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Proper Working Oil Catch Can setup For LNF (IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!)
***IMPORTANT UPDATE TO THIS HOW TO***
IF YOU ARE USING THE MISHIMOTO CATCH CAN OR A AMAZON KNOCKOFF, REMOVE THE BRONZE FILTER IN THE CAN ASAP!!!!! EITHER LEAVE IT OUT OR REPLACE IT WITH A STAINLESS MESH ONE. ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU HAVE DUAL CAN ON THE TURBO SIDE. I HAD TO SWITCH TO A KNOCKOFF CAN FOR THESE FILTERS TO WORK BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT THREAD AND MISHIMOTOS THREAD IS ODD SO YOU CAN'T FIND THE FILTERS. OR JUST USE A CAN THAT USES SOMETHING ELSE.
THE REASON BEING, I HAD ONE OF THOSE FILTERS FAIL AND COME APART AND IT GOT SUCKED INTO A NEW TURBO AND CHEWED UP THE COMPRESSOR WHEEL, THEN THE PIECES WENT INTO MY ENGINE AND HURT CYLINDER 4. YOU CAN SEE THE SCRATCHES ON THE PISTON, AND I BELIEVE A VALVE GOT DAMAGED. I LOST 17 PSI COMPRESSION ON THAT CYLINDER. IF ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW THE CAN I USED AND THE FILTER (WHICH ONE I GOT FROM ALIEXPRESS AND THE OTHER FROM A PLACE IN AUSTRAILIA...HARD TO FIND) LET ME KNOW.
Ok so I designed a properly working oil catch can system for lnf, actually a dual can system. Took me about a year too Get it done and tested due too winter. It is finally done and works beautifully. Can be done cheaply or if you like things nice looking like me, more expensively. Wanna know how much interest there is in this before I take the time to do the writeup. System was tested with a pressure gauge connected too the crank case. In normal driving vac conditions crank case saw 0 to -1 vac...which if you want to experiment you could get more vac.....I think -1 is good enough. and under boost it saw 1-2psi crank case pressure. which is in the very normal range....and can also be eliminated with oil cap breather with a built in check valve. So you get the clean valves and 0 crank case pressure. Both ways work great. I personally added the oil cap breather cause I run a lot of boost and make a lot of power so every little bit helps.
all right. interest shown. I shall continue.
ok first there are a few ways too do this. Ill start out with listing and price for all.
First would be the cheapest and easiest way and will take care of the majority if not all of the valve coking issue while maintaining factory pcv valve function.
Tools Needed - grinder or rotory tool with cut off wheel, and a sanding drum to clean it up cut.
- 10mm socket
-13 mm socket
- possibly 7/16 wrench ( gear wrench is best)
- basic screw drivers and wreches you may need
- small pilot drill bit. whatever you figure is best. not too small, don't want it breaking off on you and give you a bad day.
- 21/64 drill bit
- 1/8 npt tap.
- 17 mm wrench
(I think that's all will add if I remember more)
you will need the following
Intake Manifold Gasket - 1
Catch Can Bracket - I can have these made if anyone wants one. Will need 2 bolts to hold them to front engine lifting point bolt hold. ill check size and update later. (or just mount the catch can where you want.
Compact Catch Can - in this case I highly recommend the mishimoto compact catch can that I used. but for making the purpose of making this cheap, a knock off of that can will work fine. I ordered one and ill seems like its pretty well as well made, other then screwing the top on is a little annoying. but functions exactly the same. 1 in port and 1 out port.
turbo tech racing pcv cartrage - this is the most expensive part of this cheap setup, but you need it in all the variations, unless you can figure out how to use a check valve and limit the vacuum flow, cause trust me, you do not want to just straight use a check valve of any kind. your engine will grown from pulling too much vacuum on the crank case. I tried it. lol
Fittings - 2 3/8 npt to 3/8 hose barb 90 degree (or straight, depending on where you mount it. 90 degree if you go with my bracket or your own in the same location)
- 4 straight 1/8 npt to 3/8 hose barb
- 1 1/8 npt stainless plug.
Hose - 3/8 vacuum hose. Whatever amount you need, if you use my bracket and mount there will need maybe 3 feet.
Hardware - will need 2 small scews and lock nuts for mounting catch can to my bracket if you choose too go that route. Idk what size, I just went too the store and check what fit. you can do the same lol. but it was Roberson screws so I could counter sink them into the bracket so it looks nice. may change that.
price of parts
- catch can bracket (mine) $ 20
- Compact Catch Can - mishimoto $115, Knock off $ 25-35 depending who you buy from.
- ttr pcv cartrage - $ 95
- fittings - $ 20 - 35 depending on what you get.
- hose - $ 2-10 depending on how much you get.
