Eugene, sounds like you think the best way, from an engine performance standpoint is to vent to atmosphere like the International trucks do and have a 2nd CCV vent in the oil fill pipe.

 

The only performance advantage of a CCV mod that I'm personally familiar with is that it reduces the likelihood of having to reconnect a turbo boot with the engine running while along side the road half way up a mountain grade which I had to do twice before I vented my CCV directly to the atmosphere.

Before I did my CCV mod I first installed a temporary crankcase pressure gauge using a hose connected to a special oil filler cap and I measured the performance of the Ford CCV design.

A second CCV to vent the other valve cover is probably only needed for high HP engines with more blow by. In case I've confused anyone that small diameter hose in my picture isn't a CCV vent because it goes to the gauge which is a sealed unit that just measures pressure and doesn't vent any flow.

 

So you don't recommend that I get another CCV vent?

 

How much drip? I think I read in a thread somewhere that there was a significant difference in drip based on the type of oil used.

One further question, Gene... does the length of the hose make any difference to the backpressure? If I run the hose, as you suggest and all along the frame to dump out somewhere near the back of the truck will the length of the hose have any affect on crankcase pressure?

That's assuming no filter/trap and a straight-as-possible run of pipe.

Thanks for your ongoing information on this.

 

I don't know about most of us but a lot of us who employ a filter/trap plumb back into the stock location in the intake after the trap.

 

i think since I may be going with a 6.0 air filter that I will try running my CCV to the back of the truck and vent it to the air. i had it running out in front of the fuel tank and i got tired of the smell. So I will see what happens with this.

 

When I did my CCV mod I actually poured a calibrated amount of water in the doghouse end of my hose just to make sure it all came out the other end. For a hose run like mine after you park and run the engine some to cool the turbo bearing the oil vapor in the hose condenses and drips a few drops out the end of the hose and you might get another drop or two after you turn the engine off.

I think the brand of oil used effects the odor of the oil vapor and possibly slightly effects the amount of vapor but if you do a CCV mod like I did be prepared to get a few drips in your driveway. Since I'm a fulltime RVer I just let the large diameter CCV hose on my C7 relieve itself wherever it wants to and then move on! I've got a 28 qt oil capacity so a few drops of oil doesn't mean much. At fuel islands in truck stops I've seen big rigs deposit a small puddle of oil from their CCV hoses while fueling with their engine running!

1) It's impossible to run a hose from the doghouse to the rear of the truck and let it have a continuous down-slope to drain and keep it out of harms way from road debris! 2) The Inches H2O restriction caused by a straight run of hose is directly proportional to its length.

The following is from the theory for air flow in straight pipes and it uses pressure in psi where 1 psi=27.68" H2O. For air flowing through a straight length of pipe the PD=Pressure Difference psi from one end of the pipe to the other end depends on the AD=Air Density lb/ft^3 and on the Velocity V ft/sec of the air flowing through the pipe. In general PD is given by...

PD=(K)(AD)(V^n)(L/D) psi

...where K is a friction term which includes the surface roughness of the pipe's inner wall, and n=1 for Laminar flow, n=2 for Turbulent flow, and n has Intermediate values for Transitional flow in between these two extremes, and (L/D) is the Length-to-Diameter ratio of the pipe.

Awhile ago when I had nothing better to do I tried applying this equation to a CCV hose purely as an academic exercise. Laminar flow occurs in small diameter pipes at low flow velocities which is the case for a CCV hose so n=1. The AD depends on crankcase temperature and pressure. I estimated the CFM flow in the hose that's required to accommodate the maximum amount of blow-by at WOT full load and then calculated the V from the CSA=Cross Section Area for a hose with a given D using V=CFM/CSA.

The above outline gives all the parameters need to calculate PD for a given L except for the value of K. The most useful thing I remember from this effort is that the resulting PD was very dependent on my assumption for the value of K which defines the "surface roughness" of the inside wall of the CCV hose.

This is why I recommend the "smooth wall" hose that I used. Also as Pocket and I mentioned sharp bends (which are impossible with the stiff-wall hose I used) add an additional restriction which is equivalent to adding several feet to the overall length for each bend.

In closing in addition to monitoring your CCV performance here's some additional advantages for installing the crankcase pressure gauge that I recommend... 1) monitor the wear/failure of the piston rings, 2) monitor the wear/failure of the turbo bearing seal which prevents hot exhaust gas from entering the crankcase via the oil drain hole, and 3) detect head gasket leaks that allow combustion pressure to leak through oil drain holes into the crankcase.

 

Egad! Reading your reply is like looking at a salad! It all looks so nice, and you just don't know where to start.

Ok, so, the quantity of drips seems to me minimal. I park my truck on a space that is gravel, so I don't really care about that space much and, like you, I RV in the summer, so that isn't an issue. So, I'm going to try the mod as you suggest. I dunno if I'll get the "sewer solution" hose, further study on that one.

As for the long run to the back, I'll dispense with that idea until I see how much smell I get from the installation as you suggest. If it gets really bad, then maybe I'll try moving the hose back.

Is that my final solution? I don't know, but I want to thank all of you folks for your input and information.

 

why not do it like international? turn the vent 180* so the fitting is pointed toward the firewall and run 2-3 feet of hose to open air. as i understand it the only reason Ford vented into the intake from what i understand is for emissions.

 

I agree that any "proper" CCV mod should "reverse" the doghouse as shown below because otherwise you need to bend a CCV hose around some sharp angles to get it pointed in the correct direction.

The reason International, CAT, Cummins, etc.. vented straight down when they were still allowed to vent to the atmosphere is that's the only way they could do it and still sell the engine as a stand alone unit. It was common for some end users such as motorhome OEMs to reroute the engine OEMs hose to avoid fumes in the cockpit, oil coating the radiator, etc...

Ford must've had a different reason for their CCV setup compared to other OEMs at the time because "diesel engine" crankcase emissions weren't regulated by the 1998 EPA emissions spec and the Cummins Dodge pickup for example continued to vent to the atmosphere for several years into 200? and CAT continued to vent to the atmosphere until the EPA prohibited it as part of the 2007 emissions spec. On of the reasons I bought my 2005 CAT C7 is that it has no ERG and a perfectly legal CCV to the atmosphere.

 

Eugene, I've seen that type of hose elsewhere. Any idea on what other application might use this kind of hose? I went through my local Home Depot and Rona, but they didn't have it.

 

Those green strips aren't just decorative they're also a reinforcing material which prevents kinking. I've never seen an equivalent hose anywhere. The sewer solution hose is "indestructible"! I've been using the same hose fulltime on my RV since April 1998!

EDIT... I just found your email.. the sewer solution jet pump will dump your tanks up a 3 ft grade and the hose is much easier to coil up and store than a slinky is!

 

Here it is in action...

 

Great work guy's. The time you have put in makes it easier for other's and me to do these upgrades. Thanks for the pics it makes it a lot easier to follow.