Oil catch cans

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Hey Everyone,

I'm considering installing a oil catch can on my Sonata 2.0T (DI). Is this something worth even looking into? I hear they are useful on turbo engines but I don't want to waste money on something I don't need.

I don't have an crazy modifications done to my car, just a short ram air intake form Injen.

-Thanks
 
I don't think it's a bad idea at all. Limited reading on my end, but it seems like people that have them on DI turbos end up emptying oil out of them.
 
From what I've read it's a good thing to keep that oil from entering your intake and worth the investment.
 
I've got one on my 2014 Mustang GT. I just drained it the other day after about 1,100 miles and it had right under 3/4 of an ounce in it.

I also think it helps keep the inside of my exhaust tips clean because I don't get the black buildup like you see on a lot of vehicles and that I have seen on a lot of Mustangs.

Wayne
 
the only downside is shortsighted manufacturers.

I've heard (and anyone feel free to prove me wrong) of ford either voiding warranties or refusing to fix issues on ecoboost vehicles where the owners have installed aftermarket catch cans.
 
IMHO waste of money. On DI engines, they do nothing - ask the VW guys who have them and still get deposits.

The oil that is there has been there on every closed PCV system since the 50's or 60's and does no harm. Sure it looks ugly but does nothing.

Unless you plan on modding it, save your $$.
 
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A catch can's effectiveness is very very variable.

Internally it must be baffled and have lots of surface area, to encourage the vapour to condense and fall out of the airstream.
It's effectiveness is further boosted if you can locate it at a colder part of the engine bay, to help with cooling/condensing the moisture out.

Don't forget to drain it every so often!

Or alternatively,

Vent straight to the exhaust. Same cleanliness, less clutter, and you pull vac. in the case for better ringseal&more power
 
As noted above, fun mod but no need. Just a "want".

Millions and millions of vehicles out there without one that still run just fine. An answer in search of a problem...
 
I ran a oil catch can on my 2013 Silverado 1500 5.3L and it is now on my 2015 2500 6.0L. You might be amazed at the amount of oil and condensation gunk that would normally make it to your intake without one of these. I never really worried about dealers and warranties in using one. I can have mine off in a few minutes and everything back to stock if I needed to, with only a flat tip screwdriver. Is the can necessary? I don't know. I like having it on there and catching the junk. The engine might do fine without it, but I would rather do the catch can now than wait till I was having to do the entire top end of the motor because I didn't. The can falls under "preventative" maintenance to me. It is relatively inexpensive, and considering the amount of stupid stuff folks will blow money on, it barely moves the needle on the waste meter.
 
I have two on my Gen Coupe 2L turbo. The throttle body/PCV valve side is a must. I get quite a bit out of it every OCI. It helps greatly to have them low and cold out of the engine bay. Mine's mounted on the frame rail near the side of the radiator.

The turbo side is good to keep the nearly pure out of the IC and piping. I don't get a whole lot when I drain that. My OCI is 5k miles and I use Mobil 1.

Here's a picture of one of my drains. The dark oil is from the turbo side. The other gunk is from the TB side. It is mostly water. It also really depends on the outside humidity. High humidity will make a lot o TB side gunk.

Y8lqE7I.jpg
 
I have 50,000 trouble free miles on my 5.3 Silverado w/o a catch can.

I agree-a solution in search of a problem......where there isn't one!
 
If the motor does not have the FIs spraying on the valves it is an issue. And a turbo is very sensitize to timing. A slug of oil at WOT from the intake will cause some problems as it greatly reduces the octane rating. I believe the Sonata is a Direct Injected turbo.
 
A catch can is not a solution in search of a problem. It is the solution to a problem that simply isn't a critical problem.

Dealers have been fixing those problems for years in engines, which is why we have seen so many of them migrate from from the valve covers to the intake valley in V engines.

More companies have redesigned their valve covers to reduce oil consumption in their engines.

Many others have replaced their plug in PCV systems to breather boxes or baffle boxes for the same reason.

The nasty deposits left by oil dragged from the PCV system has been rsponsible for everything from seizing up the operation of variable runner intake manifolds, to drivability issues from clogged up idle air control motors and throttle bodies, to knocking from excess carbon deposits in the combustion chamber.

