Catch can for an OM603?
 

Anyone ever considered a catch can on a 603? I know the 617 drains back to the block but the 603's vapor goes into the intake tube to the turbo. Shouldn't cost much or take too long to install one...

Thoughts/Comments?

I tried a catch can on a funky 300Td. 123 chassis. It stunk and left a smoke cloud under the hood at idle that even caused a policewoman that was directing traffic to come over and try to tell me my car was burning! :o
My 124 car is too nice to put a catch can or external device that does not have a suction from the intake on it. The reason is simple, I don't like smelling hot oil and blow by fumes~
I don't see any problem with recycling the stuff.
Its inevitable that a significant odor will be produced if the crankcase vapors are not burned somehow and vented to the atmosphere.
Presuming you want a clean intake, the best thing to do is to disable the EGR "for testing purposes" ;) thereby the oil vapors won't attract carbon deposits that build up inside the intake manifold, crossover pipe etc.

It,ll be nice to put a T on the turbo drain line and send it back to the crankcase.

I'm fairly sure the turbo is leaking on the 603 and it smells to high heaven like Rotella syn if I run the level up to anything above the low mark on the stick. I can only see some wetness around the turbo housing. I can't imagine the amount of oil smell that you would suffer from with the use of a catch can. You'd probably need a gas mask in the cabin.:eek:

Hey Brian, how does the oil level affect the turbo leaking the oil out or perhaps leaking it into the crossover pipe? Is there a passage above the low mark?

Now, that is something that I haven't quite figured out. But, running the oil down about 2 quarts low makes a noticeable difference in the oil smell inside the cabin and the trunk. If I bring it up to the low mark, the smell becomes much worse.

The engine doesn't seem to have much blowby and it had good compression by it's performance, so, I've kind of ruled out the traditional culprit.........who knows.........I've got to rebuild the turbo and see what it does.

Well, nevermind that idea then! :D

A working catch can should not smoke. I have/had one in my 603. I was surprised to see very little oil is actually going to the turbo....maybe the oil seperator is working!

Hose from valve cover to can, Can to turbo.....no smoke.