$30 Oil Catch Can, DIY

[Ogredude]

who needs a Cusco, keep your intake clean with an air compressor filter / air dryer,
parts needed:
$26 - 3/8" Husky filter (crappy tire / walmart)
$4 - 3/8" hose fitting connectors
and some teflon tape

after only 500km it has about a teaspoon of oil caught already, crazy eh?

here is a corvette owner who has also done this:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1171194&forum_id=103

1. Take off engine cover - 4x10mm nuts
2. You have to cut the PCV hose, the one that goes from the back of the vavle cover into the intake manifold near the front. Cut the hose about 4" down from the back, and re-install it the opposite way, now there is room for the compressor filter away from the motor.
3. Install the Hose fitting connectors into each side of the compressor filter, with the teflon tape,
4. install filter. Make sure it is facing the right direction, the air flows down from the valve cover and gets sucked into the intake so the arrows on the compressor filter should be the same direction.
5. The valve cover Intake hose will have to be removed for the install, and be re-installed over top of the exit hose.
Hope you can understand that Jumble, these pics should help a lot.

[uncleyaris]

great work, thanks for the pics on this DIY.

[yrsdrgn]

newbie question: what does this help improve?

Edit. Question answered

[Chris07LB]

Weird. This is always an issue on both my supercharged Fords, never thought it would be as bad on this lil 4 banger. :confused:

[WD-40]

Toyota has had many issues with sludge ..
Google "Toyota sludge" ... select images, you'll see a wide variety of damage caused by sludge.
Go to this link and read about it http://yotarepair.com/Sludge_Zone.html
Now I'm not saying that Toyota hasn't solved the problem, but I agree with OgreDude's solution, better safe then sorry.
The oil that is now captured was destined to go into the intake and burned off, so worst case now is that we save a bit of pollution from occurring.

[uncleyaris]

sludge can lead to other probs. I have heard that the burn off causes emission ; pcv, sensors to wear faster.

[sf180th]

Here is the one I made. Total cost $17.44.

[the_boss]

newbie question: what does this help improve?

Edit. Question answered

x2 :confused:

[joey1320]

x2 :confused:

any oil that escapes pass the pcv will make it into the intake manifold. the catch can is there to clean the oil off of the airwaves and keep your intake manifold clean.

definitely an easy/good thing to do to your engine.:wink:

[Pavel Olavich]

any oil that escapes pass the pcv will make it into the intake manifold. the catch can is there to clean the oil off of the airwaves and keep your intake manifold clean.

definitely an easy/good thing to do to your engine.:wink:

So it keeps oil from the intake manifold...so what? How is this good? The oil simply gets burned, right? How is this so bad? Sorry if I sounds ignorant, but perhaps someone can enlighten me?

[Vic-2NZFE]

Nice DIY, seems very easy

[churp]

So it keeps oil from the intake manifold...so what? How is this good? The oil simply gets burned, right? How is this so bad? Sorry if I sounds ignorant, but perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Pavel....I'll try to answer this, the intake manifolds purpose is to flow air as efficiently as possible, with excess oil getting in the intake it will slowly get an oily/sludgy buildup. Since the manufacturer isn't too concerned, it will probably not be a problem for 99.9% of car owners.....just a matter of how concerned a person is. (Could be more to it but think this is the main idea.)
:smile:

[Jerkratt]

but wouldn't putting this there decrease the air flow??? cause of the shrinking of the airway?

[churp]

Cars never used to have this until EPA got into things. The crankcase air used to be vented to the open air...and your intake only sucked clean air thru the air cleaner. These filters are low restriction and shouldn't hamper performance or the environment.

[Ogredude]

airflow? aint really an issue, the filter is not restrictive, you can easily breath through it if thats what your wondering

[Chris07LB]

but wouldn't putting this there decrease the air flow??? cause of the shrinking of the airway?

No.

[Mr.Yaris]

If this was really a problem, you'd see Toyota do something about it. It's not a Toyota, but when I pulled off my Camaro's intake manifold to port match the intake ports to my new high-flow cylinder heads, the engine had 120k miles on it, and it was about 9 or 10 years old when I pulled it off. There was very little, if any oil buildup, and no "sludge" to be found. Cylinder walls and piston tops looked like new (pays to regularly clean your fuel system with every oil change...)

Point is, I didn't have it on that car, and I'm sure it isn't as "clean" of a running motor as the Yaris is. Just my 2 cents, do whatever makes you feel better about your car. As for me, I'm not gonna sweat it...

