Cleanside solutions?

[metroplex]

Did anyone not have their separator working? I'm still skeptical as it is only catching fuel vapors (very light petroleum vapors) and not actually engine oil. This stuff would probably burn fairly easily if ingested into the intake manifold.

For the cleanside, I'm just running that breather filter. The RXSpeedworks cleanside separator is basically an oil cap with 2 layers of mesh to prevent oil from seeping out of the vacuum tube. Their instructions say to drill and tap a barb for your airbox, or if you don't want to drill the airbox, you can mount a pod filter - which is basically the same as using a breather filter on the valve cover. Even though the airbox top is about $40 (AA5Z-9661-B) I'd rather not drill into it.

 

[MiWiAu]

Mine captured much less material during warmer months and the stuff that was captured was what looked like a mixture of oil and water (more oil content). Some of what you're seeing now may be a by product of colder weather.


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[MiWiAu]

This stuff would probably burn fairly easily if ingested into the intake manifold.

I'm skeptical. I make my own ethanol free fuel and the byproduct (ethanol/water solution) does not burn off easily.

You could shake it up and pour it into a metal container and try lighting to see if it burns. My guess is you probably won't be able to sustain a burn from that mixture, and if that's the case, I would think that having that pass to the combustion chamber would rob you of a little power and/or efficiency (but probably not substantial).



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[metroplex]

Im not sure a match or lighter would be the same as the combustion chamber conditions? But wouldn't a bit of water or fuel vapor help clean the system or would it just contribute to carbon.

 

[MiWiAu]

Im not sure a match or lighter would be the same as the combustion chamber conditions? But wouldn't a bit of water or fuel vapor help clean the system or would it just contribute to carbon.

Definitely not the same conditions as a combustion chamber, but I wouldn't recommend holding a match or lighter next to a bucket full of gasoline either.

Water wouldn't contribute to carbon. It's just hydrogen and oxygen. Byproducts of fuel combustion could/do contribute, which is why the valves coke on DI.

I think if that stuff in your can would help keep the valves clean, then the stock engines with no OCC wouldn't have coking issues.

I guess one other possible benefit is maintaining better consistency in the cylinders. If you're tuned and running in very high humidity, perhaps a functioning can could help keep more moisture out of the combustion chamber and allow more consistent performance.

Dunno if anyone has done any experiments with OCC starting with clean valves to see if it truly prevents or significantly delays valve coking, but I feel better about myself as a person not letting that stuff back into the engine. LOL


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[metroplex]

I just collected more of that clear/yellow fluid and used a match. It lit up very easily and didn't extinguish the match, but it wouldn't catch fire or stay lit by itself when the match was removed. The burning seemed to remove some of the fluid, but left some soot in the process.

 

[Newfang]

Would it be possible/beneficial to put a can in that line going from the front valve cover to the air inlet.  Just replace the straight tube that is there? Instead of capping and using a breather filter or am I totally missing how the clean side separators work?

 

[metroplex]

I put a breather on that valve cover and it didn't catch much oil mist at all. That port only blows mist into the fresh air tract under boost. Otherwise the vacuum from the crankcase pulls fresh air from the fresh air tract (like an old school breather tube with that foam or sponge sitting in the carb airbox).

Honestly, the oil that pools in the intercooler and ducting doesn't seem to come from the PCV system. The PCV side sends the vapors to be burned in the intake manifold. The cleanside just doesn't produce enough oil mist to be an issue, and if it does, then you have serious problems with the engine. The only benefit to something like the TracyLews/RX/UPR/JLT is to reduce the amount of vapors that can collect on the intake valves.

 

[Agentlongwood]

Sorry to pull up an older thread but I don't understand the distinction between clean and dirty side.  As I look at it the connection on the rear valve cover vacuums out vapors at idle, and the connection on the front valve cover vacuums out vapors when under boost.  Both sides look like they perform exactly the same function, so what makes the front connection "clean"?

 

[ZSHO]

I believe 90%- 95% of the bad stuff comes out of the dirty side via- PCV and ingested through the baffle and inside the oil separator.

The front clean side separator works independently which only contributes to 5%-10% and can be added as a stand-alone product. Z

 

[MiWiAu]

Sorry to pull up an older thread but I don't understand the distinction between clean and dirty side.  As I look at it the connection on the rear valve cover vacuums out vapors at idle, and the connection on the front valve cover vacuums out vapors when under boost.  Both sides look like they perform exactly the same function, so what makes the front connection "clean"?

In theory, the rear valve cover connection is where "dirty" air exits the crankcase (think exhaust), and the front connection is where "clean" air enters the crankcase (think intake).

When the front cleanside "vacuums out under boost", this is how oil can be ingested into the charge pipes.

The cleanside separator is supposed to help separate oil from the vapors before it re-enters the intake. On my setup, I vented my cleanside to atmosphere with a breather filter to completely eliminate oil ingestion under boost.


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[Agentlongwood]

Ok so at idle, air is being pulled into the "clean side" port due to vacuum from the dirty side intake manifold.  And under boost air is being sucked out of the "clean side" port by the vacuum created by the intake side of the turbo.  Just making sure I've got that correct, because I'm new to a lot of this stuff.  Seems like you could just add a check valve to the factory line from the front valve cover, so it only allows air in not out, and that would make it actually clean, lol.

 

[MiWiAu]

Ok so at idle, air is being pulled into the "clean side" port due to vacuum from the dirty side intake manifold.  And under boost air is being sucked out of the "clean side" port by the vacuum created by the intake side of the turbo.  Just making sure I've got that correct, because I'm new to a lot of this stuff.  Seems like you could just add a check valve to the factory line from the front valve cover, so it only allows air in not out, and that would make it actually clean, lol.

You got it!

Problem with a check valve, though, is you would build pressure in the crankcase, and the air needs to go somewhere. Could cause a valve cover gasket blowout or some other gasket/seal.


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[Agentlongwood]

Gotcha.  And under boost the gasses couldn't escape from the crank through the PCV because the manifold is pressurized.  I think I'm getting the hang of this lol.  My idea for a frankenstein setup with zero gunk getting into the intake is this:

Front valve cover has a breather filter, but with a check valve behind it so air can only go in, not out.  Rear valve cover has one line with a check valve so air can only go out of the crank case, not in.  This line goes to a breather tank, which collects material like a catch can, but has a filter venting to atmosphere.  No return line to the intake tract or intake manifold or anything.  Any time the crankcase experiences negative pressure, filtered air comes in the front valve cover.  Any time the crankcase experiences positive pressure vapors escape through the rear cover.  The check valves ensure this is the only way air can move.  Now you have ZERO gunk getting back into the motor and also free up a port on the intake manifold to use for meth or what have you.

Any reason that setup wouldn't work?