2.5 TD converted to N/A. Help needed with breather cap

Hi. My 90 is an F plate and was originally fitted with a turbo. I believe it is a 19j engine which at some point has been converted back to the more reliable (and slower) normally aspirated. Everything works fine (ish) but i am confused over the engine oil breather. After recently fitting a snorkel iand waterproofing up to and including air box i need to replace the pipe to the manifold. This has a split and someone has stuffed what i'm guessing is the old turbo breather into it? You can see in the photos this is a right bodge with plumbing pipe...

Now it is back to a N/A i thought the easiest solution would be to buy a breather cap with only one breather as opposed to 2. I got a N/A cap off ebay and the breather pipe is way to small to accommodate the pipe i already have. After looking at a mates N/A i see his breather is of the smaller kind and goes straight int the manifold. My pipe is larger and goes behind the engine and into the block (presumably)

What are my options now? do i keep using what i have got but get a t piece to join the old turbo breather to the inlet manifold or do i adapt the current cap so there is only the one breather which goes back to the block? Or fit a reducing piece to the breather to accommodate the new cap?

I dont really understand the set up really and any info would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Richard

Photos to be added

Photos of engine

If it's any help to you, here's a picture of the cyclone breather fitted to late model N/A's for military use. Parts from these are available online through military surplus dealers. There is also a downloadable book somewhere showing all the part numbers for the military contract.



On this pic, the thick blue pipe runs between the cyclone and the air intake manifold.
The thick black pipe runs from the filler cap to other end of the cyclone.
The bottom of the cyclone is connected to a steel tube which runs to the sump.

pipe should run to air filter housing ,

jamesmartin said:

pipe should run to air filter housing ,

Click to expand...

AFAIK Later land rover modifications changed this to prevent the air filter getting saturated in oil and causing the motor to run on its own oil. Now the cyclone filter collects the oil and drains it back into the sump. The pipe now goes to the manifold to provide rocker cover pressure release.

Think this is the bit needed
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=111048990168&index=17&nav=SEARCH&nid=54826361407

flat said:

AFAIK Later land rover modifications changed this to prevent the air filter getting saturated in oil and causing the motor to run on its own oil. Now the cyclone filter collects the oil and drains it back into the sump. The pipe now goes to the manifold to provide rocker cover pressure release.

Think this is the bit needed
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=111048990168&index=17&nav=SEARCH&nid=54826361407

Click to expand...

but you would need sump with a pipe connected ,its non turbo now,and cyclone wouldnt prevent it running on its own oil with a faulty turbo

Ok what about welding a pipe onto the sump? Then when the cyclone splits the oil from the air it can drain oil back into the sump? I can take pictures of how/where the various bits are attached on mine but it will have to wait till thurs when I'm next home

Ed

Edit: I was referring to the breather system on an NA engine, if your turbo oil seals let go on a turbo engine then runaway is very likely!!

I think looking at the OP post, he could just fit a cyclone into that big pipe going down the back of the cylinder head, then take another pipe off the cyclone and attaching to the inlet manifold (the bit sticking out of it - may need drilling/removing) then swapping the oil filler cap for a single tube attachment one and then blocking where the breather used to be attached before the air filter housing etc.

not very likely on an NA though at all , migth be simpler just to block pipe from cam gallery and use single outlet cap with pipe to inlet manifold

No indeed.

By doing what you say oil is being dumped into the inlet manifold. An easy solution would be to do what you say but fit a catch tank inline to trap the oil before it gets to the inlet manifold and just empty it out regularly, then just block the remaining pipes up.

Looking at the photos in the first post though it looks like there is the black pipe going down the back of the engine. If this goes to the sump (it did on the NA engine before the cyclone was introduced) then it would be a simple matter to plumb in a cyclone and change the breather attachments from before the air filter to after, and swap the filler cap for a single port one. Looking at it I reckon the connections are all there, it just needs the cyclone and some appropriate sized pipe.

The OP needs to follow that black pipe down the back of the engine and see where it actually terminates

Ed

flat said:

No indeed.

By doing what you say oil is being dumped into the inlet manifold. An easy solution would be to do what you say but fit a catch tank inline to trap the oil before it gets to the inlet manifold and just empty it out regularly, then just block the remaining pipes up.

Looking at the photos in the first post though it looks like there is the black pipe going down the back of the engine. If this goes to the sump (it did on the NA engine before the cyclone was introduced) then it would be a simple matter to plumb in a cyclone and change the breather attachments from before the air filter to after, and swap the filler cap for a single port one. Looking at it I reckon the connections are all there, it just needs the cyclone and some appropriate sized pipe.

The OP needs to follow that black pipe down the back of the engine and see where it actually terminates

Ed

Click to expand...

it goes to rear of cam gallery td had an extra breather in the core plug ,there would be very little oil and no worries

This is an interesting read.
Series 2 with land rover 90 engine

If it was my motor I think I would just go the oil catch can route for simplicity and cost

Ed

Thanks so much for all your replies. there is a pipe come out near the dipstick with a rubber bung and hose clip on it. possibly for the turbo? I will have to look at it again when i get a moment but work is manic at the moment. Does it physically require the extra breather which originally went into the air filter?

It needs a breather yes to equalise crankcase and rocker cover pressure so that oil is able to drain from the top of the engine back down to the bottom, either via the breather or the valve pushrod tubes.

The breather doesn't have to connect to the 'dirty' side of the air filter though, it can go straight back to the inlet manifold on the 'clean' side of the intake system. If you do that I would fit a catch tank to catch any oil.

Google catch tank to see what I am on about.

You would just need to mount it somewhere and run a pipe from the oil filler cap to the catch tank, then from the catch tank to the inlet side of the engine. Just leave the other pipe from the oil filler cap to the back of the engine where it is now

Thanks Flat, I will look into that option. Though i dont see the benefit of a catch tank if it is going straight back into the inlet manifold. Surely there is no need to catch it? Beside the dipstick is another rubber pipe which has been bunged leading to the sump, turbo oil return? If i were to fit a catch tank surely it would be best to drain the oil directly back to the sump through this?

Regards
Richard

The point of a catch tank is to stop oil mist going back into the inlet. The catch tank 'catches' the oil so that only air is returned to the inlet area.

If the rubber pipe by the dipstick is bugged already just leave it. Periodically empty the catch tank back into the oil filler cap, I doubt it will be gallons of oil though

Thanks flat I have looked into it and i think the ebay link is my best option. I did email the chap with a few questions. He did manage to get back to me but avoided answering any! I presume the breather goes into the side tube on cyclone oil out bottom and air out to to a t piece into inlet manifold. The bottom of cyclone could be piped to that bunged old pipe perhaps into the sump.

Yeah as sounds good to me. If I get a mo over the weekend, I will take a bunch of pictures of my cyclone (original fit) so you can see how it's all plumbed up. If I haven't done it by mid week PM me a gentle reminder!