Mitsubishi Delica Owners Club UK™

YOZA · Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 19:15 Post subject: DIY Oil catch can

I am not the first to make and mention these catch cans, and I first noticed one when it was fitted to my Subaru, but that one cost the previous owner £90.. Shocked

...so I set about making my own Blue Peter stylee. Laughing

I have noticed that oil has been getting splattered around my air box and sucked down into the induction pipe of my turbo then out the back of my exhaust. Mad

This oil/vent comes from a pipe/hose connected to the back of the rocker cover to the induction pipe of the turbo, it is designed to vent pressure/oil vapour from the engine, but as your engine gets older the pipe/hose also carries more oil. Shocked

The oil inturn goes through your turbo then exits through the exhaust, I didn't like this set up, so I fixed it. Wink

Its a nice easy little job that cost me £8, it works perfectly and looks/fits well tucked away near to the brake master cylinder. Wink

The catch can is made from a 1 litre sized stainless steel sugar/tea/coffee drum from Wilkinsons...It is the barrel shaped one with a tight snug fitted sleaved lid. Idea

I drilled 2 holes 13mm dia on either side of the tin about 2cms from the top, I also drill a 13mm hole in the top of tin lid.

I then drilled a 3mm hole in the lid and case of the barrel together, for a self tapper screw to keep the lid secure.

I then cut three pieces of STD 13mm copper pipe to a length of 4cms, I placed these three pieces of pipe through the drilled holes.

To secure the pipes in place I used a two sleaves of hose pipe slid over the copper pipe 2 cms long, so the copper pipes are now sandwiched into position via two sleaves of hose pipe.(note put these pieces of hose pipe in cup of boiling water for 5mins, they then go soft and pass over the copper pipe easily, when they cool down they shrink and harden giving an excellent seal/fit) Idea

I then secured the back/inside end of the pipes with a jubilee clip for good measure, now they are fixed solid.

I bought a small K&N style vent filter off E-bay for £5 delivered and placed this on the top of the barrel lid, secured again to the copper pipe via a jubilee clip.

Next I took the assembly to the truck..... :D

I chopped the original vent pipe in two and placed one end on to one copper/sleaved pipe, and the other end to the other copper/sleaved pipe, again using two more jubilee clips, you will see why I sleeved the copper pipe with hose pipe if you decide to make one, as this gives a perfect fit for the original bore of the pipe/hose.

I then cable tied the whole unit via the rear pipe to the securing hook that holds the brake servo pipe, and it sits perfectly and securely supported by the ties and its own pipework.

What happens now is that the oil from the rocker cover pipe/vent goes through my barrel and gravity makes it drop to the bottom, as opposed to through my turbo, down my exhaust and all over whatever is behind me. Shocked

All I have now is clean air going through it, and the oil is at the bottom of my "catch can", which can easily be emptied out periodically.

The unit looks really neat....I have photos of the can before fitting, and after, I am hoping StrangeRover will be good enough to post them later on in the post, (as posting picures is beyond me) so you can see how it is built and how it is fitted.

If anybody else is able to post picures for me as Mark may be knee high in fuel pump parts please PM me, I would like to send them to you via SMS through my phone, then have them posted here if possiable. Rolling Eyes

Cheers Yoza

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unclebazwold · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:08 Post subject:

Thats luvverly that i would like to lick it.
Bazza

strangerover · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:13 Post subject:

very nice indeed !
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Regards
Mark

Lewis · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 12:45 Post subject:

Must be a Liverpool thing! :D

First Iskillan:- http://www.MDOCUK.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18566

And now Yoza! Laughing

Looking forward to how the two systems work out, as Yoza has his reconnected to the air inlet hose and Iskillan hasn't!
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Duracell Bunny · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 13:47 Post subject:

okay, nice bit of bling for the engine bay................. :D :D

But what is the answer to the question.................... :?

Does the oil that escapes from the engine lubricate the turbo or not.............

Does it foul the turbo in any way............... Question

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Lewis · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 13:56 Post subject:

strangerover · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 14:00 Post subject:

when the engine is in good health the amount of gas makes little difference and the engine is designed to handle it...

The idea is that the engine is a sealed unit with regard to emmisions so the blow-by gas is burned in the engine and the resulting exhaust gas is not as bad for the enviroment as the blow-by gas if it was vented direct to air.

Problem is that when a engine gets older and starts to "breath" or with poor service then the amount of gas exceeds what the design parameters can cope with and so you get problems.... also short runs cause this problem.
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Regards
Mark

YOZA · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 15:21 Post subject:

Usually when I start the truck oil spatters out of the exhaust and goes on my garage door, or the other truck parked behind it, or the cat if I time it right. Rolling Eyes

It doesn't do that anymore....clean garage door this morning, and happy cat. :D

Also it has stopped/reduced the plume of smoke I used to get when I used the kickdown accelerating hard, this is quite noticable.

