Home-made oil catch can for under $50
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2009 C63
Home-made oil catch can for under $50
Hi everyone,
if i could ask everyone to keep the laughter to a minimum, I know this is not painted yet but thought I'd take you through the journey to build an inexpensive catch can for our cars.
if i could ask everyone to keep the laughter to a minimum, I know this is not painted yet but thought I'd take you through the journey to build an inexpensive catch can for our cars.
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2009 C63
I already had a catch can that I ran on my 944 Turbo, but I don't like the volume of it and the fact that the vacuum nipples necked down to 1/4 inch. It measures 2.5 x 5.5 inches, the new one measures 4.5 x 8 inches. Way more volume, plus it's designed to never have less than 1/2 ID for the lines and plumbing
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2009 C63
I attached an end cap to a small piece of 4-inch PVC pipe, then drilled it out to accept a copper connector to connect the 1/2 copper pipe to. I then took another end cap and cut it down so it would fit within a 4-inch pipe joiner (this is the piece with the holes in it). The centre hole is where the copper pipe runs through down the centre, the 4 outer holes are for the return air flow. I wrapped this piece in several layers of window screen mesh for filtration is steel wool came loose
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2009 C63
You can also see the black line on the copper pipe. Above the line will be in the 'top compartment' of the catch can ... you don't want to drill breather holes here. You can see the breather hoes I drilled in the copper pipe below the black line that will be in the lower compartment. You can also see the end cap that is installed on the pipe.
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2009 C63
Here it is all buttoned up. I wanted to point out a couple things: You'll noticed a black line at the top of the can. That is where the top cap and the joiner meet. You'll notice the top cap is much thinner in width than the bottom cap. Same is true for the top of the joiner piece compared with the bottom. This is because I wanted to maximize the volume in the bottom compartment (where the steel wool goes and the actual separating of the air and oil happens!), so I ground those down.
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2009 C63
Lastly, here is how it will sit in the car. This is right in front of the coolant reservoir where the Weistec can would go. Because this is so much bigger it sits at about a 25 (maybe?) degree angle, but that won't impact its performance. The lines from the engine will both tuck under the coolant lines no problem. That will be the last step is running the lines. The line from the intake will connect to the side port, the line from the crankcase to the top of the can.
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That’s cool, good for you for doing it yourself. But man is that thing huuuuuge. Mine collects about a 1/2 cup of oil a year. How much oil is your car blowing by?
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Nicely done. As for the can size, if you're coming from a 951 you're forgiven for thinking you'll need a large can for the C63. 
I do have two questions though: why did you close off the end of the inlet (copper) pipe and instead drilled small holes down the side? It seems to me that oil / water is just going to fill the bottom of the copper pipe until it gets to the first of the small holes you drilled in the side, and those are small enough that they could potentially clog up at colder ambient temperatures as the oil / water mix in the can get the consistency of Vaseline. Second, I don't see a threaded part for disassembly / reassembly... how do you intend to drain it without destroying it? If the plastic pipes are not glued together, then chances are you won't have an airtight seal. Just curious.
I do have two questions though: why did you close off the end of the inlet (copper) pipe and instead drilled small holes down the side? It seems to me that oil / water is just going to fill the bottom of the copper pipe until it gets to the first of the small holes you drilled in the side, and those are small enough that they could potentially clog up at colder ambient temperatures as the oil / water mix in the can get the consistency of Vaseline. Second, I don't see a threaded part for disassembly / reassembly... how do you intend to drain it without destroying it? If the plastic pipes are not glued together, then chances are you won't have an airtight seal. Just curious.
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2009 C63
Yes, the size is definitely overkill. I'm not expecting to need the volume for containing all the oil, more just wanting to slow the airflow down as much as possible to let the air and oil separate.
Diabolis, good point on the bottom cap. I'll drill another 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of the cap to let it drain. As for draining the unit, there is a 1/2 inch plug on the bottom of the can that you can't see in the pictures to be able to drain it.
Diabolis, good point on the bottom cap. I'll drill another 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of the cap to let it drain. As for draining the unit, there is a 1/2 inch plug on the bottom of the can that you can't see in the pictures to be able to drain it.
