Oil breathers Nah or Yeah? My bad experience with one

[clawhn1]

hey guys, 93 xlt, 70mm maf, borla muff, bbk throttle,kn filter,new tranny,

i decided 2 weeks ago to install a oil breather mod and cap off the intake tube, as seen on threads here using the search function....i did not know why the factory had the stock setup because you would think the intake is sucking hot oil gases back into your cold air mixture ....this is not my engine but the setup was the same oil breather but i didnt use pvc intake i use stock plastic hose with bigger throttle and bigger maf

now this is the problem i had a week after

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246461

experiencing what i thought was a surge in power turned out to be a increasingly worse day by day problem of it suddenly increasing rpm and power without pushing the throttle more

and then it goes back to steady...many here recommended to change my tranny, but its newly rebuilt 2 years ago and there hasnt been 1 slip yet and not a single power problem on freeway

the moment i took back off the oil breather and reinstalled my stock oil hose intake, the problem goes away, and i noticed a increase in torque (seems to have more pep from 0mph-50mph)

If i had a overdrive or gear problem wouldnt this problem be present now after i went back to stock intake system?

why only with the oil breather does this problem exists?

i read in a thread using search that the pcv valve will recirculate gases back into intake,so basically using the oil breather was causing a increase in built up gases in the crankcase thus slowing down performance

another guy tried this on that thread here and when he went back to stock oil hose he also noticed it was faster and idle was smoother

when i was using the oil breather my idle was HORRIBLE. i was about to change my sparkplugs because the steering wheel would vibrate so bad in idle...when i releaved the pressure in the crankcase by going back to the origiinal oil hose to intake setup, the vibration was gone

im going to stick with my mods but not use the oil breather...

so far the only positive ive read about this is that it keeps your throttle cleaner but thats not what ive been reading either, the pcv will release gases back into your manifold throttle thus making it dirty over time

something about smog emissions is also mentioned but it was vague...i cant tell if he was saying the oil breather increases smog during a dyno or decreases emissions during dyno

i always have to get that done during inspection here in texas

if you want a more detailed explanation, the first few days i used the breather i did notice a power increase , i loved it, but then i started noticing more and more vibration idle, and more and more upshifting downshifting at high speeds

i will say that gas milage seemed better using the breather, but right now without it i have more power and id rather have more power and pay for more gas

 

[robmurt04]

hmmmmm. i've got the same problem. i guess i'll try swapping back in the stock intake tube and see what happens

 

[aldive]

I run an oil breather on my '99 SOHC. Never had any problems and actually gained MPG with the setup.

 

[Rick]

It used to be that people stuck those breathers on high performance motors to eliminate the PCV system. These days racers either run a system which pulls crankcase gasses into the exhaust, or they run a belt driven vacuum pump and suck the gasses into a catch can.

The exhaust mounted system only works well on vehicles with open headers since you need a lot of exhaust velocity to make it work. It's supposed to be good for about 10HP.

The vacuum pump setup is supposed to be good for about 30 horsepower, over what it takes to run the pump off the crankshaft.

For those who can't run either of those for whatever reason, there is the oil trap which runs in line with the PCV hose between the PCV valve and the vacuum source. It doesn't add any power in itself, but it keeps oil vapor from being sucked through the engine depositing carbon on your valves, ports and combustion chambers. This setup helps keep your horsepower at "like new" levels.

With the push in breathers you are relying on nothing, but the pressure in the crankcase to evacuate the blow by gasses. Not very efficient at all...

 

[jd4242]

i run two on my truck but i have noticed that it seems like i would lose power after the truck got warm and ran for awhile.how does the build up of blow by gases affect the motor?

 

[Jeffbethandkidz]

The pcv system is essentially a controlled, measured vacuum leak. The intake hose you are removing is after the mass airflow sensor. So if you block it off and add a filter, the pcv system is no longer being measured by the mass airflow sensor. This will cause the engine to run lean and give you a rough, rolling idle and a lack of power.

The best fix for the pcv system is to install an oil separator in-line with the pcv system between the pcv valve and intake manifold. This will prevent the oil from causing carbon deposits.

I remember reading a couple of posts on these filters...just search the forum and I'm sure you'll find something.

 

[jd4242]

I run an oil breather on my '99 SOHC. Never had any problems and actually gained MPG with the setup.

hey al dont you run a in line filter on the other side?