Oil Catch Can Recommendation

[rn240sx]

Anyone heard of this brand..??

http://www.eliteengineeringusa.com/catch-cans/

Seem to be built well, although their mounting brackets are vehicle specific… and of course not for the 240sx…

Otherwise, what do you guys recommend..?? What have you used with great results..??

[blkvrtswp]

My recommendations for S13 - keep it as close to stock as possible. Unless you have more than the normal blowby (for example, my catch can is dry as a bone - always - on stock red-top SR with turbo upgrade - but I don't track the car):

1) Stick with a cheap one, $50 on eBay. Baffles are good but not worth $100+ when (see #3).

2) DO NOT VENT TO ATMOSPHERE. Keep stock (working) PCV valve. Run using stock valve cover tee and stock crankcase nipple and run to intake after MAF but before turbo.

3) Use copper "steel wool' in the empty can; copper increases oil vapor scouring over steel wool and does not disintegrate - (so far after 2 years).

If you race and go up hills, hard cornering under high boost then you may need more than this simple, almost 100% stock setup.

Good luck.

[rn240sx]

DO NOT VENT TO ATMOSPHERE. Keep stock (working) PCV valve. Run using stock valve cover tee and stock crankcase nipple and run to intake after MAF but before turbo.

So if i am understanding this correctly… You want me to connect the valve cover vent hose to the pcv hose thru a Tee connector and run that to the turbo intake side..??

[blkvrtswp]

No, leave the PCV alone. Stock setup runs from crank nipple to a separator can down under the turbo manifold, then to the firewall side of the S13 valve cover tee. Then from the front side of the tee it goes directly into the rubber OEM intake tube after the MAF and before the turbo.

If you have an aftermarket exhaust manifold, the OEM separator can will not fit. So instead of running from the front of the tee to the rubber intake tube, install the aftermarket catch can inline here, keep the lines sealed (no venting) and connected to the original stock locations.

Hope that is clear.

[rn240sx]

No, leave the PCV alone. Stock setup runs from crank nipple to a separator can down under the turbo manifold, then to the firewall side of the S13 valve cover tee. Then from the front side of the tee it goes directly into the rubber OEM intake tube after the MAF and before the turbo.

If you have an aftermarket exhaust manifold, the OEM separator can will not fit. So instead of running from the front of the tee to the rubber intake tube, install the aftermarket catch can inline here, keep the lines sealed (no venting) and connected to the original stock locations.

Hope that is clear.

Now i understand what you are trying to say.. Even though you have an sr20, its the same concept.. I have a fully built ka-t.

Right now my pcv is closed… there is no intake manifold vacuum to open during idle or cruise… My intake manifold ports that used to go to the pcv have been sealed shut to prevent boost leaks… So now my pcv is still physically in the air/oil separator box attached to the block and the hose that is attached to it is just there doing nothing so basically my pcv is NOT functional at this time… Which means all my blow by / crankcase gas' are coming up to the valve cover breather which i currently have a hose going from it to a glass bottle next to my battery to catch the crap that comes out when i boost the heck out of it lol…

This car is NOT daily driven.. i only take it to work on the weekend's that i have to work and occasionally to car meets on sat nights.. otherwise it sits in the garage…

So my question is… is my setup ok or do i really need to do something about this setup..??

[blkvrtswp]

Ah, sorry - I should have noticed the KA-T in your profile blurb. If it's not stock turbo, I really do not know what to recommend. Someone else will have to comment on what to do with PVC, ports etc. on KA.

I know having vacuum pulling on the crankcase is a good thing - better than just open to atmosphere - and much better than having it sealed up.

If you are getting only minor overflow/blowby like you have it, you could just get a pretty, cheap $40 eBay can with a filter on top.

[rn240sx]

Ah, sorry - I should have noticed the KA-T in your profile blurb. If it's not stock turbo, I really do not know what to recommend. Someone else will have to comment on what to do with PVC, ports etc. on KA.

I know having vacuum pulling on the crankcase is a good thing - better than just open to atmosphere - and much better than having it sealed up.

If you are getting only minor overflow/blowby like you have it, you could just get a pretty, cheap $40 eBay can with a filter on top.

reading what you wrote, its obvious that you know how the pcv works… I really do not want to vent the pcv or vc to atmosphere… IMO that really does nothing good for the oil.. Sure its vented so that it does not re-enter into the combustion chamber but at the same time its really just sitting there doing nothing… The vapors may be pushed up to the oil catch can by extreme crankcase pressure (wot) but at idle and normal cruising, i don't see how the blow by can make its way up, i am not seeing it..
Again the whole point to the pcv is to extract the crankcase air to help preserve the oil to last longer, and if we vent both those to atmosphere, we are not "technically" extracting the air from the crankcase..

My setup was to take the pcv OUT… put in an open air fitting (3/8npt to hose barb) and attach a hose to it and take this hose to a catch can… then from the catch can run a hose to the turbo inlet… Then take the vc and place a breather on it…

we know that the turbo spins at idle, cruise and under boost…. Which means a constant suction… which means if the turbo is spinning and sucking out crankcase air, that means the vc will be allowing IN fresh filtered air as designed by factory…

that is unless the turbo is not capable of pulling out the crankcase air at idle or cruising speed..?? The last time i took off my intake filter and put my hand to close off the pipe, it sucked my hand in pretty good and when my hand closed that pipe, that motor about died…!!! So i would say that it should have enough suction to pull out the crankcase air which allowing the vc to suck in..

[blkvrtswp]

The engine itself will pull a vacuum at idle - no need for the turbo to do it.

I think the issue on non-stock turbo engines is that the PCV setup is not designed to see positive pressure, so it needs to be changed or modified so you do not pressurize the VC/crankcase with turbo boost.

Once this is handled, you can mimic the SR turbo setup and route it back into the intake before the turbo, don't vent to atmosphere, and put the can between the VC breather port and the intake inlet port.

[rn240sx]

The engine itself will pull a vacuum at idle - no need for the turbo to do it.

I think the issue on non-stock turbo engines is that the PCV setup is not designed to see positive pressure, so it needs to be changed or modified so you do not pressurize the VC/crankcase with turbo boost.

Once this is handled, you can mimic the SR turbo setup and route it back into the intake before the turbo, don't vent to atmosphere, and put the can between the VC breather port and the intake inlet port.

Let me ask what you think about this setup..

Remove the pcv and place a 3/8 npt to hose barb then tee'd to the VC then routed together to one port on the catch can, then the other port of the catch can vented to atmosphere…?? This way the crankcase can just breathe on its own with no restriction… Sure there is no crankcase vapor/blow by evacuation but at least it can breathe..

[blkvrtswp]

What about the crank case vent? Does KA have one? I just remove KAs ha ha ha - sorry I don't know if your setup is good or bad. Back to the basics:

negative pressure on crankcase is good
open to atmosphere is ok
positive pressure (like thru non-turbo PCV) is bad

[rn240sx]

What about the crank case vent? Does KA have one? I just remove KAs ha ha ha - sorry I don't know if your setup is good or bad. Back to the basics:

negative pressure on crankcase is good
open to atmosphere is ok
positive pressure (like thru non-turbo PCV) is bad

the ka has an oil/air separator box attached to the block, then the pcv is screwed into that box…
then there is a valve cover breather hole on the front side of the valve ever to allow fresh air in…

basically its setup so that fresh air enters the valve cover to mix with the crankcase and the pcv below sucks it all out…

[asoomal]

Depends if it's part throttle or WOT. Under WOT, the flow reverses.


For a catch can, I'd look for a MANN Hummel ProVent.