thank you very much for all of this great content and information in this video and all the others ! i have been following your channel for a long time and i learned a lot from you about the vireos systems in my car , the way they operate and the proper way to tune or upgrade them i will be installing the radium dual catch cans in my 06 forester xt build to any one else reading this flatirons tuning have a great on line store with all the products you could ever want for your car and a team of great guys that gave me good advise every time i needed help , the prices are good and they never once tried to up sell me stuff i did not need ,really nice people with good costumer service i live on the other side of the world and i still would prefer to support business that go throw all this trouble to shear knowledge and put out content and not just pushing merchandise and products. so much respect form Israel and keep up the good work !
Excellent content. The amount of myth, rumour and argument about these issues "out there" is incredible. Great to see some results of actual testing and some thoughtful commentary on the results.
Having a mostly forced induction engine background I was really impressed when I was at the machine shop and helping the owner setup an engine on the dyno and it was a large displacement hemi engine and I watched a few pulls and then the engine builder hooked up a vacuum pump that he had disconnected on initial start up and the difference in how that engine ran and the power it made with no other changes was mindblowing to me because I have never really worked with a vacuum pump on a engine (besides DI engines) and had never seen the immediate effects of it and I was just very impressed with it
This content is gold, mate thanks for sharing! I am also obsessed with crankcase pressure and I always refute when customers say they want the pcv delete caps. I also created a cap like yours time ago, but I used it for diagnosis only, I will try your boost gage idea now.
Just to add bit onto this great video. I recently took over a 16 years old Mercedes with a 1.8litre M271 supercharged engine. I read in internet that many car owners frequently overlook PCV system for these type of engines. This engine valve cover has a 15mm diameter rubber tube that goes to the air duct located after the MAF. From lower part of the engine there is another 15mm diameter black rubber tubing that goes into a funnel shape PCV, then thru a orifice, then another longer lack rubber tubing that route into downstream of air throttle valve body. During idling air intake manifold pressure is -7.3psi. On a typical trip the on the dash OBD2 display indicate boosting of supercharger is less than 20% of the journey. During supercharger boosting air intake manifold from -1psi towards +7.5psi the funnel shape PCV should be shut by it loaded spring and not allowing supercharged air pressure from going into engine crankcase. The problem is the PCV valve hidden beside the SC and not reachable. I banded a transparent tube, by about 2" into the hollow tube, for the engine oil dip stick, and the other end into a cup of water. It is neither sucking, even a few mm column of water, or bubbling out air while air intake manifold is at -7.3psi. 🤔🤔🤔. I disconnect the black tubing on top of valve cover and connect a short garden hose and insert to the other end into a pail of water and noted +ve bubbling thru 300mm of water or = +0.03barg. I had expected a negative pull. The engine does run smoothly and only require engine oil topping up of not more than 0.5 litre after 5000km. Next to do is to follow this video. I had readied a boost gauge of -1barg to +20 psi range. However I will try using the entry point of engine oil dip stick to get the crankcase pressure reading. If this fails I will buy an engine oil cap and follow this video. Thanks.
Thank you so much for sharing your information and findings. I can see how useful monitoring and using crankcase pressure would be now. Who would have thought! Well done guys...👍
Extremely useful information. I own a mazdaspeed3 with a full cobb stage 3 kit and since owning the kit I've noticed large clouds of blue coming out after revving up. I've already replaced the PCV valve and I didn't see the benefit to adding a catch can if the issue was excessive crankcase pressure. This video was a gold mine in nailing down the cobb SF intake as a huge issue for a stock turbo car that doesn't pull enough vacuum to stay negative at all times. Simply adding restriction by taping the cone filter so it had a similar surface area to the stock filter made a huge difference. Now where is my old stock intake...
Very interesting conversation, guys, hope that manufacturers like Renault, would watch this video and see why their downsized little engines like TCe are dropping like flies.
Awesome vid guys, good info. For Motorsport use a competition oil pan package from IAG/Killer Bee would help a lot with any oiling issues along with a well routed AOS.
Thanks for your comment and glad that the video was helpful! Yes, an oil pan like the Roger Clark Group-N pan, Killer-B Super-G or IAG oil pan can definitely help with oiling issues. If you haven't seen our videos on the Dry Sump oiling system that we are running on our race car, I'd recommend checking those out as well. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Absolutely! We are monitoring it through our standalone on the Pikes Peak car now. We should have some more interesting data here soon. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
This video is the first I've heard of any auto enthusiast know about and use the term enthalpy. Nice :-) Wrap the small up pipe, Water cool the large down pipe :-)
Thank you for this video Jon! I'm looking to modify a Radium AOS to vent blowby out the exhaust during idle/low loads, then out to the turbo inlet under boost. Both outlets have low drag check valves to prevent cross contamination. However I have to measure how much vacuum the exhaust can create, same for the turbo inlet, to make this work.
