EGR problems & Oil catch can now installed

[boostedbmw]

Ok we all have our opinions about what to do with our sludge problem in the manifold. After blocking firstly the EGR pipe at the valve on the manifold i was getting my check light on the dash, i also tried blocking the other end at the exhaust with no change. Today i removed both and found WATER, probably from condensation sitting in the pipe at the EGR valve (see picture)
When i removed the blocking plate from there i also noticed that the EGR valve has been hitting it when it opens, this MAY be the reason my light was coming on.
So i decided to block it the way hicko did at the base of the EGR valve. While i had the valve off i stuck my finger into the manifold and look what i found on a 10,000 KM engine with 3 oil and filter changes allready.

Absolutly disgusting, now i know what hicko went through when he cleaned his manifold. Also when i fitted the snorkel to booyah's triton on Saturday i had a look in the maniflold BEFORE the throttle body (removed a sensor)and we found ALOT of oil residue that was relativly clean. This now rings true to the oil breather problem and the oil catch can discussions on here lately. So I went to Autobahn today and purchased a DRIFT oil catch can, See picture There were other cheaper and less boy racer style ones but this one had one major advantage that the others did not. You can pull it apart! And here is the reason why i wanted to. ALL of the catch cans had NO baffles to catch the oil vapour so i needed to pull it apart to add this. Here is a picture of the EMPTY catch can
I now went to my local IGA and got 2 jumbo steelo pads to stuff inside. See picture
As the factory breather pipe is so large it was hard to find a replacement universal oil resistant hose. So i used the hose that i got with the catch can kit and brought two adapter joiners to reduce the pipe size.
Well now all i have to do is road test it and let you know how it all goes. Here is the final installed picture.

[Stu]

good work mate, just curious what the stealer would say if they saw that?

[boostedbmw]

Dont really give a shit as long as it stops the problem. What are/can they do about it. Sweet F/A

[Stu]

dunno? thats why I was curious. Just wondering if/how they'd react if a warranty claim came up? I'm no mechanic but it seems after looking around the net egr systems are a problem not just happening to mitsubishi & I'm pretty keen to get it done myself but again worried what the dealer would try and pull

[snowman]

nice work boosted! i assume all that gear has a high temp rating? i assume the engine fault light is now extinguished?

stu, anything that goes wrong with my car, irrespective of what it is, they just blame the big tyres...... If a dealer wants to make an excuse they will, but if push comes to shove surely there has to be some reasoning behind it. Only the most arrogant of dealers would argue that keeping that crap out of your engine is a bad thing. Surely?

What happens when these motors get 150,000klms on them!!! None to my knowledge have yet, but the symptoms we are seeing can't be bright for the longevity of these motors! In any case for me i will not have warranty by the time it becomes an issue so it will be my problem anyway - best to solve it before it becomes really bad.

keep us posted boosted and thanks again.
p.s any chance of a photo up under the motor shroud?

[hicko]

boostedbmw
What fault code came up when the engine check light was on, and did it come on and go off after a while or did it just stay on all of the time.

[boostedbmw]

I dont know what the code is/was as i dont have a scan guage. But it was coming on and going out from time to time.

[CCM]

Nice work!

Have you kept an eyey on how much oil is being caught?

I'm always cautious of the basic design of those catch cans as they have no provision to drain back to the sump - If the oil (caught) level gets too high you would be in a position where you inhale a big dose of oil...

Another thought (if you're interested to here another opinion) to maximise the efficiency would be to put a divider in the tank you have there - Making the air pass down one side of the can under the devider and back up the other side (catching the oil in the steel wool as it goes) so there is a larger garaunteed filtration path (hope that maks sense...)

[snowman]

CCM,

i hear you but this would force the airflow through the oil (when there is enough in the can). this may restrict the flow too much(?). additionally the extra hose lengths and reduced hose size wont be helping the air flow - not something that seems will be a problem considering most people are just blocking them off.

also i assume the run from the engine (where the oil is coming from) to the catch can is downhill? otherwise it will build up in the hose and either fill it or run back to the engine....

[CCM]

CCM,

i hear you but this would force the airflow through the oil (when there is enough in the can). this may restrict the flow too much(?)...

True - In a perfect world the can would recirculate and dump any 'Caught' oil back to the sump removing any risk of this. Even if the divider was from the top to half way down the can would help... Vacum is alot like electricy, Takes the shortest and easiest path it can home! Just my 2c...

Hoping to fabricate a similar setup on m own DiD- Hang it from he rocker cover, literally striaght to the breather on the rocker cover and drain back to the sump (somehow... Haven't got my head around an easy way to do that just yet..) and another short run into the intake hose as per OEM - NOTE: Just thoughts, note done yet,

[CCM]

CCM,

and drain back to the sump (somehow... Haven't got my head around an easy way to do that just yet..) and another short run into the intake hose as per OEM - NOTE: Just thoughts, note done yet,

Scratch that - couldn't help so I went and had a look in the workshop...the turbo oil drain is easiest way to get oil back into the sump. Located directly under the turbo - looks like a 14mm pipe changes into Rubber hose just 4 or so inches from the sump - Looks like a perfect spot fot a Brass Y piece to dump the catch can drain into...

