Thoughts on the oil catch can.. (13 Viewers)

[Cancruiser]

Been reading a few threads about oil catch cans to collect the blow-by oil out of the crank case which get sucked in again through the air intake. for ex. this thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/282728-catch-your-can.html

and this one:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/300739-oil-catch-can-installed.html

It all make sense, but I have a concern: with the OEM setup, the oil fumes are actually being sucked out from the crank case by the vacuum action of the air intake. While if you use a catch can you will just collect the fumes through the can without any "positive" suction. Is it better to use an inline air/oil separator like what's used in compressors while painting cars. This way you can maintain the suction and collect the oil at the same time. Does such system exist or can be cheaply adapted?
Here's a picture of a Cosworth air/oil separator for inspiration..pretty costly at 115 GBP
Forge Motorsport | Alloy Fabrication

 

[owenjam]

This has been debated many times, but I think the engineers at toyota are smarter than we are. They made that vent that way for a reason and hooking it up to anything else is a bad idea.

 

[dhc4ever]

This has been debated many times, but I think the engineers at toyota are smarter than we are. They made that vent that way for a reason and hooking it up to anything else is a bad idea.

Not always, remember they sell world wide and the No1 priority is "emission" control, as oil fumes from the cranks are classified as an emission they are recirculated through the inlet manifold and burnt.
Now a lot of people get their knickers in a twist at the first sign of any oil in the inlet piping, most thinking that if its turboed, the turbo is about to lunch its self and suck up any of that spare cash all 4x4 drivers have lying around (I jest) in a turbo rebuild.
Those without a turbo will now think the rings are going and its breathing heavily through the crankcase ventilation system and might suddenly start running on all the crankcase oil being fed back into the inlet.
So the quick answer is to fit a catch can and keep the oil out of the piping and be able to monitor just how much oil does enter the can.

Cheers

 

[boogie74]

This has been debated many times, but I think the engineers at toyota are smarter than we are. They made that vent that way for a reason and hooking it up to anything else is a bad idea.

Depends on which engine you have. The 13B-T (mine) doesn't have
a PCV Valve. So its just crank blowing from the rocker cover into the
air intake. I dont see how a catch can can do any harm. Its just filtering the crankcase fumes.

 

[Cancruiser]

..... I dont see how a catch can can do any harm. Its just filtering the crankcase fumes.

No, I agree totally, an oil catch can is a brilliant idea. I was only questioning the fact that it should be the inline type, not the one that just vents into the air because with the inline type you still make use of the vacuum action from the engine. I think it is more applicable to Turbo engines. No?

 

[haryv]

We have a oil scavange system on our jet engines.

Our helicopters also had a drain scupper on the side of our aircraft. Any oil that dropped would seep down the side of the fuselodge and run down a drip rail. The drip rail then would drain into a line where, it leads to the scupper. I would normally have to drain this scupper at every Basic Post Flight "PBO" inspection. It was for enviomental reasons and, to keep the flight clean of oil stains.

As for your vehicle,
Some oil will escape in your engine compartment so its a good idea to scavange the blow by oil and put a float level with mini pump inside the can. Once it fills to a given level it will pump the oil back into the engine.

 

[LanceCruiser]

I'm making a catch can set-up for my 1hd-t. I bought a Power Fist air compressor, air filter from Princess Auto for $25. I found a 3/8" dia. brass pipe 4''s long, and threaded on both ends from home depot. I cut it in half and tapered the cut ends, so the clear plastic tubing will slide on easier. I would have it installed right now, but I want to build a bracket to hang this from, using the factory bolt holes on the firewall. I plan on hanging other struff on that bracket as well, since there is a lot of space in this one area between the master cylinder and engine. Sorry I don't have pics right now.

 

[rideglobally]

oil catch tank

i am also researching oil catch can for my 12ht diesel, i found this link just want to share it oil catch tank - Google Images
thanks

 

[finderscuba]

I'm making a catch can set-up for my 1hd-t. I bought a Power Fist air compressor, air filter from Princess Auto for $25. I found a 3/8" dia. brass pipe 4''s long, and threaded on both ends from home depot. I cut it in half and tapered the cut ends, so the clear plastic tubing will slide on easier. I would have it installed right now, but I want to build a bracket to hang this from, using the factory bolt holes on the firewall. I plan on hanging other struff on that bracket as well, since there is a lot of space in this one area between the master cylinder and engine. Sorry I don't have pics right now.

Are you still planning on plumbing back to the intake? Or just vent to atmosphere?

 

[Cancruiser]

I'm making a catch can set-up for my 1hd-t. I bought a Power Fist air compressor, air filter from Princess Auto for $25. I found a 3/8" dia. brass pipe 4''s long, and threaded on both ends from home depot. I cut it in half and tapered the cut ends, so the clear plastic tubing will slide on easier. I would have it installed right now, but I want to build a bracket to hang this from, using the factory bolt holes on the firewall. I plan on hanging other struff on that bracket as well, since there is a lot of space in this one area between the master cylinder and engine. Sorry I don't have pics right now.

