Cleaner Air with an RX Catch Can

First up, apologies for the lack of posts. I have a handful of new posts ready to go though, so more info coming soon. Today I'm posting about a product that I picked up for the supercharged Bullitt. However, this product should work just as well on a normally aspirated engine as well.

The RX Catch Can by Rev Xtreme is a unique catch can design that uses engine vacuum to operate a check valve to control the flow of air into the can before sending it into the intake. The dual-valve design is for supercharged cars, and uses a second identical check valve controlled by vacuum from the supercharger intake. This is a very clever unit that reduces the oil contamination in the intake charge, which is important for all cars especially with forced induction. And the unit appears well made too.

It took me a while to figure out how to install this unit on my car, but the manufacturer is very helpful and responsive to inquiries, so I was up and running soon enough. I'm posting an overview of the installation on my Vortech-supercharged 2001 Mustang GT Bullitt, since it seems that most installations happen on GM vehicles — so installation guidance for Fords is difficult to find online. (But the unit works great on any engine.)

One item I had noticed on my particular car before installing the catch can was a rattle at higher rpms. A local shop used a laptop during tuning to verify that the rattle was not detonation. I later discovered that the rattle was actually the stock PCV valve fluttering under boost. This was remedied with this catch can since I removed the stock PCV valve for this install (replacing it with two valves on the can).

I decided to modify my catch can to make it serviceable with replacement check valves and rubber grommets. This is optional of course, but for the extra $15 in valves and grommets at the local parts store, it seemed like a good idea. This modification, which now allows the valves to swivel, also helped since the original check valves can't be twisted to ease in installation of the can into the engine bay.

I don't have any photos of what was in the kit I received so I'm borrowing this photo above from the manufacturer's website. In addition to the catch can with dual valves, a drain hose (for emptying the can), and a mounting bracket (with hardware), I also bought a breather for the oil fill cap. I chose a black can with a blue breather element.

I bought a pair of replacement check valves and a pair of rubber grommets. (Assembled new valve and grommet on lower left; old removed valve on lower right.) The part numbers are on the PCV boxes, but the grommets are Help brand part number 42058. (Both are available at AutoZone, but AdvanceAuto and CarQuest sell the grommets.) The old valves can be removed from the can by twisting them out, which is made easier by pulling off the plastic elbow on the middle port temporarily.

The top of the can with the stock valves removed... The hole on the right is now larger, since I hogged it out with a stepped drill bit. There's not much more room to go as you can see. After this photo was shot, I did the left hole too.

I had bought these drill bits at Harbor Freight recently for about $10 or so. Use the fat one on the left, which cuts the larger hole without drilling too far into the can (and piercing the baffle). Also, keep the can on its side or even upside down to avoid aluminum shavings getting into the can. Clean the can thoroughly when you are done drilling

Here are the new valves and grommets installed. I hadn't popped the plastic elbow back onto the middle port yet. (When I did I used a little RTV around the inside edge of the elbow to help seal it on the port.)

Here's the can installed onto the bracket that comes in the kit. (I painted the bracket satin black.) The can is installed on the plastic radiator tank in front of the engine and looks almost factory.

Here's the optional breather on the left. Rev Xtreme modified my stock oil fill cap with a check valve and this breather element. A stock cap is on the right for comparison.

Here's the whole install... In this photo, I had left off the rubber pieces of the intake tract so you can see where the oil vapor hoses are routed. The supercharger intake pipe on my car actually had an unused port on it at the A2 location, so I removed the cap and installed the catch can hose there. The vacuum signal should be strong enough there hopefully. Also, this particular install requires more vacuum hose than what comes in the kit normally. When you buy additional hose, find hose that can handle oil.

Here's the passenger side of the engine. Notice the brass "T" which I bought at Amazon is used in place of the stock PCV valve.

The driver's valve cover uses the stock plastic elbow, but I inserted a brass fitting and attached the new hose, clamping it with nylon ties for a clean appearance.

 I had wanted a catch can or oil separator for the Bullitt for a while now, and am happy with this one. The others on the market, while very simple to install, just didn't seem as capable as this one—and I really like the dual-valve design here, too.



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Tips and Tricks: Brighter Gauge Lighting

I've had the gauge cluster out of the '66 a number of times over the past few years for various "refurb" projects. I have experimented with new incandescent bulbs with new diffusers, and blue LED lighting in place of the stock incandescent bulbs as well. Recently, while the gauge cluster was out to add an XM module to the Pioneer stereo, I decided to experiment once more.

The gauge cluster itself basically sandwiches the gauges and some oddly-placed light bulbs attempt to light up the gauges at night. But even with new incandescent bulbs and new blue diffusers, the gauges usually appear with a dim, green glow.

Well, the green glow won't change with this method, as I believe this is caused by a yellow incandescent light bulb lit behind a blue diffuser (yellow + blue = green). But the green glow will appear much brighter by repainting the white gauge cluster with a silver metallic paint...

Before: The white background of the gauge cluster wasn't bright
and shiny anymore, so the dash lights were ineffective. 

During: With gauges removed, paint the white areas with silver metallic.
Don't paint the black areas. (Sorry for the blurry photo...)

After: With shiny silver metallic paint and new diffusers, the bulbs
light up the gauges much better.

Here's what I used. You'll need a silver metallic paint
for this task. The more reflective, the better.

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Slip Sliding Away

A quick little update—more of a tip actually. One problem I was having on the '66 was that the pedal pads on the clutch and brake pedals would slip off. I tried gluing them on, and saw evidence that a previous owner tried the same thing, but to no avail. The only way I've found to solve this issue for stock-style pedal pads is to install the stainless trim rings around the pedals.

You can buy these trim pieces as a set or separately.

These trim pieces have a series of metal tabs that wrap around the back side of the pedal plate using a screwdriver for leverage to help bend them. I actually think they look better too!

Did I See What I Thought I Saw?

For years I've been making the drive between North Carolina and Virginia for business and personal trips. On I-95 North near Ashland as I come around the bend in the road, and in a clearing to my right, is some sort of Mustang advertisement. I'm never able to get a photo of it—until just recently.

Old Dominion Mustang/Camaro has quite a billboard on I-95!

It would be nicer if everything was closer to the road, but a gearhead is able to spot what's going on across the clearing. :)

Buffing the Spots Away

This update tackles a problem that surfaced on my recently purchased 2008 Honda Pilot, but it should apply to any car. The windows, particularly the back windows with factory tint, were badly spotted. These spots, noticeable primarily in sunlight, didn't disappear when using some liquid products designed to remove various deposits. This led me to believe the spots were perhaps the result of acid rain.

Bar Keepers Friend and my old pal, the 6" orbital polisher.

I searched online and found plenty of advice including using extra fine steel wool (not worth the risk) to remove the spots. There were also some special glass polishers as well, but they were pricey for a product I'd seldom use. I decided to try Bar Keepers Friend (BKF) Liquid—not the powder—which I already had. It was recommended on the BKF website for this task.

I applied the BKF to a clean side window with my polisher and spent about 5 minutes slowly going over the glass. I did not treat the windshield, because I didn't want to get the BKF in all the microscopic chips. I also didn't do the side mirrors, since they might scratch more easily than the glass windows.

BEFORE: These spots wouldn't clean off with anything, or so I thought.

DURING: I spent a couple minutes on the task by this point and saw an improvement.

AFTER: I spent a few more minutes with the polisher and ended up with this.

Overall, this was an easy task and the glass looks great again.

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