intake manifold, where the engine will combust it. I used some 1/2 inch inner diameter hose to plumb the system all together, and mounted the oil separator at the top of the firewall to maximize the drain capability. Running some area numbers, this system has 294% more flow area than the stock setup does at 7/32 of an inch. This single outlet still has 94% more area to evacuate crankcase pressure than using both the PCV and valve cover as an outlet.


Total Costs:
Valve Cover: $60.00
Aluminum Barb:$5.00
Aluminum Box: $15.00
Brass Barbs: $10.00
1/2 inch Hose:$10.00
Poly Filter: $2.00

Total Cost:
$102.00

This would be a lot cheaper if you have a valve cover to re-use. You could probably do it for about $40.00, which is cheaper than even the e-bay oil catch cans, but allows for oil drain back and air filtration.

 

[DSM_PWR]

Very unique, like the design.... but please dont tell me its help up by zipties...

..... After letting it cure for two days, I strength tested it (If I can grab the nipple and swing the valve cover around, it's strong enough).....

Nice method of testing

 

[Enraged78]

Very unique, like the design.... but please dont tell me its help up by zipties...

Well, until I decide to keep it and find something permanent... Maybe...

Nice method of testing

Thank you.

 

[CoachDavis]

Looks like a great idea to me. Pretty original. My favorite part is that it doesn't take up much engine bay space. My only question at this time would be why not set it up to collect the blown by oil like 99% of the ones on the market? How is it so far?

 

[a91talonAWD]

Group,

I've been dealing with a decent amount of crankcase pressure for quite a while now. I have a forged 7-bolt Ross/Eagle setup that I've been running for the last three years. With the stock PCV/Crank Vent setup, I was popping my dipstick or forcing oil back up through the turbo oil drain - not good if you like keeping your turbo alive for more than six months. So, I took care of it the way most members do, and I drilled out my PCV and ran two lines from the valve cover to the ground. This solved my excess crank pressure issue, but I found that after hard runs I would drive the car back into my garage and it would drip a mess out on the floor. Also, not having a PCV would cause the oil to get dirty prematurely, which is never good for an engine. Typically, I would push a quart every 1000 miles with this setup.

Engine compression is 176PSI across all four with 8.5:1 compression. Leakdown is less than 2%. There is no blue smoke coming from the exhaust, and turbo shaft play is non-existent. This has led me to believe that I'm pushing a decent amount of oil out of my valve cover breathers. The crap on my garage floor seems to back this up. The baffles in my current valve cover are also a little loose.

So, I had an idea on how to build a cheap and effective air/oil separator that would utilize all the benefits of the stock system with none of the drawbacks. Hopefully, this will give other tuners ideas on how to better the stock system.

I started out with a used valvecover ($60), and bought a half inch O/D aluminum hose barb from McMaster Carr ($5). I cut the threaded end of the barb off and sanded it flat. I then bored out the crank vent on the valve cover to 3/8 of an inch, the same inner diameter as the hose barb. Next, I sanded the valve cover down with 400 grit paper, and finally, I gave it a nice bath for about a half hour to remove all the particles in the cover. I used a 30 gallon bath and hit it up for a while, so there aren't any traces of particles in the cover anymore. I don't want to get rid of the baffles, as they are important in taking care of oil control.

Next, I used JBWeld to weld the fitting to the top of the valve cover, and used a 3/8 inch bit to center the nipple on the valve cover. After letting it cure for two days, I strength tested it (If I can grab the nipple and swing the valve cover around, it's strong enough). Next, I coated it with blue ceramic engine paint, and let it cure for two days.


With the valve cover finished, I moved on to the oil separator/drain system. I purchased a 65mm X 55mm x 150mm sealed aluminum project box from a local electronics store ($15). This provides me with a .41 quart capacity. Next, I went to Home Depot and picked up a 1/2 inch male to male barb adapter (this goes into the intake, much like the stock system), two 1/2 inch outer diameter hose barbs, and one sheet of polyurethane air conditioner replacement filter. After checking out a few patents, it seems that GM has been using this material in their designs for a while, so it should work well here. I drilled and tapped the project box to allow oil to drain from the lowest part of the system, and wrapped the poly filter in a spiral around the outlet barb. The box was sealed with silicone seal, and the barbs were sealed with copper RTV.