Minimum Total Cost - $ 185usd (with my bracket) Cheaper without (price doesn't include intake manifold gasket cause the price varies from place to place a lot)
Step 1
- jack up front of car and put on stands
- remove negative batt terminal. 10mm
- remove fuel pump fuse just in case someone decides to crank your car while you work.
- let car sit for a few hours to relieve fuel pressure
- Remove everything on the intake manifold, all sensors are 10mm bolts. all hoses. easy
- remove fuel pump bracket, 3 - 10 mm bolts. 2 on the side of the head, 1 into the intake manifold.
- remove fuel low pressure fuel line from pump. Use a shop rag, it will leak a little.
- remove dipstick tube support bolt from front left of manifold.
- remove ac line support 10mm bolt if its still on there on right side.
- remove 13mm manifold support bar bolt which is beside the ac support bolt.
- get under car and loosen the bottom 13mm manifold support bar nut. don't remove, loosen. its close too the starter on the block. will need extension.
- disconnect lower charge pipe from throttle body (10mm stock, 7/16 if you have tbolts from zzp)
- remove the 2 nuts and 5 bolts that hold on the manifold. (if I remember the number correctly)
- remove Manifold
- remove pcv valve from manifold. Black valve in the little hole in manifold where gasket sits against. set it aside. you will need it later.
- you can also remove throttle body or not, I would.
Step 2
- modding the intake manifold.
- I circled 3 of the rises in red. if you still have a bpv solenoid you will only be left with the one choice, or if there are any other open ones then whichever open one you like.
- choose one of the bolt mountains lol ( ya im calling them that) that is not being used and cut it down with a cut off wheel. you can see in the pic how much I cut down the one closest to the front of the manifold. ya about that much.
clean up you cut and make it look nice.
- grab the pilot drill bit you chose and drill in the center of the where you just cut. gotta look nice right. make sure you are centered. don't break bit, take it slow.
- drill hole out all the way with 21/64 bit
- take 1/8 npt tap and put some threads in that sucker. pretty easy. (all done hole 1)
- next you may need a vice for this, put the manifold in a vice or get someone to hold it up so you are looking down at the pcv port (with valve removed)
- take your 1/8 npt tap and tap out the back of the hole where it gets narrow. it is just the right size so you can tap with no need to drill bigger. (don't have to tap it all the way, just enough for the plug.
- clean the tapped hold, grab the 1/8 npt plug, put some red locktite on the threads and screw it into the tapped pcv port hole so it is now plugged.
- next, notice the blue circle on the picture. that's where you want the next hole. right on that little ridge, about where I have that hole. this goes down into pcv port. its thin there so don't go drilling right through the manitold, just till you feel your through lol
- again use pilot bit then 21/64 bit, then tap the hole 1/8 npt. it will make about 3 threads, its enough.
- you are now done modding the intake manifold, clean all shavings out, and clean it well. you don't want that going into your motor.
Step 3
Replace manifold in the reverse order you took it off, install new gasket. don't forget to plug in the throttle body like I always do. also the manifold brace, don't tighten the bottom until the top is bolted into the manifold. trust me. can put all sensors and hoses and everything else you took off back on now.
also follow following sequence when bolting down manifold. 1-7 in order to 44 inch lbs, then 1-7 in order to 18 ft/lbs
Step 4 - Finishing Up
- Ok now that manifold is back on, and you have 2 new holes threaded in it. take 2 of the 1/8 npt to 3/8 barb fittings, put thread sealant on the threads (recommend e6000) and install in the 2 holes that you drilled and tapped on the manifold. Manifold portion is now done.
- now install the 2 90 degree 3/8 npt to 3/8 barb into the catch can. (if you mount in alternate location, you may be able to use straight fittings) - next if you are using my bracket and mounting where front engine lift point is, you will need to install the bracket that comes with the can to the bracket that will go onto the mounting bolts on the engine.
- this is the catch can and the bracket for it
- this is my bracket
-This is how the catch can bracket gets bolted to my bracket.
- you will probably not find screws short enough so you will have to bolt it up with the lock nuts, and cut off the excess threads, so it doesn't get In the way of the can.
- once the 2 brackets are bolted together, attach the catch can. if you are using the 2 front holes, you will need to test fit and adjust the 90 degree fittings so they don't hit the front of car. if ur using only the one can I recommend using the back 2 holes so you don't have to worry about it. you would also be able to use straight fittings then. or make sure 90 degree fittings point up.
- once can is attached to bracket, you can bolt it to car.
- Here is what it looks like bolted up. 2 can setup in pic
- Now for the pcv cartridge
- you will get some barb fittings with the cartridge, toss them and use the 1/8 npt to 3/8 barb you bought
- open the cartridge and install your pcv valve in it. can only go in one way.
