oil catch tanks

[tomfollows]

I have a question about oil catch tanks it may be of interest to other people here. The set up i currently have is a pipe from the side of the rocker cover down to the bottom of a container, then another pipe from the top of the container to the atmosphere. When the container has about 5 mm of oil caught the the end of the pipe (from the rocker cover) is then covered up. To my thinking this will increase the pressure inside the engine such that the vapour comes out at the next easiest place( in my case the oil filler cap) I have seen the aluminium catch tanks, do these work on the same principle. I am interested in the exact layout of the pipework such that the vapour doesn't just exit through a large container. Would it be better to feed the exhaust from the catch tank back to the carbs? or is this likely to draw more oil out of the engine? Has anyone had more experience such as in the racing field where they are compulsory.

Tom

 

 

[Darren Smith]

I used to run a x/f and used the plastic container (supplied by caterham as an expansion catch tank for the coolant) to collect oil from the rocker box as you describe. A simple adjustment to the run of the pipe from the rocker box, to take greatest effect of gravity (an up & over so to speak) resulted in far less oil reaching the catch tank. I would however ensure that the end of the pipe is well up in the catch tank so that oil does not submerse it.

 

 

Darren