This is good news! The ccv mod does not really stoke my pms but it's on my to-do list. Is there something I can print out or, better yet, a section of the smog check manual I can point to that will convince the average smog tech? I don't want to hassle with a smog ref every time.

 

They referred to Appendix G, page G-7. It falls into the "Oil Separators & Filters" category.

 

I cleaned my intercooler after she had 202k on her. Found about two ounces of oil in there. There was just as much in the 6 boots combined!

 

Yeah I never get it either, you would think the intercooler would fill right up with oil but they don't. Only time I see intercoolers fill up with oil is when the turbo shaft seals blow out.

 

Here's the CA BAR page showing the link to Appendix G pdf which I am attaching below. It shows what is smog legal, and right where you said I see "oil separators & filters" are acceptable w/o CARB exemption or EO number. So the CCV mod as discussed here is smog legal in CA as long as it routes back in and not to atmosphere. Thanks for the heads up Neil! Reppin! I'm printing this for the next time I have to deal with a less-informed-than-me smog tech.

Aside from my DP tuner and IC I am legal.

 

Another option that I can now personally say that I'm pleased with is the Racor CCV3550-FRD-02.

I hemmed and hawed about installing one of these ever since they came out 10 years ago. I was worried about it being a bit undersized for the application, even though the CCV2550-FRD-02 was engineered and approved by Racor for our specific application.

I finally took the plunge, because I was tired of the oily film all over the outsides of the boots, as well as inside the intake tract, although that might actually be a good thing, as oil mist compressed in the combustion chamber likely adds more fuel/btu content.

I wasn't so worried about the intercooler, because I had already taken that out and found only a tablespoon of oil. It is quite clear that boosted air blows oil mist right on through the intercooler and into the combustion chamber, and what oil that remains is only the gravity settlement of film left clinging to the walls after the engine shut down.

Still, all the paper element airfilters I used to use would get oiled as well. That could actually be a good thing, as oily paper might trap airborne dirt better. But I recently changed to the Ford AIS Donaldson Power Core element, and that element didn't look like it would benefit from oil mist saturation.

And the boots... yuck. I had already experienced one tube blow off, but updated clamps to fix that. But the dirt clinging to the slimy boots and IC tubes wasn't going away.

So I installed the Racor CCV3550-FRD-02, and within two drive cycles, the boots were DRY as a bone. Just the hot air from the engine fan dried them off, I suppose. And since there was no more oil mist to replenish the underhood atmosphere, everything cleaned up on its own, almost instantly.

I've checked everywhere for oil leaks anywhere, finding none so far. Time will tell, but I kind of wish I didn't let so much time go by before trying it. Glad I have it now though.

 

I think the longer you have it the more you will appreciate the lack of oil & dust accumulations under the hood.

I Recently picked up 7 more spare filter elements off of ebay. I should be set for life now.

 

Neil, you were set for life with your first element! What are you pushing on your odometer now? 26?

What filters did you stock up on? Here is why I ask:

One thing I didn't realize until I actually had the uint it my hand, despite all the research that can be squeezed into a decades time, was that in addition to

medium density,
high density, and
ultra high density

filter media cartridges, there are also

continuous duty, and
intermittant duty

versions of these same filters. This explosion of somewhat "hidden" filter options took me by surprise, and makes me wonder which filter might best balance the task of oil mist mitigation while staving off the risk of saturation creating a crankcase pressure imbalance that would lead to the leaks people complained of seven or eight years ago.

For example, I'll bet the filters you just picked up 7 of your truck lifetime's supply of are part number CCV55304-08. When one visits Racor's website, and drills down through to the 3500 series replacment filter, that is the only filter that shows up.

But, by dithering with the part numbers, based on Racor's numerology for other filters, and by the label I noticed on the product itself, I found other part numbers with intriguing characteristics (to me) that I wondered if you (or anyone else) had heard about.

The CCV55304-08 is an INTERMITTANT DUTY filter with an ORANGE PLUG on the bottom. Well, Racor makes another version of this same filter...

The CCV55404-08 is a CONTINUOUS DUTY filter WITHOUT an orange plug on the bottom. It has an open hole. This open hole allows whatever is in the canister that holds the filter media to drain back into the valve cover without the restrictive orange plug metering the drainage.

As the name implies, intermittant duty presumes engine shut off and non operation for however long it would take for the filter media to desaturate and drain the coalesed oil back to the valve cover.