[BailOut]

Ogredude,

Thank you for the DIY! It gave me the confidence to do this for myself.

I got all the parts at Home Depot, and more of them than you listed due to the lower valve of the Husky filters not closing worth a crap, but I came in at just under $20.

1) Small Husky fuel filter: $12
2) 2 3/8" pipe fittings: $4
3) Drip sprinkler: $1.50
4) Sprinkler goof plugs: $2

Total: $19.50

The drip sprinkler was the cheapest way to get a few millimeters of the 150 PSI drip hose that would fit the nipple on the bottom of the filter, and a goof plug caps it off. Other than that my install was identical to yours.

[jlift]

Ogredude,

Thank you for the DIY! It gave me the confidence to do this for myself.

I got all the parts at Home Depot, and more of them than you listed due to the lower valve of the Husky filters not closing worth a crap, but I came in at just under $20.

1) Small Husky fuel filter: $12
2) 2 3/8" pipe fittings: $4
3) Drip sprinkler: $1.50
4) Sprinkler goof plugs: $2

Total: $19.50

The drip sprinkler was the cheapest way to get a few millimeters of the 150 PSI drip hose that would fit the nipple on the bottom of the filter, and a goof plug caps it off. Other than that my install was identical to yours.

I just did this mod myself. What you say sounds interesting, but I have no clue what the drip hose and goof caps are. Are you able to kindly post a pic. or two? Thanks.!

[BailOut]

jlift,

I didn't think to take any pictures while I did this as I was experimenting as I went, and it's not worth ripping everything back out for it. It's not as complicated as it sounds, though.

It's just that the little Husky filter I found at Home Depot has a little nipple at the bottom that looks like it's intended to be the place where fuel exits from the filter. It has a built-in petcock in the form of a flip valve but of the 3 filters I checked at the store none of those petcock valved worked worth a crap.

To counter the chance of any captured oil draining out of that nipple I used like 10mm of tubing from a drip sprinkler spike (it's just a semi-rigid plastic tube about 4mm in diameter) which attaches to the nipple on one end and hosts what's called a "goof plug" on the other end. A goof plug is just a little roundish piece of plastic that is used to cap lines like this, or to plug a hole in a large drip feeder that you didn't intend to make.

[BailOut]

Due to being a hypermiler my driving style is much lighter than most folks, but I have still managed to capture about 3ml of fluids in 500 miles.

That's a small amount of fluid, to be sure, but only about half of it is combustible. This means that even if it doesn't end up as gunk on the throttle body or exhaust valve it still becomes raw emissions. While 1.5ml of non-combustibles per 500 miles doesn't seem like much, I'll be looking at 60ml per year over 20,000 miles.

That's 2 ounces of crap that I won't be spouting out over Mount Rose and Lake Tahoe each year. That can only be a good thing.

[jdium]

Since the manufacturer isn't too concerned, it will probably not be a problem for 99.9% of car owners.....just a matter of how concerned a person is. (Could be more to it but think this is the main idea.)
:smile:

In other words, some people just like to modify things :wink:

This save a little pollution. But so does many other things that nobody will think about or sacrifice. Any one in here giving up beans because they add to green house gasses? This is about the same amount of annual savings. Recycle ONE extra aluminum can and forget about this. More benefits :rolleyes:

[AlphaFox]

well the real question is now that you have captured it, what are you going to do with it? burn it? hah

[BailOut]

well the real question is now that you have captured it, what are you going to do with it?hah
I add it into the oil recycling container that I maintain for doing my own crankcase, transmission and differential oil changes, which then gets turned in to my local Kragen (auto parts store), who runs a recycling program.

[Yaris Revenge]

Okay, can someone clear this up for me? Ogre calls it an air cleaner for a compressor, BailOut calls it a fuel filter, but it's obviously the same item, and I can't find the stupid thing anywhere because I don't know what isle I should be looking on! :help:

I need this for my motorcycle. I have a rigged version right now, but it consists of a T'd off hose with the lower branch being capped off (to be drained at intervals) and the upper branch ending in an air filter. It catches some of the stuff, but some of it is in gaseous form and condenses in the filter, which results in drippings! This looks like it'll do the trick.

Thanks!

~YR

[BailOut]

YR,

The one I got is labeled "Husky Compressor Fuel Filter" and I found it at Home Depot at the end of the aisle that contains compressor parts and accessories. It's not the same one that Ogredude used, hence my rigging of a nipple block. I tried to find the same one that Ogredude pictured but they only carry one kind of this item.

