Home Depot Racing Catch Can: How To

[gsxtasy]

Well, after reading a bunch of posts on how to improve our stock PCV system, and some inspiration from people here talking about PVC catch cans,i decided to take it upon myself to come up with this cheap, yet effective way to make it work. When cheap and effective are mentioned, what comes to mind more than a DSM and Home Depot. Nothing.

So my venture begins, and i set off to the nearest Home Depot. I walked around aimlessly until my arms were full of the necessary products. Which ended up being:

-1 2ft long piece of 2'' PVC pipe
-4 2'' PVC caps
-PVC primer/glue
-4 1/8'' pipe thread nipples
-2 1/8'' pipe thread elbows
-2 1/8'' pipe thread plugs
-pack of '0' size steel wool pads
-2 2'' PVC clamp thingys

(CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES)(Sorry for crappy cell pics)

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Tools/other things needed:

-Drill with appropriate size bit
-1/8'' Pipe thread tap
-Saw of some sort
-Tape measure
-Sand paper
-Spray paint(your choice of color)

Ok, so you get home with your bag full of supplies and it's time to start constructing your catch cans.

First you'll want to get out your tape measure and measure out 6'' on your pipe and mark it, then proceed to cut it at that mark, the straighter the better. Do this twice.

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Notice i made them 8'' at first, but decided they were too long, so i cut 2'' off. You can make them as large as you like, this just looked like a good size to me.

Now you have 2 6'' pieces of PVC, next you want to get out your drill and your 4 caps. Now drill all 4 caps as close to the middle as you can. Then get out your tap, and tap all the holes you just drilled.

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Next you can install one cap on each pipe. So break out your primer/glue and get that sucker good and stuck on there. You'll want to do this in a ventilated area, as the smell is pretty strong.

Alright, now you have your caps drilled and tapped, and one of them glued on your pipe. Now, take your pieces of pipe and your clamp thingys and place them where you will want so you can mount your catch can, then drill a hole on the side of the pipe where the clamp won't interfere.

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Now tap those holes also.

Next we will get out the steel wool pads you bought. We will need 2 pads per catch can(or whatever fills them up). Stuff the pads into the catch can, if your wondering what the point of this is, well, after some discussion a few of us decided some kind of filtering media would help keep the oil from blowing right through the catch can, thus making it pointless.

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Alright, we've got steel wool filled PVC pipe, now go glue the other cap on the other end of the pipe. Should look something like this.

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Now your catch can's are complete and usable, but i didn't like the idea of actual PVC pipe just hanging out in my engine bay, so i decided to paint mine black.

For this i took some sand paper i had laying around and scuffed up the pipes, because they are pretty smooth and i didn't know how well they would hold paint.
Then take them out and paint them to your desired color. Do it in thin coats and let each coat dry for a little bit before your next coat. Let your paint cure over night and the next day you should have a couple cheap/effective catch cans!

I forgot to mention the fittings. I assembled mine like in the pictures, this is pretty self-explanatory. I assembled them all with some RTV, so they won't leak oil and also be air tight.

Finished Product.

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I should also mention when you go to install these, you will need a check valve to go in the line between the IM and the catch can. It should go like this: IM nipple->check valve->catch can(in the top out the side)->PCV valve. Then the other one is for the breather on the valve cover. It will go VC->catch can(in the top out the side)->intake pipe.

Stole this picture from another thread, thanks to whoever drew it!

Hope somebody can find this useful. Let me know if you have questions. I will have installed pics here in a couple days.

Mods, please move if this is in the wrong forum please. I wasn't sure where it should go, sorry.

 

[demografik]

uhh, it looks nice but i don't like the idea of pieces of steel wool entering my turbo and combustion chambers.

 

[gsxtasy]

uhh, it looks nice but i don't like the idea of pieces of steel wool entering my turbo and combustion chambers.