[sierra]

After looking at the rocker cover breather on mine and seeing it plumbed straight into the compressor intake I was quite shocked. Having worked on aircraft engines and specialising in turbine assembly and dynamic balancing, including turbos, I'm aware of the damage caused by anything going through an ultra high speed turbine or compressor and I mean anything that's just not clean air. It's not just erosion of the blades it's also the imbalance and loss of efficiency caused by the build up of gunge on them.
It's pointless to route this back to the sump because the whole purpose of the thing is to vent crankcase pressure in order to reduce pumping losses.
There's only one way to deal with it and that's to vent to atmosphere, after the oil has been filtered out of course. When I find something suitable I will disconnect the pipe from the rocker cover and blank it off ready to be reconnected for the dealer.

[Homer]

Agree with sierra
I must say from the get go I have been wondering why people were over engineering the breather hose. I thought monsters idea of a 'catch can' was simple and effective.

Couldn't you just drill,tap and fit a breather outlet (or just a hole) to the top of Boosteds drift catch can - or any other similar device so you vent the pressure?

And I don't understand the need for filtration or anything, you're just catching waste oil (maybe for a little baffling in case the oil capilliary's out of the breather and makes a bit of a mess?) No need to recycle it back to the engine - just dump it in your normal waste oil collector you use to do oil changes and monitor the volume and dipstick for topping up. Should be only very small quantities unless you have ring problems.
Either a drain and hose on the bottom like the oil change valves seen in another post or make it easily removable for draining.
I would be thinking cheap and quick - a bloody old beetroot can would do the job - and look the goods too! It's an oiler after all

[boostedbmw]

I have vented mine back in to keep it LEGAL for the transport guys, although my EGR is blocked but you cant visually see that.

[Homer]

You will never in a million years get done for that mate...wont even know what they're looking at.

With all the lifts, big tyres, hid conversions etc, etc there's many easier things to be done for that are out in the open and it doesn't happen.

[CCM]

Call me a princess but I just don't want that oily smell of a venting catch can in my new car!

Another reason I personally prefer to recirculate these things is to ensure you don't lose any oil over the long term... When you integrate these system for 'clients' in a retail world you have to make them foolproof! People tell you they check the oil and water regularly but in reality they check them less often than they renew thier rego... Its cheap insurnace and adding a catch can this way is simply just an extension of the factory breather system.

Just an opinion obvisouly... Great work either way!

[Homer]

I can totally understand it if you are going to perform the mod on a commercial basis as diesel customers would expect nothing less than a brand new beetroot can...maybe even a cleanskin

Certainly a different scenario to doing it on your own car as would be the engine mapping. Must have a safety first, fool proof and aesthetic consideration selling it to the punters.

hmmm..Princess CCM...has a certain regalness ring to it don't you think?

The dark side mob would no doubt have kittens posting about the princess in the pumpkin chariot....must keep this quiet.

[sierra]

CCM wrote,
''Scratch that - couldn't help so I went and had a look in the workshop...the turbo oil drain is easiest way to get oil back into the sump. Located directly under the turbo - looks like a 14mm pipe changes into Rubber hose just 4 or so inches from the sump - Looks like a perfect spot fot a Brass Y piece to dump the catch can drain into...''

How can you set that up so that the crankcase pressure is vented?
At the moment it's being vented by the intake suction at the compressor mouth but if you have a sealed system leading back to the sump then surely you're taking it back to the same place it came from and failing to vent crankcase pressure?

[hicko]

I dont know what the code is/was as i dont have a scan guage. But it was coming on and going out from time to time.

I disconnected the battery for a couple of hours the other day and the engine fault light has not come on since. 3000kms.
Give that a go and see if the light stays off.

[boostedbmw]

It was disconnected all last night and still came on this morning when i turned it on to go to work

[mlee76]

I have the same engine light comming on since I blocked off the egr pipe on the exhaust side. I have a scangauge comming in the next few days so hopefully I will be able to let you know what the fault code is. The light comes on periodically and goes off within approx an hour of driving.

[sierra]

The only difference is the lack of pressure and flow when the valve opens so it must be picking that up?
Maybe it needs intake manifold pressure on both sides of the valve to fool it or perhaps also blanking the manifold side of the valve too, so that it's totally isolated with constant equal pressure both sides?
Apparently with Fords and Holdens they blank the exhaust the same but also toss out the valve assembly, that's what I was told today at a parts shop where they sell the blanks to block them off.

[CCM]

CCM wrote,
How can you set that up so that the crankcase pressure is vented?
At the moment it's being vented by the intake suction at the compressor mouth but if you have a sealed system leading back to the sump then surely you're taking it back to the same place it came from and failing to vent crankcase pressure?

The intake draws the oil / air through the catch can - The catch can uses filtration to seperate the oil and good old fashion gravity to have the oil drain back to the sump. The vacum created by the intake and crank case pressure at the top of the engin ensures the air makes its way through the intake (turbo) just like the factory intended - Only the oil is dumped back into the sump.

Princess CCM?? Meh, I've been called worse... I'm big enough and ugly enough to know that won't stick!

[sierra]

CCM,
The only problem with that is that the crankcase pressure at the sump is the same as at the top of the engine.
That means the compressor vacuum will take an equal flow from both sources and the flow up from the sump is likely to overcome gravity and deposit the oil on the turbo, same as before.

How about putting a valve in the line to the sump and opening that once a month to let the can drain while it's parked?

Another way might be to blank off the intake hose connection and fit one of those $10 filter breathers, like mini K and N's and either wash or fit a new one when it's chocka?

[snowman]

how much oil are we talking about?

this is oil that would normally be burnt anyway so why is losing it to atmosphere or a catch can a big deal - it is no worse than where it goes now, isn't it?