What this does is the following. When the engine is under boost, the PCV closes, and all crank pressure is exhausted through the crankcase vent. Some oil and oil mist makes it out of the valve cover, where it goes into the oil separator and pools in the bottom. The air gets filtered, and then ingested by the engine by way of the intake. This allows the system to not lose any metered air, and the turbo will allow the crankcase vent to draw a small amount of vacuum under heavy boost (I'm running 23 PSI). When the PCV opens back up when not under boost, vacuum is drawn through the oil separator, and any oil that has been pushed out of the engine will now make it's way back in. This allows the system to keep the turbo and intake tract free of oil and contaminants, while allowing the PCV to function. The PCV can now eliminate any contaminants by drawing it into the intake manifold, where the engine will combust it. I used some 1/2 inch inner diameter hose to plumb the system all together, and mounted the oil separator at the top of the firewall to maximize the drain capability. Running some area numbers, this system has 294% more flow area than the stock setup does at 7/32 of an inch. This single outlet still has 94% more area to evacuate crankcase pressure than using both the PCV and valve cover as an outlet.


Total Costs:
Valve Cover: $60.00
Aluminum Barb:$5.00
Aluminum Box: $15.00
Brass Barbs: $10.00
1/2 inch Hose:$10.00
Poly Filter: $2.00

Total Cost:
$102.00

This would be a lot cheaper if you have a valve cover to re-use. You could probably do it for about $40.00, which is cheaper than even the e-bay oil catch cans, but allows for oil drain back and air filtration.

once that box begins to fill with oil it will just be sucked through anyway as if it was not even there in the first place... the oulet should be on the top not the bottom... unless that is how you have it...i cant tell from the pics...but yeah that should work out as long as the barb on the left is the output...also check the level often if you were losing a quart per 1000 miles!!

+1 for clean install and creativity!!!

 

[Enraged78]

Looks like a great idea to me. Pretty original. My favorite part is that it doesn't take up much engine bay space. My only question at this time would be why not set it up to collect the blown by oil like 99% of the ones on the market? How is it so far?

So far, so good. I've only put a few hundred miles on it, and there isn't any oil coming into the intake, so it seems to be working well. I'll have a much better idea on how it really works after about 3,000 miles, when I can accurately track oil consumption.

As far as your question, the reason I didn't built it to just collect oil was if I wanted to fully recirculate the system into the intake (which I do for metering purposes), then I would have to make sure that the system would get emptied every time I put gas int the car. The can has a 1/2 quart capacity, and with my old breathers, that is about how much oil I would push out of them, so it would get messy very quickly. In the event that I ever forgot to do this, the intake would get hosed with a large amount of oil very quickly, as would the turbo and the intake tract. Most people just go with a vented setup, but that too has to be emptied from time to time and the air entering or exiting the vent is not counted by the ECU, so the car is always going to run just a little bit rich or lean.

Thanks for the reply.

Matt.

 

[Enraged78]

once that box begins to fill with oil it will just be sucked through anyway as if it was not even there in the first place... the oulet should be on the top not the bottom... unless that is how you have it...i cant tell from the pics...but yeah that should work out as long as the barb on the left is the output...also check the level often if you were losing a quart per 1000 miles!!

+1 for clean install and creativity!!!

Thanks for the kudos.

The whole idea is that it should be nearly impossible for the box to be complete filled with oil. I would have to be on the turbo long enough for the system to push that much oil out of the valve cover. With this, once I let off the gas, the PCV opens and applies vacuum to the crankcase. The catchcan is the path of least resistance, so the oil is sucked from the bottom port of the can back into the motor, while all the nasty vapor particles get burned. That's the theory, anyway. We'll see if the intake pipe gets wet between oil changes.

It's tough to see in the pics, but the outlet is on the topmost part of the box.

Matt.

 

[a91talonAWD]

Thanks for the kudos.

The whole idea is that it should be nearly impossible for the box to be complete filled with oil. I would have to be on the turbo long enough for the system to push that much oil out of the valve cover. With this, once I let off the gas, the PCV opens and applies vacuum to the crankcase. The catchcan is the path of least resistance, so the oil is sucked from the bottom port of the can back into the motor, while all the nasty vapor particles get burned. That's the theory, anyway. We'll see if the intake pipe gets wet between oil changes.

It's tough to see in the pics, but the outlet is on the topmost part of the box.

