DIY Oil Catch Can

[Lord_Anarchy]

Well, found a link at the one place I never thought I'd find ANYTHING useful

Anyways, I went ahead and followed directions and made this:

Keep looking.. Sorry for the ghost-like haze


That's the "can"


Closer...

It even caught some oil that would have otherwise gone into my intake manifold If anyone is interested, I can reprint the directions right here. I figured that I'd share

But yes, the catch "can" is filtered You can make a bigger one should this be to small and kiddie-like to put under you bonnet

[WhiteRabbit]

looks interesting, go ahead and post the directions here plz

[Zandro]

No pun intended but i couldn't help noticing the fancy valve cover gasket you got there. Anyways isn't that a oil separator for air driven dental/spray paint equipment? a nice mod indeed and a low cost mod that do the job just as well as those catch cans that you pay 2 figure numbers for.

[Lord_Anarchy]

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: You do this mod, like any other DIY mod on the net, with the clear understanding that the person who made the DIY is in NO WAY responsible for whatever you screw up with your car. Be safe and be careful! Feel free to ask questions, I'll be more than happy to answer.

Alright, well, I'm just gonna put what I used and did since the original source was Honda-Tech.com and adapted for use by filthy Honda engines

I'll put all the links when I edit this post later

Materials needed:
(Internet item numbers are for HomeDepot.com search box)
1 x Husky 1/4 In. Air Compressor Filter -$11.97 *internet #169654"
2 x Husky 1/4 In. NPTM, Auto Plug, 1/4 In. - $1.25 each *Internet # 169671*
1 x PCV (Yes, Positive Crankcase Vent.) line - $4.24 (my line 11/32 x 20")
4 x Hose Clamps - $2.48

Tools:
Wire Cutters or anything to cut the PCV line to fit
Philips head screwdriver to tighten hose clamps
Needle nose pliers or similar to undo the hose clamps on the stock PCV setup
Patience

1. Remove original PCV hose
2. Screw both 1/4 adapters to either end of the air compressor filter
3. Unscrew the filter's body and remove the plastic piece between the filter element and the body of the filter
4. Measure, carefully, how to your new PCV hose to suit YOUR catch can's position (mine was ghetto and half-assed)

The connection order:
PCV valve ---- PCV line ---- Filter INLET --- Filter OUTLET ---- PCV line --- Intake manifold

Notes from my install
*A nice long PCV line will help because I notice that my line is KINDA bending from the filter body to the manifold because it's too short. For the Gen 3 5SFE, 3.5 to 4ft should be MORE than enough.
*Measure TWICE, cut ONCE
*Make sure you are weary of the direction of the flow on the filter. I originally installed it backwards but LUCKILY didn't drive it before I corrected the mistake. (the flow direction is marked by a arrow pointing the direction of the flow.
*The direction of the arrow should be the same direction the hose follows to your intake manifold.,
*Find a good spot to place the catch can where it's easy to get to so you can empty it
*When cutting PCV line, take into account that the PCV lines should NOT bend. It's better to be safe with extra line then sorry with insufficient PCV hose,

FAQ:
Can I reuse the oil?
NO, don't pour that used oil into your engine again. It's been spit out.. just dump it you cheapskate! LOL!! KIDDING!

Is it gonna add 15 HP to the crank?
Nope, it'll make sure you burn LESS oil which will help your valves be carbon-caked free

Where's the filter located at?
It should be in the air tools section of your nearest home improvement store. Ask for an air compressor filter

Can I get a bigger bottle?
Heck yes Kip, you can. I'll update the item number later.. Too lazy to search RIGHT NOW. I don't know if you can still use the 1/4 adapters though. I think the

Where's that plastic thing you say to take out at?
Unscrew the filter's bottle and then unscrew the little white filter element (Remember, right tighty, lefty loosey) and the little black disc thing will fall right out. Then, just reinstall the filter element and you are done.

Can it blow up from heat/air pressure/synthetic oil?
I'mma say NO but for legal reasons, I make NO GUARANTEES. With that aside, plenty of F22Cs, K20, and K24s use the same setup and even LEGALLY drag with this setup with ZERO problems.

Buy PCV hose?
Yes, PCV hose available at your nearest auto part's store (and Homes Depot, apparently... I didn't find it though). Fuel lines are NOT the same thing. You wouldn't buy airline hose to replace your vaccum line so why cut corners?

Thanks to Honda-Tech, Homes Depot, Advanced Auto Parts, and........ Toyota

Any other questions? I'll gladly answer.

[Lord_Anarchy]

Hey, hey!! It's the gasket sealant I used I've been meaning to cut the excess off but being lazy RULEZ!

[RningOnFumes]

....Please explain why someone might want to do this?

Advantages...?
Any disadvantages?

[dna59]

^^so that oil doesn't get into u'r intake manifold and dirty it up, especially the throttle body.
I've been wanting to do this for a while but I can't find the filter anywhere.

[marc780]

Another way to do this, on some other posts i have seen, people just use a clear plastic fuel filter. They are cheap.

[Lord_Anarchy]

Hmmm... Clear fuel filters.. interesting...

But yeah.. Pros:
As DNA just said, it reduces the oil that would otherwise just run straight to your intake manifold. That oil is what leads to valvetrain problems since it is why valves just get caked with carbon. Your throttle plate and inake manifold also get sooty and crap. Plus, I guess you'll get to see just how much oil your car was taking in before the mod. I was just bored and since it was neat, easy, and REALLY cheap... I did it. Something to keep my hands busy until TRP pulls out that header or that turbo kit


Cons:
Umm... I don't think there are any cons other than the arguement of "If you're stock, you don't need this". Yet, people buy racing slicks for Hondas with flippin' CAI and a EBay exhaust. So.... yeah.. It's truly up to you as it's your car and your money. The only OTHER thing is that "if your car has anything more that 1K miles, the can is a waste". The way I see it, if I can prevent MORE oil from going into the manifold, then.. it's fine. If you were bleeding from a minor cut and because it took you one minute to find a band-aid instead of three seconds, would you go.. "Oh well... to late to do anything now.."

Well, for anybody who takes on the project, let us know how it turns out. I do know that I've never wanted to see oil so bad in my life LOL! Once I saw the bit of oil in the can I was both happy and sad...

[Your Uncle Moe]

Originally Posted by dna59

^^so that oil doesn't get into u'r intake manifold and dirty it up, especially the throttle body.
I've been wanting to do this for a while but I can't find the filter anywhere.

Its truly useful on Turbo'd cars. You can make a catch can or just vent it into the atmosphere with a breather.

[touringcamry]

I made something similar, but I used this fuel filter: http://www.powerflowracing.com/spect...tail.asp?PD=66



I could not find PCV hose, but the people at Napa said they usually use fuel line for PCV hose. I bought 3 ft of PCV hose which was about the right amount.

Total cost was about $16.

[marc780]

Wish the dump i live in were that clean, wow.

[Lord_Anarchy]

Dude.. that engine bay is DIRTY as can be. You want clean? RedPhoenix's bay is like a shrine

As far as using fuel line over PCV, I think I heard that the PCV line was less likely to wear and not as easily bended as fuel line. Something like that.. I just was told to steer away from fuel lines or PCV lines that were just fuel lines with a PCV box