My Catch Can Is Working.

[George7941]

Every couple of months, the can fills up and I empty it out. So that oil is kept out of my intake. I think that is a good thing.

The can is not even located in a cool spot. Had I known about this requirement when I installed the can many years ago, I would have located it to the side of the engine instead of directly behind the hot air coming off the rad. It seems to work well, even with its sub optimal location.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Yes; looking at adding a catch can on my Rubicon (Mishimoto and UPR make some nice ones). The 2.0T engines in the Jeeps seem to have a bit more oil collect, but the 3.6L (what I have) do it as well even though they are not DI. On a DI engine, I would want to stop as much oil from being regurgitated back into the intake to help limit the deposits created on the backside of the valves and the intake.

 

[bdcardinal]

I have a JLT one on the passenger's side of my Mustang, PCV side. I put it on maybe 2 months after buying the car. There was a fair amount in the can at first. Now I just check it at every oil change, so around 5K miles, and there is maybe an ounce in there.

 

[George7941]

BTW the catch can is just a filter for compressed air. I had one lying around, so I thought I would try it out and see how well it would work as a catch can.

 

[tahoe_hybrid]

honestly i would Not use a plastic one because the oil can melt the plastic and you will have a engine fire on your hands...

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Originally Posted by tahoe_hybrid
honestly i would Not use a plastic one because the oil can melt the plastic and you will have a engine fire on your hands...

Don't tell Volkswagen or Ford that, they make their oil pans out of plastic.

 

[IndyFan]

Is there any downside to a catch can? I've heard folks swear by them and others say they do nothing. I'm not even sure I know exactly what they do. I'm guessing they catch oil blown through the PCV and catch it before it gets back into the intake? Please help me with what they do and what the possible benefit would be on a non DI engine?

I think my 3.8 Jeep engine loses quite a bit of oil through the PCV. It uses almost 1 quart per 1k miles. I once put a new PCV valve in it and it reduced consumption for awhile. But, the old PCV wasn't stuck and rattled like it should, if functioning properly. I remain stumped as to why that old 3.8 drinks oil the way it does, but how it doesn't do it consistently. I've wondered if a catch can would tell the tale.

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted by tahoe_hybrid
honestly i would Not use a plastic one because the oil can melt the plastic and you will have a engine fire on your hands...

The plastic can has been on for a few years now and there has been absolutely no adverse effects. No hint of distortion on the plastic body.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by IndyFan
Is there any downside to a catch can? I've heard folks swear by them and others say they do nothing. I'm not even sure I know exactly what they do. I'm guessing they catch oil blown through the PCV and catch it before it gets back into the intake? Please help me with what they do and what the possible benefit would be on a non DI engine?

I think my 3.8 Jeep engine loses quite a bit of oil through the PCV. It uses almost 1 quart per 1k miles. I once put a new PCV valve in it and it reduced consumption for awhile. But, the old PCV wasn't stuck and rattled like it should, if functioning properly. I remain stumped as to why that old 3.8 drinks oil the way it does, but how it doesn't do it consistently. I've wondered if a catch can would tell the tale.


For port fuel injected vehicles, my opinion is that they're not needed. The valves are constantly being sprayed by the fuel injectors. For DI engines, I think they'll help. Your 3.8 is port fuel injected.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
Originally Posted by tahoe_hybrid
honestly i would Not use a plastic one because the oil can melt the plastic and you will have a engine fire on your hands...

Don't tell Volkswagen or Ford that, they make their oil pans out of plastic.


It depends on which plastic. "Plastic" is a very generic term. There are several that auto makers might use for high temp applications. Many plastics are not heat resistant, but here is a few that are:

http://www.craftechind.com/dont-sweat-4-high-temp-plastics-can-take-heat/

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted by IndyFan
Is there any downside to a catch can?


Not with a well designed one. Removal of contaminates is never bad.

Does it actually help engine life? Probably not.

 

[red7404]

i took my 2016 frontier in to get a catch can put on. my mechanic told me it all ready has one from the factory. who would think?

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by IndyFan
Is there any downside to a catch can?

Aside from the initial cost and install, none that I can see. How much of benefit they are is up for discussion..more of benefit to port injected engines and engines that have loose rings/valve seals IMO.

 

[SteveSRT8]

since there are literally millions of vehicles running well without one it is obvious that a catch can is not "needed", but it can help a loose engine stay cleaner in its intake manifold.

Lots of the early DI threads about deposits in imported cars said catch cans did nothing for deposits. Note that many DI designs seem to be fine with no deposit issues.

 

[wtd]

I run a Bob's Auto sports catch can on my 14 Mustang GT and installed it a few weeks after buying the car new.

I run a UPR one on my fiancee's 07 Mustang GT. It actually stopped the car from blowing smoke at startup and is how I learned about catch cans. Her car only had about 10,000 miles on it when I first noticed the smoke. The forums recommended running a catch can to stop it from happening and it worked. When I first removed the PCV valve hose to install the can, the hose was soaked with oil so it must have been really pulling oil into the intake.

 

[WylieCoyote]

I installed a Ford Performance catch can on my Mustang. It caught about an ounce in 3,000 miles. Could easily go a full OCI (5,000) without touching it. I'm just glad that stinking gunk isn't going through the intake anymore.

 

[wtd]

Originally Posted by WylieCoyote
I installed a Ford Performance catch can on my Mustang. It caught about an ounce in 3,000 miles. Could easily go a full OCI (5,000) without touching it. I'm just glad that stinking gunk isn't going through the intake anymore.

I used to run the Ford Performance can on my Mustang and took it off after I discovered a ton of oil in the outlet line coming out of the can. It caught quite a bit of oil but it looked like it let quite a bunch through. My Bob's Auto sports can only has a very light oil film in the outlet line.