Liquid In Catch Can

[river]

Hello all, I'm having a really odd issue happen with a GSX that I recently bought. There is a green-ish liquid, almost looks like gas, that my catch can is filling up with. It doesn't have any distinctable smell, so I'm really at a loss for what this could be. Currently the two port catch can is hooked up to both the valve cover vent and the PCV valve.

Please offer up suggestions, I have no idea what this liquid could be.

 

[SBR Joe]

Dont worry, thats just condensation from the crankcase that gets blown into there on startup..mine does it too.


Joe

 

[river]

That makes sense. I figured that had to be what it was, but had never had the issue before in previous cars...maybe it's the combination of parking in the garage and then parking outside while I am work.

Thank you very much.

 

[99gst_racer]

Does it look like this?

I used to drain this stuff out of my DSM years ago. It's a mixture of condensation, fuel, and a bit of oil.

Also, if you aren't going to have that PCV valve connected to a source of vacuum, then it's better to drill it out or replace it with a straight-through fitting. As long as the PCV valve remains hooked up the way you have it, you will have crappy crankcase evacuation.

 

[DSMunknown]

For a solution:

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/229338-stupid-pcv-question.html

 

[river]

Mine looks a bit different than that, it doesnt have the milky look to it which I'm assuming would be the oil, mine has a look that condensation may get when inside an engine and it smells a little like fuel. I'm wondering now how fuel may be getting in there.

RRE suggests the same thing you did essentially; taking the nipple that the PCV valve normally hooked to on the intake manifold and putting that in your valve cover, then plugging the hole on the intake manifold with a bolt. I may try this.

Which solution seems better, hooking up the PCV valve as it normally would and just use the catch can for the valve cover vent or doing the RRE method?

RRE = RRE I/C Pipe Installation Instructions

 

[DSMunknown]

Post #5.

 

[river]

Post #5.

7 pages...dude, I'm at work and bored, but for real...7 pages.

I just want to know, for a daily driven 25psi street car would it be better to hook the PCV valve back up properly, or do the RRE method? RRE states that thier method isn't really for street cars, anybody know what the reasoning is behind that?

 

[crimsondragon]

Is that what the hell that is?! I have a air compressor filter between the PCV and IM and I always thought I had a blown head gasket or something. That really looks like coolant mixing with oil. I'm not as worried anymore. Which reminds me I should empty it again this weekend into my jugs of used oil I keep around.

 

[romeen]

Mine looks a bit different than that, it doesnt have the milky look to it which I'm assuming would be the oil, mine has a look that condensation may get when inside an engine and it smells a little like fuel. I'm wondering now how fuel may be getting in there.

1) Check compression to rule out excessive blow by
2) Maybe your tune is too rich
3) Check base fuel pressure

Which solution seems better, hooking up the PCV valve as it normally would and just use the catch can for the valve cover vent or doing the RRE method?

Hook up PCV per stock configuration and add one of these inline to prevent boost leak past PCV valve:

Liquid/Gas Check Valves - US Plastic Corporation

Remove filter from catch can and seal it then use that inline between valve cover breather and intake pipe.

For a couple years I ran my crankcase ventilation per the RRE method and my oil always ended up nasty looking and smelling like fuel. Now that I went back to the stock configuration with the additions I mentioned above my oil comes out much cleaner and my intake tract in totally free of oily residue.

 

[DSMunknown]

7 pages...dude, I'm at work and bored, but for real...7 pages.

Then just go to post #181 for a short version.

 

[river]

1) Check compression to rule out excessive blow by
2) Maybe your tune is too rich
3) Check base fuel pressure

Hook up PCV per stock configuration and add one of these inline to prevent boost leak past PCV valve:

Liquid/Gas Check Valves - US Plastic Corporation

Remove filter from catch can and seal it then use that inline between valve cover breather and intake pipe.

For a couple years I ran my crankcase ventilation per the RRE method and my oil always ended up nasty looking and smelling like fuel. Now that I went back to the stock configuration with the additions I mentioned above my oil comes out much cleaner and my intake tract in totally free of oily residue.

The compression is good, this is a pretty new motor that has never been run hard.
I'm sure my tune is a bit off at the moment, I finally got the last mods installed yesterday.
I have set my cars to 40 psi base fuel pressure on all of my cars, given this cars mods (1990 GSX in my profile) I'm fairly confidend that 40 psi is about accurate.

This configuration looks good, I'll try it out.

I don't have a way to hook the valve cover vent back up to my intake. Will it have the same effect if I just plug the other port on the RRE catch can and let it vent?

Thanks for your time all!

 

[river]

Then just go to post #181 for a short version.

Your solution looks very similary to the guy who posted above you, post 10. The only difference is that you use a catch can on both the PCV line and a seperate catch can on the valve cover vent.

My question is now; since the stock PCV valve is basically a check valve with a pretty abbreviation and you're installing another check valve as a fail safe, why not eliminate the stock PCV valve and just put a blow through nipple in the valve cover where the PCV valve belongs instead of using both the PCV valve and another check valve which will hold up to more pressure?

 

[DSMunknown]

Your solution looks very similary to the guy who posted above you, post 10. The only difference is that you use a catch can on both the PCV line and a seperate catch can on the valve cover vent.

My question is now; since the stock PCV valve is basically a check valve with a pretty abbreviation and you're installing another check valve as a fail safe, why not eliminate the stock PCV valve and just put a blow through nipple in the valve cover where the PCV valve belongs instead of using both the PCV valve and another check valve which will hold up to more pressure?

Because it doesn't really matter. If you read through the thread, you will find out that the OEM PCV valve becomes clogged because of all the oil/gunk that passes through it. So if you would like to "gut it out" then that's fine, but you must have the other check valve in place to have the engine working properly.

Therefore, the other check valve is not a "fail safe" valve. It is the check valve that will stay clean and unclogged.

 

[romeen]

.I have set my cars to 40 psi base fuel pressure on all of my cars, given this cars mods (1990 GSX in my profile) I'm fairly confidend that 40 psi is about accurate.

BFP for a 1G is 37 psi. But since you have DSMlink I'm not sure if this matters.

I don't have a way to hook the valve cover vent back up to my intake. Will it have the same effect if I just plug the other port on the RRE catch can and let it vent?

It really is best to hook it up to the intake pipe:

1) The velocity of the incoming air through the pipe creates vacuum which helps to actively suck out the crankcase vapors as opposed to passively venting it the other way
2) With the vented catch can you will be pulling in unmetered air when the engine is under vacuum (assuming you are still using PCV valve)
3) No smelly fumes in cabin of car

If your intake pipe does not have a nipple for this it is easy to drill and tap it for a 1/8 NPT fitting. There are several threads regarding this.

My question is now; since the stock PCV valve is basically a check valve with a pretty abbreviation and you're installing another check valve as a fail safe, why not eliminate the stock PCV valve and just put a blow through nipple in the valve cover where the PCV valve belongs instead of using both the PCV valve and another check valve which will hold up to more pressure?

1) Most PCV valves for our cars (even new oem ones) leak air into the crankcase while under boost. The check valve basically does what the PCV valve is supposed to do under boost. You can check your PCV by unscrewing it from valve cover but leaving it connected to the vacuum line/IM. Pressurize intake and check for air leaking past it.
2) As for why not just removing the PCV altogether, many of us believe that the snorkel portion of it (part inside valve cover) is a metering device and helps to keep oil from getting sucked into IM.

 

[river]

Thanks you guys, all very informative...all my Q's were answered.