Woohoo! Just got the email from Clint that DoS just shipped me the new BSH OCC!

 

i was washing my car earlier today decided to pull the tube that runs from the valve cover to the intake manifold to see what condition it was in. to my surprise, the inside of the tube was clear as can be! i stuck my finger down the tube and it left absolutely no residue. my 2011 MCS currently has ~5900. make me wonder whether or not i need an oil catch can.

 

Interesting that 2011 N18 engine owners are not (yet) seeing the moisture that the N14 engines did. Perhaps the purchase of the catch can for a 2011 N18 engine is based on a problem that only existed on the N14 engine.

I appreciate this thread, but am still a bit skeptical on needing the catch can. Maybe I have too much confidence in the BMW / Prince engine engineers fixing the issues from the N14 engine...

tvanhouten

 

i'm not sure what to make of it. people have been collecting a good amount of stuff in their occs. i wonder if it's temperature/climate related. i hear that the occs catch more stuff in the winter due to condensation and whatever. but it's pretty much between 50-80º all year round in west LA. what i'll prob do is see how dirty the stock fmic is when i install my alta one.

 

Where is most of the backup happening at? I'm almost to 6k and if it's just the hot side tube where it's collecting; I'll pull mine off next time i get free time to check and report back.

 

cv in post #150 said that he pulled the hot side and said it was bone dry. he has around the same mileage as you and i. so i guess that's not where the backup is.

 

On the N18 engine, just adding an oil catch can on the line from the valve cover to the turbo inlet, doesn't block off the internal PCV ports that are now integral with the head on the N18 engine. Most of the oil mist and water are still being pulled into the combustion chambers, just like on a N14 engine without the BSH Dual Port Boost Tap blocking it off.

Yes, the oil catch can is keeping oil and water vapor from going through the turbocharger and intercooler, but much of the crank case fumes are still being drawn into the engine through the internal passages in the head on the N18.

The new BSH Oil Catch Can will do nothing to prevent carbon build up on the intake valves. To do that, you would have to remove the head cover and block off the passages to the intake ports.

Dave

 

dude, we've had this discussion ad nauseum a few pages back...can we just leave it alone at this point? there has been no definitive answer one way or another about the internal re-routing. and even if there IS a right answer, it's not like we can do anything at this point. the current occ offering could filter some of the ventilated/recirculated cranckcase fumes, but some of us believe it's not THAT significant. that's the only issue on the table right now. not the cure for cancer, and not how we should fix the internal recirculation, if it in fact exists.

 

You know, you could always take the head cover off of your car and look, if you don't believe me about the N18 head's internal passages to the intake ports.

I believe my MINI dealer's, shop forman's explanation, I have nothing to prove, you do.

Dave

 

let's say i take the headcover off and do find, as your foreman claims, that there is an internal passage from the crankcase to the intake ports. what do you propose i do? does that have any bearing on installing a occ to collect oil/water from the tube running b/w the crankcase and the intake? i appreciate your contribution to this issue, but i'm not sure what your motivation is in continuously harping on about this "internal passage". it's either there or it's not. but whether it is or isn't, there really isn't anything we can do about it short of redesigning the intake manifold to block the passages off. if you have a suggestion, we're all ears. if your suggestion is "hey guys, there's an internal passage", we've heard you, loud and clear.

 

If you take the head cover off, just block off the four passages to the intake ports.
all it would take is a gasket with no holes where the passages are. Then, It would behave exactly like an N14 engine with the dual boost port block off installed on the PCV line. All the crankcase vapors would go through your catch can and you'd collect a bunch more stuff, just like I do, and it would keep oil vapors from burning and building up on the backs of the intake valves.

Dave

 

i appreciate the suggestion. if/when i get a chance to take off the valve cover, i'll look into it. i'm a bit hesitant to do so for fear of having any catastrophic failure with the engine and having mini renege on the warranty b/c i've blocked off the recirculation route. i'm a semi-recent transplant to the west coast, so i don't have the comforts of a garage to wrench in like i used to when i was living in ny/nj. it'd be great if someone with the time and the resources can look into this and see if it's possible.
thanks again for the suggestion.

