my oil can mod - finally done

[barb36jack31]

I am going to do the oil catch can trick. Others who have done this speak of a certain type of plug for the airbox. I am not familiar with this item. Could anyone educate me re this plug?

Thanks.

 

[brutus450]

I am going to do the oil catch can trick. Others who have done this speak of a certain type of plug for the airbox. I am not familiar with this item. Could anyone educate me re this plug?

Thanks.

you have to make your own. originally I had a clear hose attached to the aribox with a fuse plugged in it. But today I changed that to a short black peice of fuel line with a threaded copper plug that I had in my tool box.

 

[GaryTheBadger]

Three questions:

1) What direction does the air flow? Do I install the air drier so the air goes IN from the new small air filter INTO the air drier (then the air goes INTO the engine), or the other direction?

2) The Craftsman oil separator says not to exceed 100deg F and the Kobalt says not to exceed 125deg F...its gotta be way more than that in the area just above the exhaust pipe where people are installing these. Are the plastic bowls or plastic drain fittings melting?

3) Does gravity play a role? In other words does the air drier have to be higher than the hose outlet on the side of the engine?

 

[opticat]

The plastic bowls do not melt. I thought about this as well, but there are plastic covers over the wire bundles that are right in the same place and they do fine. At first I placed my filter close to the catch can, but oil mist eventually saturated the filter. So I just used a longer hose from the catch can to the filter and actually mounted the filter higher than the catch can. Any residual oil that may have bypassed goes back into the catch can. So far, so good.

 

[bjt]

The plastic bowls do not melt. I thought about this as well, but there are plastic covers over the wire bundles that are right in the same place and they do fine. At first I placed my filter close to the catch can, but oil mist eventually saturated the filter. So I just used a longer hose from the catch can to the filter and actually mounted the filter higher than the catch can. Any residual oil that may have bypassed goes back into the catch can. So far, so good.

Why not fill the bottom of the bowl with a steel wool pad or put a stone filter on the inside tube of the catch can so most of the oil stays in the bowl of the catch can? To my knowledge, the oil is a mist in the crankcase vapors and unless the oil passes by enough surface area to collect on, a good portion of the oil just flows around the couple of bends in the catch can and right out the exhaust tube and filter.

 

[burg650]

I also keep getting oil in the filter and this time I have moved the filter a little more than a foot away and also placed it up high (see photo), this time I hope filter being so far and up high that any oil mist will not travel so far and will drain back into can. I know there are a few other trying different catch can mods and other location of the unit and still not really satisfied with the way it is and will keep looking at what others have done till there is a mod that works and prevent no oil getting to the filter.

 

[nudle]

:dontknow: I know this is a stupid question but do you have the filter in the right direction(arrow on top of filter)

 

[wyliec]

Why not fill the bottom of the bowl with a steel wool pad or put a stone filter on the inside tube of the catch can so most of the oil stays in the bowl of the catch can? To my knowledge, the oil is a mist in the crankcase vapors and unless the oil passes by enough surface area to collect on, a good portion of the oil just flows around the couple of bends in the catch can and right out the exhaust tube and filter.

The kobalt filter, which I purchased today, appears to have some type of stone filter. And, I believe that is what Brutus450 is using.

I checked Lamonster's post on this subject and he said to remove the filter and put in a nipple otherwise the oil will blow past and through the outlet.

 

[wyliec]

:dontknow: I know this is a stupid question but do you have the filter in the right direction(arrow on top of filter)

That does look backwards.

 

[GaryTheBadger]

I've spent the past couple of days on this issue. This is as clear as I can explain it:

1) The stone filter inside the bowl should be removed, so the oil can drip directly into the bowl and not be restricted by that stone filter inside the bowl.

2) The hose from the engine goes to the side of the separator that is connected to that center "drip tube" inside the plastic bowl. That way, the oil drips off this center tube onto the bottom of the bowl. Unscrew the clear bowl and look at the inside of the top of the Kobalt separator, you can see which of the two threaded ports goes to this center "drip tube". You can see it after you have removed the stone filter.

3) The outlet on the engine is 5/16" dia, so if you choose to replace the orignal hose (with a longer one for example) it should be 5/16" inside diameter. That hose connects to the Kobalt separator with a 1/4" NPT male thread-to-5/16" nipple brass fitting.

Hope this helps.

 

[wyliec]

I've spent the past couple of days on this issue. This is as clear as I can explain it:

1) The stone filter inside the bowl should be removed, so the oil can drip directly into the bowl and not be restricted by that stone filter inside the bowl.

2) The hose from the engine goes to the side of the separator that is connected to that center "drip tube" inside the plastic bowl. That way, the oil drips off this center tube onto the bottom of the bowl. Unscrew the clear bowl and look at the inside of the top of the Kobalt separator, you can see which of the two threaded ports goes to this center "drip tube". You can see it after you have removed the stone filter.

3) The outlet on the engine is 5/16" dia, so if you choose to replace the orignal hose (with a longer one for example) it should be 5/16" inside diameter. That hose connects to the Kobalt separator with a 1/4" NPT male thread-to-5/16" nipple brass fitting.

Hope this helps.

So, what you are saying in #2 would make Brutus450's connections wrong. I have the same mini filter and based on the way Brutus450 is showing it, the inlet is on the right and the outlet (with the hole to the center) is on the left. The connections are marked inlet and outlet on this kobalt filter.

Brutus,

Is your filter set up working okay and isn't the hose from the motor going to the filter port marked inlet?

