Cheapo Catch Can idea

[Vimmy]

Hi Guys, after finding a good bit of oil in both sides of the turbo impeller I was after a catch can to capture it all, save it from my intake.

There were oodles about for silly money but looking nice and shiny. Being a tight fisted kind of guy I set about making my own and after a shop on ebay for the parts, which cost in total less than 20 quid, I have come up with a 'temporary/test' unit.

The parts consist of 1 microwave proof plastic lockable container, a couple of 1/2inch barbed hose connectors, 1 small piece of aluminium plate for the baffle, a couple of 1/2inch 90 degree plastic elbows, a short length of 1/2inch clear braided hose, a couple of M8 nuts/bolts and a couple super scourers (stainless of course) I know it looks like something from scrapheap challenge, but if it works it will do, and it is still in a project phase, not production

Some piccies below...

With the feeds to the Turbo Inlet/PCV pipe ready

Umm from the side on

From the front, I know yes it does look like an alien

From the right...

Fromn the left...

I plan to add some sponge type material (below the S/S wool) as well to remove the finer oily vapours as the stainless steel wool will only attract the larger droplets in the vapour. Anyhoo it is cheap as chips and will be designed to draw the 'cleaned' air back into the system. After doing a good bit of research I know where to plug it into to make a very easy install, however getting to the pipe means taking a lot of exising fmic pipework out, but will be worth the agro.

Also being clear plastic, you will be able to see the levels of blowby vapour, as it condenses, that are being captured, I'll give it a lick of paint and place it not far from the turbo close to the firewall (somehow)

Cheers,

Col

[sti pretender]

Looks like a real money saver, will be interesting to see how well it works.

What sizes is the catch tank just thinking a waste/rainwater pipe clip might fit as a holder

[stum450n]

Nicely done Col. That didn't take you long to get your head around/make... I think you're wasted playing around with electronics mate - you should be on Blue Peter, Rum in hand teaching the kiddies how to modify their cars

[Vimmy]

Looks like a real money saver, will be interesting to see how well it works.

What sizes is the catch tank just thinking a waste/rainwater pipe clip might fit as a holder

Hello mate, I'll take some measurements when I get home tonight and post them up. I was racking my brains for a bracket but your idea sounds like the way forward, thanks for the inspiration

Cheers,

Col

[Vimmy]

Nicely done Col. That didn't take you long to get your head around/make... I think you're wasted playing around with electronics mate - you should be on Blue Peter, Rum in hand teaching the kiddies how to modify their cars

Thanks Stu, it's been on my list of things to do for a while, whilst getting all the other 'things' done on the car. I have to admit there are a certain ammount of satisfaction gained from 'bodging' something together, and hoping it will work too

I like the Blue Peter idea with the rum, bit they'd have to change the name to Blotto Peter

[Vimmy]

Here is a wee piccy showing the length and top and bottom diameters..

A quick search on the B+Q site give up two 110mm dia brackets, this one in black the other grey:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9272459&fh_view_size=50&fh_start_index=50&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=pipe&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&isSearch=true

It's not very glam or blingy aka fat n furious but it will hold it in place at the top of the can, it would mean a couple of self tappers into the firewall or nut/bolts into another bracket secured to the car, that bit is still to be figured out.

Cheers,

Col

[DaOne]

I think for the classic you need 4 ports.

3 the same size

1 for left rocker

1 for right rocker

1 for the breather next to the turbo

then 1x bigger one to vent to atmos

[DaOne]

if you look at my picture, you can hee it at the back where the tmic use to be

Edited May 5, 2011 by DaOne

[Vimmy]

Hi DaOne, thanks for the info and the piccy makes it easier to picture (pardon the pun). I was planning on venting from the rocker covers, in fact I was already venting them to atmos via a pipe and mini KN type filter. However the info I read about venting the rocker covers as I understood it, to me anyway, was wrong.

I have amended a piccy of a spare manifold I have to show my thinking.

According to scooby manuals/web sites I have trawled through, it appears that the rockers covers take their feed for fresh air (right hand arrow) from the turbo inlet pipe, this is an input only, there should be no air coming back out from the rocker covers. There as a section metal piping that feeds both rocker covers from this inlet pipe and the final section ends in a short rubber hose to the rocker covers.

From here, somehow as yet i dont know how, the air makes it's way through the crank case and back out via an outlet that appears between the turbo impeller and throttle body.

Based on the piccy above, the upward facing arrow is the direction of the air flow leaving the crank case. From my readings when the intake manifold is at vacuum pressure ie idleing or partial throttle then the PCV (left facing arrow) draws this blowby/crank case gas into the intake manifold and reburns it. When the intake manifold pressure increases ie at higher throttle opening then the PCV closes and the blowby gas/air is drawn in via the turbo impeller,(right facing arrow) through the turbo and TMIC or like mine leaves gunk in the first FMIC pipe.

The pipe that that connects the crank case outlet is effectively a Y shape. The crank case is at the bottom, the PCV branches to the left and the turbo inlet pipe branches to the right. I plan to put my can input feed right onto the crank case outlet, the can return then reconnects back into what would be the bottom of the Y.

This now means that the intake/turbo still pulls the air through the rocker covers and backout via the crank case but is now filtered and cleaned (hopefully). If the output of the crank case is vented to atmosphere instead, then there is nothing but the force of the incoming air (from the air filter) to move the air through the crank case and remove the corrosive gases within. As the air coming in from the air filter is sucked in at a great rate by the turbo, then the chances of some of this air being diverted away and making its way to the rocker covers is reduced. With less air coming through the crank case then there is more chance that the blowby gasses remain within the crank case.

I have copied an extract from the manual, I'm hoping this explains my ramblings above.

I am by no means saying that my idea on the install is correct, I have seen lots on the web/forums with many different variations of setting up the CC to work but to me this gets the best of both worlds.

[Vimmy]

if you look at my picture, you can hee it at the back where the tmic use to be

Hello mate, what medium did you use in the catch can, it's looks a solid bit of kit. I was planning to use some stainless wool i.e. stainless brillo pad as the first piece then a bit of sponge like the spongy things used for washing dishes to catch the finer vapours.

Cheers,

Col