Project Evo

Updated 1/7/07

EJ's Project Evo

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII

Mods

Perrin Oil Catch Can Installation

Tools you'll need
- 14mm socket wrench
- 14mm combination wrench
- 12mm combination wrench
- Cutters (to cut silicone tubing to length)
- Zip ties (to tie down silicone tubing)
- needle nose pliers

Install time: 1 hr (taking your time)
Make sure the engine is cool to the touch!!!!

Assemble the oil catch can - using the directions provided in the kit, assemble the oil catch can. The kit includes parts for both the WRX and Evo application, so you'll have some leftover parts. Important things to remember during the assembly:
- The brass nipples and the aluminum(?) can ends do NOT like to be screwed together repeatedly! While test fitting the items, I kept screwing things together to see whether the catch can bracket should point up or down - it should be down; the instructions don't mention or show a pic of how it should be placed on the catch can. Repeatedly tightening and untightening the nipples on the top caused the threads - not sure if it was the ones on the nipples or the can top - to break down. Luckily I got the fit right just as the parts refused to unthread from each other.
- It may be necessary to slightly bend the can bracket in order to allow the nipples to tighten the bracket to the can top so that it won't move or rattle around. I had to put a slight bow in the bracket, about 2 degrees, bending it slightly at one of the holes where the nipples fit through, so that the nipples would brace it firmly against the can top. Attempting to tighten the nipples to keep the bracket secure against the can top is where I started having threading problems.
- Position the screws on the straps that tighten the silicone catch can body to the top and bottom so that they line up just slightly under and behind the can bracket as it comes off the top to the side. Also, for looks, line up the Perrin logo on the catch can body so that it can be seen when looking into the engine bay from the front of the vehicle. I also biased the clear tube so that it would lay to the left of the can as you look at it from the front of the car. This will place it towards the strut tower side of the can.
Remove the front strut tower brace - (14mm nuts) Pretty simple to do, but does require some muscle to break the nuts free the first time. The 2 bolts in the center of the strut brace, attaching the brace to the firewall, were very simple but because of their location it was a bit awkward to apply the pressure needed to loosen them up. The 6 nuts on the top of the strut towers requires some careful handling. Due to the length of bolt exposed, I could not get a regular socket to engage the nuts. I used a regular wrench to get to these nuts. However, you should try to use a closed end wrench as opposed to an open end wrench due to the softness of the metal used in these nuts. The open end wrench didn't engage enough of the nut's surface and I began to round the first nut I attempted to loosen. Using the closed end of the wrench, this didn't seem to be a problem. Be careful as you pull off the brace, watching BOTH ends of it in order to keep from scratching the engine bay with it.
Remove the 12mm nut from the ABS unit bracket - attached to the passenger side front strut tower, you'll see a bracket that holds the ABS unit (the ABS unit is easy to identify by the 4 sets of metal lines running out of it). Remove the 12mm nut holding that bracket (see red circled stud in picture below).

Attach the assembled oil catch can to the strut tower - Carefully work the assembled oil catch can down into the space intended, just in front of the ABS sending unit, making sure to not nick up any of the ABS lines. Hold the oil catch can in place and hand thread the 12mm nut back on the blue stud from which you removed it. Make sure to keep a firm grip on the nut - you don't want to drop it into the depths of the engine bay! Once the nut has been hand tightened, you'll need an open end wrench to finish tightening the nut. (See pic below).

Remove the stock breather hose - Using the picture below, you'll be able to identify the stock crankcase breather hose. It's a short (about 10") black hose with a soft secondary cover hose on it that covers about 85% of the hose. The hose attaches to 2 points - a nipple off of the front right corner of the red valve cover (as you stand in front of the car, facing the engine block), and then a second nipple about 8 inches below the first one, coming off of the intake hose just after it comes out of the bottom of the air filter housing, and just past the mass airflow meter (?). The top connection is easy to remove, but the connection on the intake hose is difficult to get at, being that it's buried underneath some other hoses. I was able to wedge my hand down in there and, using needle nose pliers, remove the second connection. Remove the secondary hose cover off of this hose - you'll use it to protect the blue silicone hose that will be run down in there later on. In the picture below, the first connection is circled in red, with the hose partially removed, and the secondary hose cover is marked with a red 'X'.

Another picture showing the first and second connections that must be removed - The first (top) connection is the crankcase nipple, and the second (bottom) connection is the intake nipple.

Begin running the silicone tubing - It's best to cut the tubing AFTER you've run it and measured it in place. Also make sure to leave an extra inch or two when you're cutting it. You can always trim any excess off later, but you sure as heck can't put some back on if you cut it too short. I suggest starting the tubing at the nipple on the intake piping, and then running it up to the appropriate nipple on the oil catch can. Before you feed the silicone hose down into position, make sure to place the soft, secondary hose covering from the stock hose and put it on the silicone hose. The picture below shows the stock hose removed, with the secondary hose covering still on it.

I placed the hose cover on about 3-4 inches from the end of the hose, and then taped it in place temporarily with a small bit of duct tape. Run the hose end down in the same location as the stock hose ran. I was able to wedge my hand down in between the exhaust header heat shield and the coolant hose in order to help guide the silicone hose into place onto the intake nipple. The silicone hose is stiff enough that you should be able to force the hose onto the intake nipple by putting pressure on it as you feed it down into the area, and assist it with your fingers on the hand wedged down nearer the nipple. Once the hose is on and in place, check to make sure that the soft hose cover is placed so that it protects the silicone hose as it makes the bend around the back of the engine block and touches the engine block lift bracket on the back right. Proceed to feed the rest of the hose along the back of the engine block and up to the nipples on the top of the oil catch can. Making sure to leave enough extra hose to bend without crimping, cut it and then feed the resulting loose end onto the designated nipple on the oil catch can (nipple farthest from the strut tower, I believe). See a picture below for the finished install.
Take the remaining silicone hose and run it from the top of the oil catch can (nearest nipple to the strut tower) and run it along the back of the engine to the nipple on the crankcase (top nipple on the top right corner of the valve cover). Cut the hose to length and attach it to the nipple. I ended up with about 8-10 inches of silicone hose left over. Using zip ties, I attached the hoses to the wire looming that's used along the backside of the engine (the gray ribbed hose with electrical tape on it in the picture below).

Maintenance - I've removed the Perrin catch can several times since I've installed it (about every 4 months for the first year, and now about every 6 months). I wasn't sure how much oil was going to drain into the can. The answer, for me at least, is none. I've had some dirty residue inside the can, but nothing that can actually be poured out, or even considered wet. I'm guessing most of the oil collects in the blue silicone hose and ends up draining back into the breather nipple on the valve cover. Other than wiping down the top of the catch can and the sight line hose, it's pretty much maintenance free for me. I have heard of others who routinely have to empty their catch can, so I guess it just depends on your vehicle, how it's driven, and other variables.
NOTE - I did have the blue silicone hose work off of the intake nipple once during a track day event. All I did is work it back onto the nipple fully, and it remained in place for the remainder of that day and the next. When I got home from the 2 day event, I put a zip tie on the hose where it covers the nipple, and have not had a problem with it since.