DIY: Add a Clean-side PCV Connection to the V6 Vararam - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

pgustavson · 01-07-2014, 12:02 PM

DISCLAIMERS/WARNINGS:
1. I am not responsible if you render your Vararam intake unusable as a result of this modification
2. I am not responsible if your car is damaged in anyway as a result of this modification
3. The wall thickness of the Vararam snout is around 0.10in, so there isn't much material there in which to tap threads
4. The threads are likely very easy to strip, and the overall sturdiness of the set-up is somewhat questionable (wouldn't want to bump it too hard)
5. I still have yet to inspect whether or not oil is sneaking through this set-up - I've been too busy on other things.

With all of that out-of-the-way... I hated the 60s-era chrome breather that ships with the Vararam intake, so I went with the RX oil cap/breather.
I never liked the violation of the closed PCV system since it was drawing "un-metered" air which is in effect a vacuum leak. I had also grown tired of cleaning up the oil seepage that seemed to regularly occur while using it. I also felt stupid for spending $40 on a $10 breather with a check valve in it that shouldn't be there. Anyway, I decided to try to add a connection port to the Vararam so I could reconnect the stock clean-side PVC line or to install the 1LE separator set-up. I figured that if I ruined the intake, I'd just go buy a Roto-Fab or something.

It's a very easy mod - especially if you have the tools.

Materials/Tools:

3/8" Barb-to-Pipe fitting (Mcmaster-Carr #5463K454, for example)
1/8NPT Tap ($$$ if you don't own one or have access to one)
11/32 Drill (I recommend using a step-drill)
PFTE Thread tape

The first two pics illustrate the location of the exit port of the MAF. The goal is to pull air from AFTER the MAF exit port to maintain the closed system.

I peeled back the foam insulation and marked/drilled the hole using the 0.4415 (apx 7/16") dimension from the edge of the snout reducer. (The bit walked a little, but it's fine.) That put the fitting almost 1/2" behind the MAF port.
I positioned it to have the barb horizontal after the intake re-install (apx 0.9" from the top of the MAF Housing)

Tap the hole and install the fitting (Don't over tighten)

You'll have to adapt the OEM clean-side line to reduce it from 1/2" ID to 3/8" ID. (I used a 3/8 ID fitting for this mod because I could find a 1/2" with a 1/8NPT thread.) I honestly don't recall what I did - I think i used another fitting from above and force the OEM line over the threaded portion, then tie-wrapped it...

As of this point, I haven't noticed any issues whatsoever. However, like I wrote above, I haven't inspected for oil yet. Since I received a nice birthday check from my father-in-law, I'll probably buy the 1LE separator, which should almost guarantee no oil gets by. I may add a plastic block with a tapped hole to the snout to mount the barb. I'll either cut/sand one by hand, or design one in SolidWorks and print it on the 3D printer at work...

horizon670 · 01-07-2014, 01:17 PM

Thank you pgustavson ! Good job !

adz817 · 01-13-2014, 03:44 PM

I'll have to keep an eye on updates from pgustavson. I might have to do this also. Honestly if I would've known I was going to have these kind of issues with Vararam I would have gone with another cai.

spyderbuddy · 01-13-2014, 04:05 PM

Good Job, Yea I hate that Oil bath also, But it's what some of us had got before the Downfall of RX.

adz817 · 01-13-2014, 11:18 PM

I could see how the 1LE seperator would also work here: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312120

But what would be the added benefit.

pgustavson · 01-14-2014, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adz817

I could see how the 1LE seperator would also work here: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312120

But what would be the added benefit.