Thanks for watching, and hope that you find this information helpful. It sounds like an interesting set-up, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you want to bounce some ideas around. Thanks and Stay Tuned!
Lots of great information in this video. Huge thank you for sharing your knowledge, experiences and lessons learned. It also inspired me to get a second oil cap and tap into it for my upcoming rebuilt EJ25 in a 2010 WRX. I have an AEM boost gauge with 0-5V output hooked up to one of my deleted TGV ECU inputs. This way I will be able to log the crankcase pressure via my Cobb AccessPort 3 and display it with all the other ECU log info. In the video they show logs from the dyno and I think that off dyno it would be very handy to log rather than try to watch the gauge while pushing the car. I have an IAG AOS (Street version) and I want to monitor its performance. Before the AOS I had a long drive in extremely cold winter weather and the PCV system froze up and crank case pressure built to the point that the dip stick blew out and oil was blown into the engine bay. Lost almost 1.5 liters of oil. I got lucky and caught it before any oil pressure issues or before I blew any seals.
First, thanks for watching and I'm really glad to hear that the video was helpful! If you froze your PCV system, it must have been really cold out! I love your idea of being able to log the crankcase pressure. Being able to see what is happening on the dyno is certainly very helpful, but seeing what is going on in real world conditions, or on track for that matter, will be fantastic. Thanks again for watching and Stay Tuned!
Thanks guys for all the knowledge you are sharing with us. A lot a important stuff in that video. Harvey, after seeing this video, I'll add a crankcase vacuum/pressure sensor to catch this data on my dyno. Merci!
That is awesome! Glad that this video was helpful to you, and glad that you have a new data point to take a look at. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I'm currently running a Grimspeed AOS with a catch can after that before venting to the inlet before the turbo, and PCV deleted. I'm going to "T" into the the inlet hoses to the AOS and check the pressures under some pulls. Before this video I was complacent my set up was perfect. Maybe I'll ditch the AOS and ran duel catch cans.
Hey Jon, this video is really a masterpiece. Thanks a lot for the technical and empirical information. Can you pls tell how exactly you installed the vacuum fitting on the oil cap without causing any leaks? What is the size of the hose and fitting specs you used? Any additional tips on how to build this oil cap set? I'm willing to use it as a permanent install for logging/monitoring purposes. Tks!
Thanks for your question I found a brass fitting that was NPT on one side and 1/4" vacuum fitting. I just pre-drilled the hole for the fitting, and worked on it until I could get it threaded and started. That way the threads seal in the plastic. Hope that helps, and thanks for the comment. Very glad that the video was helpful. Stay Tuned!
Thanks for your question. I'll put some thought into that for sure. Off the top of my head, it might be a good start to break out all of the examples into their own videos, so people could watch the case that is closest to what they have or are seeing. My concern about a Cliff Notes version of this is that the understanding and impact if the results here would be lost in a condensed version. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Wonderful video, learned quite a bit. Gotta double check that my own dual-catch can setup is correct though, I based it on Radium instructions, however, being a JDM EJ255 the PCV system is slightly different than in the instructions. Well, quite a lot actually, it seems to be a mixture of EJ257 and 205 setup. One catch-can is collecting as it's supposed to, while another isn't doing all that much.
Thanks for watching and hopefully this information is helpful to you. Since you have a slightly different set-up, you may want to take a look at the video that we did that goes through the EJ257 PCV system in detail. Here is a link to it: th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
very informative.. You've hit on a couple possibilities of the issue I've been chasing. 210psi comp. test, 13% leak-down across all 4 cyls (VW 2.0T) 131k miles, semi-fresh head. CTS Catch can catches about 300ml oil in less that 150mi. Replaced catch can setup with new OEM style PCV, and it sucks oil from the valve cover into the turbo inlet, 1/2 qt per 75 mi.. I'm wondering if it isn't more of a restrictive (chinese) air filter on the CAI, rather than an issue with too much CC pressure...
That is an interesting one for sure. If possible, put a pressure gauge on your crankcase so you can see what it is doing. If your current filter is more restrictive, there should be more suction on the crankcase. If it is less restrictive, then there would be less. Best of luck and glad that the video was helpful. Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning I've ordered a (hopefully) less restrictive filter and will give that a go. I thought I have have had an old boost gauge in the garage, but I didn't. Guess I'll order one for 'testing'.. I'll keep you posted, if you'd like.
