You mean the hose fittings? They're metal.
Is it safe to install an oil catch can?
- Thread starter kilou
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The 90 degree fittings coming off the can?
yup
Nice...
Mine's made of straight-throughs, in-line with the existing hose, just snipped it and inserted it. It hides, but I took it off before I took it to the stealer anyway, and put a straight-through hose back on.
Talk about paranoid, eh?
Mine's made of straight-throughs, in-line with the existing hose, just snipped it and inserted it. It hides, but I took it off before I took it to the stealer anyway, and put a straight-through hose back on.
Talk about paranoid, eh?
Hey, I'd do the same! Stealers will find any excuse...
Cripes!!! My car must have a ****tas of blowby. She's half full with a hair less than 500 miles!!!
If a more restrictive ventilation system increases crankcase pressure it can do more harm than good. Positive crankcase pressure increases piston blow by and increases the amount of oil getting up past the rings. The pressure tends to lift the rings off the ring lands reducing the seal.
The question is how to know if a catch can causes an increase in crankcase pressure due to possible restriction. As said before probably the best way to check this is measuring the vaccuum at the dipstick: if the vacuum reading is lower with the catch can than it is without -> the catch can should not be installed. If however the vacuum is the same with and without the catch can, crankcase pressure (in this case vacuum) is not affected by the catch can and the latter can only be beneficial to the engine. Is there anything wrong with this reasoning?
I installed my Home Depot catch can this past summer on my '97 Maxima. Mine was made by Campbell Hausfield I think. I have run it with and without the filter stone, and really can't tell a difference in volume of what is caught. I can definitely tell the difference between Castrol GTX 5w30 and GC, though. It is very repeatable, and I even keep track of it in my mileage spreadsheet. I marked my plastic can at 10ml (.338 oz?), and check it often. With GTX 5w30, I'd get to 10 ml in about 300-350 miles or so. With GC, it takes 550-600. I'm not sure why there's a difference, unless it shows that GC is less volatile than GTX? My driving habits are roughly the same. I was however doing an Auto RX treatment while using the GTX (both phases). I installed the GC after the rinse phase. I guess this could be another factor in volume it is catching, but I'm not sure.
Also interesting, is this past week or two the temps at night have finally been getting cool (low 50's). In the heat of the summer (never below 75), the gunk it caught was just really black oily stuff. I emptied it yesterday, and the gunk was a chocolate milkshake color, and the bottom of it appeared to be water. I mixed it up, and it settled back out, with the oil floating on the water. I poured it on a paper towel and tried to light it, but it would not catch fire at all. I attribute this to the cooler temps at night allowing more condensation in my engine, and the catch can is catching it. This would definitely be a plus. Or I have thought that maybe I have a head gasket leak, but don't know if it could cause this. I don't have any symptoms of a head gasket leak, though. Has anyone else noticed this with dropping temps?
I was very limited as to where I could mount it and still have decent access to it for emptying. A buddy gave me a large roll of 3/8's stainless steel tubing and some stainless compression fittings with the 1/4 NPT threads (I think that's the standard for air compressor stuff). I installed the catch can behind my passenger headlight, and spent hours bending the stainless tubing with a tubing bender. It took awhile to run the tubing where it would still appear "stock" (or about as stock as it could get). Did I mention it took hours to bend it all just right? But the end result is well worth it. I originally had used 3/8 fuel line, but it looked really out of place. My buddy saw it, didn't like how "monstrous" it looked, and gave me the stainless tubing with a tubing bender. The stainless has a much thinner overall diameter, while having the same inside diameter. It's much stronger, so no chance of a rupture or it collapsing. It's also impervious to any fluids, easy to clean, and just looks really nice. I did use about 4-6 inches of rubber emissions hose at the engine ends to allow for movement. I didn't think it would be good to have it totally rigid and be stressed by the engine rocking. It took about 8 feet total to plumb it where I've got it. I also fabricated a small bracket to mount it to my inner fender instead of using zip ties. I thought it would make for a cleaner install.
I've since seen pics of other Maxima's with it mounted in a different spot (near the passenger firewall), and may check in to relocating mine there. My main concerns would be accessibility for draining, and engine heat preventing the gases to condense back to liquids. Anyone have any thoughts about that?
If I knew how to post pics, I'd put some on here to help with the discussion.
Hope this helps.
Dave
Also interesting, is this past week or two the temps at night have finally been getting cool (low 50's). In the heat of the summer (never below 75), the gunk it caught was just really black oily stuff. I emptied it yesterday, and the gunk was a chocolate milkshake color, and the bottom of it appeared to be water. I mixed it up, and it settled back out, with the oil floating on the water. I poured it on a paper towel and tried to light it, but it would not catch fire at all. I attribute this to the cooler temps at night allowing more condensation in my engine, and the catch can is catching it. This would definitely be a plus. Or I have thought that maybe I have a head gasket leak, but don't know if it could cause this. I don't have any symptoms of a head gasket leak, though. Has anyone else noticed this with dropping temps?