It's really meant for track use to keep any oil from sneaking into the intake system from the clean-side line during hard driving (sometimes the PCV flow direction temporarily reverses in such situations). Any oil that is trapped by it drips back into the valve cover. It's probably not needed on the street with the occasional WOT blast or spirited run through some curves... So having the separator installed on the street car is kind of an "off-label" usage of it.

pgustavson · 01-16-2014, 08:21 AM

UPDATE: I had a few minutes this morning so I decided to drain my catch can and check the clean-side line for oil. I disconnected the line at the reducing coupler and inserted a cotton swab inside. It came out with a very slight trace of oil - nothing that was unexpected. So far, so good I suppose...

pgustavson · 05-04-2014, 03:49 PM

Found a good bit of oil in the mouth of the TB today. I don't have the time right now to pull the plenum cover and look for more oil. I would suggest not doing this mod unless installing a 1LE separator. I'm going to get one, but in the meantime I'm going back to a breather.

camaro1971 · 05-13-2014, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgustavson

Found a good bit of oil in the mouth of the TB today. I don't have the time right now to pull the plenum cover and look for more oil. I would suggest not doing this mod unless installing a 1LE separator. I'm going to get one, but in the meantime I'm going back to a breather.

im thinking about doing this mod i just finished doing mopar combustion chamber cleaner for upper induction cleaning and installed elite catch can. now would like to finish my cai varaam that varaam left unfinished connection to pcv system thus unmetered air entering. i want to add the 1LE clean side but elite seems to make a nice looking alternative. im sorry you're having the oil problem. do you think it could be that air filter oil cap on valve cover check valve bad

camaro1971 · 05-13-2014, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camaro1971

im thinking about doing this mod i just finished doing mopar combustion chamber cleaner for upper induction cleaning and installed elite catch can. now would like to finish my cai varaam that varaam left unfinished connection to pcv system thus unmetered air entering. i want to add the 1LE clean side but elite seems to make a nice looking alternative. im sorry you're having the oil problem. do you think it could be that air filter oil cap on valve cover check valve bad

nice write up with pics by the way. thanx for the how to

pgustavson · 05-19-2014, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camaro1971

im thinking about doing this mod i just finished doing mopar combustion chamber cleaner for upper induction cleaning and installed elite catch can. now would like to finish my cai varaam that varaam left unfinished connection to pcv system thus unmetered air entering. i want to add the 1LE clean side but elite seems to make a nice looking alternative. im sorry you're having the oil problem. do you think it could be that air filter oil cap on valve cover check valve bad

Sorry - I haven't checked back on this thread recently...The oil is probably from vapors getting by the quasi-trap looking thing on the clean-side line. Some of it works through when going WOT from time to time. I should probably pull the TB and get a better look inside - or maybe the plenum cover - but sometimes I'm just lazy. I ordered the Elite Engineering clean-side separator on May 5; just got a tracking # today. Plan to install it Saturday - if it gets here by then...

Quote:

Originally Posted by camaro1971

nice write up with pics by the way. thanx for the how to

pgustavson · 05-25-2014, 08:35 AM

Breather/Separator installed. Be sure to measure the hose length with the breather twisted to the oil-cap off position. Doing that will leave enough length to allow removal of the cap without disconnecting the hose. This should take care of any oil getting to the IM. I still haven't explored any deeper. Maybe someday...

AITI · 08-05-2015, 10:50 AM

Excellent thread! Yes, you do NOT want unmetered air entering the system and you do not ever want an open system IMHO. Great thinking!

R3VOLT · 01-05-2017, 01:22 AM

I'm running a dual valve McNally RX Catch Can with clean side separator and instead of capping off (not utilizing) the clean side PCV on the rear of the VC. This is then connected to a T and ran into the center CC intake with the dirty side PCV after it was removed and drilled out 1/8 on the top and 5/64 on the two bottom holes to allow proper airflow which Chevy has now corrected. The Clean side breather hose runs pre MAP sensor (post Cold Air Inductions) intake and the second line out of the CC runs to a drilled hole in the CAI silicone hose just before the VMAX throttle body. Then Ported IM with VMAX Black Ice-olater and Mace Plenum spacer, OBX-R fiberglass wrapped Long tubes with Cat-delete into PYPES 2.5" Cat-back M80 race mufflers with 4" tips. Vitesse TC, Trifecta tune and the IAT relocate for 80 degree plus weather so it doesn't bog on hot days.