I suppose it really doesn't matter what label the thing has on it as they all do the same thing... use gravity to capture fluid as it passes via an overhead tube.

If your Home Depot is set up like mine it's two aisles to the right of the hand tools.

[Yaris Revenge]

Bail, thanks for the info. I finally tracked down the air line thingie that Ogre used at Home Depot. I looked for the fuel filter you got to compare the two, but my HD didn't have it in stock.

Can't wait to rig this up on my bike! Thanks again!

~YR

[OxyG3nE]

i also bought it but there were no 3/8 filter.. they dont sell it here .. so i took the 1/4 .. will it work the same or its too small? and im not sure what side to put it on.. IN in the back and OUT in the front?

[Ogredude]

i also bought it but there were no 3/8 filter.. they dont sell it here .. so i took the 1/4 .. will it work the same or its too small? and im not sure what side to put it on.. IN in the back and OUT in the front?

Ya sounds right, just hold your thumb over the hose when the car is running to see what side is sucking if your not sure.
this is the type of filter im talking about
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100027474

The 2 female to male nipples i used were 3/8" for a snug fit with the yaris hoses, so see if they fit in that 1/4" one before you buy it

[OxyG3nE]

thats exactly what i bought so thanks for the info :)

[IanCFitz]

I just picked up one of those tonight, hopefully I'll get a few minutes tomorrow to get it installed.

I had the intake plenum off my Chrysler Sebring several times replacing plugs and wires, and after seeing how gunked up it was, I want to keep as much stuff out of the Yaris' intake as I can.

[Sodium Duck]

Barnacles! I did this. My only thing to add to it is this:

You may have to cut your engine cover to make it all fit when you're done. I cut mine nicely and you can't even tell I was messing around. Someone else had done this as well, and got their own custom line.

Do not get regualr air line as it will collapse! You need to buy an oil/gas line if you want to make and re-route your own.




P.S. Awesome mod, a little under 500 miles and I've already collected some oil. Agreat DIy that you can instantly see the result of!

[eco]

I agree with Sodium Duck completly,I just got a coupon from Toyota for $99.00,they will clean the Intake system ( what that means,who knows?),they clean the injectors (they actually state in small print "Injector cleaner added to fuel),I can do that myself for $5-7,and they clean the throttle body,which this DIY prevents all together.So what Im saying is for about $45.00 and some time,you could save that $99.00 Toyota cleaning BS for the life of the car.Enjoy.

[Sodium Duck]

LoL, 100 bucks.

My total cost for this DIY was actually $18.xx, bassically 20 bucks!

[eco]

Yep,no BS,I might just scan and post it up,its ridiculious.

[john21031]

Oh, not another one "i also inveted a wheel"... in the line with those $5 inline gas savers.

The oil vapor is circulating in the PCV "positive crankcase ventilation" system. Now you are just collecting it for some reason. Why not start condensing moisture out of all air inside and outside the car and then praise the device for the "unwanted" water it "trapped"...

[eco]

This oil gets trapped in the throttle body at cool down,this will help in the long run.Now go and post your BS some where else.

[YarisSedan]

Oh, not another one "i also inveted a wheel"... in the line with those $5 inline gas savers.

The oil vapor is circulating in the PCV "positive crankcase ventilation" system. Now you are just collecting it for some reason. Why not start condensing moisture out of all air inside and outside the car and then praise the device for the "unwanted" water it "trapped"...

Well after about 30k miles look down your throttle body. YOu will see enough black crap to possibly fill a mason jar that is coating the inside of your entire throttle body. Compare another yaris who has done this mod and guess what. It will be spotless.

[Sodium Duck]

Drives a '95 Nissan Altima?

[EasyDriver]

I found this fuel filter "catch can" here:
http://www.tgilmore.com/talon/catchcan.html

How can you beat this price....and it's reusable!

[Pitt Yaris]

Very cool mod. Might try this soon.

[Fenrizwolf]

I found this fuel filter "catch can" here:
http://www.tgilmore.com/talon/catchcan.html

How can you beat this price....and it's reusable!
Neat!

Very cool mod. Might try this soon.
Ditto!

[marcus]

still dont get what this thing is suppose to catch..isnt that what the oil filter do?? just curious..

[eTiMaGo]

OK, here's a basic explanation... Look at pictures of an engine, it's mostly hollow inside, and oil splashes around where it's not supposed to... So in order to keep things clean, there is some air that is sucked through the engine that picks up some of this oil, and circulates it back into the intake, so that it is burned by the normal engine combustion. This is a pretty efficient system, but it has the disadvantage of building up oil inside your air intake manifold, and also, burning oil is not very clean. So an oil catch can catches this oil before it gets back into the engine, so that you can dispose of it properly later on.

