Oil Catch Cans

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Al

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There have be threads on this in the past but not very extensive.

I have an 18Forester XT and '19 Crosstrek both with DI. I purchased a Catch Can the other day on amazon. After further thought I decided I would send it back.

My reasons are several: In my experience mods do nothing except decrease reliability, I don't think that there is proof that it will prevent sludge on the intake valves, and finally there is the warranty issue.

Of course I could install and then remove it if necessary. For not my plan is to follow the news/developments and at 50K decide whether to spend the $$$ getting the valves cleaned.

Any thoughts?
If I missed a thread on this area please give me a link and I will get this thread deleted.
 
I really don't see any warranty issues with a catch cans. I've ran one on my TGDI Civic and it was collecting some minimal amounts of blow by. I've ran it for about 30k miles and by then realized that I probably can find a better use for 150$ - took it off and sold it. What is more important i think is the use of quality lubricants and top tier gasolinea, then catch can in daily driving application won't be required at all. Just my view on this subject
 
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In my experience mods do nothing except decrease reliability


examples?


Quote
catch can in daily driving application won't be required at all


for some cars engines (like a prius) it can make the difference between 'be or not to be' .... /
 
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I've used catch cans in most of my vehicles. My 2002 Z06 with supercharger utilized one to help blowby. My '19 STI will be getting an IAG Street AOS, it's best to get a well engineered can vs some cheap knockoff. The only negative are cans that are not heated and living in cold climates, the IAG can is warmed by the coolant.
 
I have one on my '18 Impala. It collects a small amount between oil changes. It helps to keep that bit of oil out of the intake and off the intake valves, but whether or not it would make a positive difference to repair costs down the road.. probably not IMO.
 
Originally Posted by StarCaller
Quote
In my experience mods do nothing except decrease reliability


examples?

Just general observations in the last 60 years of car observation and car forums. Modded stuff just causes problems bc they are not subject to millions of miles of testing in the specific configuration that they are designed for. Also could be the mod is incorrectly installed or not suited to the specific application that it is supposed to.
 
I was looking into them after I purchased my 2018 F150 3.5L Ecoboost. Cold climate issues like others have mentioned and lack of evidence that they actually do provide some sort of benefit steered me away from them.
 
I've been runing a catch can on my 2018 Silverado since the second oil change...40,000 miles later and I haven't experienced any negative things with it at all. It does what it's supposed to do - catch oil - and it catches quite a bit. I empty it every 1,000 miles...I'd say ver the course of a 5,000 mile oil change I "catch" probably a half a quart of oil...maybe more in the winter when the moisture seems to carry the oil through the PCV system easier? Maybe 3/4 a quart in the winter months.

I'll probably pull my intake off at around 60,000-70,000 miles, take a look around and do a manual cleaning of the valves. At that point I'll decide if it was worth havi one. If the valves look like garbage? I'll get rid of the can.
 
Originally Posted by Railrust
I've been runing a catch can on my 2018 Silverado since the second oil change...40,000 miles later and I haven't experienced any negative things with it at all. It does what it's supposed to do - catch oil - and it catches quite a bit. I empty it every 1,000 miles...I'd say ver the course of a 5,000 mile oil change I "catch" probably a half a quart of oil...maybe more in the winter when the moisture seems to carry the oil through the PCV system easier? Maybe 3/4 a quart in the winter months.

I'll probably pull my intake off at around 60,000-70,000 miles, take a look around and do a manual cleaning of the valves. At that point I'll decide if it was worth havi one. If the valves look like garbage? I'll get rid of the can.


That is a lot of oil!

Is it possible that your PCV valve has gone bad?

Does your oil level go down?
 
It is pretty clearly established that crankcase oil vapors cause a large % of the valve deposits and that a decent catch can catches a significant % of those vapors.

Whether you want to do a mod or not is one thing but it seems fairly clear to me that a catch can directly reduces the buildup rate, extending the carbon cleaning interval.

Why don't OEMs do it? That's a maintenance item the customer would have to monitor and empty. They figure it'll be fine till the warranty has ended so why spend more money on that.
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
It is pretty clearly established that crankcase oil vapors cause a large % of the valve deposits and that a decent catch can catches a significant % of those vapors.