I don't think that will be an issue, although good to think about. Due to the check valve and PCV it wont likely be able to pass through that line, if they could they'd have to be very fine pieces, and if you are paranoid put a check valve on the breather line. Hmmm, now I'm intrigued. Any other thoughts on this?

 

[demografik]

unlikely as it may be, better safe than sorry

i think you'd be fine with nothing inside. gravity will pull the oil to the bottom of the can.

 

[gsxtasy]

unlikely as it may be, better safe than sorry

i think you'd be fine with nothing inside. gravity will pull the oil to the bottom of the can.

I hear ya on that, don't need any thing else to potentially go wrong with these cars. Anyway, i'm sure your right about nothing in them, as none of the one's you buy from vendor have filtering media in them, however i just wanted to make sure they were doing their job. Meh, oh well.

 

[H82lose91]

I did something similar for my coolant over flow with my old car except i got some bling Tial banjo/barb fittings. Painted flat black it looked sweet. Could never tell it was PVC.

Anyways, i would run one not two, no PCV to the intake. Id run both into one overflow container, drop the PCV valve all together, no steel wool, and run both pre-turbo, which is the best possible source for vac under boost where crank case evac is most important. Just my $.02

 

[Scrymerr]

...I'm sure your right about nothing in them, as none of the one's you buy from vendor have filtering media in them, however i just wanted to make sure they were doing their job. Meh, oh well.

I have one of the 'vendor's catch cans', and with no baffles inside of it, the oil gets misted in the area surrounding the can. I think the attempt at a filter inside was a good thought, but baffles would probably be more effective, and necessary not only on home-built catch cans, but also ones that you have to pay a lot for.

 

[turboglenn]

Very nice write up!! I've been PVC catch can guy for a long time I just can't see spending damn near a hundred dollars on an aluminum one. Maybe i'll build one of my own from metal if i ever get the spoolgun for my welder to do aluminum. But untill then it's PVC all the way

As for the steel wool, I would just put some pieces of PVC or some other plastic and make a disc to put on top of the steel wool but leaving a gap around the sides for airflow. THat way it wil block any wool, but still be able to breathe good.

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Anyways, i would run one not two, no PCV to the intake. Id run both into one overflow container, drop the PCV valve all together, no steel wool, and run both pre-turbo, which is the best possible source for vac under boost where crank case evac is most important. Just my $.02

He stated he wants to improve the stock PCV system. He's referring to the MASSIVE PCV thread that lists some darn good reasons to keep the PCV as well as to re-route the VC vent back into the intake. This way you have proper ventilation under boost AND vacuum. I personally hate the aftermarket catch cans that slap a filter on top of the can. Not only is that a problem with the smog nazis, but it reduces the effectiveness of using vacuum to assist the venting.

 

[bane3d]

So why would you go this route versus buying this: HUSKY 1/4 In. Air Compressor Filter - HDA70400AV at The Home Depot

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or this

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I've seen this used in many catch can write ups and looks like it would work just as good if not better and would definitely look nicer.

d

 

[romeen]

So why would you go this route versus buying this: HUSKY 1/4 In. Air Compressor Filter - HDA70400AV at The Home Depot

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or this

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I've seen this used in many catch can write ups and looks like it would work just as good if not better and would definitely look nicer.

d

IIRC, DSMunknown made a post about the clear plastic housing degrading over time and the unit beginning to fall apart. Remember that blowby vapors contain not only oily vapors but also traces of fuel and corrosive acids. Combine this with repeated heat cycles and I don't think that the grade of plastic used in those can hold up over time.


To the OP, as far as the steel wool being used, I wonder if the water vapor which is also contained in blowby gases will cause the steel wool to break down via rusting? (or maybe the oily vapors present will prevent this?). The filtering media I am using in my catch can is made of nylon (made for fish pond use) and seems to hold up quite well. I agree that a filtering substance is not a NECESSITY, however I do think that it offers that little extra bit of blowby vapor removal. You may want to consider one of the scrubbing pads intended for dishwashing for filtering which won't be affected by the water vapor.

