i have searched this until my head hurted, i read all of the "official crankcase ventilation" thread, and cannot seem to find an answer.

I'm running a Laskey built, Shawn Church tuned B18C1, 407whp motor, 9:1 compression.

i purchased and installed the B&R catch can vented kit (the 3 bug one, not the car battery replacement one). i have 2 -10AN fittings coming from the valve cover to the can, and the bottom 3rd bung is closed, no drain back.

i eliminated the factory PCV system, and plugged it with the B&R plug. the nipple that connects to the top of the factory PCV system is now ran to a second, smaller catch can, along with the nipple coming from the corner of the valve cover.

i am getting ALOT of smoke coming from the B&R catch can on idle (the one from the front of the valve cover, with the 2 -10AN fittings). i am also getting a ridiculous amount of fumes smell in the cabin, even with the recirculating button on.

is this the correct way to install the catch can? what can be wrong that i am getting alot of smoke, and does this indicate blowby is still there? how can i get rid of the smoke, and fume smell in the cabin?


Tony1, Tepid1, TheShodan would be great here, thanks!

 

Are you sure it's smoke and not condensation ? Have you ran a compression/leak down test ? Before you installed the breather can, were you satisfied with the way how the engine ran ? Was it smooth ? Idle nicely ? Anything out of the ordinary to report ?

 

i am not sure if its smoke or condensation, but it definitely looks like smoke. its late here and ill provide pictures and video early tomorrow morning, i apologize.

i ran a compression test and got 175 all across the board i believe. the engine runs great, no problems whatsoever. the motor only has about 3-4k miles after having it built my Mike Laskey himself. Nothing out of the ordinary to report.

the smell in the cabin is killing me though!

 

I have the car battery replacement can and I get a good amount of steam coming from the can at idle,especially when cold. Yes my car also stinks inside lol, that is why its windows down 100% of the time and i never use the climate control. I have a laskey built 83mm itr motor that is totally healthy as well.

 

why not do it right? run the lines (more than one) to the catchcan, have it properly baffled and run a vent from it to the turbine inlet pipe. you will create vacuum and burn off the hydrocarbons that is polluting your car now.

 

from what i have read, the fumes and hydrocarbons coming out of that, put back into the engine, will lower the octane of the fuel being used. This wouldnt sit well with a 91 octane pump gas tune.

here are pictures as to how my pcv system is routed. is this correct?

2 coming off the valve cover to the B&R catch can (silver one in the picture). Vented, no drain back.




the nipple on valve cover goes to second vented catch can, also with the nipple that used to connect to top of factory pcv box, now goes to same catch can. This setup is also without drain back.






is there something that isnt routed correctly here??? i dont think there should be that much smoke, or much more PCV / blow by left with this setup... and i dont think the motor is bad, Mike Laskey built it and put it together himself, and Shawn tuned it.

 

to find out if its oil or water
place a peice of paper around the vent filter run the car for a min or 2
held with elastic band then check the paper
you can double check it for oil by pouring water over it to see the effect
oil on papper = hard paper
water on papper = soft paper

 

to get rid of the smell, you will need to deal with the venting of the blow-by somehow, it is either getting it back in the engine to burn off, or into the exhaust.
putting vacuum on the crankcase is actually better for your engine, and that's how the stock system is set-up. if you baffle your can properly, the oil/complex hydrocarbons will condense on the baffling and will not enter the combustion chamber.

 

But do this that way he will need to block/ remove the air filter of the can???to make a closed system??

 

You got the valve cover all sorts of vented, but really you need the block vented. The two lines from your bigger catch can should be going to freeze plug adapters on the back of your block next to the black box plug. Put a mini filter on the nipple on the back of the valve cover and run both lines on the small can to your fancy valve cover vent fittings.

 

Thanks for that suggestion TwinScrolled, I will start looking into venting the block itself.

My question however though is, does the smoke coming out of the catch can indicate there is still positive pressure in the crank / Blow By? Or is the smoke normal and happen to everyone else who is vented from the valve cover?

And Ash J - that seems to be the only solution to the smell, you are right. What do you think about, removing the filter from the top of the can, and running a wide hose from the top, and routing it it to the bottom, sending all fumes to the bottom of the car? Emissions and polluting not being a problem.

 

if you don't care about the emissions, run the line from the catch can (the one you would attach where the filter is now) to a a bung welded to your exhaust manifold. you would need a Venturi attachment, like this
http://www.jegs.com/i/Milodon/697/85700/10002/-1
do as suggested about your crankcase venting. are you boosting your existing PCV valve?

 

no, i removed the black box and plugged the hole with the B&R plug.

 

What I did was leave the factory PCV system in place but added a brass check valve in line of the PCV which can withstand 1000 PSI. That way in normal cruise and driving the engine still sucks in the hydro carbons and other nasties and keeps the oil in good shape but also it keeps you from having that horrible cabin stench the whole time.

When you get into boost the check valve will close preventing boost from over powering the PCV. This also stops any oil from getting sucked in the engine to burn while in boost which lowers octane. My valve cover is vented to a catch can to vent pressure when under boost. To stop the stinky smell when under boost I ran a hose off the top of the catch can relocating the filter that normally sits on top of the catch can to the lower part of the firewall so the smell blows out the back of the car when under boost.

I initially tried running no PCV when I first boosted my car but the cabin stink more than anything drove me to find alternative way of doing it. Also for the 3 or 4 oil changes I went through with no PCV setup at all I noticed my oil was pitch black and nasty really quick. I didn't get any oil analysis done but I've read enough reports and tech articles online to know the importance of a functional PCV system on all but full out race cars.

 

you guys should REALLY do a vacuum system, it will help your rings.

 

this is exactly the idea i had, so im assuming this worked out pretty well for you? did it reduce the smell in the cabin alot?

 

Yes makes a huge difference. When cruising on the highway and then rolling to a stop with the windows down I'd catch some smell as I came to a stop because of the air now swirling around the car and you'd smell it coming up the sides some. This is when I re-visited installing the PCV back with a check valve so in normal cruising it's drawing air in the catch can instead of blowing the smell out.