Catch bottles?

ashman · Oct 12, 2012

What if its another bike rider following behine you not nice sliding down the road on someone elses oil slick, a friend of mine and his girlfriend came off his Harley becuse someone's motor dropped its oil on the road, a few broken bone to both, smashed bike and at no fualt of their own, the cops followed the oil trail and soon found the owner of the oil slick.

Ashley

acotrel · Oct 12, 2012

I used a plastic soft drink bottle tied between the engine plates at the back of the gearbox. After the bike had been standing for a while the plastic disintegrated and trhe oil ran out. So I bought a beautiful spun aluminium bottle of the right diameter, and drilled the cap to take the hose and vents. When I tried to mount it, I found it was too long. It seems that potential catch tank containers only come in two sizes - too big, and too small !

iceteanolemon · Oct 12, 2012

ashman said:
What if its another bike rider following behine you not nice sliding down the road on someone elses oil slick, a friend of mine and his girlfriend came off his Harley becuse someone's motor dropped its oil on the road, a few broken bone to both, smashed bike and at no fualt of their own, the cops followed the oil trail and soon found the owner of the oil slick.

Ashley

Well I don't intend on losing a whole motor full of oil so if that happens I have more problems than overfill. Its a nice story though. I do know that with the can o beans overflowing the extra oil covered my own rear tire and I was "backing it in" on the turns close to my next stop. It was indeed noticable and if I were on a tighter road without as much experience I suppose a tankslapper and running off the road could have happened.

My main goal is to find the sweet spot with the dipstick and to not cause issues for myself and those riding with me. I think I got it now so knowing the right level is the key. If I lose my motor or a line breaks I guess those harleys behind me better choose a different line!!!

I promise myself though I won't be drowning the rear of my own bike again! I thought about the catch can deal and the catch can would need a overflow line from it and guess where that runs...to the back of the bike. Its like I had an epiphany, once I find the root cause I won't need all this stuff. I think dogt said he's got a .5 inches in a pill bottle, that tells me he knows his oil capacity well, so that being sail my goal is to know my oil capacity and I should be good.

Am I goin crazy thinkin this? I really don't want to be a road hazard but with my can o beans my friend following me got oil on his fender and visor when it overflowed. That's because the oil had the tire to fling it in the air for him.

DogT · Oct 12, 2012

Seems to me if the engine is spitting out more than a few ounces of oil in a few thou miles, something is wrong. Or you've got the line to the bottle from the wrong port. I thought about dumping mine out the back, but I like the bottle, I know what's going out the engine.

Yeah, I keep my oil tank level on the L side. I always check the level after I'm back from a run, not before, except to check for oil in general and since I have the ball valve anti-sump, nothing changes much.

Dave
69S

MFB · Oct 13, 2012

My thinking with regard to crankcase/ oil tank breathing is:
With timing cover breathing, there should not be very much oil being expelled via this outlet (maybe some in the form of vapour). This of course assumes that there is no inherent problem with the engine. I hope this is the case, or my catch tank will fill rather quickly.
If the engine breathes into the oil tank as designed, any oil in the breather simply goes to the tank = no problem.

When it comes to oil tank venting, I believe the vent pipe is bound to dribble a bit of oil whether the crankcase breather is routed to the oil tank or not. This is because the air space in the tank, including the air in the vent pipe, which theoretically is being drawn into the carburettors, will become "humidified" with oil vapour when the oil is hot. When everything cools down, the vapour will condense. The majority will remain in the tank, but what's in the pipe will dribble into the air filter. That would explain the small amount Dave catches in his pill bottle.
I hope to overcome this, as I mentioned earlier, by plugging the original vent and using the now unused crankcase breather port as the tank vent, to the catch tank.

I'ts been about 18 months since I stripped this bike down. I hope things go according to plan.

Cheers
Martin

DogT · Oct 13, 2012

I think the 71 and newer has a tank vent line that can be re-routed from the air filter to a catch bottle. In my case, the central oil tank, the tank breather is integral to the oil tank into the air filter. My only option is like I have done, tap into the line and bring it out into a bottle or block the line and install a new oil tank breather tube. I certainly wouldn't block the engine to oil tank tube in any case.

Yes, I was always getting dripping from the air filter onto the top of the gearbox, mostly from oil vapor condensing in the line and dripping into the air filter, although some say they don't have this problem. A tiny bit of oil can go a long way.

Dave
69S

drones76 · Oct 13, 2012

I did get the catch bottle in the original post. I have had it on there for a month or two and have not checked it yet.

Here is how I mounted it. Not the most elegant looking thing, but it has kept the back of the bike cleaner. I had a breather tube hanging down behind the gearbox.