 

[gsxtasy]

Thanks for the responses guys. As stated already, while the husky bowls may look nice and all, they have not been known to be the most durable things ever made. I doubt that will be the case with schedule 40 PVC pipe, although i have no longevity tests, i'll report back with results over time.

As far as the steel wool, i'm sure there are other things that would work better, such as baffles or the scrubbing pads. It was just mentioned to me that steel wool would work, so i just grabbed some and threw it in there. I'll run these for awhile and see how it performs, and if I'm unsatisfied i'll just pull out my fittings and build new ones!

Hey glenn, some nice aluminum ones would definitely look better, but i don't have my welder up here or anything. So i had to come up with something for what i had access too. However, if you get real ambitious and decide to make some let me know and i'll come buy a couple from ya.

In the end, they may not be the prettiest looking things, or the best made, but i think they should do their job.

 

[gsxtasy]

I did something similar for my coolant over flow with my old car except i got some bling Tial banjo/barb fittings. Painted flat black it looked sweet. Could never tell it was PVC.

Anyways, i would run one not two, no PCV to the intake. Id run both into one overflow container, drop the PCV valve all together, no steel wool, and run both pre-turbo, which is the best possible source for vac under boost where crank case evac is most important. Just my $.02

Yeah, but i wanted to keep my stock PCV working like it should, only this way i'm extracting the oily crappy vapors, while not having to worry about the crappy PCV leaking boost or anything.

BTW, we're pullin out some OG tuners on this thread. Been here since 02 with only 2 posts. I like your style.

 

[housegsx]

So why would you go this route versus buying this: HUSKY 1/4 In. Air Compressor Filter - HDA70400AV at The Home Depot

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I've seen this used in many catch can write ups and looks like it would work just as good if not better and would definitely look nicer.

d

That's what I'm using. I like that it's small, cheap to replace if needed, and has a built in filter to trap some of the oil vapor.

 

[daren_p]

That's what I'm using. I like that it's small, cheap to replace if needed, and has a built in filter to trap some of the oil vapor.

Thats also what I use to run, I removed the filter though. Believe I only ran it for a year before I swapped to my JM Fab unit, but it held up fine for that amount of time. I have since cleaned it up, installed the filter back & put it on my compressor

 

[44pirate]

Use Stainless Steel wool. Get from cooking supply places. It's used to clean aluminum pots and pans aas well as stainless.

 

[demografik]

have you thought about putting an in-line filter after the can, to see if you do indeed get any steel particles?

 

[gsxtasy]

have you thought about putting an in-line filter after the can, to see if you do indeed get any steel particles?

Good idea, i will throw one on there and check it out. I hope its a non-issue, but I'll find out and report back. The thought of the wool in there makes you think that it is a restriction of some sort, which would put more stress on the wool trying to get air through there and potentially sucking steel wool through. However when i blow through the catch can, you honestly would have no idea there is anything inside, they are very free flowing and i hope that there isn't complications with this.

 

[govproperty]

I made some similar to these and I just curious on how and where you mounted them. I had mine just sitting on the transmission for a long time.

 

[polarmoment]

the GM quad4 cars have an oil vapor seperator from the factory that works pretty well. it has a return on the bottom to return oil back to the pan as well.

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pretty decent working part for $4.

 

[DSMunknown]

Actually, my post stated that the bottom valve for easy emptying easily leaks, creating not only a mess but also a boost leak. Here is the thread.


http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/appearance-interior-exterior/267885-pics-gst.html


The only thing I would change about that post would be that I would take back my statement about removing the filter. I do, however, have solid evidence to Eric's (turbosax2) question about a clogged filter.

Anyways, here is my answer to the faulty Husky catch can setup.


http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/301705-started-making-some-catch-cans.html
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/302732-why-i-love-aluminum-other-soft-metals.html