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Thread: M62 Catchcan WITHOUT pulling the intake.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    Speedway, Indiana
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    2003 540iA

    M62 Catchcan WITHOUT pulling the intake.

    So I've been getting great information from you folks for a number of years and joined when I had my last E46. Never really had anything to contribute. I did a TON of research on correcting my smoke on startup/rough cold idle issue on my 2003 540iA. Of course I did the CCV first. Still smoking and rumbling, but maybe not as bad. I decide the OSV is bad from the informative posts here and decide a catchcan is the fix. I ordered the Mishimoto compact 2 port baffled catch can, a bag of 10 1/2" 3/8 NPT threaded 90s and head to O'reilly for some 1/2" fuel and PCV line. I know they had it because I've used it on other occasions. The good 90s are a little hard to come by as almost everyone was out of stock in 3/8 NPT. Luckily I have a Grainger supply local to me and they had them to me the next day.

    I decided to come up with a way to do this without taking the intake off, since I don't plan to do so until I do the TCGs. I designed a plate that used the two drivers side mounting bolts for the CCV. I cut the nipple with the O ring that goes into the spring loaded hard line off and mounted it to this plate above where it sits stock. The hard line is mounted to rubber line where it attaches to the OSV. I planned to shim the bottom of the plate to accommodate the angle of the now upward sloping hard line. I then mounted a 90 into the hole where I cut the nipple off and epoxied it in there. This would be my vacuum for the "out" side of the can. This would have worked great, except there isn't enough room for the hard line because of the lower intake runner...

    I drank a beer and stared at it. After a couple more beers and good stare downs, it came to me! I took the CCV I had grabbed off a junkyard car, switched out the diaphragm, lopped off the nipple and epoxied a 90 into the inside of the nipple. This let it use the stock fitting for the connection to the "in" on the can, the one carrying the oil. Since the hard line is spring loaded, it has a fair bit of room to move. Just be careful, and for the love of Bologna, DON"T break the OSV! Once the epoxy had dried, I compressed the spring a little and pushed the 90 down behind coolant runner it usually runs above. I zip tied the line and fitting to the runner just to be damn sure it couldn't pop up and let the line to the OSV come loose. The 90 on the hard line has to face up and toward the driver's fender. The one going into the CCV (where I cut the nipple off), has to face up into the little space in the molding of the intake. There's just enough room. CCV goes on like normal, lines run cleanly down by the strut tower and the can fits perfectly on the tower by the PS res.

    I've had my can on there with this set up for a week and right at 300 miles with a mix of interstate, in town, and racing anything with the balls to give it a go, (including walking a G8 by a half car). The pic shows how much I've gathered. I WOULD NOT recommend putting a drain back into the sump considering the amount of moisture I'm seeing in the can. I realize a good bit of the foam is air as well, but I'm still not chancing it. I'll just crack the can open every couple weeks and empty it. Zero smoke on startup after the initial drive. Zero rough idle on cold start. Couldn't be happier with the outcome both in performance and the appearance and build quality of the Mishimoto can. Hope this saves some time and intake gaskets!
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Took me a while to figure out the whole setup you got there from the pix but now I get it...

    FWIW the normal way guys have more or less done same thing has been to drill out the straight end of the CCV where other engines used that as a PCV port, instead of drilling through the side like you did. There's a few DIY's out there showing guys using that as the 'pass through' for a catch-can. But seems like you found a way to make it work.

    I bought that same Mishimoto can but ended up selling it to a buddy who needed it before I found a way to install it. Nice little can though.

    BTW I would strongly suggest nobody use avoiding taking the intake off as an impediment to doing this job - its really not a tough job, once you've got it down... Plus you can do a few other things while you're at it. Hell most people get into a nightmare of trying to get the CCV off in place anyway...
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    Speedway, Indiana
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    2003 540iA
    Bending the wires and everything to pin the fuel rail back to yank off the intake always makes me cring...This is my daily and currently only vehicle, but will be getting a new OSV, all new seals, TCGs, VANOS rebuild and all the goodies when I pick up a beater here shortly. Any extra down time is a huge PITA, so being able to do the can without the intake saved a solid 3 hours. This remedies the smoking and rough idling until it gets fixed correctly. I didn't see any DIYs on doing the can without pulling the intake anywhere, or I would have saved a lot of staring and head scratching time...Drilling out of the hole in the CCV isn't necessary once you chop off the nipple with a sawzall. Just clean it up with the dremel. I do need to get a picture of the nipple and 90 together out of the car. Not sure where that one went. I also modded a CCV to completely bypass the diaphragm but it needs to be able to close at high vacuum (low RPM). Also pressurized the CC and added a nice oil pan gasket leak on one try.

  4. #4
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
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    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1
    Fair enough. Quick and dirty job to keep the daily running.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  5. #5
    Join Date
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    BMW 750
    Great write up. I dont Dee the images you uploaded.

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