Installing Catch Can on Ford Ecoboost

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint


I was toying around with the idea of installing one. I read all the pros and cons and decided against it. I don't have a DI engine, but in over 40 years of car ownership I never had problems with valve deposits, at least none that I was aware of.


Well, if there are cons, that would be different.

What are they?

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: demarpaint


I was toying around with the idea of installing one. I read all the pros and cons and decided against it. I don't have a DI engine, but in over 40 years of car ownership I never had problems with valve deposits, at least none that I was aware of.


Well, if there are cons, that would be different.

What are they?


Putting a new car warranty in jeopardy was one. Two was the possibility of it freezing up, although the jury is out on that. There are people in colder climates than mine claiming they don't freeze up so that could be a moot point.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: Ducked

No data to back up claims? THE HORROR!

Where have you been? No data to back up claims is pretty much the rule, and applies to much more basic issues like thin versus thick oil, synthetic versus mineral, etc, etc.

In the absence of data you have to ask yourself what's intuitively reasonable.

Is it intuitively reasonable that a catch can can catch? I think it is.

This is not to say that a VENDORS claims should be accepted uncritically, but the fact that someone is selling something doesn't prove its snake oil.

Its a pretty simple device, so not hard to understand or to make.

I don't particularly need one, since I've not got a turbo, but I did have some tar in my carb when I stripped it and I might eventually get around to rigging something.

Like someone above said, can't hurt, unless you've got data to back up a claim that it can.



I never doubted it didn't catch stuff. However his claims the can was the cure all for every "ailment" of the engine and cure the "defective PCV system" of the Ecoboost 3.5.

Would increase MPG (doubtful), would increase HP (doubtful), etc, etc.

Owning a speed shop, he had access to a dyno so the HP claims would be easy to show. Since he claimed he used it on is shop's EB 3.5 from day 1 getting pictures of those shiny valves would have been easy. Yet there were none....

The claims were so wild it was crazy. The best one was that without the can you'd have ever decreasing MPG and decreasing power. While I couldn't talk power I did share my 85k of MPG data that was darn near rock steady and didn't decline much over the time period.

If you want a can to catch stuff and think you are doing good then by all means have at it. But it won't cure things and certainly won't increase the longevity of a stock engine.

 

[Olas]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Venting to where ?


Not the inlet tract.

 

[Olas]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Olas
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
It's looking like you guys better do this. He shows you what the valves look like after 20,000 miles and they're filthy without the catch can.


LOL. Nope, no thanks, no snake oil for me. Cans do nothing for valve deposits. Ask the VW/Audi guys who found out they do nothing. I've got 105k on one EB 3.5 and 76k on the other, no cans, no performance problems.

We went round and round with this nonsense on one of the F150 boards years ago. The can vendor was unable so supply any data to back up their claims and even no pictures of his valves on his shop vehicle that "had a can on from day 1"..... Lots of wild accusations about how the EB's PCV system was "defective" but no hard data to back it up. No thanks - snake oil by any other name is still snake oil.


The VW/Audi guys know that can or no can makes no difference, it's the venting that's the key.


So there's no benefit at all?


To the first gen of DI VW, there's no difference at all.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: demarpaint


I was toying around with the idea of installing one. I read all the pros and cons and decided against it. I don't have a DI engine, but in over 40 years of car ownership I never had problems with valve deposits, at least none that I was aware of.


Well, if there are cons, that would be different.

What are they?






Putting a new car warranty in jeopardy was one. Two was the possibility of it freezing up, although the jury is out on that. There are people in colder climates than mine claiming they don't freeze up so that could be a moot point.


Ok, those both sound plausible, though of course neither would apply in my case.

I'd think you could address any freezing issue by building it with a sufficient "sump" so that any collected ice doesn't block the pathway, (raising/shortening the delivery tube, for example) and/or some removable insulation.

 

[wtd]

There are all kinds of un-substantiated claims on this forum about synthetic oil that supposedly make an engine run better and longer with no solid proof. I've never seen any data showing that using a synthetic oil will make your engine outlast one that runs on a conventional yet a large amount of people run it anyway. A catch can is like that as well. It's all a feel good measure.

Wayne

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Ok, those both sound plausible, though of course neither would apply in my case.

There is always another con: Is it worth the trouble/cost/effort? I think catch cans are a cool idea. I'm sure they accomplish "something." And, in some applications, I'm sure that "something" is more tangible than for others. But, one has to be able to answer for oneself if that "something" makes up for the cost or the effort.

If a particular engine family has no issues that can purportedly be addressed by catch cans, then it's a bit more of a shaky idea. But, if someone wants to install one to be cautious, or OCD, or just to have something to do, I won't grouse about it. If it actually does address [successfully] a problem, so much the better.

Like others, though, I don't like seeing a bunch of oddball claims by the sellers of these things. If I chose to put one on, it would be because of the belt and suspenders OCD side of things, not because some salesman is promising extra horsepower and a clean engine and my exhaust smelling like lilacs or some such thing.

 

[eddy21]

At best they keep the oil mist from deteriorating octane numbers .

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: wtd
There are all kinds of un-substantiated claims on this forum about synthetic oil that supposedly make an engine run better and longer with no solid proof. I've never seen any data showing that using a synthetic oil will make your engine outlast one that runs on a conventional yet a large amount of people run it anyway. A catch can is like that as well. It's all a feel good measure.

Wayne


Perfect. Since EVERY vehicle with a PCV has some oil in the intake. Every single one.

There are an awful lot of folks not using them...

 

[KB1]

Illegal in California also.