Steeda Oil Seperator

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Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Having the PCV valve clean or dirty is not the point, and will not give the benefits of a catch can.
You are trapping blowby deposits, water, and oil that would otherwise get in the manifold, TB, valves, and CC. A catch can attenuates these deposits. [BTW, it is vaporization on a hot soak that gets the gunk in the manifold on the TB]


Cool, it looks like the system allows some time and perhaps some cooling for the [censored] to fall out of suspension from the vapor and collect in the can? Looks like I have some mods to do.
 
There was another one farther down the page but didnt advertise its capacity. Here is where I got/get mine:
http://www.jmfabrications.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=22


Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Originally Posted By: Challenger71
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/52205/10002/-1

here you go


I saw that one, but it doesn't hold a quart like he said. I saw some fuel filters with built in water separators that may have been a quart in size, so I hope that isn't what he's talking about.
 
Originally Posted By: Challenger71
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/52205/10002/-1

here you go


That's the 1, it does not hold a quart, my interpretation is a little bit off.
 
You could put one together for less money than that if you wanted to. Lowes has a nylon 1/4" NPT 90 degree elbow with a 3/8" hose barb for around $1.50, and if you get 2 of those and an oil/water separator for an air compressor, then fabricate a mounting plate you'll end up with something just like that Steeda part.
 
I doubt you'll need or even want a huge qt. size for a catch can.
Some of the larger ones are for special turbos or racing that are 100% dump systems, with little or no recirculation.
 
If we are talking cheap, how about putting a fuel filter inline.

A fuel filter with a 20 micron rating certainly would catch some oil vapors, since the Jegs unit has a 5 micron piece.
 
You would have to replace the fuel filter every few hundred miles. Once it is full, the fluid will get sucked into the engine anyway. The same goes for the oil separators, if you don't empty them then they stop working.
 
Perhaps the catch can could have a hose that goes to the oil pan, and a check valve that ensures that when the engine is off, that stuff flows down there?
 
Most of what is caught in a catch can is stuff you don't want in your crankcase. It's largely water and fuel, which would break down the oil or lower the TBN. There's oil in there too, but not enough to warrant trying to save it. Preventing that oil from being burned and causing carbon/gum to form in the engine is worth the effort of having to drain it occasionally.
 
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Most of what is caught in a catch can is stuff you don't want in your crankcase. It's largely water and fuel, which would break down the oil or lower the TBN. There's oil in there too, but not enough to warrant trying to save it. Preventing that oil from being burned and causing carbon/gum to form in the engine is worth the effort of having to drain it occasionally.


chevrofreak is correct about this.
 
a friend saw my name on this thread, and asked if i got any flak about my catch can during my emissions test about 2-3 weeks ago. he thought that there might be an issue, as i had altered an emissions related oem setup. i told him that the mechanic said nothing, and that my truck passed with very good numbers. imo, this is better for the environment,as the contaminants and oil vapors are kept out of the motor. has anyone heard of an instance where a catch can installation was an issue ?
 
I would think the only issue would be that you would have better tailpipe numbers.

I definetly plan on putting this air/oil seperator on my Marauder as well as my El Camino that has a carburetor on it.

The weather will have to be a little warmer before I get around to doing it on the El Camino.

I remember plugging the PCV nipple at the carburetor on my El Camino and letting it vent, but the car kept stalling so I put it back the way that it was on there.

I am leaning towards that Jegs piece.
 
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
You would have to replace the fuel filter every few hundred miles. Once it is full, the fluid will get sucked into the engine anyway. The same goes for the oil separators, if you don't empty them then they stop working.


They're fine if you can rig them to drain back to the engine. There's no requirement for a single inlet:single outlet configuration. You just put one inlet at the base ..and one inlet at the top. They'll argue with each other and decide which one is going to get the flow ..the other will be submerged. You just need a big enough chamber to remove most of the velocity. This is done with demister pads on vessels where the vapor is contaminated with what's being dewatered. You just need to size it big enough and orient it correctly (vertical) and you don't even need anything else.


Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Most of what is caught in a catch can is stuff you don't want in your crankcase. It's largely water and fuel, which would break down the oil or lower the TBN. There's oil in there too, but not enough to warrant trying to save it. Preventing that oil from being burned and causing carbon/gum to form in the engine is worth the effort of having to drain it occasionally.


That's where it came from. I'd rather have the buffering in the oil take the hit than the valves and combustion chambers. The moisture will volatilize while the "much harder to volatilize" oil will remain.


For example, if you attached a drain hose to the bottom nipple there and just left it like that (assuming that you tee'd that hose back to the same point that you tapped the other inlet hose. The same loss of velocity would occur. The same oil would be collected. The two hoses would reach some equilibrium with the one at the base having gravity adding to its "load". The vapor flow would seek the path of least resistance and take the high road ..just like it does now without the drain hose.

CatchCan002.jpg


How much oil do you think is going to make it out of this chamber in this EXTREME example?? (double or triple click)

 
Gary, where did you get that oil/air seperator or is that just a catch can.

That kind of looks like the Jegs item.
 
It looks like an oil separator for a compressed air setup. It's from the link posted above.
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Just put oil separator into google ...tons of them. I guess you should put water separator in there. In compressed air ..it ends up doing both.
 
I read somewhere that a catch can will reduce oil consumption. How would it do that? I really like the idea and can see how it would reduce emissions, but the reduction of oil use is puzzling.

Thanks!
Frank D
 
If nothing else is altered, I would tend to think that it wouldn't. If it added any resistance of merit, it would merely send the excessive blow by out the fresh air vent above the throttle body. OTOH, if it was compensating for a design flaw, then I guess it would inhibit the entraining flow to a sensible level.
 
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