For more detailed information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_Crankcase_Ventilation

[Fenrizwolf]

more explanation, if you ever worked in a kitchen, there is an exhaust fan with "hood vents" above the grill and fryer's. They suck up the smoke and greasy air, and the vents catch the grease before it gets to the exhaust fan. So our engine is the grill and fryer's making smoke and greasy hot air, this diy filter is the "vents" that catch the oil or greasy hot air, and our intake is the exaust fan that we are keeping clean and not greasy dirty.

So i wonder if this means pretty much any fuel filter will work for this?
http://www.germes-online.com/direct/dbimage/50039182/Plastic_Fuel_Filter.jpg
that black topped one looks just like the diy ones....

[marcus]

thanks guys that make alot more sense now....new project..!

by the was would a 1/4 inch fit..home depot only sells 1/4 inch size..

[Fenrizwolf]

http://www.ctcautoranch.com/NOS%20Parts/Nos%20Parts/Toyota%20Fuel%20Filter,%20Glass.JPG
look at this toyota fuel filter i found

[EasyDriver]

more explanation, if you ever worked in a kitchen, there is an exhaust fan with "hood vents" above the grill and fryer's. They suck up the smoke and greasy air, and the vents catch the grease before it gets to the exhaust fan. So our engine is the grill and fryer's making smoke and greasy hot air, this diy filter is the "vents" that catch the oil or greasy hot air, and our intake is the exaust fan that we are keeping clean and not greasy dirty.

So i wonder if this means pretty much any fuel filter will work for this?
http://www.germes-online.com/direct/dbimage/50039182/Plastic_Fuel_Filter.jpg
that black topped one looks just like the diy ones....
This is an impressive collection of fuel filters...I didn't realize that they made so many different types!!

[EasyDriver]

http://www.ctcautoranch.com/NOS%20Parts/Nos%20Parts/Toyota%20Fuel%20Filter,%20Glass.JPG
look at this toyota fuel filter i found
This toyota fuel filter look like it has the glass bowl....as in the old days!!!! It would do the job excellently though.

[Tamago]

or you could buy:

http://www.hrpworld.com/client_images/ecommerce/client_39/products/4374_hdr_2_l.jpg

an it won't look like you put an air compressor filter under your hood ;)

[marcus]

if the filter tubing is smaller than stock would than restrict air coming out of the engine..

also what will happen if you forget to clean the filter and it gets filled would that block the air to comeout of the engine..and would that damage the engine for not getting that excess air out.??

[marcus]

does this work..lolz

[mikenacarato]

no, you CANNOT have a breather on there. it will cause a vacuum leak and the car will run rough. i had this issue when i tried to do it.

[marcus]

how much does the husky collect based on km or mile run ? what if u forget to clear it and it gets full??

[d1nzfe]

i tried,it will NEVER get full. NEVER...
a teaspoon and that is it!

[MGargano]

I'm looking to do this mod but I'm wondering if anyone knows the correct hose diameter for the tubing on the 09. I think it's 3/8" but not positive and I want to be sure before I buy the filter.

[marcus]

i read that this air filter will drop pressure by 5 psi would that effect the engine performance? ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1stToyota]

Always heard that this was a popular and necessary mod when forced induction is added or boost is increased above stock levels. I'll just stick with injector cleaner once every 5k miles and 3m throttle plate cleaner, should the need ever arise.

[marcus]

well ...would a 5psi drop affects the engine performance when using the oil catch can. im ready to do this..

[yarisugi]

Thank you Ogredude. I was able to complete this using your DIY.
Looks a little different, but same thing. Cost me about $25 :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk125/LookOnTheBrightSide/Yaris/yarisoilcatch.jpg

[marcus]

Thank you Ogredude. I was able to complete this using your DIY.
Looks a little different, but same thing. Cost me about $25 :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk125/LookOnTheBrightSide/yarisoilcatch.jpg

NICELY DONE..what size tube did you use..

[yarisugi]

I don't remember but the inside diameter was fitted for 3/8". It was from a left over hose.

[GMKing]

After reading this whole thread I'm still left confused.

from factory ALL manufacturers have a very tiny amount of oil fed to the intake system.

and you guys are trying to collect it before it gets there?

