How-To: Crank Case Breather Mod (with pics)

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You guys have done a great job with this thread with a wealth of information and ideas. I have decided to do the mod ASAP and after reading this post (and a few others) I have a few observations/questions/comments before I begin:

1. Why not use a "y" connector for the first connection under the airbox (instead of a "t") --seems like you would not want opposing PCV breather lines first exerting pressure against one another OR is a "y" connector possibly a better option so the pressure from each line is directed towards the exit of the system and not toward the opposing line first?

2. Why would you want to route the drain towards your rear wheel or belt where any discharge could in theory affect belt life or possibly cause a rear tire traction hazzard (I know that most have only a miniscule amount of discharge)--after reading everyone's input it seems like the shortest amount of hose and the most downward direction to utilize gravity would be best option...wouldn't more line (and resistance) create more pressure and opportunity for clogging?

3. Has anyone run a separate drain line for each PCV breather? Don't know any reason to do so other to possibly have a way to isolate a potential leak/problem...

4. Please clarify if the catch or drain should be upstream of the filter--seems to me the filter should be "y"ed upstream with filter pointed upward in case line below gets blocked?

5. Why not just run a line with an open drain--is some pressure needed in the re-route system?

6. Is there a consensus of which system works best (e.g. catchcan/plugged line with breather filter, open ended with breather filter, or just a straight open line); it would be nice to get a tally to know who is generally getting the best results?

Sorry for the rambling! I am new to Buell and really love my XB12S! It only has 5K and I haven't observed any spray or other debris in the air filter box at all. Please forgive my newness and thanks in advance for any advice or information!
 
American torque on Ebay sells a great catch can with filer $70 plus shipping. They also have a picture of it installed.
 
I just finished this mod tonight on my 06 XB12X Uly and took it for a quick spin and is running sweet it has helped smooth out the idle, iv got a 300k ride tomorrow so it'll be interesting to see how she runs.
Thanks for all the info it made it so easy to do.

Ride hard and ride safe :)
 
Ok, lets see if anyone knows this. Will this mod affect my service plan? I blew a fork seal yesterday AFTER I did this mod.[mad] called my local HD dealer and they say its covered.:D what I'm worried bout is the will reject the service cause of the mod... Anyone can chime in and let me know, BTW its a 09 firebolt 12r.
 
ConVick, it is illegal for any dealer to deny a warranty claim if the modification is not associated with the failed part. I'd be more worried about them trying to blame the blown seal on you doing wheelies, lol.
Anyways, since there is no way a reroute can impact your forks...You shouldn't have much to worry bout, even if they are jerks.
 
I did about 250ks today on my XB12X with this mod and my bike is running sweet, it idle's better and still pulls hard & sounds wicked with my Jardine pipe.

This was well worth doing [up]
 
there should be a small filter visible under the left side air scoop or maybe obove the swing arm dip stick (thats where i put mine)beside the rear shock,
hope that helps :)
 
:D Catch can?? I still dont understand what is this mod good for?? I checked mine if there is any oil or whatever coming out of this tubes..but everything is dry and clean...
[confused] nothing to drain nothing to catch....[up]
 
i dont understand everyone saying that this mod helps performance. How? It does nothing but keep blow-by off of your air filter. nothing more
 
Yeah I havent seen anything either and I have a short 6" catch hose not even a can. I guess its good we arent catching oil cause we need it in the engine :D
 
this is my setup:
2small filters in the tank for the breather mod
1big k&n filter for my airbox delete
scaled.php
 
Yeah I havent seen anything either and I have a short 6" catch hose not even a can. I guess its good we arent catching oil cause we need it in the engine
Click to expand...

havent picked up ne residue to drain either... i did have a lil oily res. on my old air filter b4 i did the mod maybe my air filter will stay clean longer other than that i would expect no difference from the mod.
i dont understand everyone saying that this mod helps performance. How? It does nothing but keep blow-by off of your air filter. nothing more
Click to expand...
 
I got a little bit from time to time in my catch can last summer/fall and then I got a ton of nasty junk and water all winter long. Now that it is warming back up it seems to have returned to the little bit once again. The fact that it seems to run smoother and after seeing all that stuff over the winter I won't go back to stock. As a side note, I originally didn't have the catch can (ran out of time) and just had an open tube that came out by the exhaust ... never had a drop in the garage. I assume the junk came out under load on the road, because it was obvious once I added the catch can (clear Harbor Freight water separator).
 
i dont understand everyone saying that this mod helps performance. How? It does nothing but keep blow-by off of your air filter. nothing more
Click to expand...

Probably won't see much in the way of performance. Nothing measurable anyways. However, since we aren't running 2-strokes here, why should we want oil mixing with our gas at the intake? :p And the PCV's, in their stock configuration, exit INSIDE the filter, so you get oil residue all over everything beyond that point.

I'm sure over time, that oil in the intake will cause some sort of detrimental effect, even if that's simply a minor decrease in power from residue buildup, etc. But we aren't ALL anti emissions here. That's why we use a catch can.

btw, people who're finding dry catch cans, double check your filter placement in the hose layout. The guy that I bought my bike from had done this mod. He told me I'd never have to empty the catch can cause it just didn't accumulate that much. Well, apparently he missed the gobs of oil clogging up the inside of the filter. It was literally dripping out of the thing onto the swing arm :(
 

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