Does anyone know a supplierof 2 litre oil catch cans that are correctly made ?
When I say correctly made, I mean the container has a bottom inlet with a vented top. The container itself should be filled with stainless steel wool to maximise the condensation surface area before venting.
It should also have a drain tap at the bottom.
Most of the stuff I have seen around is either of insufficent capacity or does not contain the internal materials. Goodness knows why scrutineers around here are calling for 2 litre containers !
Quote from: MD on March 28, 2011, 07:54:49 PM
Does anyone know a supplierof 2 litre oil catch cans that are correctly made ?
When I say correctly made, I mean the container has a bottom inlet with a vented top. The container itself should be filled with stainless steel wool to maximise the condensation surface area before venting.
It should also have a drain tap at the bottom.
Most of the stuff I have seen around is either of insufficent capacity or does not contain the internal materials. Goodness knows why scrutineers around here are calling for 2 litre containers !
The old rule used to be the catch can had to equal the cc's of the engine, but decreased slightly for bigger engines.......for whatever reason.
Secondly, the inlet should be at the top to one side (not the bottom, otherwise it blows the accumulated oil out) separated internally with a baffle directing downward, then under and back up to the top to the outlet to atmoshpere on the opposite side. If it is filled with coarse s/steel wool better, otherwise a generous foam type filter at the outlet is sometimes used. the outlet always needs to be bigger than the inlet to prevent pressure inside the can, and for an Alfa 4, inlet breather hose needs to be 20mm plus. Don't fall for just the little single GTA breather cap vent tube either........GTAs had this PLUS a 19mm outlet from the back of the block.
Good luck finding one, otherwise I am making one soon, patterned off my GTAm one, to go onto another GTA resto that is currently happening......
Vin
MD I think you might be looking at custom work for this job perhaps. Not that you're afraid fo that C word.
This sounds like a group buy opportunity????
I have an ALFAHOLICS version which I have since found out is too small!
Vin, if a few of us put our hands up would you be keen to knock out a few?
magraith - is that the Mocal product ? Is it baffled and packed or is it merely an empty container type with fittings ? Maybe they make a larger unit ?
Hi guys.
CAMS ruling
Engine capacity up to 2 litres = 2 litre catch can
Engine capacity over 2 litres= 3 litre catch can.
As Vin Sharp suggested,make sure the hose from the engine is the same or bigger diameter than the outlet off the engine,and that the holes in the catch can are adequate to help the engine breathe,,or oil leaks will happen from the engine.
I am not aware that steel wool etc needs to be added to the catch can.
Breather pipe to be fitted to the top of the catch can,with adequate holes in the top to breathe.
Catch can to be empty=no oil,when presented to Scruineering.
Robert
Vin, (and others) thanks for chiming in. I have previously had a custom can made with no internal "wool" and found that very fine oil mist would still come out of the filtered breather and coat the innerguard with a fine oil deposit despite a brand new engine which ran perfect in every sense of the word.
I put this down to insufficient opportunity for the crankase blow by gases to condense out into the can. Providing a combination of a baffle and "wool" I believe would increase the internal surface area to assist with this condensation. On reflection, the inlet should be at the top with a baffle guiding the fume downwards through the media as you say. The media must be stainless as the acids in the oil would corrode anything else eventually but you wouldn't see it as it is a sealed can.
And yes pancho much to my chagrin, another custom job is in the winds..er, enter BradGTV the stainless steel kid. Hello Brad. Earth calling Brad. Come in Brad.... :) :)
I am trying to shy away from the proffesional 2 litre milk bottle held on by a zip tie version. I can't afford the litigation from the Milk Board for misrepresenting product labelling contents. ;D
Quote from: MD on March 29, 2011, 08:24:35 AM
I have previously had a custom can made with no internal "wool" and found that very fine oil mist would still come out of the filtered breather and coat the innerguard with a fine oil
At least the innerguard wont rust, which is a step up from most transaxle cars.
Sorry, I'll go back into my corner now.