 

[bjt]

The kobalt filter, which I purchased today, appears to have some type of stone filter. And, I believe that is what Brutus450 is using.

I checked Lamonster's post on this subject and he said to remove the filter and put in a nipple otherwise the oil will blow past and through the outlet.

IMO, the problem with the Kobalt filter mod is that with only that pipe nipple in the center, there is not enough "stuff" in the crankcase gas flow to collect the oil mist on. Lamonster noted that his Kobalt catch can mod was allowing oil get past the bowl and out to the air filter he put on the end, same as what Burg650 has happening. Some of the other homebuilt catch cans that I have been researching for design ideas have some type of internal filter material (like steel wool) to catch the oil mist. That's why I suggested putting a piece of steel wool in the bottom of the bowl, ideally fluffed up enough so that it touches the pipe nipple. Forcing the crankcase gases to flow through the steel wool would catch more of the oil mist.

To work with the stone filter, I would hose the Kobalt filter in such a way that the crankcase gases flowed into the Kobalt filter, into the bowl, and out through the stone filter and continue out through the external air filter. This should follow the airflow arrow on the Kobalt filter.

 

[bjt]

:dontknow: I know this is a stupid question but do you have the filter in the right direction(arrow on top of filter)

Because the scenario they are trying to create with this catch can is that the crankcase gas flows into the Kobalt catch can, down the pipe nipple and out to the external filter, it is hooked up opposite of what the arrow shows. Normal airflow through this device would be that air enters the bowl area, flows up through the stone filter and out through the center hole to some external filter.

 

[Skidz]

What about the foam some people were putting in the hose leading to the airbox? Had read that this might be the BRP approved fix. Has this idea be discounted as bogus, or is it still a viable alternative?

Skidz

 

[NancysToy]

What about the foam some people were putting in the hose leading to the airbox? Had read that this might be the BRP approved fix. Has this idea be discounted as bogus, or is it still a viable alternative?

Skidz

Never heard anything else as to BRP's position on this, but I still think it is viable, especially if the hose is lengthened and routed as high as possible before it reaches the airbox. Uni-Filter BF-1 foam was suggested as being suitable. Get it at a bike shop that caters to dirt bikes, in big sheets for about $20. Haven't been able to do Nancy's Spyder yet, due to being unable to hobble abound in the garage on crutches, but it is the next mod on the list.

 

[wyliec]

Never heard anything else as to BRP's position on this, but I still think it is viable, especially if the hose is lengthened and routed as high as possible before it reaches the airbox. Uni-Filter BF-1 foam was suggested as being suitable. Get it at a bike shop that caters to dirt bikes, in big sheets for about $20. Haven't been able to do Nancy's Spyder yet, due to being unable to hobble abound in the garage on crutches, but it is the next mod on the list.

Since bjt mentioned steel wool (above), would there be a problem putting the BF-1 foam in the Kobalt along with the stone filter already there?

I just installed the Kobalt and breather filter this afternoon, which is why I ask.

 

[opticat]

Burg650, I have had mine set up very similar to yours for about 500 miles and it works just great. Had a lot of oil soaked into the filter when it was mounted closer. Good job!

 

[NancysToy]

Since bjt mentioned steel wool (above), would there be a problem putting the BF-1 foam in the Kobalt along with the stone filter already there?

I just installed the Kobalt and breather filter this afternoon, which is why I ask.

I wouldn't use both in the Kobalt, but you could put the foam in the hose, too, and run the outlet to the airbox. This is all strictly experimentation. Try this and that and see what works.

 

[bjt]

I wouldn't use both in the Kobalt, but you could put the foam in the hose, too, and run the outlet to the airbox. This is all strictly experimentation. Try this and that and see what works.

+1

Search on Google for "oil catch can" and you'll get a ton of hits, mostly of automotive applications of the catch can but it is the same idea as what we are wanting to do with our Spyders. Many of the auto folks are using the same type of filter as the Kobalt that Lamonster recommended. Many times they state that they are removing the stone filter and either running it the same as Lamonster's setup or they put stainless steel wool (so as not to rust) in the bottom of the bowl. The reason that they are removing the stone filter is the worry that it will get clogged up and not allow the crankcase gases to exhaust properly. I think if you checked and cleaned the stone filter regularly, that would not be an issue.

I am still researching oil catch cans before doing anything to my spyder. I think I'm going to start with the foam in the hose mod and see how it works. I think the issue with the foam in the hose is the same as if you left the stone filter in the Kobalt (the foam gets plugged and doesn't allow the crankcase gases to exhaust from the crankcase). There just doesn't seem to be an overwhelmingly best solution.

I'm also considering HDXBONES "long hose" mod as it is basically the same thing as the Kobalt mod (since the oil is still making it to the exhaust filter) at a fraction of the price.

I do want to try and keep the emission controls in place for the most part as I'm not a hardcore tree hugger but i would like to do my part to preserve the earth for all the children and grandchildren who are going to be here to deal with us old timer's environmental messes.

 

[NancysToy]

I think the issue with the foam in the hose is the same as if you left the stone filter in the Kobalt (the foam gets plugged and doesn't allow the crankcase gases to exhaust from the crankcase). There just doesn't seem to be an overwhelmingly best solution.

I don't share your concerns. This is air filter foam, and is designed to pass air in quantity when it is oil saturated. The only way it is likely to plug is by dirt contamination, which should not be happening in a closed system. I agree that there is no outstanding solution, but I am going to give the foam a try as soon as I can work comfortably in the garage again.