David Jenkins
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| posted on 21/7/21 at 06:24 PM |
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A new oil catch tank
I've just refitted my bike carbs (again!) and I'd decided that my original oil catch tank was useless - the oily vapour went straight
through, fouled up the vent filter and left a mess inside the engine bay.
I had a good look on eBay, but nothing there did exactly what I wanted; some were close, but many would have been difficult to fit in the limited
space available. In the end I decided to make my own - which is why I was asking all sorts of questions about plug welds, sorting problems with my
welder, and so on.
I started off with a heap of bits and pieces, many of which came off my shelves.
 
materials
The tube was checked for squareness, the edges were tidied up, and a baffle was shaped and drilled. This baffle was plug-welded inside the tube, and
was intended to force the vapour downwards.
 
baffle plate
 
finished baffle
 
test fit
A bronze bush was silver-soldered near the top of the tube, for the inlet.
 
inlet bush
Then two bushes added for the oil sight glass, scrounged off another (inferior) oil catch tank.
 
sight glass bushes
The inlet pipe (bought off eBay) was soft-soldered into its bush.
 
inlet tube fitted
Then the end plates were shaped up on the lathe, out of a piece of 10mm aluminium sheet I had on my shelf. Appropriate holes were drilled, and a
1/4" BSPT thread put into the base plate, for a drain tap.
 
end plate machining
 
end plate blanks
 
end plate drilling
 
completed end plates
The end plates are held on with a M6 threaded rod and fancy nuts, with a generous amount of silicone RTV sealant everywhere. Lots of stainless steel
pan scourers were stuffed in before the caps were fitted for the final time. A 1/2" tube was fixed into the top plate with Loctite, fixing
screws added, a spacer was made on my 3D printer, and a bracket made to mount the tank to some pre-existing holes in the chassis.
 
tank and bracket
Finally, the whole thing was installed and connected to the crankcase vent with 1/2" bore pipe. Space is tight, but I can get to everything -
with a stretch.
 
finished tank 1
 
finished tank 2
I don't yet know if it will work as planned - the end caps may leak, despite the tight fit and sealant, and the plastic spacer may prove to be
too weak for the job. However, I now have the basic components and any problems that pop up should be easily fixable (hopefully!).
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Slater
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| posted on 22/7/21 at 07:34 AM |
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Nice work! That looks like a great Locost solution.
Why do they call Port Harcourt "The Garden City"?...... Becauase they can't spell Stramash.
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chillis
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| posted on 26/7/21 at 08:32 PM |
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it was going so well and then at the end you put one of those silly fake filter things on the top
Had one of those on a catch tank for a 2.1 Pinto and the engine was forever leaking oil from just about anywhere it could. Got home after one trip and
noticed the filter thing had gone. Cleaned the engine bay and made a mental note to get another filter but forgot. After next trip set to to clean the
engine bay but it was clean. same again the next trip. new filter arrived, fitted. Next trip with the filter in place and returned home to an oil
sodden engine bay again
Removed filter and next trip out.... yep clean engine. They may look pretty but they don't do s*%t. Mine was a good quality one not a cheapo
from a show but they just don't flow enough to work.
Never under estimate the ingenuity of an idiot!
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 26/7/21 at 08:49 PM |
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It was always a "just for now" fixture. Maybe I'll come up with something better - I've still got a bit of the breather foam
I used for my home-made bike carb air filter,
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