hmmm ... you're making me rethink my set up - fortunately I haven't bought/fabricated anything yet.

Did you add any filters/'scrubbers' to try to slow the sloshing?

I was going to mount my catch can to the front of the cam cover since my thermostat housing is gonzo and I've got the space there. I planned on mounting the catch can (a 2"x6" extrusion with internal baffles, 2 10 an lines on top and a port on the opposing side post baffle/filter to draw a vacuum) up higher than the cam cover ports so the oil would have to at least travel 'up hill'. It seems a lot of the set ups on here are lack a 'torturous path' - something which has solved many fluid ingress issues.

I suppose if oil gets in the line and blow-by pressurizes the line then a torturous path doesn't do no good.

In for updates before I waste time/$.

FYI on your october post - Earls makes black hard coated tight 90's. I ordered mine from anplumbing.com. They're a pretty good vendor.


-Zach

I made a newer version with much less scrubber material which is away from the out ports - seems to be working. Catch can was almost empty after a day of racing. Also don't make any drain holes in the baffle covers regardless what some say.
I think I made pictures - will have to find those and post later.

P.S. Another thing is to make sure the baffle covers are well sealed with some gasket maker but I assume most already know that.

Nevermind, levinubbhjin posted this stuff already.

So, as I was lying in bed last night waiting to come down from Saturday night's meth binge, I thought of a quick and easy test to see if one's valve cover is ventilated enough.

Wrap your lips around one of the hoses that leads into your VC and blow hard. Feel if there is resistance and you can also check to see if there is a lot of air coming out the other port in your VC. A more scientific way to do this could be to use a bike pump or air compressor on one side with a pressure gauge on the other. Anyways, the mouth test might quickly show if the ports or the baffled passages just do not flow enough air.

I haven't done this yet on my stock VC w/ stock ports but I will try it and report back.

I am now running the passenger side port plugged and one -10 line from the drive's-side location with success at the track. I'm getting cappuccino in the can bust still blowing a minute amount of oil through the filter, not enough to add oil though. I will put steel-wool in the can and see what happens. It looks like I'm done working on it though.

So you don't have anything in your can? No baffle, no stuffing to capture the oil vapor?

There is a little pipe inside that points downward. I thought it had baffling in the can, but plan on doing this myself in the near future.

on boost (11psi on a stock 1.6 engine), I'll have the oil catch can filling up mighty fast and it overflows (Carbing 0.6l oil tank).

I've got a hose connecting the crankcase breather on the (US) Driver side of the cam cover and a hose to the breather on the lower block, just slightly below the right of the oil filter. These 2 are connected by a T-connector to 1 inlet of the oil catch, with the other vented to air. My PCV valve is still plumbed back to intake.
Any suggestions to prevent excessive oil loss?

The lower port on the intake side of the block also fills my catch can up. I am going to try a new set up though where that will become the return for the catch can since the valve cover ports don't blow any oil out.

my mechanic told me to try and use heavier oil?
I'm thinking whether I should use a separate oil catch can for the lower breather tube.
I once connected the PCV breather and Crankcase breather on the valvecover by a t joint to my oil catch can. when I did this, i got oil spill pretty bad. After plugging the PCV back to intake and the crankcase side to the oil catch, i never ever had to empty my oil catch can...

I think the vent on the side of the block needs to stay a vent. A return from the catch can need to return below the oil level in the sump. The 323 GTX's blocks that had the vent already in the side of the block also came with an oil pan that had a metal pipe sticking out of it for a return at the very bottom of the pan. In countries where PCV systems were mandated they didn’t use the vent or the return and just put a cap on them. Sometime in the 80’s everything went to PCV systems eliminating traditional crank case venting systems.

I’m considering venting both sides of the valve cover and the block and adding a drain back line to the bottom of the pan below the oil level.

Bob

On Matt Andrews' car were were filling-up the catch can through the oil pan "return" port at Big Willow.

What is this "breather port on the lower part of the block"? My car seems to be fine with it's current set-up so I'm not going to touch it unless a problem develops on one of the tracks with a huge sweeper where I stand on the loud pedal.

1.6 cars have a port just below the alternator mounts that came from factory with a cap.
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If you look at some of the 1.6l blocks there is a ~5/8" metal tube with a rubber cap on it right by the oil filter boss just behind the alternator that creates a passage that comes out right by the oil squirter inside the crank case.

On my 1.8l block I drilled a hole in it at the same location taped in a -10 AN to 1/2" pipe port and JB-Welded it in place. It gets a lot less oil coming out than a port than the one I had placed in the pan placed in the front of the pan above the oil level. The line I had going to the pan would create a huge mess after hard braking and high revs.

I think if you have a return it needs to stay fully submerged below the oil level in the sump to keep it from puking oil back up. The 323 GTX’s that had the block breather port also had a similar ~5/8” metal tube cast into the oil pan at the bottom of the sump for a return I assume. I also assume they had an oil separator catch can in versions of the car without PCV systems that properly vented the crank case to atmosphere and yet kept all the oil in the engine.

Pic below shows both the block brether port and the return port on a 323 GTX. Both are unused on a car sold with a PCV system instead of a breather system.
Bob

I've thought about tapping that and adding a line with a 1-way valve there.

With a 1 way valve it either wouldn’t behave as a breather or it wouldn’t behave as a drain back take your pick.

Bob

Tapping what? I thought you had a 1.8 block.

I'll take the drain back. At some point that port will be submerged on a left-corner and it will push oil up the hose. I think this is where BMW L6's and Honda motors get a break considering their slant...a port at the top of the pan on the slant.

It does work much better as a breather up in the block where the 1.6l breather port is. That is where I have mine now tapped into my 1.8 block. For a drain back I think just stick it at the bottom of the sump so it stays well below the oil level. The gas pressure pulses won’t push that much oil back up the hose they seem to be able to push sloshing oil that momentarily covers a higher port up fairly well however.

Bob

sorry, just to clarify...the return you're talking about to below the oil level in the sump is an OIL return line, yes?
If this is the case, can I just tap the 'outlet' port on my oil catch can, ie, the one currently venting to air, to the turbo oil return line to the sump?Or am i missing something?