01-07-2014, 12:02 PM	#1
pgustavson Stop writing "vert", ffs! Drives: 2011 2LT Convertible Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Gambrills, MD Posts: 1,341 View My Garage	DIY: Add a Clean-side PCV Connection to the V6 Vararam DISCLAIMERS/WARNINGS: 1. I am not responsible if you render your Vararam intake unusable as a result of this modification 2. I am not responsible if your car is damaged in anyway as a result of this modification 3. The wall thickness of the Vararam snout is around 0.10in, so there isn't much material there in which to tap threads 4. The threads are likely very easy to strip, and the overall sturdiness of the set-up is somewhat questionable (wouldn't want to bump it too hard) 5. I still have yet to inspect whether or not oil is sneaking through this set-up - I've been too busy on other things. With all of that out-of-the-way... I hated the 60s-era chrome breather that ships with the Vararam intake, so I went with the RX oil cap/breather. I never liked the violation of the closed PCV system since it was drawing "un-metered" air which is in effect a vacuum leak. I had also grown tired of cleaning up the oil seepage that seemed to regularly occur while using it. I also felt stupid for spending $40 on a $10 breather with a check valve in it that shouldn't be there. Anyway, I decided to try to add a connection port to the Vararam so I could reconnect the stock clean-side PVC line or to install the 1LE separator set-up. I figured that if I ruined the intake, I'd just go buy a Roto-Fab or something. It's a very easy mod - especially if you have the tools. Materials/Tools: 3/8" Barb-to-Pipe fitting (Mcmaster-Carr #5463K454, for example) 1/8NPT Tap ($$$ if you don't own one or have access to one) 11/32 Drill (I recommend using a step-drill) PFTE Thread tape The first two pics illustrate the location of the exit port of the MAF. The goal is to pull air from AFTER the MAF exit port to maintain the closed system. I peeled back the foam insulation and marked/drilled the hole using the 0.4415 (apx 7/16") dimension from the edge of the snout reducer. (The bit walked a little, but it's fine.) That put the fitting almost 1/2" behind the MAF port. I positioned it to have the barb horizontal after the intake re-install (apx 0.9" from the top of the MAF Housing) Tap the hole and install the fitting (Don't over tighten) You'll have to adapt the OEM clean-side line to reduce it from 1/2" ID to 3/8" ID. (I used a 3/8 ID fitting for this mod because I could find a 1/2" with a 1/8NPT thread.) I honestly don't recall what I did - I think i used another fitting from above and force the OEM line over the threaded portion, then tie-wrapped it... As of this point, I haven't noticed any issues whatsoever. However, like I wrote above, I haven't inspected for oil yet. Since I received a nice birthday check from my father-in-law, I'll probably buy the 1LE separator, which should almost guarantee no oil gets by. I may add a plastic block with a tapped hole to the snout to mount the barb. I'll either cut/sand one by hand, or design one in SolidWorks and print it on the 3D printer at work... __________________ Vararam \| Vmax Ported TB \| Ported IM \| Vmax Black ICE-olator Last edited by pgustavson; 05-21-2014 at 03:04 PM. Reason: Spelling, more details

01-13-2014, 04:05 PM	#4
spyderbuddy Drives: 2010 RS Inferno Orange Metallic Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Albany, Ga. Posts: 3,398 View My Garage	Good Job, Yea I hate that Oil bath also, But it's what some of us had got before the Downfall of RX. __________________ PCP Hideaway Headlight Covers, BBK Headers & High Flow Cats, ZL1 Add-ons Wicker Bill, TL1/ZL1 Hood Insert, Gen5 DIY Frameless Mirror, ABL Dash Lighting an My link Navigation, Blacked out Rear Bowtie, all Sylvania led Turn Signals, Ceramic Window Tint By Nicks, MBRP Exhaust tips, GEN5 DIY Virginia Legal DRL Harness, Painted Brake Calipers, Vittesse Throttle Controller, Heritage Grill, Diode Dynamics Led Lighting, Manual Shifter Boot, Paddle Shifters, CNC Throttle Body, Trifecta Tune, RX Catch Can & Breather, Trunk Black out and Side Grills, Chevorlet door Sills.

