Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased one of these for my 2005 Mini Cooper S (R53). It is a cheap alternative to the brand name oil catch cans that sell for five to ten times the price. That said, expect to have to modify it to make it work. This is not a turn-key solution.
The description clearly states that there are no instructions with this device. However, if you are familiar with how it operates, you shouldn't need any instructions. If you do need instructions, you should not buy this product.
A couple of warnings:
1) The supplied tubing should not be used with a MINI Cooper. If you install the catch can properly, it will be under high vacuum, and the cheap tubing provided will crush under the pressure and cut off the flow to/from your PCV valve. (That's NOT good.) Go to the auto-parts store and buy a couple feet of heavy duty tubing. It's cheap and it will last (unlike the supplied tubing).
2) There is no convenient way to mount this catch can. The supplied mounting brackets are nice, but worthless. There are no mount points on the can to attach the brackets. There is a supplied pipe clamp large enough to encompass the whole can, but again, that is mostly worthless, since you have no convenient way to attach the pipe clamp to the mounting brackets, and the pipe clamp will probably slip over the nicely anodized finish of the can.
3) A key factor in the operation of an oil catch can is some form of internal baffle to capture the oil and keep it from being drawn back into the intake of your engine. This can has NO INTERNAL BAFFLE. So, it will collect very little of the oil that it is supposed to catch. It will catch some, but not most of what it is supposed to catch.You can attempt alleviate #3 by inserting copper or brass wool into the can (about half full). However, this catch can is still lacking in that the inlet tube does not intrude into the can. By that I mean that the inlet tube should drop down into the catch can about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the depth of the can - into the baffling matterial (copper or brass wool). This allows the oil to condense on the wool, and the air to pass back out of the can - without the oil.
Since the can is one solid piece, there is no lid to remove so you can insert your own inlet tube or your own baffle. There are other similarly priced generic oil catch cans that the whole top (lid) comes off, so you can modify the interior to include a longer inlet tube and proper baffling.
In defense of the manufacturer of this part, they are selling a product at 20% of the cost of many name brands. And many of the name brand oil catch cans have no extended inlet tubes or internal baffling. So what do you get for that extra $$$? Instructions and a better mounting bracket. It's up to you whether that is worth the extra $$$.
I've only seen one product that "has it all" and it is priced at over $160. Personally, I recommend buying a generic oil catch can that has a removable lid so you can extend the inlet tube and insert an internal baffle.
Oddly enough, the product includes some strange parts that are almost inexplicable. One in particular is a set of silver nipples that are connected together by a couple pipe clamps and a short piece of tubing. One of the two nipples is closed, on is open. What is this for? If you're supposed to use it to close off a line during your install, there are a lot simpler ways to do it. I still don't know what that thing is for.
Suggestions for improving the product:
1) Weld the mounting bracket to the can so we have a way to mount it! Or weld two threaded bungs to the can for mounting purposes. OR: place a mounting bracket under the inlet/outlet fittings. (They are threaded into the top of the can and would be suitable to hold a mounting bracket as well.)
2) Extend the inlet tube further into the can - maybe 1/2 way down.
3) Either include an internal baffle, or make the drain hole large enough to insert a baffle, or make the whole lid removable.
I give this product two stars (rather than one) because of the price and because it is better than nothing. But it's got a long way to go to become a four or five star product.
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