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Oil catch cans ... upgraded

Posted: January 12th, 2011, 6:44 pm
by rado
Take a close look at this picture. This is a shot of a SSS intake manifold with the TB removed. It is really difficult to capture the picture, but what do you see collecting in the bottom of the manifold???


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Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 12th, 2011, 9:13 pm
by Big Z
Its really hard to see anything down there! So, tell us what's hiding..
Was doing some research last night... Most put the catch can on the PCV line.
Makes sense as the vacuum in the manifold acts on the PCV valve, while minimal vacuum acts on the other vent line.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 13th, 2011, 7:27 am
by rado
let's see if this one is better.....

I put a red line around the oil pool

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Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 13th, 2011, 7:36 am
by rado
Here's the thing,

Unknown to may of us, the emmisions control system feeds two sources of oil contaminated air into the intake manifold. One under vaccum.... the PCV and the other under atmospheric pressure.... the crank case breather. They are on opposite sides of the cam cover.

Theory tells us that the oily vapor will be used up in combustion and the world will be a cleaner place, but in fact, the amount of oil is so significant that it will pool in the bottom if the intake manifold.

It is very very difficult to take this picture. I tried about 30 shots, but it shows some pooling already in my head which was freshly re-build just 2 months ago!

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 13th, 2011, 9:31 am
by Ignorant Ignis
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you can see the oil on the gasket on my ignis manifold

and this is with a filter on the breather line

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 13th, 2011, 11:37 am
by rado
^^ yup, it is a considerable amount of oil that gets in there!

Over filling the engine just makes it worse! I recently got a high quality catch can, but even that did not come with a baffle, to help condense the oil vapor before exiting the can.

My plans are to use the can on the PCV valve, then use a small filter on the crank case breather vent, on the oter side of the vent. I'm on my way to Car Boutique check out what breather filters they have.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 13th, 2011, 7:15 pm
by RB25-DET
I recently got a high quality catch can, but even that did not come with a baffle, to help condense the oil vapor before exiting the can.



Rado the baffle you are talking about is it used to change the direction of the oily fumes inside of the catch can or for the fumes to hit it upon entering the can??
( oily fumes hits cold surface of baffle and condenses back into a liquid?)

I've seen a couple guys use steel wool inside the catch can to increse the surface area inside of it same principle and a protective mesh for the exit of the can so no steel wool gets inside the engine.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 13th, 2011, 9:12 pm
by rado
^^ absoloutely right RB. You just want to cool the incomming vapor to promote condensation, and allow the oil to pool in the can rather than the manifold

I've seen several options for the baffle material including scotchbrite, and plastic scouring pads. but I like your idea of the mesh to keep the steel wool from getting into the engine.

I'll find an option that I feel safe with.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 14th, 2011, 8:42 pm
by pete
What bad happens when oil gets into the engine through the intake?

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 15th, 2011, 9:18 am
by rado
pete wrote:What bad happens when oil gets into the engine through the intake?


check this out. This is from a 18 month old engine.
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At first I thoight it was the result of a over-rich condition, but now I know that the build up is due to the oil sludge that is fed into the manifold.

This buildup may not significantly affect air flow, but it does eventually work its way into the seat area and starts to compromise valve sealing. This in turn will affect compression pressures in the cylinders... thereby robing power, and can eventualy lead to overheating the valves.

Also, another key side effect is the reduction of fuel octane. The oil vapor reduces the effective octane level of the gas you use which is not good for power levels either.

Basically its all bad!

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 15th, 2011, 10:08 am
by Swifted
Oil also dilutes Fuel Octane ...so, with our amazing Horse piss fuel, you can imagine what's happening to the power production ;-)

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 15th, 2011, 5:16 pm
by chris1388
i took off my intake manifold too and there was lots of oil around each plenum...i thought smt was wrong with my car :S

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 15th, 2011, 5:49 pm
by RB25-DET
Is seafoam safe to use on the sss? reason i'm asking is because of the special coating that exists on the insides of the sss intake manifold? ( does this coating really exist?)

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea??

Posted: January 15th, 2011, 6:52 pm
by rado
^^ first time I'm hearing about some special coating there. When I took mine down, the only thing coating the IM was oil!

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: January 17th, 2011, 1:38 pm
by 3stagevtec
Anyone sells good oil catch cans down here, or would it be better if I ship one in myself?

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: January 18th, 2011, 7:24 am
by rado
Some local performance shops may have in stock from time to time. Garvin (GPS) is out of stock presently. Function wise, I dont think there is so much difference among the options, so, either choose by price, or choose based on the look you want. Either option is better than having none.

I got this one for USD $90 from Amazon..... which is a mid range price.
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I was expecting that it would come with an internal baffle, but it did not. However, it did come with a magnetic drail bolt :roll:, and a high quality hose. Some of the cheaper models have hoses that may not stand up to engine temps for long. Also the entire top can be removed so it is easy to insert your choice of baffle material.

Car boutique does have a selection of breather filters though, I suspect that Andy in Curepe (Quickbits) will also have the crankcase breathers.