;D
MD your wish is my command, ill send you a PM and we can discusse details if you would like? i could certinally make one or a few for others aswell. and for a good price too
cheers, Brad
Brad/Mike,
Please post some pics of the finished product when it's done. I've had a few scrutineers raise an eyebrow at my plastic water bottle version of a catch can that I operate on the Giulietta (no offense Jim). One of these days an overly enthusiastic scrute will pull me up for it at a race meeting.
Cheers,
Brent
Quote from: vin sharp on March 28, 2011, 09:16:25 PMGTAs had this PLUS a 19mm outlet from the back of the block.
How was it plumbed into the back of the block? Got a pic?
Quote from: LaStregaNera on March 29, 2011, 04:17:57 PM
How was it plumbed into the back of the block? Got a pic?
This thread on the alfabb http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/engine-rebuilding/166544-baffling-crank-breather-tube.html (http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/engine-rebuilding/166544-baffling-crank-breather-tube.html) has some great pics. The 1600 Sprint GT engine I took out of the super had the casting in the block for the vent, but had a neatly cast blanking off plate screwed on instead.
Cheers,
AikenDrum105
That link shows some stainless steel media which in my opinion is way too fine and could result in some back pressure and possibly other hassles if it finds its way back into the sump.
My idea is to use the common garden variety stainless steel scouring pads off any supermarket shelf which is basically swarf. Naturally you pick the variety without soap impregnation !!!! ??? If you stuff this into the can during manufacture, it will still breathe ok as well as increase the condensation surface area enormously. Because it is not in little pieces but all bound up in bunches, its hardly going to go anywhere.
Hammer, I've locked you into the picture.
Pancho, yes to MOCAL ones look exactly the same. Possibly a rebrand?
Mike,
I was just at Extreme Motorsports at Nudgee and they have alloy catch cans in 1l, 2l and 3. They look to be an excellent construction. I didn't ask any questions about them but I unscrewed the top and they appear to be baffled, have a breather on top, two threaded inlets on the side and some sort of outlet valve on the bottom. $225 for the 2 litre.
Cheers,
Brent
Brent,
Thanks for that info. At that price, is it any wonder recycled milk bottles are the go? :D :D
Anyhow, since my initial post, I have made my own design incorporating all the features I need. I have designed it so that it will fit all the transaxle series and in particular the TS engine with the drain return to sump inlet.
I have made a mock up of the design and I am collaborating with BradGTV who will make it for me.
My suggestion is to wait until I get mine and install it so you can see the configuration. We should also have a better idea of the price of it for comparison to the off-the-shelf types.
What I will say is that the tank requires around 24-25mm O.D. connections for the inflow and outflow. This matches the camshaft cover vent outlet.The outflow is just a breather vent. At the bottom of the can, the outlet size to drain the oil back to sump (on TS engine) needs to be 6.5mm O.D.
I have yet to see any commercial oil catch can to match these specs.
If my unit works out well, I suspect Brad may be swayed to go into a small production run of them but that's a call he has to make.
just to let people know i will be making more of these to fit 75, gtv, gtv6, alfetta and giulietta, only after they are fully proved and tested on MD's car.
cheers, Brad
(http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/attachments/anything-about-alfa-romeos-alfabb-com/202711d1298498256-spider-turbo-project-photo-1.jpg)
(http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/attachments/anything-about-alfa-romeos-alfabb-com/202712d1298498321-spider-turbo-project-photo-2.jpg)
(http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/attachments/anything-about-alfa-romeos-alfabb-com/202713d1298498325-spider-turbo-project-photo-3.jpg)
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StormX
I cannot see that being 2 litres in capacity? ???
nither can i,
my surge tank is just under 2 liter capacity and there is no way it would fit mounted to the engine inplace of the dizzy.
plus way too much heat being mounted their and seeing as other people will hopefully want to buy it, every 4cyl alfa motor has a dizzy (unless aftermarket injected) there so it wouldnt be practical at all.
the box shape MD has designed is far better in my opinion
I never said it was 2l in capacity, I thought I might just throw some pictures of a good catch can system up. Even tho it filters the oil back into the sump.