Nissan even went as far as to add two electric oil pump to each cylinder head of the GTR in order to prevent oil consumption by the PCV system.

There are are a lot of engineers and a lot of money being put into this problem that doesn't exist.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
If the motor does not have the FIs spraying on the valves it is an issue. And a turbo is very sensitize to timing. A slug of oil at WOT from the intake will cause some problems as it greatly reduces the octane rating. I believe the Sonata is a Direct Injected turbo.


I had a very spirited discussion with a catch can vendor who was making all sorts of wild claims on his cans.

I (and others) asked for dyno runs as he claimed improved power. Still waiting for those.

He claimed to have one on his long term daily driver since day 1. We asked for pictures of these clean valves. We're still waiting.

What we did get was the hard sell about lowered octane, improved performance, and lots of scary pictures of "nasty valves".

It may help in a super high performance engine. But your day to day grocery getter 'ain't that.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
A catch can is not a solution in search of a problem. It is the solution to a problem that simply isn't a critical problem.

Dealers have been fixing those problems for years in engines, which is why we have seen so many of them migrate from from the valve covers to the intake valley in V engines.

More companies have redesigned their valve covers to reduce oil consumption in their engines.

Many others have replaced their plug in PCV systems to breather boxes or baffle boxes for the same reason.

The nasty deposits left by oil dragged from the PCV system has been rsponsible for everything from seizing up the operation of variable runner intake manifolds, to drivability issues from clogged up idle air control motors and throttle bodies, to knocking from excess carbon deposits in the combustion chamber.

Nissan even went as far as to add two electric oil pump to each cylinder head of the GTR in order to prevent oil consumption by the PCV system.

There are are a lot of engineers and a lot of money being put into this problem that doesn't exist.


+1!

It's seems like 'I've never had problems without one' is as good as evidence round here!

On BITOG, we stay On top of any little issues with our vehicles before they become real problems. We're anal and OCD and it shows in our immaculately well maintained vehicles... So when all of the 'usual' issues with a make/model have been addressed, we start to look at smaller things like base stocks, filtration specs etc.
With those issues done to death it seems valve cleanliness is next on the list - you'll never solve the issue without being maverick and breaking the law, so this should drive further development into catch cans.

You had it right in the 60s with vac pumps and venting to exhaust but as the law becomes less sympathetic toward motor vehicles, technologies and designs must evolve.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
If the motor does not have the FIs spraying on the valves it is an issue. And a turbo is very sensitize to timing. A slug of oil at WOT from the intake will cause some problems as it greatly reduces the octane rating. I believe the Sonata is a Direct Injected turbo.


I had a very spirited discussion with a catch can vendor who was making all sorts of wild claims on his cans.

I (and others) asked for dyno runs as he claimed improved power. Still waiting for those.

He claimed to have one on his long term daily driver since day 1. We asked for pictures of these clean valves. We're still waiting.

What we did get was the hard sell about lowered octane, improved performance, and lots of scary pictures of "nasty valves".

It may help in a super high performance engine. But your day to day grocery getter 'ain't that.


The 'type' of engine or the usage of the car is immaterial. Cleaner is better. Deposits have weight and we want to be lighter. Deposits throttle airflow. Cleaner means less tear downs and more drive time.
 
Since we routinely drive service vehicles beyond 300,000 miles (and some to 500,000) without any catch can it would seem their "need" is highly subjective.

You guys using them for performance note the ET in my signature. It is at least 3 tenths better than you'll see from most any stock 6.1 SRT vehicle. It is also likely a couple tenths lower now since a converter swap and better tires.

No catch can. Well beyond 100k miles.

I'm sure anyone can flip an anecdote here or there, but there is no need for one on most vehicles by far, just a "want" for the mod junkies...
 
Intake deposits on direct injected engines are a problem, and the causes are not well understood.

Some does come from the PVC. Some comes from reversion that happens and is made worse by variable cam timing. Under some conditions there is quite a bit of reversed flow in the intake. Small differences in engines and driving style make it worse.

We do know long oil change intervals can make it worse.

I see no harm in adding a catch can. It might help. Will not hurt.

Rod
 
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