Aftermarket catch tank to fix crankcase backpressure?

[Nomad]

Hi. I have a 90s Renault traffic with worn bores, would an aftermarket catch tank be an option to vent the fumes and trap any oil so it can be returned to the sump?
I'm thinking take the input from the crankcase, oil drain back to the sump, vent air into the intake to avoid venting fumes to the environment
Thoughts?

Its a cheap old project, a rebore & new pistons would be the proper fix but the engine is a nightmare to work on and that would cost more than the van is worth...

 

[Smallfry]

Is it turbocharged ?

Is there a pipe from top of the engine to intake manifold or pipes ? That would be the best thing to intercept. You will have to take the sump off to install a drain I guess ? If its turbocharged, you could try a tee piece in the turbo drain ........ if you can get at it.

I did this to a Freelander with a BMW engine some years ago, and it worked well.

 

[Bornfree]

I put one on my mercedes om602 engine it holds about 1/2 litre. I manually drain it every year.

 

[Erie Fred]

Something like Dis ?

Airwolf :: Air / Oil Separators

 

[dave h 2]

Hi. I have a 90s Renault traffic with worn bores, would an aftermarket catch tank be an option to vent the fumes and trap any oil so it can be returned to the sump?
I'm thinking take the input from the crankcase, oil drain back to the sump, vent air into the intake to avoid venting fumes to the environment
Thoughts?

Its a cheap old project, a rebore & new pistons would be the proper fix but the engine is a nightmare to work on and that would cost more than the van is worth...

Your Renault already has crankcase vent system, the question is 'what's wrong with it?'
The ford escort mk3 had a oil filler cap that incorporated an oil catcher and return.
The rover 3.5v8 had two little grey capsules with wire gauze in them hung off the rocker boxes.
Yours seems to be part of the inlet manifold good luck with that

 

[hotponyshoes]

I did this on my old banger years ago as it kept blowing the dipstick out..
Never bothered fitting a sump return, just had the catch can on a long enough hose that I could tip the collected oil back into the filler occasionally.
Depon how much its blowing it might not run well if you vent back into the intake..

 

[Melvyn Best]

Petrol or diesel engine? If it is a petrol Holts sold some stuff called Pistonseal that you squirted into one cylinder at a time then drove for 50miles or so before treating the next cylinder. It is a bodge but it works

 

[Cobbler]

Petrol or diesel engine? If it is a petrol Holts sold some stuff called Pistonseal that you squirted into one cylinder at a time then drove for 50miles or so before treating the next cylinder. It is a bodge but it works

I haven’t heard of that stuff for donkeys years, a mate tried it in a Hillman Minx, but it was well past Piston Seal, more like piston broke!

 

[Smallfry]

Petrol or diesel engine? If it is a petrol Holts sold some stuff called Pistonseal that you squirted into one cylinder at a time then drove for 50miles or so before treating the next cylinder. It is a bodge but it works

Krause Bond was another one, and that stuff Quentin Willson advertises. Restore ?

 

[DaveB]

Its a cheap old project, a rebore & new pistons would be the proper fix but the engine is a nightmare to work on and that would cost more than the van is worth...

Surely fixing it properly will pay for itself in reduced fuel costs

 

[Melvyn Best]

I haven’t heard of that stuff for donkeys years, a mate tried it in a Hillman Minx, but it was well past Piston Seal, more like piston broke!

I used it on a friends old Fiesta that was a job to start due to low compression , did one cylinder a day , after just the first dosage she reported that it started a little easier. 18 months later it was still starting well

 

[Nomad]

It's a non turbo 2.1D Renault Traffic van from late 90s. I've had the head off and the bores have a lot of wear - I fitted new piston rings which have improved it from "James Bond" smokescreen accelerating up a hill to "no smoke but lots of crankcase pressure / light oil mist (from the crankcase vent system - which feeds direct into the inlet manifold)

Hopefully no need to drill more holes as I've found a blanking plate low on the crankcase (part of the original breather system) - I've tapped that and fitted a big bore "elephant trunk" breather venting to open air. Engine now runs happily but I'd like to vent the air back into the intake manifold - ideally after separating the oil mist out and returning that to the engine hence the catch tank question.

This is a cheap fun project that won't get enough use to justify a "proper" fix (it has wet cylinder liners, I've seen mixed reports - some folk say they can be bored, others advise to scrap the block are it's unlikely to be a success, then add £££ for new pistons + full engine gasket set inc head gasket + one-time-only cylinder head bolts ... )

@Erie Fred exactly like that separator, 1 inlet "oil mist" (from crankcase), 2 outlets "oil out" (return to sump) + "air out" (to the aircleaner intake etc)

Thanks everyone for the ideas, it's all appreciated

 

[dave h 2]

It's a non turbo 2.1D Renault Traffic van from late 90s. I've had the head off and the bores have a lot of wear - I fitted new piston rings which

This is a cheap fun project that won't get enough use to justify a "proper" fix (it has wet cylinder liners, I've seen mixed reports - some folk say they can be bored, others advise to scrap the block are it's unlikely to be a success, then add £££ for new pistons + full engine gasket set inc head gasket + one-time-only cylinder head bolts ... )


Thanks everyone for the ideas, it's all appreciated

It's worse than that, they only sold pistons and barrels as a pair, then there's the fiddley paper gasket/shims that you need to deck with feeler gauges to get both the bottom of the bores to seal and the head gasket. Smaller engines had big ends larger than the bores so you couldn't change rings easily.
One of the funniest things you can do is run the starter with the head off and watch the bores pop out of the block one after the other.

 

[Nomad]

It's worse than that, they only sold pistons and barrels as a pair, then there's the fiddley paper gasket/shims that you need to deck with feeler gauges to get both the bottom of the bores to seal and the head gasket. Smaller engines had big ends larger than the bores so you couldn't change rings easily.

Yep, I've got that T-shirt in my ever growing collection

Background / light reading about the engine build. Now it's back together this engine is one of the best I've had for starting after being parked for weeks. The uneven startup it had after the rebuild has also been fixed (it fixed its-self but it still counts, right?)

Thread 'Late 80s Renault 2.1D - budget rebuild problem'

May 25, 2024

Is anyone familiar with rebuilding late 1980s Renault 2.1D engines (engine code 852 not the more common J8S )

I do a lot of work on older engines (1960s-1990s) and often remove the head & sump from tired engines so I can push the piston/conrod up & out, inspect things then refit with new pistons & rings (or just rings), new big end bearings, etc.

Today I found a new problem, I've removed the head, removed the sump, pulled 1 big end and saw - as expected - the journal is ok but the bearing shell has worn through the coating.
The place I order spares from has a 60% sale on 2,1D parts...

• Nomad
• Replies: 35
• forum: Mechanics Corner

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