Installing a catch can

[ImUrOBGYN]

I've been asked many and seen the question asked about installing a catch can on the 7mgte. Here's a quick rundown of how I did it.

Ok. Here are a few random pics I took today and an old full shot of my motor before some changes. You can still see the setup, though. It's been on for about 2yrs now.

I've numbered some things to help explain. Sorry if the numbers are a bit small. They are in red, though.

1 - catch can (Mine has a silica filter to help trap oil, a drain on the bottom or I can unscrew the cylinder from the top and clean/dump. You want something easy to clean out. I never use the drain, I remove the bottome section because I like to clean it completely. I know many "catch cans" don't have this option, however. You don't have to have a filter media. I think it helps. If you buy one without filter media and it can be opened, just buy some **metal sponge scrubbers(see next pic)** from walmart of a grocery store and stuff them in the 'intake' or filter side of the catch. As you'll see in the pics, I've mounted mine in a location that not only has plenty of room, but was located in a good location for how I wanted to run it, but most importantly, it's located in a cooler location. If you do not mount your catch in a cool location, much of the oil will not condense and will pass right though!

**Like this or similar:**

2 - two hoses coming from cam covers and then tee'd into one. Some catches have two intake hose nipples, mine does not.

3 - return pipe (modified = pipes cut off from bottom and then braised shut.) I wanted to keep a stock looks and not have all this extra rubber hose running everywhere like many people do. This looks clean and stock and many don't even realize what I've done until I show them. (I think it looks obvious, but if you don't know...)

4 - return hose. This runs from the catch to the modified pipe which runs to the original, stock location located on the intake accordian hose. ***Addition/Edit*** Throttle body port should be teed in to hose #4. It does not currently show it in the pics as I haven't had time to take any new ones. Pics will changed later.

I need to fab up a little bracket for the catch (Right now, there's just the zip tie - which does work fine for now) and rerun the return hose (4) in a more discreet way.

Here are the pics, now. I wish the pics and process would have been better documented, but I hadn't originally planned on doing a writeup. Let me know if you have any questions.

Christian

 

[RPSil13]

very nice write up, i searched for something like this before but came up empty handed
also i think you can use a 7m na pipe instead of cutting and brazing
+1

 

[j3pz]

what of the throttle body port? i see in your pics that it is capped off. isnt this port necessary in the plumbing? correct me if im wrong

heres another thread
http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43167&highlight=catch+system

 

[jdub]

^^^ Correct!
The TB port is the primary source of vac off boost (where we spend most of the time). It needs to be "T'ed" into hose #4 to provide vac to the catch can.

 

[jetjock]

Glad someone finally pointed it out. Bad news that. Being in the Ref section I almost deleted the post when it first went up but decided against it because of the effort he put in. I must be getting soft...

 

[Nick M]

Glad someone finally pointed it out. Bad news that. Being in the Ref section I almost deleted the post when it first went up but decided against it because of the effort he put in. I must be getting soft...

You can delete mine, since this is refrence....but, would it just kill you guys to reroute HC's back into the intake?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Since he obviously took time to write it up and organize it all, I'm sure he's willing to take the extra time to do it right and edit the first post

 

[ImUrOBGYN]

Thanks, guys. I'm all for constructive criticism. There seems to be so much debate on it and never have I read a thread where it wasn't. I appreciate you respecting the effort I put into it. I've noticed others have left the tb capped, as well. I had thought about teeing it and decided to try it without. The catch still seems to work beautifully. Maybe, just not as well as it should.
I'm going to fully read that thread you've linked here and adjust my post accordingly. However, I may not have the time to do it right away but it will get done.

 

[ImUrOBGYN]

Ok, I read through that thread and found it almost as confusing as any other I've read. Lots of speculation, different ways, thoughts, and lack of pics, etc. The gist I got from it; including the comments left in this thread, is that I should tee the throttle body port into my #4 hose? (Using my labeled pics above.)

Waiting for confirmation before the edit as I do not want to get this wrong.

 

[MA70Snowman]

Sooo.. whats the word on this? I'm in the process of upgrading my PCV system to -10 AN lines, and before I had the Intake pipe capped, and ran the catch can to the TB. now before I go and get all these lines fabbed up I need to make sure what i'm doing isn't being counter productive here.

 

[jdub]

There is no debate about this...for the PCV to work correctly, it needs the vac the intake manifold produces. That is why it came from the factory that way. Fix it and revise the 1st post...I'll delete the rest of the comments when you do.

 

[ImUrOBGYN]

So, using my pics, I should tee the throttle body port into my #4 hose? No other altercations? Was just waiting for a direct answer on this question so that I can change it and take new pics.

Thanks.

PS - Sorry I haven't came back to the thread in awhile. For some reason, it stopped emailing me when new replies came. :3d_frown:

 

[jdub]

Not sure how much more direct I can be, but again (per post #4)...yes. There is no speculation about this man...the catch can needs the vac from the TB to work correctly. Like I said before, fix it and I'll delete the other posts.

 

[ImUrOBGYN]

Hmm, I was always kinda curious, but the catch has worked so well I didn't think it was important. That's fine, though. I WILL edit this thread and the pics, as well. I may not have time for a few days, so please bear with me. Thank you.

 

[bfr1992t]

ImUrOBGYN, I always thought the same thing having both valve covers going to a road vent underneath. The motor did burn oil under conditions suggesting it was lack of PCV so it was always on the to-do list, plus I've long known the benefits of having vacuum in the crankcase.

Anyways, once I installed the catch can and properly routed both the tb and turbo inlet as vacuum sources the motor runs and idles smoother and pulls more vacuum. I had to tweak my idle fuel settings a little in fact (AEM EMS).

 

[Adjuster]

Here is mine.

Starts at the Throttle Body port. (This is important as Jdub noted.)
Goes over both valve cover ports.
My "Catch Can" is a Parker air filter for an air compressor. (It has a filter inside as well as vanes than swirl the air flow, and seperate oil and air in the process.)
It then goes into the hard pipe that feeds the turbo compressor intake. (Just like stock, is mounted in an area of vac, especially under boost conditions, when the turbo is creating a prettly low pressure area at the time in that space.)

Here is another shot of the Parker air filter... It's just sitting loose next to the air filter.. It makes it easy to clean in theory.. Just lift it up, spin off the lower part, and clean it all up. There is a sight glass on the side of the canister, so if oil does fill up, I'll be able to tell at a glance when it's time to dump and clean things up.

 

[ImUrOBGYN]

THx. I've been wanting to update my pics for everyone, but the car's been down.:3d_frown: As soon as it's back together and the one part on the tb fixed, I'll take a new pic and post it.

 

[Supra_Villan]

i'll be running a q45, any news as to which port to use on this one? of instead of using the one on the tb, could i just use one of the ports on my vac manifold that will have its main source from the intake manifold? And for our pcvs (7m's) how many 1 way valves should we use, and where should they be?