How-to PCV blow-by oil catch

[Beancooker]

I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU F**K UP YOUR CAR!!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O.k. this is a really easy mod, it won't give you horsepower, per se, but keeps you from burning any blow-by oil and dirtying your intake manifold. Also adding oil to gas lowers octane level. I was given this idea from IRISH44J, so thank him, I'm just passing along usefull information.

1. Go to Home Depot, look in the air compressor section and find a "huskey" brand water catch $10. Find two 3/8" brass nipples to fit the in and out sides of water catch $3.50. Find about 5ft. of 3/8"(inside diameter) hose, must be the reinforced kind (safe for vacuum) $7.50. Four hose clamps will be needed $2.00. One small roll of yellow teflon tape (for gas pipes and petrolium products) $1.25.

2. Assemble the nipples to the water catch (water catch will be your oil catch). Don't forget to use teflon tape on threads.

3. Find a good mounting point for your oil catch and mount in place. (I used the OEM airbox bracket)

4. Remove your OEM PCV valve hose. Attach a length of the new hose to the PCV valve and clamp in place. Run new hose to the "in" side of the oil catch. Attach to oil catch and clamp in place. Run new hose from "out" side of oil catch to the vacuum pipe on the intake manifold (where the OEM hose was connected). Clamp in place. Make sure everything is tight, start car and check for leaks. (If you smoke, lite a cig and hold it near the hose clamps to see if it draws smoke in)

5. IT WILL SOUND DIFFERENT than it used to. More of a whistle sound.

6. You're all done, have a beer (or a Pepsi) and catch some oil. Depending on your car and PCV valve you may catch a little or a lot of oil. If the catch tank fills in 50-100 miles check into a new PCV valve. I have a new PCV valve and catch about 3oz per 100-150 miles.

PICTURES (Click for full size)

[elwesso]

Great writeup!!!!!! I am going to add the photos to your post....

[Beancooker]

thanks for adding pics, I'm not too computer savvy.

[maxhopper]

Great job Bean, I'll be adding this to the how-to thread and the articles forum right away.

[lightsout]

thanks for the HOW-TO!!

This is what I ended up doing...i used your concept, but just kept the hoses a lot shorter and used the "hose support" to stabilize the unit! Oh, I also used the yellow Teflon tape on the glass threads.

thanks again...I plan on making a second one for the front PCV valve too!



::EDIT::

i ended up routing the hose directly off the intake manifold PCV valve instead of the pointless extension b/c the extension caused kinks in my hose line:





Modified by lightsout at 6:01 PM 10/8/2009
Modified by lightsout at 6:04 PM 10/8/2009

[lightsout]

i'm going to keep track of my oil-catch oil level for 300 miles and figure out EXACTLY how much oil our VQ30's would've sucked up in 1 oil change without the oil-catch(providing you change it every 3k miles, and for those of you who use synthetic 5k miles).i'll post my algebra formula here and get back to you with my numbers asap!

off to the gas station!

[loystock]

Excellent write-up indeed. Thanks, Bean.

But let me point out to other forum members that this is OPTIONAL in the I30.I35/Maxima (VG/VQ engines). Bean hinted it at the beginning of his writeup. This topic is covered in great detail in the M35/M45/Fuga forum and partly in the Q45/Cima forum. It is RECOMMENDED for M45/Q45 with VK engines, especially those with oil consumption issues.

I plan to install this on my 03Q45, though I don't have any oil consumption problem. The info provided by Bean plus the write-ups in the M45 forum give me a better idea on how to the mod.