StreetSpeed

Folks,

Have a 383 stroker motor with AFR210 heads. Valve cover is from the LS6 that this motor replaced. I installed an LG catch can for obvious reasons. I've been monitoring the oil it catches and it's a lot, but the engine builder noted that strokers create a lot of extra oil mist and it's not uncommon that the catch can would collect a lot more oil than a stock LS6. Fair enough, but at NJMP Thunderbolt last week, the can would fill up after 6 qualifying laps or so. This was my first race on this motor, the previous 6 hours or so of track time were at HPDEs. I've never seen it collect this much oil, and it stands to reason a whole lot of oil was going back into the intake during the actual 30 minute race. Not the end of the world, but something we should address.

Anyway, we've got lots of working theories and things we can try at the final HPDE of the season coming up (NJMP Lightning), but just wondering if anyone ever experienced their catch can collecting a ton of oil in a short period of time, and if you did anything to correct it. Thanks.

Last C5

Been there, done that. I had a 408 stroker that would fill the catch can in a 20 minute HPDE session. I finally ended up with an Elite can off the valley, a breather can off the valve cover outlet, AND a breather can off the oil fill cap. (I bought an aftermarket billet cap and drllled and tapped it for an AN fitting) It still pumped a lot of oil, but at least it wasn't going in the intake. My new forged LS7 pumps about 1 oz per 20 minutes into the elite and nothing into the breather cans. Good luck with the fix.

StreetSpeed

Thanks for the heads up. This was an LS6 stroker with a wet sump, yes? Unfortunately I'm not too sure what it is you're talking about. Would you happen to have a link to the setup you were using so I can put something similar together?

johnny c

new motors have a ton of blow by. that said all ls motors will kick oil around. i have a Joes racing dry sump breather tank. (wetsump engine) it fills the 1/2qt tank every weekend. when my motor was fresh i would fill it every day.

Last C5

My 408 was an LS2, but I had the same problem with my Lingenfelter LS6. That was when I started developing my catch can farm.
I'm not saying this is the best solution, but it did work for me.

FASTFATBOY

I have this issue also.

I don't get any oil in the valley line can, but in the valve cover can it gets 1/2 full in one day on track.

I also get a cloud of smoke out of the car on decel.

I was going to take the can off the valley, run the cans in series and do the oil fill cap like you did Last C5 with the valve cover capped.

Thoughts on this?

outsideline

Same problem here.
Stroked LS6, Morley 5206 lifters, Melling 296 pump with stock spring,
ported 243 heads, wet sump with stock pan. 3 catch cans with little
Coming out of valley port but a quart coming out of valve cover drivers
Side with check valve, and 8 oz coming out of catch can from fresh air
Into intake duct behind MAF. This is after about 15 minutes on track. Engine has 5 hours on it running 10-30. Engine has 470 hptrw.
Tried 20-50 & it was worse. Compression is 221 to 219, leak down is
7 to 8%. I have ordered restrictive pushrods to see if that would work.
My catch can system is similar to yours, however mine is is not letting unmetered
Air in.
Will let you know if pushrods work.
Any other ideas let me know.

FASTFATBOY

I'm gonna try this I think, I bought the #6 version.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/381411079944?ul_noapp=true&chn=ps&lpid=82

Last C5

Well, that's slick. I had to make my own. I see they come in #6, #8, & #10AN - Cool. Thanks for posting.

Last C5

Mmmmm? That might work too. Keep us posted on how it does. Are you going to have breathers in that system so the valve cover oil can get back to the sump?

FASTFATBOY

How would breathers help return oil?

Last C5

LS engines tend to over oil the top end and for the oil to quickly drain back into the sump you need the valve covers vented in some way. That's why the stock system runs a line from the valve cover to the air bridge. (Which dumps oil into the intake manifold) I tried the drilled lifter trays and restricted push rods and neither seemed to help as much as two breather catch cans venting the valve covers. Your cans plumbed in series should be fine, but I think they should be breather cans it they're not being plumbed back to the air bridge. If they are, then I misunderstood what you were setting up. I'm easily confused.
That said - I'm no expert and some people totally plug the valve covers and say they have no problem. A definitive answer to our problem would be great.

fatbillybob

I never understood why the valvecover couldn't just be plugged. I never understood why the oil caught isn't run back to the sump.

RS-08C6Z51

Here's my set up in my road race car ('04 GTO LS1). I'm running passenger side valve covers on both sides with the fittings FASTFATBOY pointed out but -10. Both sides are routed to a vented catch can. The valley cover is caped. I get ~6oz in the catch can in a 15min session. Most of the oil seems to be coming from the driver side hose from high lateral G's in left sweepers (Mid-OH is my home track to T1 and T11) because of the way the hose is routed. I'm going to change the routing to come forward first and also add an Elite can to the valley cover like Last C5.

StreetSpeed

Thanks for all the replies guys. A dry sump eliminates most of these issues, yes? I'm getting a quote from the builder for an Aviad dry sump, and it would be nice that my $5000 dry sump (or whatever the hell it's gonna cost) takes care of all these problems.

Last C5

Well that's the definitive answer to the problem. But, that creates a new problem, where to come up with $5K.

fstrthnu01

Just added a second catch can off the valve cover running to intake. After 2 HPDE days I would get around 3 oz of oil (see solo cup pic). I added the second can as I was getting a puff of blue smoke on decal sometimes. Motor is h/c/I ls6.
cup by J H, on Flickr
catch cans by J H, on Flickr

johnny c

yep that's the atomic solution. why not beat around the bush and spend the same money on quick fixes that don't work like the rest of us lol.

StreetSpeed

Ha. Believe me I've generally been in the camp of "buy something cheap first and then buy the thing you should have bought all along second..." And really, shoulda put the dry sump in when I did the motor in the first place, but the motor cost double what I had originally thought. Still waiting for the dry sump quote, but I'm 90% sure that's the way I'll go.

johnny c

i am also waiting on a dry sump quote. Avid makes a real nice 2 stage, scavenge only. system for 3500. it uses the stock pump so don't let it spin over 6000 rpm and your fine. i guess the stock pump has cavitation issues at anything over 6000rpm.

daily dry sumps are real nice. the pan and the pump is one piece. they cost 3500 but you still need lines, a tank, and a filter.