Guide - How to fit a catch can and simplify the PCV system

Yes!! please can we have a Q&A/show&tell on catch cans at ADI! I am also too scared to go ripping things out of my engine bay before beinge 100% sure that i know what to do and have all the parts! what date is ADI? i need to make sure i am available!
 
This would be great lads,
realy would help no end.
Ive dipped my toe in the water as to what i need to get and what comes off and the does and don'ts in this thread but i just get bogged down and shy away from it .
 
Smokey_clark said:
Yes!! please can we have a Q&A/show&tell on catch cans at ADI! I am also too scared to go ripping things out of my engine bay before beinge 100% sure that i know what to do and have all the parts! what date is ADI? i need to make sure i am available!
Click to expand...

ADI show details are in the Major Events forum so get over there and have a look... :)

S3 Paul said:
This would be great lads,
realy would help no end.
Ive dipped my toe in the water as to what i need to get and what comes off and the does and don'ts in this thread but i just get bogged down and shy away from it .
Click to expand...

I am happy to try and answer any questions anyone wants to ask at the shows... just come and find me... maybe we should have a desk in the corner of the stand at shows and organise some 'workshops' lol... :D

<tuffty/>
 
Have a booking in system?
I can bring my tools and if you give me a shopping list of what i need????
Obviously include a list of drinks and snacks you would like to be refueled with ?
Haha, That would be great but i understand people come to shows to relax
 
Talking about shizzle is relaxing for me lol...

<tuffty/>
 
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No idea what sizzle is, but I think part of the enjoyment of meeting up with other people at the various shows throughout the year is seeing what others have done and understanding how to do it yourself.
 
The Doctor said:
No idea what sizzle is, but I think part of the enjoyment of meeting up with other people at the various shows throughout the year is seeing what others have done and understanding how to do it yourself.
Click to expand...

Yeps :D (sizzle = shizzle = phone fail)

<tuffty/>
 
Did the PCV tidy sat night and here's a piccy for reference.

The system in this guide has the PCV/Brake booster all in one peice, my 51 plate AUM had the PCV seperate to the brake booster (2 lines from the mani). All the booster section was good so I cleaned it up and left it as it was (i like my brake's).

Using the guide I replaced the rest of the pcv.

Here's the reference piccy:
PCV AUM
 
audi upgrades
updated Westy`s classic paint pic of the Catchcan setup so first off is vent to TIP option for S3`s

RiBQY.png


And a vent to atmos version

VogSe.png
 

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Great guild Westy very useful. The only part I'm not 100% on is the one way valve on the brake servo line. I take it that there was a one way valve in that mess of pipe work that gets removed? I'm only asking as I know not everyone fits the one way valve on the U shaped pipe.
Another slightly off topic question. I want to plumb my boost gauge into the inlet manifold and will probably use the redundant pipe after deleting the PCV system. Just wondered what was connected to the two out let's not the far end of the inlet manifold (opposite the TB)?
3AB61CAE-E0E1-434B-82AA-75717F774A25-326-0000009127A5AB5B.jpg

I guess one is for the DV but what is the other one for?
 
For the catch can mod the middle nipple wants blanking off. the 2 small nipples to the left hand side , one is for the fuel pressure regulator and one goes to the N249 / DV.
 
This is my attempt at this mod, was so easy after reading all about it on here first.
Hardest thing was locating the catch tank, tried for ages to put it where everyone else had behind the tip but there just wasn't any space. decided to bolt it to my filter heat shield, really happy with it..... nice and sturdy and easy to drain.
Thought id post pics up to give people that haven't done it some ideas.
I did the N249 bypass at the same time which is easy on a BAM engine.

img2711h.jpg


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img2712nv.jpg
 
Did this mod yest after getting threaders with pipes splitting - ive only owned the car about 2 months and had to replace about 3 pipes.
So decided to replace everything haha!

I didnt use the same catch can that others use, Just a cheap ebay can that cost about £25 delivered. Only issue was having to buy a 19mm to 15mm reducer - that cost me £10 delivered on its own!

Filled the can with synthetic medium grade wire wool (wont rust or fall apart when wet) to help catch any oil etc. Rest vents to atmosphere under the car.

Only issue was locating the can - decided to mount it similar to above onto the standard air box. Now need to modify the engine cover to go back over the engine block and the bay should still look fairly standard.

Total cost: £80.... give or take
And more importantly - all the PCV pipes have been replaced. Good job too as most were split/starting to show signs of splitting.
 
Silly thought....most probably brought on by lack of sleep and caffeine boost not yet kicked in, so please bare with me!

I understand the benefits of fitting the OCC and removing the PCV system. The question i have just thought of is:

What happens to the engine oil level if there is a catch can fitted, catching oil? As effectively, every time you empty the catch can surely you are reducing the amount of oil in the engine each time?

Confused.com

:)
 
audi upgrades
It's only catching the moisture etc that would of been put into the TIP and put through the engine inlet. ie burnt off.
 
ShaunS3 said:
Silly thought....most probably brought on by lack of sleep and caffeine boost not yet kicked in, so please bare with me!

I understand the benefits of fitting the OCC and removing the PCV system. The question i have just thought of is:

What happens to the engine oil level if there is a catch can fitted, catching oil? As effectively, every time you empty the catch can surely you are reducing the amount of oil in the engine each time?

Confused.com

:)
Click to expand...

Well... to answer the obvious first... if you are emptying a significant amount of oil from the catch can then of course you would check the actual oil level and top up as required... it would be a little silly not to... and think about it... if all that oil is going into the can it would have been going back into the engine if you had kept the PCV as VAG intended and being burnt so the oil level in th sump will drop anyway...

