Oil Separator

[jjraiser]

Is anyone knowledgeable about the Steeda Oil Separator? Specifically, is the oil from the breather that goes back into the intake charge (without any separator) needed to lube the valves, injectors or anything else?

I installed the separator and it dumps a lot of oil in about 100 miles of hard driving. Someone asked me if the oil flowing through the OE breather is needed for any intake valves or injectors. I said I had no idea...so, here I am on the forum.

I'll check with Steeda and some Ford service departments, but I wonder what you all know about this.

[Firme]

NO, the oil is NOT needed(before emission requirements, there used to be a breather there, and some people actually use breathers instead of the catch cans). In fact, it does more damage than anything not having it there, due to the fact that oil gets sucked into the intake and gets into your Air/Fuel mixture. That brings your octane rating down, and for a car requiring minimum 91(93) octane, that is BAD.

My car would ping badly under acceleration before I put on the oil separator (made my own for 1/4 of what steeda charges for the same parts on their site), to bad it was too late and my bearings were already shot from detonation. I cleaned out my intake, and it was caked with oil, which is a BAD thing.

[mojosvt]

So firme, you are saying that oil separator is a good thing. Could you give a little more info on what you used, where you did it. I am considering putting one in my car, but relly have not done any research yet. Been a little busy.

[Firme]

So firme, you are saying that oil separator is a good thing. Could you give a little more info on what you used, where you did it. I am considering putting one in my car, but relly have not done any research yet. Been a little busy.

Yes! For my car, I know that I was having some major pinging under acceleration. I did the Oil Seperator mod, and the pinging stopped, but it was too late as the engine was already hurt. The oil catcher was catching a significant amount of oil when I put it on.

Right now at work, I don't have the exact parts list, but here is a basic run down. You definitely need one on the drivers side going from the PCV valve to the intake, that is where the oil gets sucked in. I also have one on the passengers side, which sucks fresh air into the engine (note, the filter direction is the opposite on the passenger side, as it sucks air in, instead of bowing air/oil out. Yes the filters are directional, so take note of which way they are installed) . I don't think the passengers side is necessary (as it doesn't actually catch anything), but I put it there just in case. At the least it keeps the engine from sucking in moisture.

I got a air compressor filter (http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1344381294.1149179484@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccaddhmeigfimcgelceffdfgidgng.0&MID=9876) from Home Depot (don't remember off the top of my head if its a 1/4 or 3/8), the correct fittings for inlet/outlet of the filter to hook up the lines, fuel line to hook it to the PCV/Intake, and fabricate a mounting bracket or just find a good spot to zip-tie it. Thats it. For reference, and a picture, check out the one Steeda sells http://www.steeda.com/store/-catalog/555-3710.htm .

[jjraiser]

...to bad it was too late and my bearings were already shot from detonation. I cleaned out my intake, and it was caked with oil, which is a BAD thing.[/QUOTE]

What was your mileage that you notice the pinging and ultimately the bearing being shot?

Thanks for the feedback.

[InfamousSVT]

Hell yeah, I agree with Firme 100%. Don't purchase the one from Steeda or other aftermarket places, go to Wal-mart purchase the filter and get some 3/8" hose from your local hardware store with some clamps etc...
When I get a chance I'll take a picture of mine and show you how I did it if you would like.
Great mod and only cost about $8 and a little of your time compared to the ones Steeda etc.. are selling. :thumbsup:

[ausie]

If you are interested, JLT is designing one that inserts between the PCV and the valve cover. This was the only place where I saw it, could not find it on the JLT web site though. http://www.modularfords.com/forums/2003-2004-mustang-cobra/jlt-has-a-pcv-oil-separator-coming-out-soon-53006.html

[Cobra4me]

If you are interested, JLT is designing one that inserts between the PCV and the valve cover. This was the only place where I saw it, could not find it on the JLT web site though. http://www.modularfords.com/forums/2003-2004-mustang-cobra/jlt-has-a-pcv-oil-separator-coming-out-soon-53006.html much better than the steeda (which I have) much cleaner. This will be something I will change to

[Firme]

What was your mileage that you notice the pinging and ultimately the bearing being shot?

Thanks for the feedback.

42k miles :nope:

OH, I forgot to mention, I did the "wiremesh in the valve cover channels" mod as well to help fight oil in the intake. :D I will post pics if I find them tonight. :thumbsup:

The part by Tucker(JLT) is basically what I did to my valve cover, but in a can. Nice piece. You can still make the rest of the system yourself and add that one part. You can never have too many helpers in the "get the oil out of the intake" fight.

[InfamousSVT]

If you are interested, JLT is designing one that inserts between the PCV and the valve cover. This was the only place where I saw it, could not find it on the JLT web site though. http://www.modularfords.com/forums/2003-2004-mustang-cobra/jlt-has-a-pcv-oil-separator-coming-out-soon-53006.html
That's exactly what mine looks like. I'll take some pictures of it this weekend and post them up. :thumbsup:

[Skitzerman]

Here is my separator install. You will see many variations of this but they all do the same thing. With them, your octane, tune and engine are safe. The gauge on the drivers side is not necessary. I just put it in to monitor my vacuum (~20" Hg is normal) since there are a few more connections as a result of the installation. The passenger side separator has not had any oil in it yet. If your PCV valve gets stuck, the blow by will come out here but it is normally an air entry point. Most take the filter element out of the separator. Hope this helps some...........

