Oil Catch Can on OM642 engine ?

oigle

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
3,467
Reaction score
914
Age
83
Location
Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
Website
members.optusnet.com.au
Your Mercedes
2003 ML270 sold but not forgotten. 2022 Kia EV6 RWD LR
If you get a catch can like this:
Catch_Can-3588.jpg


You can trap some of the oil but not allow it out to atmosphere. Keep an eye on the level and empty when 1/4 full.

Internally you need to have the inlet extend to the bottom of the tank and have a mesh to trap anything that gets blown about (coarse steel wool works reasonably well)

Does the outlet then go back into the inlet manifold system? If so, that would work well. Venting to atmosphere is not the way to go.
Ian.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Does the outlet then go back into the inlet manifold system? If so, that would work well. Venting to atmosphere is not the way to go.
Ian.
Yep. It basically sits inline in the existing system. The one I use also has a screw down lid in the top with a seal on it to make it easier to empty.
 
OP
Wighty

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #23
Does the outlet then go back into the inlet manifold system? If so, that would work well. Venting to atmosphere is not the way to go.
Ian.
Yep, as LK says it just sits in the middle of the existing system to "catch " the sludge
 

oigle

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
3,467
Reaction score
914
Age
83
Location
Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
Website
members.optusnet.com.au
Your Mercedes
2003 ML270 sold but not forgotten. 2022 Kia EV6 RWD LR
What advantage do you think you are getting by installing such a device? The normal system burns the oil vapour anyway and some suggests that it may help to lubricate flap spindles. Does the crud buildup in the inlet manifold of diesels lessen with the removal of the oil vapour? What else could benefit? I removed the crud by eliminating the egr from the system.
Ian.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
What advantage do you think you are getting by installing such a device? The normal system burns the oil vapour anyway and some suggests that it may help to lubricate flap spindles. Does the crud buildup in the inlet manifold of diesels lessen with the removal of the oil vapour? What else could benefit? I removed the crud by eliminating the egr from the system.
Ian.
Mine's fitted to my petrol Smart Roadster.
It reduces the build up of oil in the intercooler and inlet pipework. On the smart the breather feeds into the atmospheric pressure side of the turbo so cruds up a long tract of the inlet from turbo, through turbo, intercooler, throttle body and inlet manifold. There's no need for oil in the inlet tract on these as there's nothing to lubricate. All it ends up doing is coating the intercooler core in oil.
 

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
What advantage do you think you are getting by installing such a device? The normal system burns the oil vapour anyway and some suggests that it may help to lubricate flap spindles. Does the crud buildup in the inlet manifold of diesels lessen with the removal of the oil vapour? What else could benefit? I removed the crud by eliminating the egr from the system.
Ian.

Its purely an emissions thing, Depending on how good the oil separator is, the only thing going back into the inlet should be clean air, but the hockey puck type centrifugal separators do not work that well on turbo'd engines, so an amount of oil vapour comes back into the inlet. Its the exact same thing you are trying to avoid with your EGR removal. Oil vapour mixed with dirt creates a sludgy mixture that clogs up throttle valves etc.
 
OP
Wighty

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #27
Its purely an emissions thing, Depending on how good the oil separator is, the only thing going back into the inlet should be clean air, but the hockey puck type centrifugal separators do not work that well on turbo'd engines, so an amount of oil vapour comes back into the inlet. Its the exact same thing you are trying to avoid with your EGR removal. Oil vapour mixed with dirt creates a sludgy mixture that clogs up throttle valves etc.
Yep, that's what I'm aiming for , I don't want to delete the egr , but if I can stop the oily sludge making its way through the turbo and gunging everything up by emptying a catch can every few months I'll be happy for the few quid its cost . On the Om642 engine also , it should save £18 on new turbo inlet seals each time the y piece with the mafs in are removed .
 

oigle

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
3,467
Reaction score
914
Age
83
Location
Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
Website
members.optusnet.com.au
Your Mercedes
2003 ML270 sold but not forgotten. 2022 Kia EV6 RWD LR
Be interesting to see how much effect it has on gunge buildup. Be good to get feedback from those who do it. The diesel particulates that are the basis for the gunge are quite oily themselves so there may not be a lot of difference.
In a petrol engine, what ill effect is caused by some oil coating the inside of the inlet system? Very little if any would be my guess.
Ian.
 
OP
Wighty

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #29
Be interesting to see how much effect it has on gunge buildup. Be good to get feedback from those who do it. The diesel particulates that are the basis for the gunge are quite oily themselves so there may not be a lot of difference.
In a petrol engine, what ill effect is caused by some oil coating the inside of the inlet system? Very little if any would be my guess.
Ian.
I'll update the post in a month with "gunge" quantity :D
 
OP
Wighty

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #31
Need more like a 6 month test but 1 month is better than none. Has anyone had this setup longer that can report?

Ian.
The post in a month is just the "first" report , I can milk this for years :D
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
In a petrol engine, what ill effect is caused by some oil coating the inside of the inlet system? Very little if any would be my guess.
Probably no harm at all (apart from gumming up the intercooler and reducing its efficiency). It does make it much nicer to work on when its not full of oil though.
 

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
Probably no harm at all (apart from gumming up the intercooler and reducing its efficiency). It does make it much nicer to work on when its not full of oil though.
On turbo'd engines this oily mixture reduces octane as well which is no fun!
 

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
You'd need to be getting a lot of oil through to have any noticeable effect on the octane rating of the fuel being burnt.

Ian.
Sure, but when you are on the ragged edge of timing with 99 octane fuel and meth injection to bump it up even more it affects it quickly.
 
OP
Wighty

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #36
image.jpeg This is what the catch can caught after 3 hours driving . I thought it would be oilier .
 

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
I'd have thought it would be blacker - the stuff my Smart chucks out is pitch black and runny as water....
Ah but is that after 3 hours?

Plus the smart engine will be under boost much more due to its smaller size so will blow more oil back that way.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Ah but is that after 3 hours?

Plus the smart engine will be under boost much more due to its smaller size so will blow more oil back that way.
No - more like 3 months by which time there's about 1/4 litre. The Smart is rarely off boost ;) (it also runs 21psi boost which is a lot for a little engine!)
 


Mercedes-Benz Servicing, repairs, engine and diagnostics
Wayne Gates - Mercedes-Benz, Unit F3, Phoenix Industrial Estate, Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 2SP
Tel: 020 8863 9233
Established for 20 years all vehicles washed and vacuumed.
Top Bottom