01-16-2014, 08:21 AM	#7
pgustavson Stop writing "vert", ffs! Drives: 2011 2LT Convertible Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Gambrills, MD Posts: 1,341 View My Garage	UPDATE: I had a few minutes this morning so I decided to drain my catch can and check the clean-side line for oil. I disconnected the line at the reducing coupler and inserted a cotton swab inside. It came out with a very slight trace of oil - nothing that was unexpected. So far, so good I suppose... __________________ Vararam \| Vmax Ported TB \| Ported IM \| Vmax Black ICE-olator

05-04-2014, 03:49 PM	#8
pgustavson Stop writing "vert", ffs! Drives: 2011 2LT Convertible Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Gambrills, MD Posts: 1,341 View My Garage	Found a good bit of oil in the mouth of the TB today. I don't have the time right now to pull the plenum cover and look for more oil. I would suggest not doing this mod unless installing a 1LE separator. I'm going to get one, but in the meantime I'm going back to a breather. __________________ Vararam \| Vmax Ported TB \| Ported IM \| Vmax Black ICE-olator

05-25-2014, 08:35 AM	#12
pgustavson Stop writing "vert", ffs! Drives: 2011 2LT Convertible Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Gambrills, MD Posts: 1,341 View My Garage	Breather/Separator installed. Be sure to measure the hose length with the breather twisted to the oil-cap *off* position. Doing that will leave enough length to allow removal of the cap without disconnecting the hose. This should take care of any oil getting to the IM. I still haven't explored any deeper. Maybe someday... __________________ Vararam \| Vmax Ported TB \| Ported IM \| Vmax Black ICE-olator

01-07-2014, 01:17 PM	#2
horizon670 Drives: 2010 Chevy Camaro 2LT / RS / Auto Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Rutherford, NJ Posts: 905 View My Garage	Thank you pgustavson ! Good job !

01-13-2014, 03:44 PM	#3
adz817 Drives: 2010 CGM 1LT Camaro Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ft Worth TX Posts: 103	I'll have to keep an eye on updates from pgustavson. I might have to do this also. Honestly if I would've known I was going to have these kind of issues with Vararam I would have gone with another cai.

01-13-2014, 11:18 PM	#5
adz817 Drives: 2010 CGM 1LT Camaro Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ft Worth TX Posts: 103	I could see how the 1LE seperator would also work here: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312120 But what would be the added benefit.

08-05-2015, 10:50 AM	#13
AITI Account Suspended Drives: 2015 LFX Auto Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: US of A Posts: 280	Excellent thread! Yes, you do NOT want unmetered air entering the system and you do not ever want an open system IMHO. Great thinking!

01-05-2017, 01:22 AM	#14
R3VOLT Drives: 2010 1LT / LE 600 Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 18	I'm running a dual valve McNally RX Catch Can with clean side separator and instead of capping off (not utilizing) the clean side PCV on the rear of the VC. This is then connected to a T and ran into the center CC intake with the dirty side PCV after it was removed and drilled out 1/8 on the top and 5/64 on the two bottom holes to allow proper airflow which Chevy has now corrected. The Clean side breather hose runs pre MAP sensor (post Cold Air Inductions) intake and the second line out of the CC runs to a drilled hole in the CAI silicone hose just before the VMAX throttle body. Then Ported IM with VMAX Black Ice-olater and Mace Plenum spacer, OBX-R fiberglass wrapped Long tubes with Cat-delete into PYPES 2.5" Cat-back M80 race mufflers with 4" tips. Vitesse TC, Trifecta tune and the IAT relocate for 80 degree plus weather so it doesn't bog on hot days.