I understand the idea of preventing extra oil from burning in your combustion process, and keeping this extra oil off of your valves, particularly if it's about time to change your oil and it's got an amount of junk in it that you'd prefer not to get into your intake or on your valves.

but has anyone honestly considered WHY the manufacturer's ALL do this? they want your engine to be reliable (nearly) as much as you do, as well as FE. They must have some reason for creating this line and doing this. The only reasons I can think of is the air intake is metal right? metal corrodes. Corrosion prevents airflow, and airflow over corrosion passes right into your engine. now your engine is steadily eating rust (or oxidation, which the engine would eat to a much lessor degree).

also I can imagine that this oil many of you are deciding to prevent from going into your engine is lubricating your valve and valve seats, so that they create a decent seal when closed and last longer then bare metal hitting metal. It's very possible I'm wrong, and I'd love to believe that this awesomely cheap mod is good for my engine and it's longevity, however I cannot do so without having the above statements properly debunked.

[Judas Iscariot]

I'd love to believe that this awesomely cheap mod is good for my engine and it's longevity, however I cannot do so without having the above statements properly debunked.

+1


bumpity

[Midnight Drifter]

On my Supra, I just vented the PCV to atmosphere. What's the point in spending money on a catch can?:iono:

[anexrx7]

On my Supra, I just vented the PCV to atmosphere. What's the point in spending money on a catch can?:iono:

You let your Supra get all grimy from blow by? After an hour of running the RX7, that crap is everywhere when I have a leak on the vent hose.

[Midnight Drifter]

You let your Supra get all grimy from blow by? After an hour of running the RX7, that crap is everywhere when I have a leak on the vent hose.

Well I had a metal braided hose running from the vents down to the oil drain plug, I never had problems with leaks. I thought it looked kinda cool like that.

Friend of mine did the same thing with his Corolla SR5, still working great on his car.

[ilikerice]

^^^i admit... on my budget crx and first time doing a piece by piece turbo setup i ran a hose off my valve cover running under the car.. ran great for two years.. til i got into autocross and turbo+street tires=zero grip.. took it off and sold it. im sorry mother nature.. i was a dumbass..

i remember the first time i ran my crx full boost without a hose on the valve cover just to test drive it.. when i hit about 6k rpm oil shot under my hood and all over passenger side windshield.. my ass was so tight when that happend..

[darkMINI]

Found this sick little tank on e-bay last night. It's perfect.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350419253480&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[goliath1812]

Sorry for the resurrection of an old thread, but has anyone ever thrown any codes with a catch can? I just did this, I used the Husky filter from Home Depot, and just got a P0171 code. The only difference is I used another short section of hose from the PCV valve to the Husky filter, instead of cutting the stock hose. Could that be the problem? I'm sure all of the fitting are tight, and there are no leaks....
Sorry about the pic quality, it's taken from my phone.

[mario98c]

P0171 System Too Lean (Bank #1)

[JTDBT903]

I would say that the hose is collapsing under hard throttle, setting off the code. Check the hose under part/full throttle to verify this.

I have a Mazda MPV van that has a notorious problem with a inferior pcv hose connection and throws a similar code!

[ecc_33]

i just did this tonight. i gutted the air filter out of the top of the husky air compressor catch can and siloconed the butterfly valve on the bottom of the resivor becuase it leaked. Looks good and should work great. I just ditched the engine cover. Don't really need it anyways. Looking down into the intake seemed like it was pretty oily.

[goliath1812]

Well, the short section of blue tubing i have must be the problem. I never did check it for collapsing under throttle, but I reset the code with my scanner, and it came back on that same day. I took everything off, and haven't got a code since. In the brief amount of time that I had the catch can on, I did catch some oil, so it definately works. I just need to cut the stock hose I guess and mount the filter inline.

[Bluevitz-rs]

^ are you sure you had the filter in the right direction?

[Klink10]

^ that was my thought also.

[goliath1812]

yes, i'm sure. and the blue hose was actually one that came with a different eBay catch can. when i had that installed, it threw the same code. i had taken it off and put it away for a while until i saw this thread and tried the husky.

[Jason@SportsCar]

I am surprised so many people report finding oil in there... Are these high mileage or FI engines?

We just put a K&N breather on the end of the stock hose, zip-tied it up near the cowl, still perfectly clean.

[ecc_33]

after about 100 miles I have very little oil but do have a little bit in it. My car has 57,500 miles. I have been driving really easy too. I guess the harder you drive it the more its going to spew.

[goliath1812]

I had put about 300 miles on it before I removed it. It had some oil, but very little. Not nearly enough to have to drain it. I have about 80K miles on the car.