how to oil catch can

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I am considering making a catch can for the pt cruuser I've read that it helps oil consumption. My questions is this is it worth while? How do you do it I know nothing about them. All advice is appreciated.
 
They are for racers to squeeze every bit of octane and advancement out of the combustion. They don't serve any real world purpose beyond that. Don't waste your time or money.
 
How useful they are depends on how much PCV based oil consumption you have, and whether that consumption is problematic in some way.

If you have an older engine with a lot of blowby, combined with a sloppy upper end design, it could catch a lot of oil for you, which in turn might extend the life of your Cat. Or, it might catch 1 oz of oil every OCI and you'll wonder why you bothered.

At the very least, it can be done cheaply, no reason to drop $110 on a fancy kit. Just Google "home depot oil catch can" or "Husky oil catch can", and you'll find examples that run from $35 to $85.
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
How useful they are depends on how much PCV based oil consumption you have, and whether that consumption is problematic in some way.



He's got a PT Cruiser- the 2.4L EDZ installation in that vehicle is notorious for oil consumption through the PCV system. The hose is all of about 4" long, and there's not really enough baffling in the valve cover, so a lot of oil mist gets sucked into the intake.

When we had a PT Cruiser for a few years, I put an in-line "trap" on it using one of those clear glass fuel filters you find in the faux hot-rod section of Pep Boys.. I stood it vertically so that when the engine's running, most of the oil mist gets stuck in it. When you shut the engine off, it drips back down the hose and returs to the crankcase. It cut the measured oil consumption by 75%- basically our PT engine wasn't burning any oil EXCEPT through the PCV system.
 
Oil Catch Cans for a Daily driver IMO are a waste of money. Yes they make catch some crud, but thats because your by passing the vehicles own way of getting rid of this "gunk" on its own and your "catching" it in a can. So what? So many times I have seen guys on the track with "Catch Cans" and my past tracked cars never had one, and when all was said and done, my car looked just as clean under the valve cover as any other car. Pull the head off my car? Looks fantastic, with no catch can.

I just really dont see the point of these things. I am sure they serve a purpose, I just haven't found one yet.

Jeff
 
I got one off e-bay for $25. Nice polished aluminum . Installed it on my Edge with the 3.5L to help keep burnt carbon off the intake valves tops. Works very well. Installed myself.
 
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX


I just really dont see the point of these things. I am sure they serve a purpose, I just haven't found one yet.

Jeff


The purpose is to reduce that point of detonation so you can push everything further. The PCV vapors reduce the octane rating of the A/F mixture entering the combustion chamber.
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX


I just really dont see the point of these things. I am sure they serve a purpose, I just haven't found one yet.

Jeff


The purpose is to reduce that point of detonation so you can push everything further. The PCV vapors reduce the octane rating of the A/F mixture entering the combustion chamber.


I was running 30 PSI of boost while using E85 on a daily driver and didn't need a catch can SO????

Not necessary in my book.

Maybe if you are running a turbo like this maybe you "Might" need one haha

[img:left][/img]

Jeff
 
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They can be setup to remove crud, return vapors to the crankcase and reduce the amount of crud that goes back into the intake system. It's up to you to decide if it's worth the trouble.
 
I run one on my 2014 Mustang GT. It is worth it to me to keep as much of the oil out of my intake as I can. Over time, the oil can cause buildup. I catch a decent amount of oil in mine.

Not all catch cans are efficient. I've had three different brands on my car. Not only are the cans to catch oil but they are supposed to prevent oil and vapors from going to the intake. One of the cans I used to run would still have quite a bit of oil in the hose at the intake. The one I run now only leaves a trace amount of oil film in the hose. I don't mind spending the money for one. You might not.

Wayne
 
Originally Posted By: badtlc
They are for racers to squeeze every bit of octane and advancement out of the combustion. They don't serve any real world purpose beyond that. Don't waste your time or money.


Dude, really? You need to study up on the issue. Catch cans are very worthwhile, more on some engines, but worthwhile none the less. They catch the crud vapors leaving the crankcase and instead of dumping this crud vapor into the intake where it deposits onto intake valves, it separates it and drops it into the catch can to be drained out. DI engines should all have a catch can as they do not get fuel wash over the intake valve to clean it off.
 