..that however raises other issues... mainly why is there so much oil in there in the first place...

The PCV is not for recirculating oil or anything like that... it is to relieve crankcase pressure built up during the running of the engine... there will be oil vapour mix in this of course as oil is thrown around the crankcase and the heat will create vapour... its got to go somewhere else the built up pressure will blow oil through gaskets and seals... this is especially relevant on 'performance' engines when you are giving it a bit of death on a track as the higher revs will generate more pressure... the std PCV recirculates all this to stop that oil smell and to stop any oil potentially getting on the road which will of course be a hazard for road users (and especially on the track)... the catch can is used to 'catch' any oil that could be blown through the PCV from high revving and of course from oil being slopped about when cornering and braking...

There are other reasons why oil gets in teh catch can of course... worn pistons rings being the main one...

Put simply... if you have oil in the can then its come from the sump so check the level and top up as required...

<tuffty/>
 
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I'm looking forward to doing this on Tuesday. Just bought the stealth catch can from Awesome GTI and will be taking it to Ben from this forum at Parsons Performance to get done while it's in for a service :)
 
I've just bought the Stage 3 OCC from Saikou Michi Co. Managed to get a good deal/discount from them and few little changes/upgrades to the standard model advertised.

S3 OCC Tank Product Page

Can't wait to do mine as pretty much every pipe within the PCV system is either collapsed or split, so this will be a major benefit to mine. Just need to get some marine oil/fuel grade hose now.
 
This is the set up I've got to fit.
772545A4-43AF-41F4-BD06-08E27E748259-110-0000002B52D23EED.jpg
I bought it second hand. Custom catch tank with two 19mm inlets, AN conections inc the INA rocker cover fitting and braided hoses. I've re painted the rocker cover and will be fitting it soon.
 
ShaunS3 said:
I've just bought the Stage 3 OCC from Saikou Michi Co. Managed to get a good deal/discount from them and few little changes/upgrades to the standard model advertised.
Click to expand...

I am looking to do this very soon as well because I have a B5 V3 Tip on the way and would like to keep it oil free! What kind of deal did you get and what upgrades/changes did you make?

Also, this thread had a mini group buy on these cans at one time.
http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-...yone-including-pcv-system-simplification.html

I work for the US military and I can get cheap shipping through the USPS to the base (RAF Mildenhall). If some other people are interested in these catch cans maybe we could get another group buy going for them.

Westy .... How often do you have to drain the can? How have you got the atmos vent set up now? Have you ran the pipe all the way to the back of the car as you suggested you would? If so, how did you run it and where do you have it dumping? Are you happy with it? No more smelly problems? Does the pipe dump crap everywhere you go? Sorry about the 100 questions I just want to get this straight before I tackle it.
 
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So many questions ;)

No more smells, the pipe doesn't dump crap due to the baffles in the catch can but my mate runs his exactly the same but his un-baffled can lets some crap get down the pipe. The atmos pipe is run along the hard brake lines to just in front of the petrol tank. I empty my can maybe once a month in the winter (cold conditions increase condensation) and maybe once every 2-3 months when it's warmer.

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ok this is the email I got from Mr. Saikou. What do you guys think?

Hi!

Sorry for the late reply! You wouldn't believe how much activity there is already!
So, yes, the Group Buy last year went really well, no issues at all.
I can see another GB occurring, but it would have to wait behind one that is just starting for a different platform.
There is one just beginning for another forum that is having a huge GB, so it will take about a month before I can responsibly accept to start a new one.
But, many group buys have taken about that long to get everybody together before it kicks off.

I don't have requirements for large group buys. Really, as long as you get enough orders to package in a large parcel, it works out well for everybody.
The magic number has been 5 units for parcel. That quantity fits well, and the postage is divided nicely. So, if possible, it would be nice if the GB forum members would participate in a group of 5, or 10 *or close to that.

I would guess at this time that a GB could earn 20% discount off the $115 price, and postage would be $10usd per unit.
That would equate to $102usd shipped per unit.

Let me know if the time frame would still be acceptable.

Thanks !!!

Mr. Saikou ^^V
Saikou Michi Co., LLC.
Fabricated in the USA
Please spread the word! It makes a difference!
 
AFDanHef said:
it will take about a month before I can responsibly accept to start a new one.
But, many group buys have taken about that long to get everybody together before it kicks off.

I would guess at this time that a GB could earn 20% discount off the $115 price, and postage would be $10usd per unit.
That would equate to $102usd shipped per unit.

Let me know if the time frame would still be acceptable.
Click to expand...

I would say if everyone is prepared to wait long enough for the production to start and patient enough to wait for it to arrive, possibly 2 months wait, definately go for it. That is a good discount he is offering.

I have just ordered mine so i won't be in on the group buy but i'm sure there will be a few members like myself that either want or need rid of the PCV system due to failure.

Shaun.
 
Ya sorry, I am going to create a new thread in the group buy section right now. I just wanted to see if anyone was interested in this.
 
Westicles your a G! I now think I have everything I need to order. Getting a 15mm can that prawny showed me. Thanks for your effort you went through to put this guide together! Did you locate the atmos vent underneath the car??
 
Gops said:
Westicles your a G! I now think I have everything I need to order. Getting a 15mm can that prawny showed me. Thanks for your effort you went through to put this guide together! Did you locate the atmos vent underneath the car??
Click to expand...

The atmos pipe runs right to the rear of the car, cable tied to the hard brake lines. Vents just before the passenger rear wheel.
 
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