musclemerc
Senior Member
I wanted to start a thread to provide some info on a recent topic. I've been getting alot of PM's inquiring about my catch can. The member's want me to provide comparison information. I'm going to attempt to do it here rather than disturb Jim's "GB Catch Can" thread.
A little more than a year ago I started collecting information about catch cans. I spent countless hours learning about them, mostly by hanging out on turbo forums. I quickly found out a baffled design was the only way to go. I found only a few companies that produced a baffled catch can 42draftdesigns and UPR products . The UPR was quickly disqualified because it uses a single plate design (simular to the 42draftdesign). It works using a single plate with large holes drilled through it to function as a filter. **In theory the vapors will collect on the bottom of the plate and form into dropplets and gravity will take them to the base of the can**. This design is will allow oil dropplets to pass after the plate gets coated with oil vapors. Especially after the can pressurizes under vacum, look at where the hose openings are. They're both above the plate. The divider between the two openings is serving no purpose. With this design the air going out is just as contaminated as the air comming in.
So I went on to the 42draftdesign can, the holes in the filter are smaller and they stacked them, but this design wasnt desirable either. Again, in theory the vapors will collect on the bottom of the screen and "gravity" will pull them to the bottom of the can. Well if you stack the plates and the top one fills with oil dropplets then it drips through to the one under it would'nt the plates always be covered with oil? When vacum occurs oil vapors will get pulled and have a tendacy to collect on the underside of the lid. The cost of the "Ultimate" is $235.00 and the "stealth" is $115.00. What do you get for the added expense of the Ultimate? It has a dip stick, a removable lid, and alot more bling. The stealth is fully welded so servicing the filter element is impossible at best, it does have a drain but it doesnt have a way to see the fluid level within the can. So if you want to service the filter you have to remove the can, pour degreaser inside of it and agitate the hell out of it then lay it over to drain. This is the biggest problem with the Stealth design, because you will never get 100% of the moisture out of a sealed container, it's just not gonna happen. Then you gotta make your own hose which are available at any local FLAPS. The factory fittings are 19/32" *which is smaller than a 5/8* these cans come with a 3/4" fitting
Thats WAY TOO BIG!
So these were out, I could'nt afford the Ultimate and the Stealth was inadequate at best.
I ended up creating my own Musclemerc Catch Can with a collection of the best parts that met my needs. http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60956
The metals I choose had a purpose, oil will eventually cling to everything, even aluminum (it takes longer if it's polished). So I found that copper, brass, and SS work as a catalyst when introduced to a closed loop PCV system. Oil will not cling to these parts here is a pic of my can with the lid off after 12 months of service:
Look at the condition of the filter element. The SS is clean, so is the copper cap and brass fittings.
Now on to what I think that makes my can a better choice. The element is made of dense SS fiber it's thick and realy tight, you cant compress it between your fingers. It lives in a sealed enclosure. Much like the other cans I also rely on gravity to keep my filter element clean. As you can see in the pics my design actually works. When the pcv system pressurizes with my can, the outlet will be 100% oil free. The vacum pulls through the element and keeps the "wet oil" at the bottom of the can and the oil vapors are allowed to collect at the top of the can. The dropplets fall to the bottom, they do not end up in the intake track. My filter is protected from pulling them through because it lives half way down the can and only draws clean air from the bottom where the "wet oil" resides. I use a short 5/8" piece of SS tube that delivers the clean air to the outlet connector.
My kit also comes with all the necessary hardlines for N/A and Trilogy. The Eaton/Whipple guy's get the correct 19/32" reinforced hose to connect their system. These hoses are NOT available at your local FLAP's and will NOT collapse under vacum pressure.
My filter design:
The correct 19/32 pcv fittings:
Front view of my hardlines:
No need to fabricate a bracket for my catch can:
The kit comes complete for $130.00 shipped and has been proven to perform flawless on both N/A or S/C Marauder's.
I'm also working on doing a wrinkle black PC finish for a few member's.
A little more than a year ago I started collecting information about catch cans. I spent countless hours learning about them, mostly by hanging out on turbo forums. I quickly found out a baffled design was the only way to go. I found only a few companies that produced a baffled catch can 42draftdesigns and UPR products . The UPR was quickly disqualified because it uses a single plate design (simular to the 42draftdesign). It works using a single plate with large holes drilled through it to function as a filter. **In theory the vapors will collect on the bottom of the plate and form into dropplets and gravity will take them to the base of the can**. This design is will allow oil dropplets to pass after the plate gets coated with oil vapors. Especially after the can pressurizes under vacum, look at where the hose openings are. They're both above the plate. The divider between the two openings is serving no purpose. With this design the air going out is just as contaminated as the air comming in.
So I went on to the 42draftdesign can, the holes in the filter are smaller and they stacked them, but this design wasnt desirable either. Again, in theory the vapors will collect on the bottom of the screen and "gravity" will pull them to the bottom of the can. Well if you stack the plates and the top one fills with oil dropplets then it drips through to the one under it would'nt the plates always be covered with oil? When vacum occurs oil vapors will get pulled and have a tendacy to collect on the underside of the lid. The cost of the "Ultimate" is $235.00 and the "stealth" is $115.00. What do you get for the added expense of the Ultimate? It has a dip stick, a removable lid, and alot more bling. The stealth is fully welded so servicing the filter element is impossible at best, it does have a drain but it doesnt have a way to see the fluid level within the can. So if you want to service the filter you have to remove the can, pour degreaser inside of it and agitate the hell out of it then lay it over to drain. This is the biggest problem with the Stealth design, because you will never get 100% of the moisture out of a sealed container, it's just not gonna happen. Then you gotta make your own hose which are available at any local FLAPS. The factory fittings are 19/32" *which is smaller than a 5/8* these cans come with a 3/4" fitting
Thats WAY TOO BIG! So these were out, I could'nt afford the Ultimate and the Stealth was inadequate at best.
I ended up creating my own Musclemerc Catch Can with a collection of the best parts that met my needs. http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60956
The metals I choose had a purpose, oil will eventually cling to everything, even aluminum (it takes longer if it's polished). So I found that copper, brass, and SS work as a catalyst when introduced to a closed loop PCV system. Oil will not cling to these parts here is a pic of my can with the lid off after 12 months of service:
Look at the condition of the filter element. The SS is clean, so is the copper cap and brass fittings.
Now on to what I think that makes my can a better choice. The element is made of dense SS fiber it's thick and realy tight, you cant compress it between your fingers. It lives in a sealed enclosure. Much like the other cans I also rely on gravity to keep my filter element clean. As you can see in the pics my design actually works. When the pcv system pressurizes with my can, the outlet will be 100% oil free. The vacum pulls through the element and keeps the "wet oil" at the bottom of the can and the oil vapors are allowed to collect at the top of the can. The dropplets fall to the bottom, they do not end up in the intake track. My filter is protected from pulling them through because it lives half way down the can and only draws clean air from the bottom where the "wet oil" resides. I use a short 5/8" piece of SS tube that delivers the clean air to the outlet connector.
My kit also comes with all the necessary hardlines for N/A and Trilogy. The Eaton/Whipple guy's get the correct 19/32" reinforced hose to connect their system. These hoses are NOT available at your local FLAP's and will NOT collapse under vacum pressure.
My filter design:
The correct 19/32 pcv fittings:
Front view of my hardlines:
No need to fabricate a bracket for my catch can:
The kit comes complete for $130.00 shipped and has been proven to perform flawless on both N/A or S/C Marauder's.
I'm also working on doing a wrinkle black PC finish for a few member's.
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