Oil Mist Collectors

Super XR7

Registered User
Anyone have any recommendations for a in line "oil mist collector" between the valve covers and the inlet plenum? Seems like a read about someone trying a air compressor mist collector but did not have good results? Any suggestions?

Mike
 
So does home depot :O)!..Thats what Steeda and jegs use...Same as home depot...Have to make sure you had oil seperator and not one for water.

Also I have used a brass sintered filter inline with good results
 
Mike,

I've been running one of the $30 seperators that you find on ebay all of the time (see attached picture). While I have seen that some others have reported lackluster results with them, I found no signs of oil getting past the seperator when I tore my engine down. It was definitely catching oil, too.

The way I see it, for $30, it was worth a try. I'm happy with it.

-Rod
 

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Just about any building supply store carries an air compressor discharge filter that can be used to separate out oil from the PCV vent line. In fact, Lowes carries a small "mini" filter rated for 21 scfm and 150 psi with a 5 micron filter that I just installed on my 89 SC. I have compared it to the photos by Steeda and it looks identical to what they offer for 3 or 4 times the price. Only issue is it has a polycarbonate plastic bowl housing that can be affected by some solvents and synthetic oils. But so does the one by Steeda - so we shall see how it holds up to regular oil vapors. I don't use synthetic oil. I have attached a photo of the Steeda unit but mine looks identical.
 

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Hows the flow on those? I used an old fuel filter one time and it was too restrictive and crappy. Judgeing by the oil going through my lines I need to find a higher flow version.
 
Just wondering what the benefits would be of catching the oil mist? Personally, I don't mind a light coating of oil on interal parts.
 
Just wondering what the benefits would be of catching the oil mist? Personally, I don't mind a light coating of oil on interal parts.

I nice coat of oil on the Supercharger is nice. But then builds up too much restricting air flow. My IC is full of oil everytime I took it off.
 
I thought mine let a lot of oil through, and it would usually have about oh....a pepsi cap full of oil sitting in the lower IC tube. I just never saw it as that big of a deal. Even looking at the size of those containers, if you guys were topping it off with oil...I still can't see that being enough to really hamper performance.

P.S. I would think the tighter tolerances that are created by the coating of oil on your blower rotors and case would outweigh the reduced volume of airflow from a few ounces of oil sitting somewhere along the intake track
 
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paper elements get clogged..Teh home depot.loews.......steeda...Same stuff

These air compressor filters use porous filter elements made from metal or ceramics. They don't easily plug off and they could be cleaned with solvent if needed. They do impose a small pressure drop in the PCV system but I don't think the restriction of air flow is a problem. Remember that all you are doing is trying to keep a postive air flow through the crankcase to remove oil mist/vapors. Since the air is already metered because it comes from the intake tube downstream of the MAF connected to the drivers side valve cover, there is no impact on the total air to fuel ratio fed to the intake manifold, regardless of the air flowrate. I've had the IC tubes off and the oil was literally dripping out of the connections. I think this is a reasonable way to keep excessive oil out of the intake system.
 
Since the air is already metered because it comes from the intake tube downstream of the MAF connected to the drivers side valve cover, there is no impact on the total air to fuel ratio fed to the intake manifold, regardless of the air flowrate.

I'll preface this by saying I don't think the amount of air we are talking about would have a significant impact on a/f ratio.....but.....

A car equipped with EGR knows not to command enough fuel for 100% fresh intake charge under part throttle, mainly because what you are metering doesn't = the final charge after you've polluted it somewhat with NOx (which comes into play right after the TB. That is why when you go disabling your EGR valve, you will see a slightly leaner a/f ratio under part throttle, because Oxygen is the replacement for your lack of NOx in the system. MAF sends same amount of fuel thus you go slightly leaner.

PCV should introduce much less of a air/oil charge than EGR, and in my case I was about .5 leaner ratio without EGR or a tune to compensate for it. So if the system was designed to draw out metered air, knowing it will be replaced after the TB with a polluted charge of oil, how can you now filter out excess oil and not cause somewhat of a slightly leaner condition? (nevermind, probably very low concentration of oxygen, regardless of oil content. However that would also mean that if you have a large presense of oil, or just vapor, it should make absolutely no difference to performance unless you get tuned. Which reinforces my question as to what benefits this mod provides other than you don't have to leave little oil spots on your garage floor whenever you take your IC connections apart. )
 
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I just mentioned paper so people dont use them. Many are ceramic or even nylon.

In my mustang I use a brass sintered filter. The way its setup is that it collects oil and allows it to drain back into the system rather then collect it. With this method you will never block 100% of the oil but the more the merrier. Even though oil coating parts is good and perhaps even in a blower application may help seal the rotors, burning oil is not good at all especially in an engine where you are concerned with detonation preignition and hot spots in the combustion chamber.
 
Turbo guys need a catch can because the turbo will cake this stuff onto the blades. I have one on my neon.
I dont have on on my SC, but have though about it. On another note as we start to push the PSI on our mills there will be more crankase pressure, More of this stuff will come out.
 
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I filter it with a plastic, almost see-thru fuel filter I picked up at Autozone for like $5. Works great.

Micah,

I think the main reason to do this is to stop letting a polluted air charge into the IC which can, and most likely will, ruin it's heat transfer capability. I know the first time I cleaned my IC with solvent, a lot of build-up came out besides the oil sitting in the bottom IC tube.

Another good reason to do this is that any oil vapor in the air charge reduces the amount of air that the blower is moving. It may be less than 1cfm per revolution, but the poor M90 needs all the help it can get.

Finally, any A/F ratio changes that it may cause should easily be correctable with a tune.
 
I filter it with a plastic, almost see-thru fuel filter I picked up at Autozone for like $5. Works great.

Those have paper elements and will clog and reduce airflow causing idle issues..The brass sintered ones dont liek I have on my stang

Another good reason to do this is that any oil vapor in the air charge reduces the amount of air that the blower is moving. It may be less than 1cfm per revolution, but the poor M90 needs all the help it can get.

If anything the oil film would cause a closer clearence on the rotor lobes helping it's efficiency so to speak. Not nearly enough oil to displace air..

Lastly as I said previously is that you do not want the oil to be burnt. That is where a majority of all your loss of power will come from a multitude of issues arising there off.
 
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