 

I propose we christen these four mystery passages the "sasquatch design" PCV system on the N18, given that their existence seems to be based on a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax...except in this case we don't even have a fuzzy picture to fuel the speculation.

Hey, I've got an idea -- someone should install their boost pressure gauge sender on a fitting to the crankcase. Should work just as good there.

 

That was unnecessary. You have a 2011 MINI, you could easily take your head cover off and look for yourself!

The N14 and the N18 have their PCV valves integral with the head cover, the whole point is to not pressurize the crankcase!

Dave

 

There is an internal PCV integrated into the valve cover of the N18 going to direct runners to the ports of the intake valves on the head. Like stated before, I was open to the truth and here we have it. This brings up multiple points as to whether or not this will actually do the job of recycling the PCV gases and not cause carbon fouling on the intake valves, however time will tell that. I am glad to see that MINI redesigned it, however am skeptical to see the outcome of it. Either way, the question still looms of whether or not a catch can is needed on the N18 and I will be putting one on to atleast protect the turbo and intercooler.

 

is this based on your observation of the N18 valve cover that you said you would be receiving/purchasing? interesting...

 

Thought I'd post some pics of my recently completed BSH N18 OCC installation for anyone who might be thinking about this mod.

Here's an overall view...I located the can in the "standard" location using the cowl tab that holds the alarm switch:



Here is a close-up of the fitting going to the intake pipe:




Here is the mounting of the can. The alarm switch is easy to remove from the tab--just unplug the connection and then squeeze the two tabs on the fore and aft sides of the switch (hidden by the bracket in the pic). I found I needed to bend the L-bracket to an angle of about 95 degrees to give the intake hose a good, comfortable clearance from the air box. Also, when installed with the alarm switch you need to do two extra things: (1) drill out the hole in the metal bracket to accommodate a larger sized bolt; and (2) purchase a bolt that is at least 1/4" longer than the one provided in the kit so it can reach through all three layers:



Finally, the small tube that goes up and over the two hoses has a retaining clip under the intake that normally protrudes from the bottom side of the mounting tab. I merely removed the clip and turned it upside down so it was on the top side of the tab, rather than the bottom. This configuration put much less stress on the small tube. You can see the clip in the pic below (to orient yourself, the OCC drain plug is at the top of the pic):



Everything seems to be very well designed and fabricated in this kit and the fit and finish is quite pleasing. Interestingly, I pulled the dipstick on the can at engine idle speed to see if I could feel any suction and I could detect very little, if any. This seems to support the theory that crankcase gases under manifold vacuum (i.e., non-boost conditions) are not getting routed through the turbo and intercooler.

 

Gil-galad,

Your install looks very nice and clean. I noticed, however, that you didn't seem to have the clip installed on the manifold fitting. Below is a close-up photo of how I installed my clip. I had to dremel the end of the 'L' part of the clip because it was slightly too wide when I first tried fitting it.

 

Yep, as I mentioned in my post the clip was missing from my kit. I should have it within the next day or two thanks to the excellent responsiveness of Clint at DoS. Thanks for the heads-up on making it fit properly.

 

can you do some of us (those who are on the fence about buying the OCC) a favor and keep us updated on how much you collect in the can over the next several weeks? thanks!

 

Will do, although I don't have much travel planned over the next couple of weeks. I've got this thread subscribed and I'll just make a long-term commitment to report my experiences at relevant intervals.

 

awesome, and thanks! i'll be out of town and not driving for a couple of weeks, so no big deal on my end! =) when i get back, hopefully i'll get my fmic installed.

 

Gil-galad, please pardon me for committing the cardinal error of not completely reading a post before replying. Happy motoring!

 

I assume this is the result of your inspection of the N18 valve cover you bought? Do you have any pictures?

Thanks for pulling out the wallet to settle the question, btw.

 

Thanks for the open discussion to the topic.

The valve cover has 3 individual runners going down the backside and into 4 port holes for each intake port. The gasket secures these areas separate as we saw in the diagram. The Valve cover is not only equipped with a check valve to stop flow up, but it also is equipped with a vacuum restrictor to prevent overflow down.

I will get some pictures of the valve cover up shortly.