Continuous duty presumes that the engine will be running at the rated horsepower for long enough to tow a trailer from San Diego to Seattle without much interupption except fuel and bio stops. High load operations through the mountain passes along that route could, and perhaps would, produce enough oil vapors to saturate the media to restriction, which might imbalance crankcase pressures, causing leaks elsewhere, unless a continuous duty filter were utililzed. This hypothetical scenario is only my conjecture at this point, fed in part by conversations with Racor regarding the 3500 vs 4500 decision, when the Racor rep brought up continuous duty applications like generators.

For a variety of reasons, including your (Neil) satisfaction with the results, I decided on the 3550 due to the fact that it so perfectly fits the 7.3L PSD with no monkeying around making brackets and drainage provisions and clearances for filter removal etc.

But now learning about the availablity of Continuous duty filters, as opposed to just the Intermittant duty filters, has got me wondering.

 

24960 miles to be exact

All 12 of them are CCV55304-08 (High Efficiency) The latest stock of 7 that I bought look exactly like the original batch that I already stockpiled. They have the same part numbers and appear identical in every way...except that the new ones have yellow filter media vs pink and they have 2 part numbers and 2 descriptions on the top. The new one says "CCV55304-08 with orange plug on bottom for intermittent duty", and on the opposite side of the opening, it says "CCV55404-08 with open hole for continuous duty". I didn't open the plastic wrap, but it looks like you can just pop the orange plug out. It appears to be held in with a little molded rubber nipple. The orange plug actually looks like it acts as a one way check valve. I guess one could just remove the plug if you need the continuous duty?

I think you are on the right path about duty cycles.....I wonder what their definition of INTERMITTENT is vs CONTINUOUS? I'll have to double check my installation date and trip records to verify, but I think I've taken at least one trip from CA to South Dakota and back. Stops were just long enough to get fuel and grab a bite to eat, between CA and Evanston WY, shut down for the night there, then another full day from Evanston to SD. Same routine on the way home except the overnight stop is in Wendover NV. Not really sure how you would define the duty cycle for that trip.

Maybe give Racor a call and see what they have to say?
Phone #'s. 209-521-7860, 662-252-2656, or 800-280-3277
I'm guessing that they tested the 7.3 and concluded the CCV55304-08 met the needs.

 

Ok Neil, and every one reading who might be interested in this...

The CCV3550-FRD-02 will not take the CCV55404-08 continuous duty filter, even though said filter will fit in most other CCV3500 canisters. The reason why it won't fit in OUR canister is due to the base attactment system that is mounted on our valve covers.

Now, would we benefit at all by a continuous duty filter? The answer is no. And this answer comes directly from the gentleman who engineered the CCV3550-FRD-02 for the stock 7.3L.

My scenario of non stop driving from San Diego to Seattle, using two drivers and making only bio and fuel stops, still qualifies as intermittant duty, due to the fact that it only takes seconds for drainage to occur once the engine is shut down for refueling. Also, the natural changes in throttle position from driving... coasting down hills, stopping at stop lights, decelerating for traffic merging into the lane ahead... all render the over the road usage as intermittant.

Continuous duty would be a generator or large pump application that kicks on at full load, full throttle, without relent for 9 non stop hours or more. That isn't how trucks are worked, on or off road, so our application is intermittant.

Finally, there are not -06 or -10 suffixed filters (medium or ultra high) in the 3500 canister size, so that leaves only one filter to get... the ones you bought: CCV55304-08. (You typed CCV555308-08 above, but I think you just had a typo there).

The part number 3550 is different than 3500 because 3550 means intermittant. There is also a 3551, which is NON bypass intermittant. The 3550 is bypass, so if the filter clogs up due to not being changed often enough, some of the gasses will still be allowed to bypass the filter so as to keep the crankcase pressure differential balanced, to avoid leaks springing up elsewhere.

Finally... and I really mean finally this time, recognizing that I lied about being done earlier... finally, what clogs this CCV filter? It isn't the saturation of oil! It is the SOOT that is suspended in the oil. The soot that is continously produced in combustion gets caught in the filter media... and doesn't drain back, and that is what loads the filter.

This means that if you run an oil bypass filtration system that continuously removes soot from the oil, then the crankcase ventilation filter will last longer, and not need replacing as often.