I just need to get some thinners to try and get the COFFEE sticker off, and I'm done with it.
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Duracell Bunny · Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 16:19 Post subject:

I think that clears that up then.......

Guess I'll make sure its well serviced
and stop doing short runs......

But I will of course be fitting a shiny catch tank...... Just in case ....

like I needed an excuse !!!
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MaxGrip · Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 94 Location: Norfolk

Nice mod YOZA!, catch cans are something I have done on petrol cars before but this diesel thing is new to me, but i'll forgive it's dirty blackness as it's part of our Delica which we LOVE! Perhaps you could leave the coffee label on, it tastes the same!!! (tea drinkers unite!!) Did you point the copper pipe down into the can to stop blow through on the inlet side???

no wilkinsons here but Lathams will have one for sure!

cheers

Max.

YOZA · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:33 Post subject:

You are the second person to ask that question. Smile

No the hoses just point at each other... I am now going to put a 90 deg elbow on the inside of the intake pipe, so the gas/oil is forced down rather than droping with gravity. Dead easy upgrade with a plumbers 90 elbow union. Idea

I have oil in my can as it is though. Wink

Thanks for the feedback.
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gary2610 · Joined: 30 Aug 2008 Posts: 170 Location: nottinghamshire

how have you stopped the pipes from falling out the can and is it self tapping screws you have used
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rockit · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 22:36 Post subject:

It's simply BRILLIANT
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strangerover · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 22:49 Post subject:

just wondering...

why bother with the breather vent ?

if the oil is captured, why not keep it sealed ???
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Regards
Mark

YOZA · Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:18 Post subject:

Gary the pipes are secured with three pieces of hose one on each, and jubilee clips on the inside, I think you have missed a line in the text.

StrangeRover I vented it as I thought the vacume from the down pipe was high, therefore encouraging oil from my engine.

So if I vent the top it will take away most of the suction. Rolling Eyes

It actually vents air on tickover and sucks under load. Idea

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YOZA · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 20:12 Post subject:

I have fitted my 90deg bend on the inside of the inlet pipe today, so the oil/gasses entering the can are pointing downwards rather than straight at the outlet pipe.

But I have caught oil in the bottom just as it was, there is about 1cm in depth of oil in the base of the catch can. :?

Thats 1 week from fitting and 175 miles.

My mobile/camera has thrown its hand in, so no photos. Sad

I cleaned my garage door last Saturday and used the truck all week, the door is still clean, without the can it would be black from oil splutterng out the back of the exhaust on start up, result... Wink

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bristol bloke · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 0:41 Post subject:

looks cooooool,might have to nick that idea :D

Noisey · Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 21:47 Post subject:

Yoza
Well done.. Nice, neat & cheap, really good, looks good too.
I get oil spitting out upon start up so I will be off looking for a biscuit tin / sugar barrel if your catching that much oil....
I will have a go at it myself.

Noisey.
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YOZA · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 15:06 Post subject:

I have covered over a 1000 miles since my catch can was added, so I have decided to take it off to see what I've caught..... Laughing

Some of you with eagle eyes may notice that the catchcan is a MarkII.

I made a new version soon after the old one was made, exactly the same but with a rounded can, cone filter and the inlet pipe points downwards to the base of the can rather than straight at the outlet pipe.

Anyway, I caught over half a litre of black oil that would have otherwise passed through my turbo impeller and down my exhaust pipe and all over whatever was behind me. Shocked

So it works....and works well. Wink

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lskillan · Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 644 Location: Liverpool

The whole problem is a pain the backside, I fitted mine around a year ago, at first it was much like yoza's an empty can, in one side and then out the other (exept out via the filter not back into the intake), oil used to pass straight through without falling into the can so you must still be burning oil, although you do seem to have caught some. Mine used to end up being sprayed into the engine bay.

I'm lucky to be able to weld stainless so I cut the top off and welded a plate in to split the can in half, also included baffle plates, and stuffed it with some of those stainless scouring pads you get from the pound shops. The end result is I still get oil spurting out but not as bad, I just clean it out using some thinners and keep the engine clean by giving it a jet wash every so often.

My thoughts on the problem are that it is caused by blow by when the piston rings become worn, pressure from the cylinders passes the piston rings on the compression stroke and causes excess crank pressure within the engine, also I think there is already some sort of gause in the crank case that should catch the oil in normal circumstances.

HTH Lee.
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