My thoughts is that gravity helps the oil drop out of suspension once the air has entered a larger space and changes direction. Baffles help by making the air change direction, like in a muffler, and causing the oil to stick to the baffle. Also in the same line of thinking with gas lines in your home and how they have a down leg on verticle runs for any debris that may get into the line to drop out.
Gravity might play a small role in it. But, it's atomized oil droplets riding an air current. They ride it out of the crank case, through the valve cover (as well as additional droplets from there), through a hose, etc. What's to stop them from riding that air current straight from the port dumping into the reservoir across to the outlet port? So, the coalescing media is required. I think if the air hits it first, the droplets collect and are then too heavy to make it from where the port dumps into the reservoir, across and out. If it goes through the void of the reservoir
then hits the media, yes, it's stalled and the droplets will eventually be too large for the air currents (vacuum, actually) to hold them to/in the media and then gravity is able to overcome so the now larger drops fall. But, there's still a suction on the filter media and surely some oil is bound to be pulled through and up the hose leading into the intake manifold.
I always thought our Catchcans.com one should have the input on the side port and exit through the top port. One of the reasons is that if oil in the can gets full enough up close to that side port that is sucking to the intake, any bumps or jostle of the can could easily let oil splash up to that port and suck oil in. Also, usually the suction port on any of these cans I've looked at are usually at the top and/or have a filter or screen before it. Thinking to keep oil from getting to it and sucked into the intake.
Valid. But, this is why you get a large reservoir if your engine passes that much oil or check/drain your can more often. But, hey, if it's catching
that much oil, then it's gotta be working
that good, right? Or your engine has problems. lol
The cheap ebay can I had on previously for 4 years had both ports on the side, one about an inch below the other. The bottom port was the in and top port was out.
The arrangement makes sense. But I'm a firm believer in scrubbing media.
I have a breather type can on the blown mustang, but also run a mechanical vacuum pump. The discharge from the pump goes into the side of the can. Inside the can between the side port and the top opening are 2 or 3 staggered metal tabs that are the baffles and a small air filter is at the top. It does not return to the intake. The air hits a baffle plate and turns 90* to get around it. Oil catches on the plate and drops down into the can.
A breather filter sure would make things easy, but also smelly.
When I first installed the catchcans.com one like yours last year I hooked it up with side port in/top port out. Worked fine. After talking to you and also sending an email to catchcans.com asking correct orientation, both telling me top in, side out, I switched it. Works fine also, lol.
This is my conundrum! I see how it'd work fine with the flow in either direction. I just think it's optimal going the way they suggest. The confusion was when I noticed the Amazon/ebay cans all have theirs reversed. I've never paid attention to it until now. Clearly, they work fine like this. I change the oil on my brother's truck and, after 4+ years, his intake manifold is dry. It's a healthy Gen3, so it moves very little oil to begin with. The expensive can companies don't advertise such details that I could find.
