PCV catchcans

[buck91]

So I've seen a LOT of chatter about running a catchcan on the Ford ecoboost engines. Given that my wife recently picked up an Explorer with the ecoboost 3.5L I've been giving it a lot of thought. We got the vehicle with 70k miles and it drives just great. Great throttle response and WOT acceleration as well as MPG's in the normal range.

I anticipate keeping this vehicle at least another 50k but maybe more. Will purchasing a PCV catch can kit be worth the hassle? Will it provide any tangible benefits?

Also, there seems to be two classes of "decent" kits. The $100'ish kits as well as the multi-hundred dollar kits. Does anybody believe there is enough function difference to justify that cost? To me, I find it VERY doubtful but I've never owned/maintained a gas turbo direct injection mill before...

 

[Johnny2Bad]

It's probably a good idea with any motor to keep bypass oil out of the intake. But it's illegal to not have a closed system thus the aftermarket assemblies (in the past, they just either used a breather to the atmosphere, or before that innovation, let it drip on the ground). They may be prohibited as a modification to the pollution control system, so check that out if you need to get smog checked where you live.

I don't see any reason to spend excessively on the devices, except in so far as insuring you have a robust mount and it's properly plumbed. Since it can affect the crankcase ventilation system, you definitely want it plumbed correctly. Quality of hoses and fittings is always suspect in any "kit" so be sure they are up to snuff, or plan on buying your own. Aside from that choose the one that offers the best value and if it's important, appearance.

 

[RooflessVW]

If you're only planning on keeping it another 50k, don't worry about it. You're past the point of no return with regards to valve deposits. They're already there, and will get worse regardless of what you install. Also keep in mind that it will hurt your resale if the dealer or next owner pops the hood.

 

[SHOZ]

On my turbo motor I use two ebay cans. No need for $100 cans as all they do is cool down the gasses and they condense in the can. Unless thee is a lot of blowby on the turbo side it will be just about straight oil. On the PCV side is is water and blowby gasses.

Better to have them in a cooler part of the engine compartment and easy to drain. Mine are on the side of the radiator and exposed to ambient air.

 

[buck91]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
If you're only planning on keeping it another 50k, don't worry about it. You're past the point of no return with regards to valve deposits. They're already there, and will get worse regardless of what you install. Also keep in mind that it will hurt your resale if the dealer or next owner pops the hood.


Thats kinda what I'm thinking. I would estimate that another 50k is the minimum we will keep the vehicle, but I also don't necessarily PLAN to keep it into the 200k or greater mileage range (unless it just kinda keeps going) before trade in.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: buck91
So I've seen a LOT of chatter about running a catchcan on the Ford ecoboost engines. Given that my wife recently picked up an Explorer with the ecoboost 3.5L I've been giving it a lot of thought. We got the vehicle with 70k miles and it drives just great. Great throttle response and WOT acceleration as well as MPG's in the normal range.

I anticipate keeping this vehicle at least another 50k but maybe more. Will purchasing a PCV catch can kit be worth the hassle? Will it provide any tangible benefits?


No it won't provide any tangible benefits if you keep it stock. Maybe lighten your wallet but that's about it.

I own 2 EB3 3.5's, one in the car and one in the truck. The car has 104k and the truck is at 76k. No cans on each and they both run great. For the car I have MPG data since new and its rock steady. It runs great and if there are deposits they sure are not doing anything. On the truck I've got MPG data since 43k and it's pretty steady there too.

There was a heated debate years ago on one of the Ford Truck forums with a can vendor (the one who claimed the EB's PCV system is defective). When pressed for backup to his claims he had none. No dyno tests before/after the can, no long term pics of deposit free valves (but plenty of pics of bad valves), etc. Basically nothing to back up his claims.

Even the VW/Audi guys who have serious deposits report that the cans do not do much.

Save your $$.

 

[double vanos]

My '11 Ecoboost F150 has 97k miles on it and it runs fine ( and I'm at 5600+ ft elevation). Never had anything other than plugs, filters and oil. I'm too lazy and cheap to put on a catch can, much less empty it regularly.

