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Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Put a SOCK in it!

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(UPDATED 07/16. 06)



... . Well, actually, *ON* it... :p



The blow-by bottle has been an ongoing source of irritation to those of us who prefer to keep our engines and the underside of our trucks relatively clean - the primary "fix" to date being to extend the blow-by tube and relocating the bottle itself to some other location. I got an idea for what might be and easier and cleaner solution - time will tell...



Here's the catch bottle I'm using - similar to the stock one, for those who haven't messed with one yet - it slips onto the breather down-tube at the upper front of the 24 valve engine - I've moved mine down to the front swaybar after drilling LOTS of extra holes for better ventilation after what was coming next:







I took an old discarded sock from one of my grandkids, and did THIS with it!







Here it is installed on my truck:







The goal here is to provide adequate airflow for the breather, while catching and absorbing any oil mist/vapor that would otherwise be carried back upon the engine - The material can easily be replaced and discarded at each oil change, or as needed...



I might add here, the main goal is to ELIMINATE oil drips amd mess from the blow-by, NOT to simply relocate it somewhere else, where it will continue to drip - here's the area of my garage floor below where the engine bay normall covers - the existing stains seen are from previous owners, and the floor seen is perfectly dry - as is all the underside of the truck:



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Gary,

What I did was to put a Scotchbrite on the inside on the bottle to stop the oil vapor while still allowing airflow. It has worked out well for the last 40K
 
For those of you who wash your engine regularly and don't like to mess with emptying the blow by bottle, i just drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the center of the bottle, this allows the blow by to just fall on the ground, only problem i have found with this is if you don't degrease the area around the bottle on a regular basis i am sure it would get pretty nasty. And the sock idea might even solve most of that problem (just don't cut the bottom of the sock out). .
 
Holes

Does the bottle come with the holes or did you make them? If not, would the sock idea still work? Coming up on 20K km and this will be one of my service items. So far, only the fan blades are a little greasy.



Jim
 
"what's the possibility of...

..... the sock getting wet and then freezing... essentially blocking the ventilation?"



In central California, pretty remote... :p ;) :D



In other locations, probably about the same as my K&N freezing up - after all, the breather bottle is placed BEHIND the radiator and intercooler - last I checked that tends to be a pretty WARM spot, other than possibly right at startup in extremely cold climates - I seriously doubt it's much of an issue... ;) :D



I like the Scotchbrite idea as well - maybe a combo of both?
 
Bad in Cold weather...

I would use caution in cold weather. Way back in 97 when the first suggestion of using the pill bottle on the breather tube came out I tried it. I found mine frooze on the way back from KS one lonely cold night while taking on fuel. Oil was blowing out the dipstick. Not to mention a few seal problems I have had since (side cover gasket).



I hate drips as much as the next guy. I also hate a messy engine. My work truck (2001) is a mess on front with that drip bottle. My personal is always clean (drips to the ground).



OK in CA but watch it if in temps below zero.



jjw

ND
 
"Took all of 5-10min to relocate my tube... .

Worth the time if you ask me!"



No doubt - but actually, all yer doing is changing the PLACE the oily film gets deposited, not containing or eliminating it - I'm not much happier with an oily mess on the drivetrain of my Dodge or the front of my trailer, than I am with it on the engine... ;) :D
 
Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

"Took all of 5-10min to relocate my tube... .

Worth the time if you ask me!"



No doubt - but actually, all yer doing is changing the PLACE the oily film gets deposited, not containing or eliminating it - I'm not much happier with an oily mess on the drivetrain of my Dodge or the front of my trailer, than I am with it on the engine... ;) :D



No mess on my drivetrain, trailer, or anywhere else, no drips, sprays, or otherwise. Not knockin' ya Gary, but by the time you removed that bottle, cut the sock, and reinstalled it, I'da had the 3/4" hose barb, and the length of hose in place, and headed to the store for a cold soda. :D



Later, Rob
 
"No mess on my drivetrain, trailer, or anywhere else, no drips, sprays, or otherwise. "



Well, this is another of those "YMMV" issues I suppose - but IF the inside of yer added length of breather hose at the end is perfectly clean and dry, you have an exceptional truck - otherwise, that small trickle of blow-by oil has just plain GOTTA go SOMEWHERE! ;) And for what is probably the majority of fellas here who use their trucks purely as utility vehicles and generally regard them sorta casually, that small leakage is of absolutely NO concern, REGARDLESS of where it accumulates...



But I'm not one of those... ;)



Here's what I attached to the same subject posted over on another board - it fits here as well:



"Before others rush in here to point out alternate methods used by some to eliminate the oily mess from the existing breather, such as simply lengthening the existing hose to a new location, I'd point out that my goal is to ELIMINATE or control oil leakage, NOT simply dump it somewhere else!



The sock is easily visually checked for condition, and also easily changed once it's condition warrants it - and SHOULD completely eliminate ALL excess oil film or accumulation from either being blown on other parts of the vehicle, or dripping onto surfaces where it's not appreciated! Shucks - all we'd do otherwise is throw those worn out socks away anyway, so why not use them for something practical. . ?



Dunno about others, but I frequently crawl under my truck out in the garage for various servicing or mods - like adding my pusher pump - and neither I or my wife much appreciate oil spots all over my clothing that CAN occur if unneccesary crud is allowed to be dripping off various parts of the truck...



If a person really wanted to make servicing the bottle a bit easier, it certainly COULD be moved to a different location - but some form of setup like the above is still a decent bit of "extra" mess prevention!



Here's my own example of what I consider "clean" - and the backside of my radiator looks like new, after 55K miles in a WIDE variety of driving situations:



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And the price is right!" :)



Like I said, YMMV - think I'll join Rob in a tall cool one... ;) :D
 
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Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

"Took all of 5-10min to relocate my tube... .

Worth the time if you ask me!"



No doubt - but actually, all yer doing is changing the PLACE the oily film gets deposited, not containing or eliminating it - I'm not much happier with an oily mess on the drivetrain of my Dodge or the front of my trailer, than I am with it on the engine... ;) :D



Mine doesn't go anywhere but straight on the ground... . ;) I have the tube redirected behind the front diff, pointing stright down about 6" off the ground. In my sporadic 100+mph blasts killing ricers, I have yet to have the blow-by "blow" back onto anything. It sprays on the ground and keeps the asphalt "properly lubricated"... . :-laf :-laf
 
Good deal Mick - sure beats the stock setup!



The sock bit works real well, I can swap it out in less than a minute, just raise the bottle outta the strap, slip off the old sock, and slip on a new one... :D
 
How far down into the bottle should the 3/4 " be placed?

My guess is that you dont want it too close to the bottom so that any accumulated oil rises above the end of the tube. Should it be stuck in past the holes in the bottle??
 
Gary,

I'm going to modify my bottle strap a little so I can fit a sock over it like yours.



Challenger-II,

Very good point! The hose should only go in about 1 1/2" to just below the lowest hole. If you go to the bottom, the oil gets blown out the holes. Don't ask me how I know this... .

:rolleyes:





Mick
 
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