Thanks for posting this. I was thinking of using something similar from Princess Auto (love this place ) since they seem to have cheap air/oil separators to play with. Post some pics please when you have it plumbed in. That'll be greatly appreciated..
Cheers

 

[Cancruiser]

This picture (from the link supplied by "rideglobally") summarizes the whole process. For TC engine, insert the Turbo before the "exhaust/muffler"
http://www.carbing.co.jp/english/products/catch/image/theory_oil.gif

 

[LanceCruiser]

Hey, Cancruiser. Here are some pics to give you an idea of how it will look like. I still have to do some tweeking.

Originally I found this 4" long pipe threaded on both ends, at Home Depot. I cut it in half, and tapered to help make the hose slide on easier. Then I found these 3/8""NPT with a 5/8" OD male barbed hose fittings for a more finished look at LORDCO.

I wanted to use original mounting holes, so I didn't have to drill new ones. I used a 3" strip of metal and bent it to the contours of the firewall, and marked the bolt holes. I then bent up an angle from stainless steel, and cut out sections to form it to the contours of the firewall. I made the angle this length, so in the future, I can hang other things off of it. The top of the firewall bracket sits just low enough to clear the hood, when it's closed.

I will have to re-make the filter to firewall bracket to hang about 4"s lower, to make it more inline with the blow-by outlet in the valve cover, but just high enough to keep it a little elevated.

I will post some more pics, when it's finished.

 

[Cancruiser]

Looks nice and tidy..
Thanks for sharing mate..
Cheers,

 

[finderscuba]

Hey, Cancruiser. Here are some pics to give you an idea of how it will look like. I still have to do some tweeking.
Originally I found this 4" long pipe threaded on both ends, at Home Depot. I cut it in half, and tapered to help make the hose slide on easier. Then I found these 3/8""NPT with a 5/8" OD male barbed hose fittings for a more finished look at LORDCO.

I wanted to use original mounting holes, so I didn't have to drill new ones. I used a 1" strip of metal and bent it to the contours of the firewall, and marked the bolt holes. I then bent up an angle from stainless steel, and cut out sections to form it to the contours of the firewall. I made the angle this length, so in the future, I can hang other things off of it. The top of the firewall bracket sits just low enough to clear the hood, when it's closed.

I will have to re-make the filter to firewall bracket to hang about 4"s lower, to make it more inline with the blow-by outlet in the valve cover, but just high enough to keep it a little elevated.

I will post some more pics, when it's finished.

Hey,

I was just wondering how your catch can setup is working for you. I have been eying the same air filter from Princess Auto (like a shoe store for men).

Couple questions about your setup: did you plumb back into the air intake? Or did you vent to atmosphere after the filter? How much oil are you collecting per month? Did your gray smoke decrease?

Thanks, and great catch can idea!

 

[Dieseler]

My concern with a collection system like above is it may cause a restriction on how the factory pipe would vent the engine naturally at various RPMs under normal driving conditions and if it is piped to the intake it will become a closed system and will the vacuum draw to much from the crank causing negative pressure inside the engine.
Engine need to breathe this would be the purpose of a PCV or a blowby on gas or diesle engine personally a soup can dangling from the blowby to catch the oil and keeps the oil from splattering all over everthing does it for me.

 

[Adam B]

Here's mine. I just removed the filter element from inside the oil/water seperator. It allows a ton of air to flow so I'm not worried about restriction. I ended up stuffing a wad of scrunched up wire inside it just to help give the oil something to stick to since it seemed to be passing an aweful lot of it straight through. It made a big difference.

It's plumbed in the original path with slightly longer hoses.

BTW, there isn't really "vacuum" acting on this like a gas engine - meaning there isn't negative pressure. It's more of a light air draw but it's enough to call it positive crankcase ventillation. Positive: meaning definite, certain, real. Not to be confused with "positive pressure".

http://gallery.flybc.ca/albums/91-Landcruiser/P3160071.jpg

 

[ForealBoreal]

i'll post a pic of mine. Its not installed yet though. Its sitting on my desk.
give me a bit I have homework

 

[rideglobally]

my oil catch can

i made mine, i think it is over build. i stuck brillo in it so that the oil coming from the breather will stay in the can. i plan to let it vent out and plug the return hole to the intake. any though about that? my understanding is that the return line to the intake is for emission purpose only.

 

[finderscuba]

i made mine, i think it is over build. i stuck brillo in it so that the oil coming from the breather will stay in the can. i plan to let it vent out and plug the return hole to the intake. any though about that? my understanding is that the return line to the intake is for emission purpose only.

That's not a catch can, that's a catch culvert!!

 

[9180ltd]

I see no reason why venting into the atmosphere is problematic. The recurculation is strictly as many have said for emissions purposes only. Look at any earily cummins or any off highway diesel that is not bound by emission regulations, the crankcase vent is a hose off the valve cover venting straight to the ground. I have seen this on cats, John deeres, izuzus, detroits, Perkins amongst others. I run a catch can that has baffels in it, it vents into the atmosphere. I consider this to be a happy medium between environment and engine cleanlyness. It's better for the environment than nothing since I'm catching the majority of the oil in the can and better for the engine since it's not coating the intake and turbo with oil with the bonus of no grey smoke the first time you get on it in the morning.