OIL CATCH CAN UPDATE: '90 Toyota 22RE Pickup & when *NOT* to run a K&N breather on your valve cover

[@warblerrl4759]

I recently had the intake off and noticed some wetness and light pooling in the manifold. Did you have this too before installing the catch can? Love the videos and appreciate your attention to detail!

[@ray5961]

Thanks! Yeah, as I recall, there was a little oil reside in there when I removed it the first time. I wouldn't go so far as to say "oil pooling" but certainly some reside as I recall. The catch can will help cut down on all that kinda stuff for sure.

[@fiys567]

Have you seen the Bull boost catch can it’s supposed to filter better than the energy one. It’s just a little smaller but has a brass filter that’s supposed to help catch even more oil also do you recommend silicone hoses for the pcv hoses or are they not made for that. I’m worried about the rubber hoses cracking since they’re above the headers or should I wrap them with something? Also what 2 stage pcv valve is that.

[@ray5961]

Not familiar w/ that specific catch can. The one I'm running does a great job and is super simple inside and works extremely well. You can use silicone hoses sure, but I personally prefer rubber (silicone tends to be problematic and leaks in my experience). The hoses are far enough away from everything that heat shouldn't be any major issue. If you want to insulate them a little bit extra, you can run acrylic coated fiberglass insulation around the hoses - I use a product called "Techflex Insultherm" and you can find it readily available on line; it tends to be expensive, but it's very high quality - that's what I use on my wiring harness and some rubber hoses that are in contact with very hot surfaces, etc. And here is the PCV valve - mewagner.com/?p=444 - just keep in mind that it's very sensitive to minute adjustments, so you will need measuring equipment to ensure you are pulling the correct crankcase vacuum levels at all times. If you over shoot, it's easy to turn your oil catch can into an oil vacuum cleaner. If you see some of my other videos, I show there is a suction gauge on the dash which monitors my crankcase vacuum levels in real time off the diagnostic port of that PCV valve. Keep in mind open flow (i.e. fresh air coming into the motor through the breather tube off the throttle body) will reduce the reading as opposed to pulling a vacuum in a closed system.

[@chaoskaiser72]

This might sound silly but I'm running a beater 22RE that is not running very well, possible vacuum leak somewhere, and the hose that runs from the intake to the valve cover is a bit rotten and my local parts store said they couldn't even replace it. Would it do much harm to the engine to cap that off on both ends and just vent the PCV to atmosphere -- I'm thinking with a hose running back along the firewall? I've heard PCV actually needs suction from the intake to create vacuum, but if the 22RE has that line to replenish air into the crankcase (had no idea what that was for until this video) I'm inclined to want to run a nasty setup and let it vent on its own.

[@ray5961]

That's how it used to be done back in the 60's - google "draft tube for PCV" and you can read all about it. You certainly could convert back to that setup and just run a draft tube from the valve cover down to the road, but having positive ventilation (i.e. vacuum) helps reduce oil consumption and typically helps your rings seat a little better. You'll also generally make a bit more HP. The hose that runs from the intake to the valve cover is readily available all over the place, just search "22RE PCV hose" and you can find it. My advice is to run the PCV hose and get a bit more power.

[@Matt_Boyce]

Did you see the vacuum leak (dip stick o-ring) on your gague?

[@ray5961]

That suction gauge shown in the video monitors the vacuum kinda more inside the PCV valve itself, but I think a vacuum leak on the motor would manifest on the gauge to some degree. I have a new dipstick on the truck, so no leaks around the dipstick area on my motor specifically. I also have a vacuum gauge off the manifold, which is where you'd tend to see that I think. But if you are running a K&N breather, yes you'd see the drop in vacuum on all the gauges related to vacuum. Let me know if that answers your question or if I'm missing something.

[@adamsmiddy]

What hose size/type are you using to go from PCV to Can to Plenum? Did you purchase that hosing off of Amazon?

[@ray5961]

Just gates vacuum hose from the local Napa auto parts store. Not sure what size.. I took the fittings down to the store and checked the hose until I found the correct size. Might have been 3/8 ID

[@WonderBread-k6m]

My 22re uses about half a quart every 500 miles. Could it be the pcv?

[@ray5961]

If the PCV valve is stuck open, perhaps that could be the cause. Check your plugs and see if there are signs of oil burned onto the insulators. Usually 1/2 a quart ever 500 miles indicates a failure in the piston rings typically. How many miles on your motor? Does it leak any oil on the ground when parked? I would definitely check to confirm the PCV valve is functional and also maybe consider installing an oil catch can to help monitor exactly what volume of oil is coming up through the PCV system. Also, if you have any sort of after market cylinder head and/or any work has been done to the motor, let me know - sometimes blockage or restriction in the oil return hole in the back of the cylinder head can play a role here as well.

[@WonderBread-k6m]

No oil leaks, it has unknown miles, I bought a used engine, had the head done and timing chain/ guides replaced within the last couple years.

[@ray5961]

@@WonderBread-k6m Got it. A lot of the after market head castings out there have a somewhat restricted oil return passage in the back (I have a video or two which covers it the issue). Under acceleration and/or climbing hills, oil can pool at the rear of the head and not get back down into the block fast enough; this can swamp the rear oil baffle that the PCV is attached to - when that happens, the PCV basically becomes an oil vacuum cleaner and can suck large amounts of oil up and into the intake. If you run up a super steep hill, sometimes the oil will run down into the rear intake runner and blow out in a big puff of blue smoke behind the truck, but it has to be a rather steep grade. I'd start by doing a compression test on the motor as well as a leak down test. Check the plugs also for signs of oil impingement into the cylinders (burned oil on the insulator and/or oil on the threads, etc.). Installing an oil catch can will also allow you to confirm if the oil is being drawn up into the PCV system or not - when the PCV system is functioning well, you shouldn't be seeing more than about maybe 1 oz of oil per 500 miles in the catch can. On my truck - before I solved the mystery of the restricted oil return hole on the cylinder head casting from Spain - I would drive up the hill to my house and find 3-4 oz of oil in the catch can within 5 minutes. Had I not had the catch can, that oil would halve found its way into the intake system and eventually burned off w/ fuel/air.

[@WonderBread-k6m]

Thank you for your time ray, also I forgot to mention my truck does not smoke, the oil just dissapears, i just check it a couple times a month and top her off. I'm going to give your suggestion a try, would you send a link to the catch can, if you don't mind

[@ray5961]

@@WonderBread-k6m This style works best and is basically the one I have here: www.amazon.com/Universal-Aluminum-Reservoir-Stainless-Necessary/dp/B0BF5MLH23/ or like this one here is basically the same: www.amazon.com/TuhooMall-Aluminum-Catch-Baffled-Filter/dp/B0B4NLQ5TV/