CCV Filter or Oil/Air Seperator

[oldnavy]

Hey for you 240D and some 300 driver's out there the designing process for the OldNavy CCV Filter is coming along pretty good. On the 240D it will mount where the OE oil/air seperator mounts and will equipted with a removable, reuseable filter and be made from billet aluminum. This will greatly reduce the amount of oil sucked into the intake and also help prevent the ocassional runaway engine from excessive oil being sucked out of the valve cover because of over filled crank case or excessive blow by.

Here is a link to current design used on the VW TDI (diesel) CCV Filter The one for our 240's will be of a tank type design as is OE with bottom drain to crank case. We may be able to redesign the current A4 model for use on the 300's that have the hose going direct to intake, however the tank type could be adapted for use on the 300's. It would just depend on you tool skill level.

These are being used with great sucess on the VW diesels which have real problems with oil & soot mixing and clogging the intake and oil getting into intercoolers. I watched a VW tech getting ready to do a timing belt replacement, roll a oil catch tank orver to car and pull the intercooler hose loose from intercooler and drain about half quart oil out of the intercooler. I asked the guy about the oil and he said he does this on all TDI at the regular oil change interval (10k miles) and useually get about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil from the intercooler.

[Brian Carlton]

That is quite some machining and welding on the aluminum piece that you have made for the TDI. Unless you produced over 100 of the damn things, I don't see how you could get the cost down below your sales price.

What's the secret, Oldnavy, for this very fine looking piece at a price that is unbelievably low?

[oldnavy]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

That is quite some machining and welding on the aluminum piece that you have made for the TDI. Unless you produced over 100 of the damn things, I don't see how you could get the cost down below your sales price.

What's the secret, Oldnavy, for this very fine looking piece at a price that is unbelievably low?

There is no wielding involved, just very precise machining. The shop keeps the price down by doing Group Buys on the TDI forum ( 30 to 50) also there is no middle man. It is a one man run shop that I went to with the ideas and sold him on doing the work and he sets he price. I take no proffit from my idea's other then an ocassion free lunch with owner who is also a neighbor.

The replacement one for the 240D will probably be about $150 (don't hold me to that because I don't set pricing & it will also depend on GB size) with 3 filters, new mounting brackets, and drain hose to replace the old leaky pipe and O ring sealing junk.

[Brian Carlton]

There are two welds. One weld is to secure the outlet tube to the main body. He sure as hell did not machine that from a solid piece!

The other weld appears to be inside the housing. There is a small raised piece with an opening beneath it. This piece was added after he turned the entire inside of the housing. It is sitting right next to a milled area in the bottom.

Check it out carefully.

It's an amazing piece for the price. Does he do this work himself? He makes them one at a time? Please ask him how much time it takes him? I am sure that he as at least five hours in every one of them, even if he does them in some quantity.

[oldnavy]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

There are two welds. One weld is to secure the outlet tube to the main body. He sure as hell did not machine that from a solid piece!

The other weld appears to be inside the housing. There is a small raised piece with an opening beneath it. This piece was added after he turned the entire inside of the housing. It is sitting right next to a milled area in the bottom.

Check it out carefully.

It's an amazing piece for the price. Does he do this work himself? He makes them one at a time? Please ask him how much time it takes him? I am sure that he as at least five hours in every one of them, even if he does them in some quantity.

I help design these and have assembled them, there are no welds, they are a pressed tapered fit with a .0005 inch tolerance. There is NO Welding on these units believe me I know. I came up with the idea and I have assembled too many.

Yes the price is really too cheap in my opinion, but I didn't set the pricing.

The parts are made in groups then assembled one at a time, and it is time intensive. I can not tell you the amount of time as he doesn't like to give that kind of info out. At $50 hr shop machine rate, machine time alone is a killer. Then you have to add in hand assembly time, and S&H. I have semi timed him and I still say he's to cheap for such quality work, but I neither own a portion of the shop or designs, so who am I to complain. I just gave him my idea's as a friend and to help keep prices down for fellow TDI forum members.

If there is anything you can think of that would be of enough interest to the members to be able have a large enough GB to make the item cost effective then let me know not him. Would a billet aluminum battery tray sell for the 123's, I don't have a clue. I'm sure there are part's on these car that might need improving or no longer available that could be done for us. I've even talked to him about doing custom machine work for rotor's or head's, etc. At the moment he is tied up finishing a big (for him) commerical contract, so his time is very short and he seldoms answers the phone at the shop or his email. If he answers the phone it means work stops, sounds kind of funny doesn't it.

I keep telling him he need's to go in debt and expand the shop and hire some people to work for him. He always says no, because he doesn't like being in debt. Me, I think the shop is both a hobby and income to him and he doesn't want to change or lose that feeling.

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by oldnavy

I help design these and have assembled them, there are no welds, they are a pressed tapered fit with a .0005 inch tolerance. There is NO Welding on these units believe me I know. I came up with the idea and I have assembled too many.

Well, you've clearly got me. After saving the photos and then zooming in on them, I can tell that you are right. There are no welds.

Now I am even more flabbergasted than before! I work with .0005 tolerances every day and I know the cost to do that. That piece would typically cost over $500.00 for a quantity of one, with tolerances of .0005.