Matt.

can you please post a picture or diagram of exactly how you have this hooked up? I am confused and trying to understand more clearly as to how this is different/better than the stock setup...please advise

I was under the impression that a dual catch-can setup was the best(expecially for Daily Driving)... being one catch can in between the intake and the valve cover vent... and one in between the pcv valve and the intake manifold.

 

[Enraged78]

can you please post a picture or diagram of exactly how you have this hooked up? I am confused and trying to understand more clearly as to how this is different/better than the stock setup...please advise

I was under the impression that a dual catch-can setup was the best(expecially for Daily Driving)... being one catch can in between the intake and the valve cover vent... and one in between the pcv valve and the intake manifold.

Sure.

The reason that this is better than the stock setup is for three reasons.

1. 300% more volume than stock.
2. The ability to filter and seperate crankcase air and oil from the breather.
3. The ability to recover oil that would otherwise be pushed into the intake tract.

Dual catchcan setups are quite good. It would be in my best interest to also install a small one in front of my PCV if I wanted to keep every last trace of oil out of my engine. However, if you forget to empty a catchcan, it can easily make a mess of your intake tract or engine bay. This setup won't ever do that, as the oil gets sucked back into the engine once the PCV opens at cruise.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[a91talonAWD]

Sure.

The reason that this is better than the stock setup is for three reasons.

1. 300% more volume than stock.
2. The ability to filter and seperate crankcase air and oil from the breather.
3. The ability to recover oil that would otherwise be pushed into the intake tract.

Dual catchcan setups are quite good. It would be in my best interest to also install a small one in front of my PCV if I wanted to keep every last trace of oil out of my engine. However, if you forget to empty a catchcan, it can easily make a mess of your intake tract or engine bay. This setup won't ever do that, as the oil gets sucked back into the engine once the PCV opens at cruise.

Thanks,
Matt

thanks so much Now it all makes much more cents... (words=bad, pictures=good)!!

 

[slow4g6392tsi]

Curious to see how this works. Seems like it should work well.

 

[CoachDavis]

Thanks for the updates, keep us posted on results.

 

[Artago]

Looks good. Let us know if it helps.

 

[Enraged78]

Updates as of 10/6/09:

Fuel trims are the closest to 0% I've seen in a while. Normally my low trims fluctuate by +-6-7%. They seem to be pretty solid right now. AFR at idle went from 15.5 to 15.0. I have 780 PTE injectors, which don't like to atomize when they're cold, and this causes the car to not want to start below 40 degrees. Since this mod, the car has been much easier to start, going from 5+ cranks to 2. This actually makes quite a bit of sense, as I have forged pistons, and they are going to allow a lot more air escape past them into the crankcase when they're cold. This air will then be expelled by the breather instead of counted by the ECU. The new setup counts the air and doesn't lose it, regarless of temperature or piston expansion.

As of right now, oil consumption is nil, but it takes about 1000 miles to see anything. Engine bay and intake pipes are still clean. 350 miles on this setup so far.

Thanks,
Matt.

 

[lacroixdp]

Where's your PCV valve? Also, what kind of provision do you have in place to introduce fresh air into the crankcase? I only see the one line coming off the valve cover.

 

[Enraged78]

Where's your PCV valve? Also, what kind of provision do you have in place to introduce fresh air into the crankcase? I only see the one line coming off the valve cover.

The PCV valve is in the stock location. The valve cover vent line introduces fresh air into the crankcase when the PCV is open. The stock vent works as both an intake or exhast depending on the state of the PCV (open or closed). The main difference here is that once you go from boost to vacuum, the PCV opens, and the vent draws blown oil from the box back into the engine, as opposed to oil just clogging up the line and your intake.

Matt.

 

[lacroixdp]

Got ya. Thanks for clarifying that! I just didn't see the PCV Valve in the picture

 

[CoachDavis]

Still looking promising?

 

[VTEC KILLR]

Is that a outside electrical box? If so i'm going rig me one of these.....

 

[Boosted98gsx]

I am not a fan of the design. When you get a pool of gunk trapped in tube that goes up into that can, your engine is going to be fighting it, causing crankcase backpressure and possible blow by.

It would be much more beneficial if you had the outlet coming out of the top, and the inlet on the side, leaving space below the inlet so that the evap can collect. This is going to get clogged really fast.