DogT · Oct 13, 2012

I tried venting my oil tank below the gearbox off the right side by the center stand. The oil got all over the bottom, all the way to Smith's gearbox, that's when I went to the pill bottle catch can. You just can't believe how much an ounce of oil can spread around especially when it's blown at 60 mph.

Dave
69S

Hobot · Oct 13, 2012

Duh, just extend the hose closer to the ground and off to side of tire and stuff. Some of us know the mess of that much oil loss of the fly from everywhere but the vent hose so would have to be wiping down the shiny catch can too...

DogT · Oct 13, 2012

The only thing that gets dirty from oil splashing around now is the top of my pill bottle. I can live with that. Even if I dragged the vent hose on the ground, the circulating air would splash it up on the center stand, swing arm, rear wheel, etc. Oil must be contained, kind of like horse shit, it belongs somewhere, not where you don't want it. I think even if the vent tube went off the rear mud guard, it would find it's way back into the rear wheel and rear fairing from circulating air currents.

Dave
69S

Snorton74 · Oct 13, 2012

I think hobot is just trying to keep the dust down on all of those gravel roads.

Hobot · Oct 13, 2012

aw geeze Snortin, oily grime is a sore subject with me and Wesley with enough leaks after long rides we ain't sure if vent hose spittle is detectable. We don't seem to blow oil out vent though but will pay more attention. I do like the oil tight reviews and pollution containments, maybe I'll tie a rag knot on vent hose and see if it stains to point of dripping. Ugh, a side line hobby is how much of the bike I can wipe down once in public with a single paper towel or napkin. I've been dosing with 15/40 til Texas attempt and over filled some with 20/50 Mobel One and noticed distinctly less mess on rear rim and under neath or on side covers
leading faces. Ya know for some reason a Honey Bear squeeze bottle come to mind for a grin.

Mostly dry the first year back on road until ring gap blow by show'd up.

Snorton74 · Oct 13, 2012

I'm still waiting to get my engine back from CNW so I can only mess around with others when it comes to these things. I'm hoping drilled cases, breather, belt primary, and modified oil tank will help me avoid these issues. But it's still a Cdo...

DogT · Oct 13, 2012

If you sent your engine to CNW, I'm sure it will be tight. Mine is pretty good even though I get a drip or so off the bottom engine stud now and then. And that's with me doing the engine. Lots better than before. But I think a lot of it was the breather from the oil tank previously.

Let us know how it works out.

Dave
69S

Hobot · Oct 14, 2012

a Low Boy racer catch bottle at ~4:10 min.
Not nearly as nice as the streetables seen here

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjAYnDLaplY[/video]

drones76 · Oct 22, 2012

Cleaned it out last night. At first it looked like just water coming out, then the oil. The oil looked like chicken fat that floats on the top of cold chicken soup. The catch bottle had not been checked in about 1000 miles or so. Total was about 1.5 ounces of material. About 10% was oil. The rest was water.

This was the result:

iceteanolemon · Oct 22, 2012

drones76 said:
Cleaned it out last night. At first it looked like just water coming out, then the oil. The oil looked like chicken fat that floats on the top of cold chicken soup. The catch bottle had not been checked in about 1000 miles or so. Total was about 1.5 ounces of material. About 10% was oil. The rest was water.

This was the result:

Looks like you got the right amount in the oil tank!! I am noticing the same thing, frothy white but mine is dumping into the floor after the ride ahhah. I may end up placing my catch can in there but only after I feel confident I am filling the stupid oil tank correctly!

MFB · Oct 22, 2012

drones76 said:
Cleaned it out last night. At first it looked like just water coming out, then the oil. The oil looked like chicken fat that floats on the top of cold chicken soup. The catch bottle had not been checked in about 1000 miles or so. Total was about 1.5 ounces of material. About 10% was oil. The rest was water.

Maybe this is evidence that it is NOT GOOD to route the crankcase breather to the oil tank. Some of the water may be atmospheric and so unavoidable, but it's likely that a certain proportion is blow-by from the engine.

Martin

Nortiboy · Oct 22, 2012

drones76 said:
Cleaned it out last night. At first it looked like just water coming out, then the oil. The oil looked like chicken fat that floats on the top of cold chicken soup. The catch bottle had not been checked in about 1000 miles or so. Total was about 1.5 ounces of material. About 10% was oil. The rest was water quote]

Never seen anything like that, ever. Maybe blowby with crap fuel ?

1up3down · Oct 22, 2012

I think Martin has it right when he said:

Maybe this is evidence that it is NOT GOOD to route the crankcase breather to the oil tank. Some of the water may be atmospheric and so unavoidable, but it's likely that a certain proportion is blow-by from the engine.

Catch bottles?

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