I was very limited as to where I could mount it and still have decent access to it for emptying. A buddy gave me a large roll of 3/8's stainless steel tubing and some stainless compression fittings with the 1/4 NPT threads (I think that's the standard for air compressor stuff). I installed the catch can behind my passenger headlight, and spent hours bending the stainless tubing with a tubing bender. It took awhile to run the tubing where it would still appear "stock" (or about as stock as it could get). Did I mention it took hours to bend it all just right? But the end result is well worth it. I originally had used 3/8 fuel line, but it looked really out of place. My buddy saw it, didn't like how "monstrous" it looked, and gave me the stainless tubing with a tubing bender. The stainless has a much thinner overall diameter, while having the same inside diameter. It's much stronger, so no chance of a rupture or it collapsing. It's also impervious to any fluids, easy to clean, and just looks really nice. I did use about 4-6 inches of rubber emissions hose at the engine ends to allow for movement. I didn't think it would be good to have it totally rigid and be stressed by the engine rocking. It took about 8 feet total to plumb it where I've got it. I also fabricated a small bracket to mount it to my inner fender instead of using zip ties. I thought it would make for a cleaner install.
I've since seen pics of other Maxima's with it mounted in a different spot (near the passenger firewall), and may check in to relocating mine there. My main concerns would be accessibility for draining, and engine heat preventing the gases to condense back to liquids. Anyone have any thoughts about that?
If I knew how to post pics, I'd put some on here to help with the discussion.
Hope this helps.
Dave
This is exactly how mine was last winter. Don't worry its normal. All summer long its black, then in colder temps it was milky the whole time.
There seem to be a few different separators being used. Husky, Harbor Frieght, and Campbell Hausfeld. Can you guys post up what you are using, where you bought, and what you did to modify/fit it to your car. Might make it easier for those of us trying to wade through all this.
I bought mine at Home Depot or Lowes (can't remember which right now). I've also bought one at WalMart for my air compressor. One is a Campbell Hausfeld, and the other a Husky. They look identical, except the Campbell Hausfeld "cap" is blue, whereas the Husky's is black. They both cost approx $12 or so US.
For the connections, I originally used 1/4" male NPT x 3/8" barbed 90 degree fittings with 3/8" emissions hose (all of which can be bought at Home Depot for a couple dollars). Whether or not you need straight fittings or 90 degree ones will depend on where you want to mount it. After my stainless steel tubing install, I now have stainless 1/4" NPT x 3/8" 90 degree compression fittings made by a company called Hamlet. These would only be required if going through the trouble of using stainless tubing, and not wanting to use small pieces of hose to connect the stainless tubing to the barbed fittings.
For mounting to the car, a lot of people use zip ties to attach it to an existing hose or bracket. I used an angle brace to attach mine to my inner fender behind my passenger headlight. The seperators I use have two mounting holes already on the top of them. They aren't threaded, but a self tapping sheetmetal screw (#8 x 1/2") works perfectly. The top is supposedly made of nickel or something, and accepts the self-tapping screws easily.
If you PM me an email address, I'll take some pics of my setup and send them to you.
Dave
For the connections, I originally used 1/4" male NPT x 3/8" barbed 90 degree fittings with 3/8" emissions hose (all of which can be bought at Home Depot for a couple dollars). Whether or not you need straight fittings or 90 degree ones will depend on where you want to mount it. After my stainless steel tubing install, I now have stainless 1/4" NPT x 3/8" 90 degree compression fittings made by a company called Hamlet. These would only be required if going through the trouble of using stainless tubing, and not wanting to use small pieces of hose to connect the stainless tubing to the barbed fittings.
For mounting to the car, a lot of people use zip ties to attach it to an existing hose or bracket. I used an angle brace to attach mine to my inner fender behind my passenger headlight. The seperators I use have two mounting holes already on the top of them. They aren't threaded, but a self tapping sheetmetal screw (#8 x 1/2") works perfectly. The top is supposedly made of nickel or something, and accepts the self-tapping screws easily.
If you PM me an email address, I'll take some pics of my setup and send them to you.
Dave
My original rubber PCV hosing is so rigid, I just mounted it inline, used the spring clamps at the PCV valve and intake, and baby hose clamps at the can. Other than that, it "floats", not mounted to anything, just rides the hose connections.
It isnt heavy, and keeps the length of the run the same as stock. Didn't want to route it all over the underside of the hood. Best to keep the runs shorter, anyway. Simpler to replace with just a hose when it has to go back to the Stealer, too!
It isnt heavy, and keeps the length of the run the same as stock. Didn't want to route it all over the underside of the hood. Best to keep the runs shorter, anyway. Simpler to replace with just a hose when it has to go back to the Stealer, too!
Just cleaned my PCV Valve, hoses were brittle. The hose is ver short. When I get a chance, I will get a measurment on the hose, and then go to the store and look for a filter here.
For the record I put a Wal-Mart Campbell Hausfeld one on my '00 Camry I4 a few thousand miles ago. Collected the goo at the last OC and plan to have it analyzed for the heck of it. GC in there. I mounted it where the AC lines go through the firewall. No complaints.
One more question, are you guys mounting the filter before the PCV valve, or after?
After; you can see in my picture one line comes from the PCV and the other line goes to the intake manifold.
Wouldn't you want to keep that junk out of the PCV valve?
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