Oil breather hose function?

tomfreo · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 1:02 am Post subject: Oil breather hose function?

Was wondering what's inside the tin with the spring contained lid, the one which sits just above the fan and has a hose going to the top right side of the paper air filter, the oil breather hose. Could just break it open but was wondering what it's function is and what I might expect to find inside, whether there're any maintenance issues with it. Thanks. (1977 2L kombi)

Wildthings · Samba Member Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50352

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=251133

busdaddy · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 7:28 am Post subject:

Depends if your bus came with FI or carbs. If it's FI the link Wildthings posted explains it all, if it's for carbs it has a spring loaded disc and internal baffles to control the oil. You can pop it off and clean it out with carb cleaner but don't try to dismantle it.
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73kombi · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:11 am Post subject:

SGKent · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 11:38 am Post subject:

busdaddy · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 11:54 am Post subject:

SGKent · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 11:57 am Post subject:

speaking of breathers, does anyone have a source for a good quality 21mm breather hose yet? The part number is N0203491 . We got a 7/8 hose from NAPA but it ties to collapse. all the usual sources seem out.
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busdaddy · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:01 pm Post subject:

Shove a coil spring down inside it Wink

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73kombi · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:23 pm Post subject:

SGKent · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:33 pm Post subject:

Shawn - Thank You. I'll call them Monday. If they have the correct hose that is the best solution. Scott said he bought every last piece he could find even from Germany and he is even coming up empty handed now.

Mark - thank you - I considered a stainless coil spring as a last resort although your suggestion strengthens that as a possible solution. The NAPA hose is good hose - they just roll it from the factory in a way that helps collpase it. I even considered a slightly smaller hose inside it to help keep it open.
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galexander · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 12:29 pm Post subject:

Looks like Pelican PArts is NLA too now.
Darn it.
Any body have any other suggestions on this breather hose.
it's 22mm or 7/8" id on each end.
approx 12" long

thanks
gary
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SGKent · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 12:51 pm Post subject:

we found a solid breather vacuum hose from a local NAPA that was in inches but was very close. I don't have the measurements with me but I thik it is 7/8 breather line.
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guanella74 · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 4:54 pm Post subject: Breather box replacement

There is NOTHING inside my little breather box - I have a carbed engine, and it seems that the oil that was ending up pooling on top of my carb and soaking my filter was just being pulled from the hose connected to it. Who sells a replacement unit, or is there an appropriate valve I can put inline in the hose that replicates the original function of the breather box?
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Oil Phil-M · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:41 pm Post subject:

Some folks have had success with stuffing a good quality copper pot scrubber in the cavity under the breather box then install the breather box as normal. It creates a multitude of surfaces to help drop the oil and water out of the vapour prior to it heading out the engine and over to the carbs. I utilize an external breather box and do the same pot scrubber trick in there prior to hosing it off to one of the air filters and it seems to work well.

SGKent · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:26 pm Post subject:

does anyone know if the originals had some sort of screen or flametrap in the metal part of the breather.
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regis101 · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 8:42 pm Post subject:

IRC, Scott at GermanSsupply has the hose?
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SGKent · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:24 pm Post subject:

scott shows out of stock. It isn't made any more. I just stumbled onto this in another thread. I also looked up the hose we used. Gates Premium heater hose 3/4". It is black heavy duty reinforced rubber. Here is that photo from the other thread

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Wildthings · Samba Member Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50352

The breather for a carburated engine is pretty simple, just a baffle. No screens or anything. The way to keep it from soaking your air cleaner is to plumb the blowby to the downstream side of the air cleaner. If you can do it dump it directly into the top of the carb.

The FI breather has a pressure regulating valve, but no gauze or screen, and dumps to the downstream side of the air cleaner.

SGKent · Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 10:36 pm Post subject:

Thank you WildThings.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

galexander · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 5:53 am Post subject:

Well, here's what I did. Picked up some 7/8" 22mm ID Gates Vulco hose at Oreillys auto parts. Vulco hose is reinforced, made for fuel or vapors, it will not break down like heater hose due to the hi temps and the vapors passing thru it. It's mainly used for fuel filler necks and vapor lines.

I first tried to install as one piece of hose but at the bend it was kinking at the 90degree turn, so I cut it into 2 pieces one about 4" long the other about 10" long. I then had an old air cooled single port manifold and cut off about 4" with the hacksaw of one of intake runners which forms a 90degree turn.

The intake has an OD of 22mm, which provides a perfect fit for the 22mmID Vulco hose. Slipped the 2 pieces of hose on to the ends of the old manifold pipe, then on to the oil breather and finally onto the intake boot near the throttle body and presto!

Runs like a champ, plenty of room under there for the bit of extra hose and this should last another 31 years.

good luck!
gary
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Gary
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