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g224/F8LBYTE/OilSeparator002.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g224/F8LBYTE/OilSeparator003.jpg

[ausie]

I am using the SHM oil filter on the passenger side to filter oil on the intake. It is a bit bulky but it works and looks like it is supposed to be there. I did however remove the plastic fittings and replaced them with brass since they do not get soft with the heat. As for the PCV valve, I posted pictures about a year ago and recently deleted what I posted in hopes to regain being able to post pictures again but lost that privilege when my first membership ran out. I machined a large canister that almost looks the same as the one on the JLT preliminary picture. The only difference, I installed the PCV valve inside the canister (since it is lacking a 90 degree elbo I used a standard 1/4 barbed hose connector in the top portion of the canister which fits the stock rubber connection. I can also remove the barbed fitting and use a straight threaded connector to attach the oil separator directly to it since there is enought length in the canister and it will support the weight of the separator. Directly below the PCV in the body of the canister is plenty of room to install a wire mesh air filter used in high pressure air line release valves or I could place the Oil separator pellet (looks like aluminum oxide) in the same spot. The bottom vent was made with a chamfered center with a small diameter hole (3/16) then it opens up to the size of the PCV valve just above where it installs into the valve cover. The entire unit is sealed with a high temp rubber O ring suitable for use with oil, and clamped with 4 cap screws.

There are other units available such as the Greedy oil catch cans. There was another site that had some really nice PVC catch cans called accurate machine works but tried to link to the site and it did not come up. That site had some really nice pieces. I did use the air/oil separator for a short while but wanted someting that did not require mounting by drilling holes or adding extra parts that may or may not hold up to the temperature or contamination from oil or cause a vacuum leak.

I like the idea of using transmission oil cooler hoses :thumbsup: good find on that. In one of the pictures shown with the PCV valve, is that a vacuum pressure guage?

[Skitzerman]

Yes, that is an industrial grade vac/psi gauge. As stated, I put it in to keep an eye on things in that area, since it is critical. I have a boost gauge mounted on the steering column. Could have went to vac/boost there but didn't want the needle jumping around between vac/boost. Actually, I'm not really sure how much vacuum that line behind the glove box is subjected to.

[ausie]

Is anyone knowledgeable about the Steeda Oil Separator? Specifically, is the oil from the breather that goes back into the intake charge (without any separator) needed to lube the valves, injectors or anything else?

I installed the separator and it dumps a lot of oil in about 100 miles of hard driving. Someone asked me if the oil flowing through the OE breather is needed for any intake valves or injectors. I said I had no idea...so, here I am on the forum.

I'll check with Steeda and some Ford service departments, but I wonder what you all know about this.
The PCV system was employed to capture hydrocarbon vapors as well as blow by fuel that does enter the oil over time. It is an EPA requirement and is considered part of the emmisions system. The issue it causes is the scavaging of oil from the valve covers and as a result could lead to detonation or in other words pinging. Any oil contamination from the PCV system is a design flaw and not used in any way to benefit the engine operaiton. What it does do is clog catylitic converters, causes varnish buildup in the intake system, fouls spark plugs, increases compression ratio if not maintained, and will inhibit proper seals of the valves due to the burning of oil in the combustion chamber as well as leads an increase in operating temperature. The PCV system not only hinders performance it will also cause damage to the engine if left as is. Keep in mind that there is a very small amount of oil burning usually the thin film left behind from the piston rings, but oil entering through the PCV system is far more excessive than that. Just about any gasoline engine has this problem where a PCV system is employed. Any means of reducing the paracitic scavaging of the oil into the intake will keep the engine running more effeciently. The more carbon deposits that form in the combustion chamber, the hotter the combustion temperature becomes which will leave hot spots on pistons, valves, etc... which is a precurssor to detonation. The issue becomes more severe with motors that have high compression ratios than those with the meager 8:1 even so they still ping after a few thousand miles of driving. I could probably write a book on this but (may not be good reading though :rolleyes: ). Reducing the amount of oil entering the combustion chamber is a good thing and should have been a design goal in the modern motors of today but for some idiotic reason they are still relying on old technology (keeps the service centers busy).

[ausie]

http://www.supersixmotorsports.com/pdf/PCV%20Bypass.pdf

Has some merit, but what to do about positive pressure under boost is the problem.

[BlueOvalPower]

I ordered the JLT part he has on his site, will let you all know how it works, I had just set up a separtor painted and all, I think the JLT is just cleaner looking.

[ausie]

Has anybody bothered with the SHM filter unit. I have one and it seems to keep the intake clean (except for one time only when I overfilled the crankcase with oil by adding 0w-30 to top it off). I just cleaned it today and added some filter foam to the upper portion section of the canister (had a foam AMSOIL filter that I used as a source for the foam, at least it will not dissolve with oil).

[jjraiser]

When the by-pass oil resevoir fills up, can you re-use that oil and dump in back into the crankcase?

[ausie]

That is a good question, I have looked into that as well. Some suggest not to use it since the by-products of the gasses may contain acidic components or fuel as a result they accumulate or condensate in the trapped oil. Putting that back into the block may be a bad thing. :(

[Skitzerman]

+1


I have often thought about having the separator oil tested to see just what it was composed of. Its too small an amount to take a chance with, just toss it.........