- close cartridge, it is now ready to install.
- the cartridge will sit between the catch can and the manifold
-flow arrow must be facing the manifold as you are pulling vacuum on it so manifold vacuum will pull through it.
-attach hose to manifold port you drilled on one of the bolt mountains (LOL) you cut down and drilled and tapped for vacuum source. your barb fitting should be installed by now. figure out where you want cartridge to sit and attach other end of the hose to the cartridge side with the arrow. this is opposite the side that has the cap and 4 screws. circled in pic
- next attach hose to other side of cartridge and then that hose goes to the Out port of the catch can.
- Now attach a hose from the in port of the catch can to the second port you made on the manifold, the one drilled into the pcv passage you blocked off with plug.
That's it, all finished. Now when the car is in vacuum or normal driving conditions, it will pull vacuum through the pcv valve, through the baffled and filtered catch can, to the stock pcv location on the head that goes into the valve cover. functions like stock, but all the oil and oily condensation will be caught by the can leaving the intake manifold and valves nice and clean from oil coking. Under boost the pcv valve will close and the boost pressure will stop there. if you wanna be extra safe just in case the pcv valve fails and you don't want your crank case pressurized, you can add a check valve between the cartridge and the catch can as well, kinda a redundant safety measure if the pcv fails to hold back boost at some point.
This is the cheapest way to solve the issue and probably the only necessary thing as the back crank case vent by the turbo doesn't really let any oil bypass too get into the piles. if it does, there is probably a different problem. but if you want to make sure, like me, comment and ill do the dual can writeup. And ill also do a parts list for those who want an6 lines instead of vacuum hose. it will add a hundred bucks or more, but it will look nicer and the lines are a little bigger I think. let me know
Maybe its just my morning brain but do I have the flow direction right: modified pcv port to catch can 1 inlet, then line from outlet of catch can 1 to catch can 2 inlet, then outlet of catch can 2 to pcv valve cartridge, then finally from pcv cartridge to bolt mountain.
Edit: Now that im re-reading is the second catch can for the fresh air side between the air intake and valve cover or between the valve cover and turbo?
Maybe its just my morning brain but do I have the flow direction right: modified pcv port to catch can 1 inlet, then line from outlet of catch can 1 to catch can 2 inlet, then outlet of catch can 2 to pcv valve cartridge, then finally from pcv cartridge to bolt mountain.
Edit: Now that im re-reading is the second catch can for the fresh air side between the air intake and valve cover or between the valve cover and turbo?
This write up is for a single can system. Dont touch the back turbo driven pcv system, it stays stock. But if you would do 2 cans. The turbo driven system is independent of the manifold driven one in this writeup. It would go valve cover port closest to intake to can in port, can out port to port on turbo for k04 or zfr. If its s257 or something it needs a few more things. Fresh air intake for crank case stays as it or can mod it to bigger size
Ok so my flow is right but minus a can. Then the second can is only IF I wanted to do a similar setup on the turbo side pcv but that's probably not nessisary correct?
Ok so my flow is right but minus a can. Then the second can is only IF I wanted to do a similar setup on the turbo side pcv but that's probably not nessisary correct?
I cant make heads or tails of what you wrote lol exactly as I said in write up. Use ur afternoon brain.
Nice write up. I have the similar setup also with the dual can inline setup but using compact industrial air line filters instead of the catch cans. They were only around 4.5" tall and 1.5/8" dia. Everyone should do this setup. Work really well in keeping the oil out of your intake. Had mine setup for 5+ years and is one of the better mod for the LNF. Good job.
Those brackets that come with the mishimoto catch cans and the knock off ones are total garbage. I had mine break 3 times so I got my bro in law to make me some stainless ones at work, had too drill my own holes to screw too the cans, but they are real nice. don't bend, very strong, wont break. oh and I also drilled a 3rd mounting screw hole in the can between the ports, which mishimoto should have done, 2 holes is what causes the breaking problem to begin with. stupid mistake they could easily fix
Nothing fits perfectly when you are the pioneer of something but that's the satisfaction of doing your own mods.
I had made changes to mine setup over the past years to where I am happy with it now.
When I first bought the TTR manifold when it first came out (questionable decision), the oem port were blocked/deleted. That's where it all started.
Found a compact oil separator/catchcan from Summit Racing with a clear plastic bowl which seems like an good idea. However the bowl cracked from oil deterioration. Replace with an proper aluminum bowl for the industrial air system and tried different filter elements.
The one additional feature that I had made and maybe better then the OEM setup (debatable) is the ability to bypass the pcv during boost.
At the present setup, once your are in boost that port basically shut/block via pcv and all the oil would divert to the rear port at the back of the valve cover. I set mine up where it could still be functional if need be. Not sure if it is necessary though?
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