Installing a catch can by pcv valve

[Cobb]

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[user removed]

Possibly a leaking head gasket. The muddy liquid sounds like a mix of coolant and oil. Are you loosing any coolant?

regards
Mech

[jeff88]

Nice work Cobb! What did you use for the 'can'? I've researched doing this mod, but can't seem to find any definite answer: is it advisable to re-use the oil?

Is that the stock battery location or did you move it there?

Since you mentioned it in the video, can you talk about the noodle mod? I imagine it's for insulation, but what are the benefits?

[2000mc]

i switched from a pcv valve to an orifice pcv a few years ago, improved my oil mileage by somewhere between 33-50%

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Possibly a leaking head gasket. The muddy liquid sounds like a mix of coolant and oil. Are you loosing any coolant?

regards
Mech

i've been seeing a pool of nasty looking oil in the intake tube on all the gm 3.6s right by the pcv breather tube. i was guessing aerated oil mixing with humid air. either way, i wouldnt pour it back in

[spacemanspif]

Is that your video?? There are MUCH better cans on the market. I bought the one in the video and it was junk. Just a hollow can with the intake and exhaust right next to each other...and those shark fittings for the sight glass leaked like crazy.

For an affordable version look at air/oil separators in the air compressor aisle of your local hardware store. They will need some modification to the drain valve because they are made to work on pressure but will come out total to around $30. I currently have my eye on the Craftsman one at sears because the drain isn't pressure/vacuum operated. Thinking of making my own as a welding project though.

Both my cars have cans on them. The Monte has a RXperformance can I got second hand and the Saturn is running a Harbor Freight air/oil separator. The brown stuff is oil/water mix, its normal to see that during cooler temperatures. I put the oil back in the Saturn if it is not brown and frothy but if its mostly water it goes in the waste oil jug.

All cars can benefit from a good catch can, stock baffle systems don't work well enough and as a result, oil coats the inside of the intake manifold; including the intake valve. The valve tends to be cleaned by the spray of the injectors but the oil just builds up and cokes on to the intake. I often wonder how much better a car would perform if it had a catch can on from day 1 compared to one that didn't.

If you like to spend money some good (buy pricey) catch can brands I've looked into are Saiku Mitchi, Mike Norris, RXperformance and the new Mishimoto design. An open can will work quite well because most of the separation happens when the air coming in slows down inside of the larger volume of the can. Just make sure that your in/out ports are not right next to or directly across from each other; those methods tend to encourage the air coming into the can to be sucked right back out with little separation of oil vapor.

If you are collecting that much oil you need to find the cause, and let the collected oil sit in a glass jar for days/weeks to allow the water and oil to separate so you know what your water/oil ratio is. I get a lot of brown stuff in the winter but in summer time is all just black oil.

[Cobb]

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[2000mc]

anywhere in particular in the hose? what size ID and OD and how would you get it to stay upright? i think the orifice type pcv's usually have about a .100" hole

[Cobb]

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[serialk11r]

As the owner of a heavy oil burner, a catch can would definitely improve gas mileage in the long run by letting the O2 sensors last longer. Also burned oil destroys cats and that is a potential liability down the road.