I ran a search and read almost all threads that began with the topic of an oil catch can, and while the question I have was asked it was never answered. Is there any need for anything, like a brillo pad that one person suggested, to be inside the catch can? If there is what, and if there isn't then how does the oil stay in the can and not pass right on through to the intake? thanks

 

i have had the greddy catch can for 10k miles. (no brillo pad added) every so often, i check the line that returns back to the intake and it has been dry. no trace of moisture or oil.

hope that helps, just my personal experience...

 

Gravity. The inlet and the outlet are located above the fluid level. So the oil comes in, falls to the bottom, and the air passes through.

 

Yes, to truly be effective and do the job, a catch can should have "baffles" inside to help condense the oil vapor coming from the pcv line.

What you should look for is:

1) the input connection and exit connection should be relatively far away from each other.

2) the vapor should not have a clear path between the input and the exit. Baffles prevent this.

You will notice when you shop around that most of the cathcans available have the input and exit right next to each other. Also, it is going to be hard to find any that come with baffles out of the box.

ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION: The baffles condense the oil vapor in the can, the oil drips to the bottom and it does not go through to your intake.

If you already have a catch can you may want to check it. If it doesn't have a baffled design, you probably should modify it. It is best to use a stainless material. I know some people use the copper scrubbing pads, but copper is actually a catalyst and makes the oil sludgy in the can...which is harder to drain.
It is probably going to surprise you that some of the more expensive cans don't use these 2 simple design features.

I am going to have a new pro aluminum catch can design available in a few days. You can check it out on my site if you like

 

I get what you're saying Saikou, but is "condense" really the best word to use for this process?

Condensation to me implies the removal of moisture (which could indeed be oil) from the air by use of temperature difference. I doubt there's going to be much of a temp. difference here. Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that this baffle "catches" or "traps" the oil particles, allowing the air to pass on through?

Not as fancy sounding I know...not trying to shoot ya down or anything. Sounds like you're on to something here and I look forward to seeing the finished product, just hate for you to lose any credibility.

You might also mention in your product description the benefits of oil vapor removal from the intake stream, like increased combustion potential, (oil vapor hampers combustion) and better thermal transfer on intercooler-equipped vehicles. (oil coats the intercooler, basically insulating it and hindering it's ability to cool the intake charge)

 

The engine enters the catch can as a vapor/maybe mist..?.....engine oil is essentially a mixture of different chain length/vapor pressure fluid and when heated by the engine heat, fractionally distillates. The slight vacuum created by the turbo/aif filter restriction helps "draw" the vapor out.

Having a can that is not "stuffed" is like not having one.

 

Exactly. The best evidence for this is to stick a Campbell-Hausfeld trap in the line using some clear tubing. You'll see the glass frit turn yellow long before you see any discoloration in the line. Which means that without the frit the oil mist is passing right through, where it will eventually collect *somewhere*.

Dave

 

con·den·sa·tion (kndn-sshn, -dn-)n.1. The act of condensing.
2. The state of being condensed.
3. A condensate.
4. An abridgement or shortening of something, especially of a written work or speech.
5. Physics a. The process by which a gas or vapor changes to a liquid.
b. The liquid so formed.

6. Chemistry A chemical reaction in which water or another simple substance is released by the combination of two or more molecules.



I am just trying to say that by including a baffle material, the vapor will tend to collect into a liquid form, otherwise it will enter the catch can freely and exit back into the intake which is not desired.

You are absolutely correct (Killboy) about the benefits, or rather the elimination of negative effects. I don't want to make outrageous claims like I am selling snake oil. I just want to show that this new product has innovative features, or rather it has the CORRECT design so it can do the job and not just be eyecandy.
You can search and compare for yourself.

Yes, simple gravity will catch some blow by, but that also means that a whole lot more vapor is going in and out freely.

anyway, Thanks for your points !

I expect to have more news in just a few days !

 

i'd been thinking about that too. i was wondering why so many companies put the inlet and outlet next to each other. i have the perrin catch can. i was thinking of getting something (maybe abs plastic?) and cutting a piece thats 2/3 the height of the can and placing it and the top of the can in the middle so when the lid goes on, it splits the inlet and outlet into two separate chambers. i was also thinking of putting something to "catch" the oil at the bottom of the can. any ideas? how are those brillo pads? any specific ones needed?

 

If you already have one, and you want to modify it, I would go with any stainless mesh you can find. I think steel wool would deteriorate if there is any moisture in there. Since it is somewhat hot vapor, I would avoid any plastic type materials.

Yeah, why would they put the 2 connections right next to each other ?

 

so would you think that steel mesh splitting the whole catch can would be the way to go or would it be more efficient if it was like 2/3'rds stainless steel and then the bottom third would be the mesh? yeah i was thinking plastic might melt. i have a sheet of abs and a sheet of stainless at home in the shop so i can work with either. don't know where i'd get the mesh though.

 

It think "condense" is partially correct. The oil vapor will be at a much higher temperature than the contents of the catch can. The baffle will impede the flow of the vapor, allowing the oil to collect on its surface. But during this process, the vapor gives up a lot of its heat to the (metal) baffle, which makes the collection/condensation more efficient.

I suppose if the baffle gets very hot, the condensation will be less efficient. If this is even an issue, I guess you can always mount the catch can in a cooler area of the engine comparment.

 

You want the vapor to go through the mesh, so the placement is more important than the quantity. It can all be the same material. You want small pores, but not so small that it might clog like a paper filter. IMHO

 

a little off topic but still related. I am running my setup with a 9" k and n filter on the end of my turbo no intake pipe. I have my catch can hooked up but it has no place to hook the vacuum to an intake. I have the end that would connect to an intake hanging down.......should i drill a hole in the filter and put it in or jsut leave it??
PJ

 

From what I understand, you kinda want that suction created by the connection to the intake to pull the moisture and oil vapor out of the valvetrain area. Otherwise there's not much taking place to make the vapor travel into your catch can.

It's the same delimma with using one of those small filters in place of a catch can or the stock return hose. The filter-only setup keeps the less combustable vapor from entering the intake and intercooler, but doesn't promote vapor/moisture removal from the valvetrain.