Breather/catch can setups

[87we410877]

Im gonna make something. I'll post up when im done.

 

[turbofabricator]

I've always installed Total Seal Gapless rings to stop blowby.

Total seal rings are not a good idea IMO. Read up on how they cause real problems on a RUNNING engine. They cause top ring flutter under high cylinder pressures. Check out speedtalk.com and search for gapless rings. There are VERY few folks building engines these days with TS rings. Total Seal standard rings are good, but gapless are a problem child. Leak down tests show good results, but in a running engine they cause too many problems.
I've seen the results on a 1,000 mile high boost engine with Total Seal TOP rings EAT the ring land right out of the piston, too. I avoid TS rings at ALL costs. (gapless, that is.)
IF it's good enough for NHRA Pro Stock, it's good enough for me. They use standard ring packages. Darrin Morgan states that he has tried every type of piston ring there is and he has found no gain in any gapless rings, just problems.
Back to the question at hand, though. Check to make sure the breathers are not open to splash oil off the rockers. Head gasket and ring seal will also cause oil vapor problems. Do a leak down on your engine to determine the health of your rings and head gaskets. Under boost, the cylinder can lift the head and leak pressure into the crank case and cause oil leaks. Leaking PCV valve can do the same. Just plug your PCV valve for a while to see if the problem is significantly reduced.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I made a baffle for my driver's side breather out of a lip balm container. It's 100% effective in keeping oil from dripping from the breather and the breather still functions as intended. I've been running it this way for about 4 years now.

To keep the intake from sucking oil thru the PCV, I installed a catch can and mounted it on the back of the turbo heat shield. The heat in this area allows the catch can to only have oil drop out of the vapor the PCV sucks. It too is extremely effective as my throttle body and doghouse have been dry since I cleaned them when I installed the catch can. I tried a bunch of DIY catch can gizmos and the AMW can I finally purchased was far and away better than anything I could come up with.

That's a slick looking setup! Looks factory to me!
Can you post a how-to?:biggrin:

 

[VadersV6]

I just machined an aluminum plug with an o-ring that pushed into my aluminum breather tower on the drivers side, with a threaded hole and a pipe fitting in the top. It ran to the catch can, (which was just a pneumatic water collector...accumulates water in the air system before it can reach the machine and damage components that are running off compressed air.) then another hose running to a horizontally mounted factory PCV valve (only one to use...most others leak boost), and from there it ran to the factory PCV steel tube coming off the vacuum block. I originally had the catch can running to the PCV valve in the intake manifold itself, but I was having to empty the can every few days cause it was sucking up so much oil under the manifold, and this is even with a pan type intake gasket that shields it from oil...supposedly. After switching to the valve cover mounted setup, I could go 4 months between emptying it. Ive gone back to the stock setup with no catch can, with a breather on the passenger side valve cover, but I machined a new knurled plug that pops into the aluminum breather tower....theres no breather anymore. pretty sweet looking setup, and it works fine. It really cut down on all the fumes that were making my eyes water every time I put a load on my car, that were coming out of the drivers side breather filter.

 

[PsYcHo GN]

What is that hose coming off your up-pipe connected to a bosch solenoid or something?

 

[stickybones]

That's a slick looking setup! Looks factory to me!
Can you post a how-to?:biggrin:

It's all quite simple and effective.

Take an ordinary empty small circular “container” like a lip balm container or a shampoo bottle top; whatever fits into your breather tube snuggly. I used a lip balm container for my application. Drill holes in the periphery of the container for air to pass through. I used a 1/4” and 1/8” drill holes. (I first removed and discarded the cap and cut the container height to about ½” high.) Don’t drill a hole in the center where it will line up with the hole in the K&N breather. Put the drilled container into the breather stem all the way to the bottom. Make sure it fits snuggly. I put it “cup” side down. I put a bead if silicon around the upper edge of the breather stem for a leak-proof seal since my K&N breather fits loosely in the stem. If yours is snug, you may not need to do this. Insert breather. I use 3 small screws to attach the breather to the stem. I let the silicon dry overnight before use in the car. See sequence of pictures.

As for the catch can, I bought it from Accurate Machine Works Retail - PCV Catch Cans several years ago (it was half the price then). Nothing special about the hookup. Using the stock PCV hole in the intake manifold floor, I just run a line from the PCV valve to the top port (inlet) on the catch can and then another hose from the side (outlet) port to the throttle body via the stock hard line. I use a check valve in the line to the throttle body to keep boost out of the can. Probably doesn’t matter, but I thought it was a good idea.

 

[87we410877]

Total seal rings are not a good idea IMO. Read up on how they cause real problems on a RUNNING engine. They cause top ring flutter under high cylinder pressures. Check out speedtalk.com and search for gapless rings. There are VERY few folks building engines these days with TS rings. Total Seal standard rings are good, but gapless are a problem child. Leak down tests show good results, but in a running engine they cause too many problems.
I've seen the results on a 1,000 mile high boost engine with Total Seal TOP rings EAT the ring land right out of the piston, too. I avoid TS rings at ALL costs. (gapless, that is.)
IF it's good enough for NHRA Pro Stock, it's good enough for me. They use standard ring packages. Darrin Morgan states that he has tried every type of piston ring there is and he has found no gain in any gapless rings, just problems.
Back to the question at hand, though. Check to make sure the breathers are not open to splash oil off the rockers. Head gasket and ring seal will also cause oil vapor problems. Do a leak down on your engine to determine the health of your rings and head gaskets. Under boost, the cylinder can lift the head and leak pressure into the crank case and cause oil leaks. Leaking PCV valve can do the same. Just plug your PCV valve for a while to see if the problem is significantly reduced.

The motor was just rebuilt and hasnt hit more than 15 lbs of boost for a few seconds. Its always done this. Even with the old motor.