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Steel-wool In Catch-can

wlspn

By wlspn,
in Engines & Forced Induction

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wlspn Proficient

wlspn

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I saw a thread a while ago from Sydneykid (& others) that mentioned filling your catch-can with steel-wool (in a stocking) to slow down air speed (allowing the oil vapor time to drop from the air). I have recently fitted a catch-can so decided to do this...

However with my CC design the inlet/outlet are right next to each other, near the very top of the can & it only has a very small hole.

I assumed that there was no point having steel-wool down the bottom of the can when air is entering/exiting at the top so have put in HEAPS of steel-wool scourers to fill up the can as much as possible. The only thing is, as the hole on top is so small they have sort of compressed & are VERY tightly packed in there.

I am getting a bit worried that I will be "slowing down" airflow too much (almost blocking flow) as I removed both hoses before & blew through the CC & blowing as hard as I can into one hose there is sweet-FA air coming out the other!

However I must say, I never blew through the CC before it had steel-wool in it so dont really have anything to compare to. Maybe the can itself causes a slight restriction?

Am hoping to go & get car tuned on Saturday so need to sort this out tomorrow.

Will try & get some steel-wool out tomorrow but am wondering otherwise will this be ok?

Due to the small hole don't know how much luck I'll have removing it...

How tightly have other people packed theirs? (who have done the same thing)

Edited by wlspn
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https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/309732-steel-wool-in-catch-can/
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wlspn Proficient

wlspn

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Your call but some kind of stainless steel I reckon would be better because it won't corrode and fall to bits .

A .

Do you mean using the steel-wool? I am not talking about the little tiny ones that leave splinters & have pink stuff on them...

These are a stainless-steel (or at least so they say) scourer.

3LGODZILA Proficient

3LGODZILA

Posted
Posted

i had a stocking full of stainless steel wool inside but ive removed it. actualy i had about 5 stockings wrapped around the wool. i was paranoid about getting steel wool inside my engine incase the stocking failed (they are bloody thin!) thats why i removed the stocking n wool altogether. is a catch can thats not venting useless without it?

wlspn Proficient

wlspn

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It is a bit of a concern that they're so thin isn't it... How much steel-wool were you using? Heaps or just a little? According to Sydneykid (who knows what he's talking about) if the catch-can isn't baffled you should use steel-wool or it's not doing much as oil vapors are still getting through. Am sure some people would disagree though...

scotty nm35 Grand Master

scotty nm35

Posted
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The stainless scourers I sourced from bunnings, I put 6 in the drift can I got. They increase the surface area of the can to help with separating the oil and water out of the air.

Getting a custom can made is great for tight places. Just make sure you put a tap on the bottom with a hose to drain the oily water out easily.

bubba Grand Master

bubba

Posted
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Steel wool in the catch cans are only beneficial when they are being used as an oil/air separator (i.e. they are just plumbed inline with a factory breather setup).

If it's for your track car and used as a catch can, then there is no need to fill the can with anything and just run it atmo.

wlspn Proficient

wlspn

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You don't need to "pack" the CC. All the steel wool is there for is to provide a surface that the oil vapour can condense onto.

OK, but I assume the air should flow through the steel wool?Which is why I put a lot in to try & build the steel-wool up to the height of the inlet/outlet...

Steel wool in the catch cans are only beneficial when they are being used as an oil/air separator (i.e. they are just plumbed inline with a factory breather setup).

If it's for your track car and used as a catch can, then there is no need to fill the can with anything and just run it atmo.

This is being used as an oil/air seperator for a street car...

juggernaut1 Proficient

juggernaut1

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have played around with the stainless steel wool in the stocking approach. I have found that the air travels through the stainless steel wool fine...but when placed in the stocking it restricts the airflow back out of the catch can.

However, this depends on how tight you stretch the stocking....obviously the more the stocking is stretched, the greater the airflow through it...but no doubt still has an effect on airflow.

Edited by juggernaut1
wlspn Proficient

wlspn

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No doubt it will have some effect on airflow but I don't imagine this is too much of a concern unless you're actually causing a major restriction from the catch-can to intake, which could cause high crankcase pressure. Think this is what mine will do...

Going to see if I can get any steel-wool out. Bloody hope so!

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