This also might explain why SOME people found they needed to replace their CCV3550 filters more often, otherwise they would experience crankcase leaks elsewhere due to pressure differentials exceeding the bypass allowance. Those people were running chips or tunes that commanded the injectors to put more fuel in the cylinders than the factory program commanded under similar conditions. The only way more power is created is with more fuel. Not all the extra fuel gets fully burned, and that creates more smoke and soot. The extra soot loads the CCV filter faster, causing restriction faster.

I was quite concerned with the oil leakages reported from users of this system years ago, but having an understanding about how Racor's CCV system works, what the intermittant duty cycle constitutes, how quickly the canister will drain even with the orange boot on the bottom of the filter, what loads the filter (soot), how that soot is created (unburnt fuel), how the soot can be reduced (bypass filter), and why none of that will apply to my intended usage (stock programming, stock injectors, as well as bypass filteration system planned), I am quite comfortable with the CCV3550-FRD-02, and can wholeheartily recommended it, now that I have one and my boots became bone dry!

 

Yup...my bad....... I fixed it.

Interesting.....maybe the reason I've never had to change mine is because I change the oil at 3000 mile intervals. It never has much chance to get loaded with carbon.

Thanks for going the extra mile and contacting the manufacturer. Great information to have!!!

 

Y2KW57 , just checking to see if you are still having good luck with the Racor CCV3550-FRD-02?

I still give it 2 up. Went through my second cycle of smog tests on it a few weeks ago, and again, no issue at all with the smog shop.

 

It's been GREAT!

It is so nice to have bone dry boots under the hood, and a cleaner environment to boot! Like another poster (forgot which forum) said years ago, "why didn't I install this thing sooner?!?"

I've put 5,000 miles on the Racor since installation, and am still on the original filter. I don't even know where I put the two spare filters I ordered. Given that the filter gravity drains directly back into the valve cover all the time, I can't imagine any hydraulic restriction. In fact, the Racor technician says that the only way the filter can become restricted in real world (intermittant) use would be due to excess soot.

With no chips or injectors pouring in extra fuel that doesn't get fully burned... which creates black smoke and soot... and with oil changes every 4,000 miles, I don't expect to get too much soot saturation on the filter. For those earlier adopters back in 2004, like Clydesdale on TDS, I now wonder if their pressure problems were due to the extra (unburnt) fueling of their mods, rather than the airflow aspects of their mods.

When you reported how few miles were on your truck, I finally realized that I had to give up trying to preserve mine, as like with all things, there is always someone out there who can jump higher, think smarter, run faster, be richer, and drive fewer miles... and on at least a couple of those scores, you've got me beat. I've driven my truck more in the last year than I have in the previous five, and am knocking on 55,555's door right about now.



Dang, you've had two smog tests already? I'll bet the state flags your tech as having submitted the results from two years ago, given that you've probably only put 4 miles on the truck between tests... basically the round trip from and then back to the smog shop.

The very similar CCV system from Donaldson is actually REQUIRED EQUIPMENT as part of the Diesel Exhaust Retrofit program for fleets to meet their Best Available Control Technology targets that are kicking in right about now. It has an EA registration number and everything.

CCV filter systems such as the Donaldson and Racor (as well as air filter systems such as the AIS) are excluded in the smog manual's list of equipment checks for the under 14K GVWR biennial inspection program. With respect to the Racor, the state shoulc be giving you bonus points for having it, as it doesn't contribute to emissions, it actually reduces them.

Great product. Fit and finish like factory. Thanks for asking, and thanks for answering all of my earlier questions about it. Your good luck with it pushed me over the ordering edge (finally) and I'm happy with it's performance.

 

If you are getting a lot of oil in your inter-cooler, why not put pet***** in the bottom of it to drain off the excess oil once in awhile.

 

Because oil in the intercooler is neither the problem nor the reason for this mod. Even without this mod, there is not enough oil resident in the intercooler to "drain". The turbo is like a miniature leaf blower on steriods in an enclosed flow path. Any oil that gets into this enclosed stream is whisked along with the rest of the charged air into the combustion chamber. If one took a wet shop vac hose and attached it to the blower outlet of the shop vac, it would not take long for the water to wick along the walls of the hose and eventually exit the hose in the direction of the flow.

The only oil remaining at any given time in the intercooler is the residue of what was in the intake tract at shut down. Oil does not build up over time... it is blown thru and resupplied and blown thru again on a continual basis. Years ago I removed my intercooler and drained it... only a tablespoon of oil was derived even after letting the intercooler sit undisturbed standing on end for several days.

I wouldnt introduce any additional orifice in the intercooler that could impede smooth flow or be another potential boost leak.