4722 replies to this topic

[Nev]

I once hit a similar frozen water flow, dug in the edge of my board and didn't slow down one bit. I had to swap round and basically lie flat on my stomach with hands on the floor to get a full 90 degree angle, only then did I start to slow. Definite bum clenching moment

 

Yea, snow sports are way more dangerous than driving. I GPS'ed some of our runs many years ago and we got to 69 MPH. The guy I ski with once (illegally) sneaked on to the "speed run" course at Les Arcs and said he went considerably faster than that.

 

At least in a car you have lots of strong metal and meticulous engineering to keep you safe, and your legs don't have to do all the work!

Edited by Nev, 28 February 2018 - 06:12 PM.

[Nev]

Spent a couple of hours in the garage today as it's warmed up a bit.

 

Firstly I checked my modified engine mount to be sure it was ok. I've done about 250 miles with it now and it looked fine with the PU still in the voids.

 

I have now finally installed my new crank case pressure relief pipe that I welded up about a year ago. It is shaped differently to the old one to allow me to make a new oil swirl pot to help separate the oily gas more effectively than the last one. The new swirl pot will have brillo pads in it to try and diffuse the gas and collect more oil and it will also be larger in volume. Will try and design and make it tomorrow assuming I have enough alu stock.

 

 

Edited by Nev, 06 March 2018 - 06:37 PM.

[Nev]

Designed, fabricated and installed this morning.

 

It's the blue canister on a 10 degree angle at the side of the engine. It's made of aluminum and has 3 large brillo pads in it and is self draining back into the sump. The entry feed (hidden from view) is offset to induce swirl in the canister (which helps allow the oily gas to condense). I am expecting this unit to be considerably better performing than the last tiny jobby I made.

 

My alu welding leaves something to be desired though, bloody nasty stuff when it's just 1.5mm thick.

 

 

Edited by Nev, 07 March 2018 - 02:44 PM.

[Nev]

Grrr, a little test drive revealed a pin-prick hole leaking a drop or 2 of oil.

 

Will have to whip it off and fix that, shouldn't take too long.

[Nev]

Just back from the garage; inspecting the catch tank and doing a pressure test on it didn't reveal a leak...

 

So I think the oil was escaping from a poorly tightened jubilee clip on a tired silicon joiner. So I've binned the old silicon pipe and put a brand new one in, hopefully solving the issue.

 

Brrmm brrmm.

Edited by Nev, 07 March 2018 - 05:27 PM.

[Doctor Ed]

Why self draining?? The oil you separate in a can like that is emulsified diarrhoea which you def dont want back in the engine.

[Nev]

Why self draining?? The oil you separate in a can like that is emulsified diarrhoea which you def dont want back in the engine.

 

Strangely(?) my oily gas doesn't have any water content, so it's fine to let it drain back in IMO. A few years ago I used to collect it in a glass bottle for inspecton and it was always in good condition with not even a hint of gunge.

 

I have quite a lot of positive crank case pressure, so this remedy is to help allow lots of flow but to deliberately allow the oil to drain back in (ie a 0 maintenance system).  

Edited by Nev, 07 March 2018 - 07:21 PM.

[The Batman]

everything i have drained from a catch tank i wouldnt want back in the sump so shows that yours is breather better

[Mattyboi]

The water comes from condensation in the system, a well designed system will be fine. Emissions laws require a Close Crankcase Breather (CCV) for the engines I work on and I've had the misfortune to work on a new CCV system, I can tell you their a dark art. Most CCV systems run an impactor to filter out most of the oil, a cyclone to filter out the medium level oil carryover, which goes back to sump, and the vapor would go back to the inlet.

 

This one has the right principles so as along as no water collects you should be fine. Just keep an eye on the brillo pads for gunge.

[Nev]

Yea, as Mattyboi says, the OEM system is closed (for Euro N compliance) but I'm sure everyone knows from a performance perspective, it's very stupid to push oxygen depleted air back into the inlet, which is what all OEM cars since about 1992 have done.

 

So mine vents to atmosphere (between the rear of the gearbox and the back of the clam). If I find I'm still getting a slight oily film over my back bumper from this I can union the black rubber pipe to the exhaust in a suitable low pressure scavenging location. This would allow the gas to diffuse with the exhaust fumes and eject it at high speed out of the back of the car (away from the bumper and onto the windscreen of anything unfortunate enough to be behind me!).

 

Anyway, it's a pretty trivial issue, just nice to finally make a good job of it.

