DIY: Oil Catch Can

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage you may do to yourself, engine or truck while following this guide.


At 25k miles I installed a SC and when the intake manifold was removed we discovered it had a layer of oil inside. The crankcase is sending a mix of oil vapor and waste gases out the PCV vent and into the intake system. If I knew what I know now, I would have done this when I bought the truck.

I was going to drop $100 on an oil catch can but thanks to Rich91710 he recommended I make one out of PVC.


Parts list:

2.5" PVC piping
2.5" PVC caps
Metal mesh (stamped in to 2 1/4" circles)
8/32" ss screws, spacers and nuts
1/2 - 13 Tap
27/64 (size) drill bit
1/4" drain cock
3/8" hose barb x 1/4" NPT
1/4" 90 elbow
PVC primer and glue
sand paper


I used a bench top drill press to drill all the holes (27/64 drill bit) and tapped with a 1/2-13 tap (drill set to lowest speed).



Installed barb connector and a modified 1/4" elbow



The elbow was ground down removing about half of the threads. I cut off the extra lenth of the screw and hammered the cut end to mushroom it (to keep the nut from coming loose).



On the output side of the elbow I ground it to a 45 and opened it up a bit.



The mesh circles were forced in and will not move. Sanded, cleaned and ready for assembly.


Primed, glued and ready to install. Ended up being about 9 1/2" tall


Still have to pick up a few feet of 3/8" fuel/vent hose and make a bracket.

 

Subd definitely trying this +1

 

That's pretty nifty

 

Definitely get the job done!

I see you thought to include a drain valve too, good design!

 

Stopped by auto zone and picked up 4' 3/8"ID file line and a 3/8" fuel filter.



I used (2) 2' lengths of hose, leaving enough slack to pull it out to drain.



Left over bracket from the supercharger



Ran out of time, zip tie is temporary.

 

Any update on this setup working

 

I haven't drained the can yet but did inspect the filter and found a drop of oil that tried to sneak by, otherwise it looks clean. The 3/8" fuel filter was only $4.00 so I think I will replace it every other oil change.

 

Nice

 

Good job

 

You can use a water filter for the air compresser..you can find them at lowes or home depot etc...lot less hassle. Or you can find all sorts of catch cans on ebay for round the same price you would spend on all these materials.

 

What does the catch can do again? Subbed

 

Primarily for turbo/supercharged applications where high cylinder pressures and high intake vacuum result in high PCV flow...

This goes in the PCV line between the crankcase and the intake tract, and provides a place for oil vapor to condense so it does not contaminate the intake system.

It's not a huge deal, it just keeps the intake a bit cleaner, particularly the throttle body butterfly, but it's something that makes routine maintenance a bit easier.
It's really overkill for a normally aspirated engine, but it won't hurt.

 

Made one very simular to your design. then touched it up with some nice magnetic gray spray paint. after only 20 miles i opened mine up to find a drop of oil already sitting on the bottom!

 

Looks good and like the bracket.

 

thanks. i picked it up from the hardware store for around two dollars. also used the stock hole in the firewall. found a bolt with the right threads and it works out very well

 

Nice DIY project! One good source for the metal mesh media is a replacement grease trap filter from an exhaust hood. They are aluminum, so easy to cut. I need to do this for my truck. Just haven't had time.

 

Or the aluminum lath material available at home improvement stores.

A nice, loose coil should do the job nicely. Coil too tight and the oil may tend to hang around in the upper area of the can and be drawn into the outlet.

I like the idea of the fuel filter on the outlet. A concern that I have with the DIY PVC cans is that the vibration of the truck can cause the baffle material to abrade the PVC and allow it to pass into the outlet... the fuel filter will catch that, will last for a long time (I'd change it with the air filter at 30k), and they're dirt cheap.

 

You have a pipe bomb in your engine bay

 

I have searched for info and not found any specific to oil catch cans on the 2TR-FE 2.7L. Has anyone installed a catch can on their 2nd gen 2.7?

 

Just locate your breather line from the valve cover to the intake and install it there.