Anyone have pictures of a homemade or purchased air oil separator that looks traditional? I suspect I'm getting oil through my PCV line, so I want to install one to confirm my suspicions (and stop my oil intake).
I agree with the valve cover question, I know of a situation where an engine builder was sued for oil consumption on the new engine and it turned out to be valve covers that the customer installed when installing the engine.
Wherever your PCV valve is located (valve covers, intake, etc.?), does it have a shield or baffle underneath?
Use a cheap plastic fuel filter with a nylon filter element instead of paper. If it's just for testing then it should not matter what it looks like.
A proper pcv system, with intake on one valve cover and PC valve in other cover, with proper baffles, actually works. Is it traditional? No. Cars from the 'traditional' period didn't effectively ventilate the crankcase, even with a road draft pipe. The result was often excessive gunk buildup in the valley and upper valve train area, shortening engine longevity.
I cured a issue sucking oil up threw PVC one side , Little blow out other side for breather buy taken a piece of aluminum stock, by pressing into valve cover to 3/16 towards , off top of head roof between rockers .
Maybe I'm wrong; but I don't think that valve cover rubber baffle will be adequate dropped into the valley like that. Think how big the can baffle was that Chevy used when they drew out of the valley. Maybe a deflector plate on the bottom of the intake in conjunction with that baffle might work.
If that “baffled” grommet is in an area with a lot of oil spray, it’s not working. Been there on the yblocks. Right above the distributor drive, oil flying at upper rpm’s, whole load of oil into a blown engine. 2 blown head gaskets, both on #7, and an oil filled manifold to prove it. It’s why I asked.
Not to speak for the OP; but it looks like a hole was bored in the rear of the intake and a rubber valve cover grommet/baffle was inserted to be the source of crankcase air for the PCV system.
Could a washer, similar to bottom of pcv valve, with maybe a smaller hole, be put in grommet before inserting pcv, to alter the shape of the airflow?
I agree. This issue is one of the reasons why virtually all of the OEMs moved the PCV valve to the valve cover within a few years. By the late '60s this design was extinct.
OK ...someone (thanks for the suggestion) suggested I try a transparent fuel filter to see how much oil is coming through the PCV. Man, it's prolific... That's the oil collected after a 15 minute cruise. I need to solve the problem vs collecting the oil as a bandaid.
That’s about what I’d expect to see from that baffle in that location. Y blocks use a valley pan, and I welded an aluminum baffle under the finned valley cover. Holes drilled opposite where the distributor is throwing oil. Not a big as the “can” an early sbc used, but more than enough to deflect flying oil. I’ve also done valve cover pcv’s, and tacked a baffle inside them. But those little duck bill affairs don’t seem to like being coated. They just suck it through.
Where is the atmospheric inlet of the system? Maybe swap that to the vacuum side or just go the whole hog and use the valve covers
Oneball makes a good point. The 69 Camaro’s (and probably others) used an oil fill tube with a sealed cap and a threaded bung for the PCV. Your 69 Vette may have it. Reverses the flow. Still be nice to have a better baffle on the manifold end.
@SDS How about Valley pan or Custom made , Requires pulling intake , I know work to do, Make a round / box baffle with several shelf / layers Weld to intake underneath , or use Blind nail rivets to intake Underneath
Custom making an in-manifold/valley air oil separator. Will 3D print in stainless... And then fill with this before installing...
@SDS That will work ,, I know you have access to 3d printer Why 3D ? Easily can be made with A piece of Tube , funneled down under intake , Solder screen or Not , Steel , SS ,aluminum or copper tube Your Steel /SS mesh & Gromit. How many Hours on that cad drawing, Writing the program, then 3Ding print? How does that work 3D printing S S , is it like the 3D ing Nylon plastic?
The old ways of doing stuff take too long. I'd that time doing something else on the car. This was 30 minutes on the CAD model & 5 minutes prepping the print - use direct metal laser sintering printer. It's similar to printing nylon, but the powder bed is metal powder and the laser welds the layers. I made the wall thick thickness .045' to give the interior maximum volume. Will fit down into the hole in my intake manifold without removing the intake.
@SDS If I had access and knew how to run these programs , modern equipment I would be making all kinds of crazy things and Vintage parts, I just have a 100 year old lathe & 60s Bridgeport
"Just" ? That's more than most people have and I'm sure you can make too. You do have access to the printers...Protolabs.com
The Jalopy Journal
