non-recirculating catch can

jeepgirl1272 · 05-02-2007, 01:05 PM

ok so my old radiator catch can was leaking so i bought one from summit racing that is the non recirculating type, and it is now full and spews when i turn the jeep off. It has a drain valve on it so does this mean i have to drain it everytime it fills up to recylce the fluid back in the radiator. Has anyone had this problem, i chose this catch can because it was small and works great except for now that it is full. i mean people use them on their cars all the time, so i was just looking for some input about it.

FLATFENDER54 · 05-02-2007, 01:14 PM

Uhmmm............... shouldnt it pull the coolant back thru the same tube that it flows into the tank with? Thats how all mine have always worked. I have a summit one on my chevelle but I cant exactly remember what it looks like. It does not need "emptying" though

jeepgirl1272 · 05-02-2007, 01:19 PM

this one has the filler tube at the very top of it so there is no way for it to recirculate back into the radiator until it fills all the way up. my old one had the overflow tube about mid way down so when it got above that it would recirculate back in. im not sure. the one i have from summit is the small 1qt capacity plastic can. i have a friend that has one on his but it isnt a daily driver so i dont know if he has run into that problem yet. what do you think

topfuel83 · 05-02-2007, 01:31 PM

Modify the can and extend the hose all the way to the bottom of the tank. Exapnsion and contraction of the coolant as it heats and cools will fill the can, then the radiator will suck it back up through the same hose coming out of the top. This is how the stock catch works. I think the tank does need to be open to the atmosphere however.

Greg_Volkman · 05-03-2007, 06:51 AM

these are meant for race cars, not cars that drive constantly. because it will not recycle back into the system you'll have to pour it back in manually when the engine cools. not good. get a new can.

robncar · 05-03-2007, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg_Volkman

these are meant for race cars, not cars that drive constantly. because it will not recycle back into the system you'll have to pour it back in manually when the engine cools. not good. get a new can.

Yep, sometimes they are referred to as "puke cans" or "puke bottles". They are designed to keep expended coolant, during a race run, from getting on the track surface and are required by track officials / sanctioning bodies / tech inspection. It may be easiest to just get another bottle that was designed for recirculation?

bee guz · 05-03-2007, 07:05 AM

Race(drag) cars only use water in the cooling system, and is changed after every round, that can was just made to catch expansion, in case of overflow, you get screamed at when you leave water on the track.

Try putting a hose through the container down near the bottom,like was mentioned in a previous post

jeepgirl1272 · 05-03-2007, 11:33 AM

I'll try and modify the can, its plastc so how hard could it be. Thanks guys

FlexyTJ · 05-03-2007, 12:07 PM

Extend the internal tube in the can so that it goes below fluid level. I've modified several el- cheapo Summit/Jegs/Mr. Gasket non-return style cans in this manner so that they return, just like the stock setup.