Oil mist, cam cover problem

[BoostBoy]

I've been told that I will need either a larger outlet for the oil mist created by my 4age motor once it is turbo, or 2 inlet side cam covers because these are the ones with the oil mist outlet and they have the baffle on the underside.

Problem is I don't want 2 of the same cam covers, because it will look ugly with 2 oil inlets and the same writing on both. I can't put a new fitting on the cam cover on the exhaust side, because then I would still somehow have to have a baffle that seperates the oil from the gases like on the inlet side cam cover.

Has anyone come across this problem before and how hard would it be to either fit a baffle on the underside of the exhaust side cam cover, or make the one on the inlet side bigger?

[slide86]

I take it by "oil mist" you mean blow by or crank case gases created in the engine.

The suitable fix for this would be to fit a catch can type setup in the engine bay, which would take the gases and seperate the oil and air.
You could then have the gases venting to atmosphere (not exactly legal, but done often enough) or recirculate the gases back into the engine.

This would mean you wouldnt need the baffle cause the catch can setup would be acting as the baffle.

Put a new fitting on the exhaust side and use the catch can setup. no need for a baffle.

[BoostBoy]

Yes I mean the gases created in the engine. I don't think I explained it properly...I already realised that I will need a catch can setup on the motor, but what I was told was that there will be a lot more gases and believe the standard fitting is not large enough to be suitable. Basically I was told that I could risk pressure being built up at that point and then oil leaking from the distributor cap.

So the options were either have 2 outlets, one on each cam cover, or a larger outlet on the intake-side cam cover....but what you are saying is that I don't need the baffle on the exhaust-side cam cover because the catch can will seperate the oil and gas? So then all I would need to do is drill a hole through and put a new fitting....hmmm nice and simple, I hope I can do that

[slide86]

yeah pretty much. should work out ok.

Another thing, if adding a turbo to your engine is going to create heaps more gasses then im thinking that the motor has some hefty internal wear.

I mean worn rings and piston to bore clearances. Just because you are adding a turbo doesnt mean the crankcase is going to suddenly fill up with gas. this would only happen if you have a worn engine and youre adding positive pressure in the form of boost into the cylinder. (which is what you are doing)

If you are this concerend with blow by, then id be rebuilding the engine with new rings and a hone of the bores to achieve better sealing of the cylinder.

You shouldnt have heaps of blow by, unless your running heaps of boost flat out all day.
Dont get me wrong, turbo 4ag is sweet plan, but just something to think about......

[30psi 4agte]

You should fit the breather to the exhaust r/c ( the bigger the better) 1/2 - 5/8 inch fitting is good. I run 30 psi on my set up and i use two 5/8 fittings and have no probs.

[BoostBoy]

slide86, let me get you up to speed....my motor is receiving a full rebuild from the ground up. Hmmm, I have seen other peoples' setups running large boost and more power than I am with the standard fitting, we'll have to see.

[30psi 4agte]

It doesnt matter how much boost or power you have or make. If you are going turbo there are gains to be made by venting crank case pressure and especially seperating oil from air. I.E less chance of detonation. One thing to remember no mattter how fresh your engine or how well you rings seal you will always get some form of blow-by and it only gets worse when boost is involved.

[Starfire]

You really don't need a second breather on the other cam cover. The standard one should be more than enough when combined with a catch can.

If you really want to you can weld a port in and use a catch can but expect a fair amount of oil to be pumped in to the can owing the lack of baffles between the port and the cam.

The best solution really is to use a second inlet? (cant remember which side has the breather) cover. I personally recon it looks pretty good especially if you use ones from a 4agze, paint or polish and a couple of wanky polished oil caps, but each to their own.

The GZE uses only one breather port and is still fine with 14 PSI or so. How much boost are you planning on running?

[30psi 4agte]

Look you mabe right in you application. But without trying to be rude i can garuntee you that there is more than on benefit from using two! I currently run 30 psi and have made 283 rwkw. The dual breather setup is not just suited to extreme boost applications and everyone can benefit . If you think about it excess pressure under the piston as it is coming down (rotating) slows it down and robs you of power. I have been through seven or so different 4age setups and have also found that they tend to build up oil in the top of the head ( too much crank case pressure blowing up to the top of the head doesnt allow oil to drain back to the sump) This oil build up is then easily pushed through the valve stem seals causing smoke out the exhaust, and people often think it is a turbo seal!

Top drag racers actually use a vac pump in the crank case to get rid of crank case pressure cos of the benefits to be gained.

If you give your email ill send you some pics of my set up. ( im not sure how to post them)

[BoostBoy]

30psi 4agte..that is awesome power you are making...shouldn't that be some sort of record?

You just reminded me...specifically I was refferring to detonation...this is an area I lack a bit of knowledge in, but I think I'm learning now.

My car is also going to be a bit of a show goer, so I don't want 2 of the same cam covers...when you say you run two 5/8 fittings do you mean one on each cam cover? What about the baffle? And do you mean to attach a filter/breather directly to the fittings?

Click on my username and you should be able to send me an email that way.