Originally Posted By: another Todd
Originally Posted By: badtlc
They are for racers to squeeze every bit of octane and advancement out of the combustion. They don't serve any real world purpose beyond that. Don't waste your time or money.


Dude, really? You need to study up on the issue. Catch cans are very worthwhile, more on some engines, but worthwhile none the less. They catch the crud vapors leaving the crankcase and instead of dumping this crud vapor into the intake where it deposits onto intake valves, it separates it and drops it into the catch can to be drained out. DI engines should all have a catch can as they do not get fuel wash over the intake valve to clean it off.


I spent about 2 weeks researching catch cans. That is how I learned their purpose had nothing to do with keeping an intake clean. That is just marketing and a slight beneficial side effect if it all. It surprised me too.

Not to mention, check out enthusiast forums for BMW, Mini, etc where catch cans are popular. Plenty of pictures showing they don't keep intakes and especially intake valves clean. You can use one for that if you want but vapor gets by a catch can regardless of how much it pulls out.
 
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Originally Posted By: badtlc


I spent about 2 weeks researching catch cans. That is how I learned their purpose had nothing to do with keeping an intake clean. That is just marketing and a slight beneficial side effect if it all. It surprised me too.

Not to mention, check out enthusiast forums for BMW, Mini, etc where catch cans are popular. Plenty of pictures showing they don't keep intakes and especially intake valves clean. You can use one for that if you want but vapor gets by a catch can regardless of how much it pulls out.


OK so what is their purpose then? How does a catch can squeeze out HP?
 
I have had a dual Conceptual Polymer catch can setup on my 2013 5.3L since about 1000 miles on the engine. A CP standard filter unit as a primary, and a high efficiency unit inline after it to separate anything that got by the first. These engines are prone to issues due to the AFM cylinder shutdown thing, and catch cans have shown some benefit. I capture about 1oz or more of oil out of the PCV line every 1000 miles. Even more so in the winter due to condensation and such. So, In the time I have owned the ride, I have capture just under a quart of oil and junk out of the PCV line. I wold dump what was caught into an old 16 oz drinking water bottle, until I filled it up to the threads on the cap and now don't try to keep it. I was interested in how much, and how long it would take, to capture junk. I suppose some don't mind dumping a quart of oil and crankcase particulates into their intake to coat and junk up their valves, but I have problems with being comfortable with that. I would think that those with newer DI engines would be all over putting a PCV catch can setup on their engine.

As for it increasing combustion and power, oil in the combustion chamber via being drawn in thru the PCV, can reduce the octane rating of the fuel in combustion. That is why some performance folks like catch cans.
 
And the right setup does that well... catch all the crud. Unless one sees what is getting caught, it is hard to imagine the amount of nasty stuff flowing thru that PCV line. I wasn't all that sure when I did mine, but there is no way I can be convinced now that this whole catch can idea is a bunch of hooey and just marketing for idiots.
 
The intake manifold in my 07 Civic Si had a nice puddle of oil inside during an intake installation. I installed an oil catch can and never saw the puddle again. I would constantly drain THE NASTIEST oil / water mix out of there during the 115k I had the car.

Honda Vtec engines spinning that fast have a lot of blowby. I caught all that junk with a quality oil catch can.

Some engines benefit more then others. If the BMW's are still dirty even with an oil catch can, you can imagine how dirty them would be without one.
 
Most of the PVC crud is in a vapor form coming out of the engine if the engine baffle is designed right. This will condense into water and light hydrocarbons if the catch can is in a cooler place than the engine compartment. I mount mine forward near the radiator support and lower than the Throttle Body.

Gets a couple ounces of crud in 5k mile oil changes. Intake stays nice and clean on my 2L turbo Hyundai.

5Vtzm.jpg


Here's what I collect in an OCI. The top oil is from the pre turbo intake side and is basically straight oil, the majority of the liquid though comes from the Throttle Body side.

Y8lqE7I.jpg
 
As seen in the wildly differing results here the catch can thing is very application specific.

There are millions of cars and trucks that run well without them. But some special combos of oil volatility, driving pattern, PCV design, etc., will make one a good choice if you can appreciate the improvements...
 
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