Can i use one of those catch cans for a radiator surge/catch tank? Just that mine has roted :dry:

 

 

btw what is the actual use of those oil catch cans? (I know there to stop blow back ) or is it just rice

Edited April 6, 200521 yr by Jason

basiclly when gas gets into ur rocker coverits blown back into ur intake.... usally happens on turbo cars... the catch can catches the oil before it gets to urr intake and allows the air to pass on

Oil Cacth cans are realy more of an emission thing then a performance mod. All they do is stop your oil in your blowby hose before oil is feed back in through your inlet and burnt with your fuel. (Stops bit of smoke out the back).

In high reving cars they are good to have since so much oil is moving through the engines head. You probably could use it as a water overflow but.

Can't see why you couldn't use one of those for a radiator overflow. Hell, you can even do a "Mel" and use a water bottle (yes, one that you buy from 7-11 or whatever) as one. Or a beer bottle, or really anything you can stick a hose into that holds water!

some of the quickest and best built cars i've seen have used a 2L coke bottle as a radiator overflow, because it's actually really hard to find a cheap, large capacity overflow bottle with a cap that you can put a hose into in 30 seconds, and store pretty much anywhere in your engine bay with the use of cable ties. it looks budget though and is cause to take the piss

 

the proper name for a "catch can" is an oil/air separator. this should tell you what it does. personally i think any catch can is a waste of time unless you have manifold vacuum sucking on it, so it's essentially a filter for the pcv hose. alot of installations have just the can and a hose from the intake crossing the engine bay, often accompanied by lots of braided hose and anodised fittings. this is rice

There have been a few times when I wished I had a catch can when competing in motorkhanas as it sucks driving through your own oil smoke...........

 

Only happens at max revs and on long right hand corners.

on my 20v, i conected both lines from the valve cover on to my can.

previously one went into the intake hose and the other via a pcv valve into the manifold air balance pipe behind the t/b.

 

now the only place for any oil vapour to go is into the can. rather than cake up my intake. but jamies suggestion is a good one, IF it seperates properly, not sure if mines does and i couldnt be arsed with the extra plumbing needed

Edited April 11, 200521 yr by Mr Revhead

i myself find it pointless to have an oil catch can in a N/A car.

 

the reason that turbo cars get them is due to the nature of forced induction oil vapours somehow manage do come back up the intake lines and coat the inside of your intercooler/turbo with oil making them less efficient. it stops the oil vapour before it gets to your expensive car parts.

haha. trust me, a naturally aspirated 4k makes plenty of crankcase vapours. especially when you rev them hard (over 6500) and the rings start to float and you get more blowby than under normal conditions

My 4AGE makes a bit of crankcase vapour, I've had to empty out my catch can about twice in the past year... And that's doing about 7000km's...