Whether you want to do a mod or not is one thing but it seems fairly clear to me that a catch can directly reduces the buildup rate, extending the carbon cleaning interval.

Why don't OEMs do it? That's a maintenance item the customer would have to monitor and empty. They figure it'll be fine till the warranty has ended so why spend more money on that.


+! This
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Originally Posted by jbutch
Originally Posted by Railrust
I've been runing a catch can on my 2018 Silverado since the second oil change...40,000 miles later and I haven't experienced any negative things with it at all. It does what it's supposed to do - catch oil - and it catches quite a bit. I empty it every 1,000 miles...I'd say ver the course of a 5,000 mile oil change I "catch" probably a half a quart of oil...maybe more in the winter when the moisture seems to carry the oil through the PCV system easier? Maybe 3/4 a quart in the winter months.

I'll probably pull my intake off at around 60,000-70,000 miles, take a look around and do a manual cleaning of the valves. At that point I'll decide if it was worth havi one. If the valves look like garbage? I'll get rid of the can.


That is a lot of oil!

Is it possible that your PCV valve has gone bad?

Does your oil level go down?


Yes, my engine oil level drops between intervals, I generally use around 3/4's of a quart between changes. I've seen some of these trucks use a lot more.

As for the PCV going bad, it's pretty much been this way since new and it doesn't use a valve, it's a fixed orifice type thing, I believe.
 
Coworker has a catch can on his 2018 F-150 5.0. It works. He empties it about every 1k miles, out of boredom. It usually has 3 or 4 ounces in it. Oil not it the intake is a good thing. I have taken intake manifolds off lots of GDI Kia engines and dumped 12 ounces of oil down the front of my pants as soon as it clears the core support.
 
Originally Posted by ted s
i cant pass emissions with one installed

Paint it black and put a fake OEM style part number sticker on it. The one on the F-150 I mentioned even came with factory style quick connect hoses. It would look like it was supposed to be there if it wasn't machined aluminum.
 
Originally Posted by Railrust
Originally Posted by jbutch
Originally Posted by Railrust
I've been runing a catch can on my 2018 Silverado since the second oil change...40,000 miles later and I haven't experienced any negative things with it at all. It does what it's supposed to do - catch oil - and it catches quite a bit. I empty it every 1,000 miles...I'd say ver the course of a 5,000 mile oil change I "catch" probably a half a quart of oil...maybe more in the winter when the moisture seems to carry the oil through the PCV system easier? Maybe 3/4 a quart in the winter months.

I'll probably pull my intake off at around 60,000-70,000 miles, take a look around and do a manual cleaning of the valves. At that point I'll decide if it was worth havi one. If the valves look like garbage? I'll get rid of the can.


That is a lot of oil!

Is it possible that your PCV valve has gone bad?

Does your oil level go down?


Yes, my engine oil level drops between intervals, I generally use around 3/4's of a quart between changes. I've seen some of these trucks use a lot more.

As for the PCV going bad, it's pretty much been this way since new and it doesn't use a valve, it's a fixed orifice type thing, I believe.



Funny I have significantly higher mileage than your truck and have none of those issues and no catch can. If a can was worth anything manufacturers would have put it on there and saved tens of millions of dollars in new development costs and tens of millions more in warranty repairs. Funny how a few guys with a $5 plastic can in their driveway can stop intake valve carbon deposit and billion dollar manufacturers and billion dollar oil companies can't prevent with R&D budgets we could never dream of making in 5 lifetimes and hundreds of highly qualified and bright chemists and engineers. Yet Po dunk Billy and Bucktoothed Jim have the solution with a $5 can.
 
Originally Posted by ARB1977
I believe if their necessary the factory would install them.


They do but they are nothing like the cheap useless crap they pass off as a catch can. You don't get this for a few bucks from Amazon or fleabay.

[Linked Image]
 
If people would just stick to proper OCI's (ie: not overly frequently where theres excess exposure to virgin motor oil) and avoid situations in which lubricant fraud could easily be committed against them through substitution of improper oils, most of the valve deposit problems would not occur. In fact the OEMs have had a terrible time fighting the issues because they can't really replicate such in their own test engines that are properly maintained.

Ironically the valve problems seem to be more prevalent amongst the 'enthusiasts', especially those who think they're doing their car a favour by changing oil every 3-5k, or whatever.
 
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