catch can.

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Originally Posted By: Langanobob
I wonder also if that oil vapor/tiny oil droplets getting into the intake tract might to some small extent be acting as an upper cylinder lubricant.


I've thought of this many times. I don't think the small amount of oil vapor does anything except cause inefficient combustion and isn't as clean and powerful vs if it was getting clean fresh air and clean top tier fuel and nothing else inside the combustion chamber.

I think if it wasn't for emission regulations, engine wouldn't have EGRs or any other nonsense being sent into the combustion chamber except the necessary components needed to make power only.
 
Originally Posted By: Artem
Originally Posted By: horse123
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Anyone who says a catch can does not do anything has never used one, or does not know that they have.

The amount of OEM applications of catch cans has multiplied over the past 10 years. The OEM is not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but the fact so many are jumping on board definitely says something.

In using catch cans, I have collected a fair amount of oil that would have otherwise coated my intake, or been burned in the engine.

It's not a life and death issue most of the time, but there is definitely room for improvement.


Or actually they use common sense and know that 99% of say 250k mile or 500k mile vehicles didn't have one and made out perfectly fine. Just because you see something happening doesn't mean it's doing anything that matters lol

Think about it like this. I can put a can that leeches some fuel from going to your engine and make the claim "it's collecting bad fuel that had contaminants!", but it's not actually doing anything. Same idea with catch cans.



Some engines suffer from blowby more then others. I bet the 99% of 250k+ engines you mentioned probably don't have issues with excessive blowby.

The same can't be said about other engines which suffer from it and need the internals steam cleaned after 100k due to carbon build up EVERYWHERE.


Funny you're acting like a snake oil catch can will prevent carbon. Even from people who love them and think they're magic, I've heard 0 evidence of it reducing their need to have their valves cleaned. In fact, some of them seem to need it more often than other people without snake oil catch cans with the same model.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
What happens to all that collected moisture and oil at -20C,-30c?


Depends on what it is. Sme freezes and some doesn't, from what I've seen in the past.
 
[/quote]

Funny you're acting like a snake oil catch can will prevent carbon. Even from people who love them and think they're magic, I've heard 0 evidence of it reducing their need to have their valves cleaned. In fact, some of them seem to need it more often than other people without snake oil catch cans with the same model. [/quote]

If the applications you mention have not seen less contamination/better cleanliness then there was a mistake either with design or installation. IVDs are caused by the mixing of oily PCV vapours and dry sooty egr flow - by eliminating both there is no possibile way for deposits to form - if the can is in the PCV circuit but egr is untouched deposits will occur, albeit at a lower rate. And similarly vice versa, you have to remove both sources of contaminats with the can(s) if you want it efficacy.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
What happens to all that collected moisture and oil at -20C,-30c?
It freezes......

Here's my self draining catch can in the winter.
 
Originally Posted By: hemitruck
sorry guys, forgot about auto correct, 2016 Ram 1500 5.7 hemi 2000 miles on it.


Have on on my Hemi WK2, amazing how much oil snot it captures, but be prepared to empty it often especially in winter, catches a lot of water vapor and oil vapor which freezes in a coffee mix.

I have the Billet technologies.
 
Originally Posted By: Langanobob
The catch cans I've seen have been on turbo Diesel pickup trucks. The factory vents the crankcase direcly into the turbo inlet, resulting in oil collecting in the duct at the turbo compressor inlet. With newer higher efficiency turbos the air gets hot enough to cook the oil, leaving a mess of carbon in the system.

The problem with all of the catch can systems I've seen is that they vent to atmosphere, which is not OK in many jurisdictions and Diesel crankcase fumes can at times compete with a CS grenade as a nose and lung irritant. I don't know if they are venting to atmosphere due to space limitations or if there is some other gas flow reason that makes the cans ore effective when vented to atmosphere. I would think that the compressor inlet would be a good place to return the "filtered" crankcase vapors to and I'm guessing that lack of space for the extra plumbing is why they don't.

Are you guys hooking up catch cans that remain part of a sealed system? That would be a very good solution.


On my Optima Turbo, I have mine as part of a sealed system. Basically, the OEM system with a very good OCC in-between the PCV valve and the intake manifold port. Under vacuum conditions, it keeps the oily fumes/water/gunk from getting into my intake track and prevents it from coating my intake valves (I'm DI). Under boost conditions, the check-valve in the PCV shuts it off. I do plan to modify this in the future to support a pathway through a OCC during boost conditions as well.

I'll end up draining out ~2-4oz per 3K miles (~2x more in the winter).
 
The EGR on the old carb engines helped in cold climates to vaporize the cold gas droplets. Especially on cold morning startups.
That said, it was an emission driven add on.
 
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I remote started my 2009 Suburban two years ago while standing about twenty feet from it. I was rewarded by a huge oil cloud that smoked out the whole parking lot. When I got it home, I removed the throttle body and inspected the inside of the intake. Coated with oil. My brother clued me in to an updated driver side valve cover which I bought and installed. I also got a Moroso PCV filter/catch can. Every time I change the oil I drain the can. I always get about 3 tablespoons of oil, coffee colored nasty mixture out of it.
No more smoke.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123

Or actually they use common sense and know that 99% of say 250k mile or 500k mile vehicles didn't have one and made out perfectly fine. Just because you see something happening doesn't mean it's doing anything that matters lol

Think about it like this. I can put a can that leeches some fuel from going to your engine and make the claim "it's collecting bad fuel that had contaminants!", but it's not actually doing anything. Same idea with catch cans.


You have a couple of issues confused:

1. It's not a survival issue. It's a performance issue. Oil vapors cause plenty of issues with engines due to carbon buildup from burning oil and desposits in the intake tract.

2. There is no debate or dispute over the effectiveness of catch cans, no matter what you say. Oil in the intake tract has been proven to cause problems by pretty much all of the major manufacturers, and catch cans prevent the entry of the oil into the intake tract.

You may as well deny the role of a fuel or air filter.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123


Funny you're acting like a snake oil catch can will prevent carbon. Even from people who love them and think they're magic, I've heard 0 evidence of it reducing their need to have their valves cleaned. In fact, some of them seem to need it more often than other people without snake oil catch cans with the same model.


That's likely because you have chosen to remain ignorant on the topic of catch cans.

When the CCV system on diesel engines went from being a draft tube to being fed into the turbocharger, a load of issues were created:

Poor turbocharger efficiency due to solidified oil deposits
Poor intercooler efficiency due to solidified oil deposits
Hard deposits in the intake tract beyond the EGR output due to oil vapor mixing with soot and hardening into a very rock-like substance
Near-total blockage on the intake tract due to these hard deposits
Component failure due to these hard deposits
Engine destruction due to these deposits cracking and falling into the intake tract

I, and many other diesel owners have not discovered any more oil in the intake tract after installing a proper, baffled catch can. It's out there if you want to see it.

An engine going for 500k miles but running poorly may be acceptable to you, but others are not going for it.
 
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