 

Edited by Nev, 08 March 2018 - 10:15 AM.

[Doctor Ed]

If you've got positive crankcase pressure it's coming from ring blow-by (ie combustion gas) which contains water. A modified turbo engine is not comparable to an oem in ideal operating conditions. I think you're brave returning breather crap back into the circuit. That's pretty much summarises my 2c. Carry on.

[Nev]

If you've got positive crankcase pressure it's coming from ring blow-by (ie combustion gas) which contains water. A modified turbo engine is not comparable to an oem in ideal operating conditions. I think you're brave returning breather crap back into the circuit. That's pretty much summarises my 2c. Carry on.

 

I can understand why you'd think that for most engines, but in my case there won't be any gunk in my catch tank. I specifically used a glass container for about 2 years to monitor it (and throw it away) and the oil was never contaminated. So for some reason it's not a real world problem on my engine. Also when I change my oil there is never any gunk either.

 

I think the fact that I very rarely go for short journeys helps eliminate oil/water contamination, as the engine gets nice and hot.

Edited by Nev, 08 March 2018 - 10:33 AM.

[Mattyboi]

The water from combustion gases shouldnt be an issue, the big issue is condensation as I mentioned. Lots off "tuner" cars use a hose into a catch can. This is awful  for condensation build up. Blow by is a measurable emission so its thought about in new engines, iff you use a CCV you'dd validate the system to make sure any water in blow by gases werent a problem.

 

Nev has checked water/gunge isnt an issue for him so its ok, I'd just hope anyone copying the idea would do the same.

Edited by Mattyboi, 08 March 2018 - 11:06 AM.

[siztenboots]

whats the flashpoint of these oil / petrol vapours?

[Mattyboi]

No idea, its not something thats ever checked for in my experience. Not sure its relevant on a CCV system as it doesnt go near anything hot. If you vent to atmosphere its a concern but you'd put it somewhere sensible.

[alexb]

And how about using an aftermarket solution like Mann Hummel Provent? I've been considering it for quite a while as I'm getting a bit tired to smell oil (current solution is as you describe, catch tank and filter to air. Need to empty the catch tank every 2000 km or so. And clean the oil gunk once every year).

[Nev]

Yep, I expect the Mann Hummel Provent 200 (etc) would be a fine solution, albeit £140. I prefer to design and make stuff though as it's more rewarding and also it only cost me about £10. I find a real joy from problem solving and using bits of metal and head scratching to make a useful solution.

Edited by Nev, 08 March 2018 - 05:00 PM.

[Nev]

I've been suffering from a couple of oil leaks from the engine over the last year or so, so yesterday I popped into the garage to have a poke around. I was a bit dismayed to find that the radiated heat from the exhaust manifold (even though it's wrapped!) had melted the plastic cam cover, such that the cam cover had blistered out and up by a few mm, meaning the internal seal was not working. Looking with a mirror I could see a lot of oily mess trickling down from there onto the exhaust manifold and turbine, which explains the occasional puff of smoke I used to see in the rear view mirror!

 

As a quick fix/bodge I made up a steel bracing plate that I've bolted onto the block that pushes against the cam cover and then also filled the gap with a rubbery gasket sealant. I have also put some Nimbus on top of that too to help deflect the heat in the long term (a bit like the OEM chimney). I wasn't really expecting this to work too well, but after a 100 mile test drive this morning all seems good, though I can imagine the gasket sealant melting at some point in the summer perhaps.

 

I do have a spare cam cover sitting on the shelf, if the problem remanifests itself I'll have to swap it over.

 

Edited by Nev, 13 March 2018 - 01:30 PM.

[Nev]

Phewfp, I'm on a roll. I've just received a 1" silicone blanking plug in the post, so have installed it onto the cam cover breather (that the OEM crank breather pipe normally mates to). I've also made a heat shield for it out of steel to stop it melting from the exhaust manifold temps.

 

I still have a breather pipe on the normal baffled end of the cam cover, venting to atmos via a small filter, so any minor positive pressure from the valve stems can still vent.

 

Edited by Nev, 13 March 2018 - 03:08 PM.

[Nev]

Girlfriend went out to do something this morning, so I thought I'd help out by doing some domestic chores...

 

It's the first time I've ever tried to use it and it took me an embarrassing 2 minutes to work out how to shut and lock the little hatch that holds the tablet, and then start the bloody thing.

 

 

 

Edited by Nev, 14 March 2018 - 12:02 PM.