 

[Indydriver]

I have this product on my 2014 LS3 and it works as advertised. OTOH, there's never been one on the used Tahoe 5.3 I purchased which requires intake cleaning. Good technical fo on this site.

http://www.rxperformanceproducts.com

 

[mlatour]

I installed a catch can on my 2014 Ford F150XL the following month after purchasing the truck (brand new)
basic 3.7 liter non-turbo V6 engine, 302HP/278TQ.

Truck only gets only driven a few times week, total of only 15000 miles / 24000 kilometers in 2 years.
Engine oil changed every 6 months no matter the mileage with Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 (specs are for 5W-20)

Cold engine always gently warmed up before putting a load / higher rpms
80% rural/highway / 20% urban city driving, not babied but not beaten on either.
Occasional hauling of building materials & towing a 1000-2000lbs trailer.

It's a very basic catch can which I've modified the internal baffling for better air/oil separation.
On average it accumulates about 1oz (30ml) of oil between oil changes,
otherwise the engine does not require any make up oil between intervals.

Yes it's an extra maintenance step but I'd rather be draining it than burning it.
At least it will not have contaminated the spark plugs or emission controls,
increasing their expected lifespan & effectiveness.

 

[TiredTrucker]

I use them on my vehicles. Especially on the 2006 Cadillac CTS 3.6L I have. The PCV was so poorly designed that a lot of oil gets caught up in the port and gets into the PCV hose and moves toward the intake. It is not uncommon for the Elite Engineering can I have on that engine to capture 1/2 qt of oil out of the PCV line in 1000 miles. And that is not aggressive driving.

On my Silverado 2500 6.0L, I have a Conceptual Polymer can setup that captures about 3-4 oz between oil changes, almost mirroring the slight decrease in oil level on the stick.

Might not be necessary, but I feel better with them on. And the broad scheme of what folks will spend on vehicles for nonsense that has no appreciable benefit, this is on the low end of the cost spectrum, and it might actually do some good.

 

[DoubleWasp]

I've been using catch cans for a while. So many OEM vehicles have oil separator tanks, that to me it was quite justified.

I make my own. The way I do it is to have the entry tube go half way down the can, stuff steel wool into the tube, and the exit is all the way at the top.

In the vehiclesame where I use a crankcase vacuum pump, I use the catch can to protect the pump, and pipe the pump outlet into the exhaust so it can be burnt up there, and does not stink to high almighty.

 

[wtd]

I run a catch can on my 2014 Mustang GT and my fiancee's 2007 Mustang GT. I've had mine on my car since it was new. It catches about 3/4 to 1 ounce every 1,000-1,500 miles.

A couple of things I noticed that might just be a coincidence is that my oil seems to stay clean the entire duration of my oil change and my exhaust tips stay almost perfectly clean compared to many other Mustangs I see.

The other thing is that not all catch cans are as efficient as others. A few years ago I did some comparison tests on my Mustang using a few different brands of cans and how much oil was seen at the outlet line was vastly different. With some cans, the outlet line was wet with oil to the point that there was a little pool of oil in the end of the hose. On other cans, there was just a very slight film of oil at the outlet hose.

For me, I like the idea that it might be helping the engine long term and I didn't mind spending the money for them.

Wayne

 

[TiredTrucker]

While the auto and pickup OEM's seem to have avoided such a thing, the commercial heavy trucks and heavy equipment OEM's started using CCV oil filtration systems on their engines when the EPA made them close the systems up and not vent. They knew right out of the gate the problem with oil and oil vapor getting into the intake. The automotive folks just like playing on the cheap and count on consumers just buying another vehicle. While some may poo poo the idea of a catch can, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Volvo, Mack, John Deere, etc don't seem to share that mindset. So the tired arguments that "if it was needed, the OEM would have supplied one" don't quite fly. The OEM's do know that they are benefit. They don't all share the same concern for their customers.

 

[SHOZ]

My first can I made was on the Taurus SHO V8. It was horizontal and in the front bumper area. It had a drain check valve that opened at 0" Hg vacuum. But when the engine was running it would close and then be a vacuum chamber too. I plugged the opposite side air intake for the valve covers. It would usually run around 8-9" Hg vacuum when the intake vacuum was around 14" or so.

Worked great and the can would self drain when the engine was shut off. There were some strange pumping sounds though as the air got sucked into the crankcase.