In retrospect, I could have gotten a pair of cheap cans, upgraded the hoses, and used one for the breather vent, and one for the PCV vent. :?

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: January 18th, 2011, 9:23 am
by 3stagevtec
What do you think about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/PVC-Oil-Catch-Can-Silver/dp/B002P4SCZE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295356606&sr=8-2

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Product Features
-Two Chamber Design
-Billet Aluminum
Price: $119.99

Product Description
Our Oil Catch Cans are made of Billet Aluminum. The catch can is a two chamber design and comes with a changeable filter element for easy cleaning. High Performance engines all suffer from oil blow by into the intake manifold under hard driving conditions. The two chamber design helps trap the oil vapor, and separates it into the second chamber for safe keeping. The benefit is that you keep your manifold from getting all gummed up and robbing you of horsepower.

Seems better than the Mishimoto..

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: January 18th, 2011, 9:27 am
by 3stagevtec
^ the downside of that one is it does not have the oil level indicator.

I personally believe these oil catch cans will be of great benefit to older / high mileage engines..

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: January 18th, 2011, 10:32 am
by rado
^^ for fucntionality, it seems better than the mishimoto. The oil level indicator is a minor feature IMHO. Just check every 3 months or oil change as required.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: January 19th, 2011, 9:26 pm
by Swifted
A friend recently bought a catch can for his Civic, but realized that he couldn't fit it anywhere, so he is selling. It is the square type with 2 ports on the top and a level indicator. I have already put some steel wool in it too. If anyone is interested, you can PM me for his phone number.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 2nd, 2011, 11:36 pm
by 3stagevtec
I'll let the pics do the talking.. This oil catch can is from Saikou Michi and contains an internal mesh to help better collect the oil particles. Will see what it collects after a week / month etc..

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Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 3rd, 2011, 9:13 am
by Dave
I use a Saikou Michi and they and AGP are about the only 2 real known manufaturers to use metal strainers to ensure all the oil is drained to the bottom and only air return to the intake
My empty can b4 use to have the return line moisture with oil returning where Saikou Michi is bone dry.
Sight level is no real advantage unless you have no intention of emptying it often.
Over 4k km, I fill a baby bottle(4.5oz) with oil which is not even 1/3 of the saikou michi can so no real need for a sight level.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 4th, 2011, 4:56 pm
by 3stagevtec
^ Actually, it's you who had recommended the Saikou Michi to me a while back in the Tech forum! It's only after I did some re-research I found the old post.. lol

Another benefit from SM is that they can build the OCC to meet almost any requirements you might have. You can also choose your own colour.. Candy blue just hit the spot for me..

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 8th, 2011, 1:13 pm
by whizpig
ok i found a link where a guy is using a air compressor filter as an oil catch can
http://www.pbase.com/rsrock/oil_catch_can
that filter cost $12.69USD
and there are other air compressor filters that have oil removers attached
what allyuh think?

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 9th, 2011, 7:22 pm
by aidan
3stagevtec wrote:I'll let the pics do the talking.. This oil catch can is from Saikou Michi and contains an internal mesh to help better collect the oil particles. Will see what it collects after a week / month etc..

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Think i'll have to be doing this soon on my vitara too.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 11th, 2011, 9:48 pm
by rado
Here is my install...


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Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 20th, 2011, 9:15 am
by greasyspoon
Ok so i'm gonna look into getting that saikou michi can cuz I have been talking to the guy and it seems pretty easy to get one paypal and skybox makes it simple enough. Trying to see where is the best place to mount mine tho. Rado i see u have yurs stuck up in the back and i have no idea how u mounted it. That and he's asking whether I want 1/2" or 3/8" nipples the one on my car as 3/8's it looks like but it seems Rado u went to 1/2 dunno if thats significant or not.

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 20th, 2011, 12:40 pm
by rado
greasyspoon wrote:Ok so i'm gonna look into getting that saikou michi can cuz I have been talking to the guy and it seems pretty easy to get one paypal and skybox makes it simple enough. Trying to see where is the best place to mount mine tho. Rado i see u have yurs stuck up in the back and i have no idea how u mounted it. That and he's asking whether I want 1/2" or 3/8" nipples the one on my car as 3/8's it looks like but it seems Rado u went to 1/2 dunno if thats significant or not.


Well GS, my catch can fittings are 1/2 inch but the engine fittings are smaller, so I used the larger hose with a short peice of the smaller hose (inside the larger one) as an adaptor to connect to the engine side.

I also changed the clear hose the unit came with since it was colapsing under vaccum. The black automotive hose is not as pretty, but holds up good under the hood :)

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: February 20th, 2011, 12:42 pm
by rado
..heading to dex in a short while....

Re: Are oil catch cans a good idea? ABSOLUTELY!

Posted: May 17th, 2011, 12:24 pm
by RB25-DET
Where can i get a good quality clear braided hose for the catch can system that would'nt collapse under engine vacuum?, i bought a clear braided piece from Lotec that had temperature ratings and stuff written on it and it still collapsed??