Thanks for your question. If you change the AOS configuration, yes, you will have to re-tune the car because you are effecting the amount of usable air going into the engine. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Definitely going to be using this to test on my 11 sti hatch. I have a basic pistons rods engine in my car that I am theorizing is very very loose. Until the car is about 2 qts low on oil I get very excessive smoke on decel with a radium dual catch can. Still has the factory pcv system. Hopefully can get some good data about the crankcase pressure and figure out how to vent it to keep it alive
Thanks for the comment and I hope that this helps. Did you connect the Radium Dual Catch Cans as they instruct? If memory serves that connects one can to the PCV valve, and the other can is for the valve covers and the rear engine port? Hope you can find a good solution! Stay Tuned!
Great video! Just replaced my clutch and rear main seal, since I noticed it was leaking. It seemed to be push out a bit so I immediately went to check all my AOS lines (Crawford). The crankcase hose was kinked... 🤦♂️ 06 STi 101k miles, stock block, 22.5 psi GTX3576R... time for a new engine anyways 😂
This was a great video. Ive been suspecting ringlands on my block for a long time insane oil consumption while under load but good leakdown and compression with a new turbo and vta pcv system. I might make a cap to check my crank pressure.
Thanks for watching, and hopefully this is some helpful information for you! Best of luck, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. Thanks, and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning I will definitely get in touch. I've been tuning my single cam wrx build on speeduino for awhile and will be swapping to a forged sti block soon so thatd be rad to pick your brains tuning wise
Sbc 400 turbo 10.7 compression I put a catch can on mine seemed to have a lot of blow by I put a balloon over my catch can filter and it started blowing up the balloon but then started smoking out the exhaust like a mofo Only running 4 psi still has great power I put the pcv on the one valve cover and have the other to the catch can Wondering if I need a vacuum pump Just seems odd Not really smoking,good power , Getting ready to do a leak down test ..
Very useful, thank you! Just wanted to diagnose strange issues with PCV on my car. I have GC8 with V2 STi engine and PCV system is basically stock layout but made with custom hoses and fittings. What I noticed was gasket under the port on LH valve cover (cyl 2-4) is covered in oil while hose connected to that port is clean... Other side is ok and seems to be working slightly better.. Since all gaskets and seals are new and his front port on intake has relatively low vacuum as you said, I wonder if slightly different hose length can cause imbalance between vacuum at the valve cover breather ports. Makes me want to hook pressure sensors and log it in different spots.. Track where the car gets used is clockwise with lots of long right turns with lateral acceleration just above 1g on semi slicks, so it might have more oil accumulating in LH head. Also, having car mafless with MAF deleted completely may be contributing to the problem of low vacuum because restriction in the intake is further decreased...
Thanks for watching, and hopefully this video will give you some good things to look at and check. It is possible on our engines for oil to pool up in one cylinder head, and in an extreme case, it can cause pressure to build up and trap oil there. This is one of the reasons that Subaru included the second breather on the valve covers that "T" into the crankcase to balance pressure. Though your system is a bit different, it may still be helpful to take a look at the video that we put together on the EJ257 PCV system: th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
So much good info 👍 I'll be relocating my AOS turbo inlet location now 😬 I have built my own AOS using parts and concept from the Mann-Hummel unit and has been doing well to keep oil out of the intake but how much better now with more suction 😎
Thanks for watching and thanks for the question. Not specifically that we have seen. Though generally moving to a larger cam would mean that you are making more power, and that could certainly change what is going on with the crankcase. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning nothing as yet it's still stock pcv setup. I might try get another stock oil cap and see what pressure it making, should I be looking for like an average, in idle and on full wot
@@bigredwrx4313 What you would be looking for is a peak number. Measuring WOT would be a good place to start. Ideally, you should be holding at zero psi, or slight vacuum. If you are moving that much oil through the PCV, I'd guess that you are getting into positive crankcase pressure, but the question is how much.
Very good video! Ive been back and forth on if i should go vent to atmosphere and this shows that its relatively flat. Only question is the vaccume enough of a factor to scavenge the crank to make closed loop worthit
@@SuperCreativeLemon It turns out they are pretty important. If you aren't able to scavenge the block, you have to make sure that you are able to dissipate any pressure that may build up. If you can't and you do start to pressurize the case in some circumstances, it can cause problems fairly quickly.
@@FlatironsTuning true, but in the testing video it seemed a good atmosphere vent seemed to vent the pressure right? If its just basically 0 than its fine? I believe that to be true but idk you guys did the tests lol. I wish i could see the charts from the crankcase pressure tests
I noticed in the example with the guy who has the filler cap AOS he was told to get the "race" version of the IAG AOS. You then show him pulling a vacuum when he finally installed the race AOS. Did you misspeak when you said you recommended the "race" version or did that version actually pull a vacuum somehow?
Thanks for your question. You are correct that he installed the street version of the AOS, and that is how he is able to see a bit of crankcase vacuum. There is not a way for the race series, or any atmospheric catch can or AOS to pull any crankcase vacuum. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Absolutely. When we go stand-alone, the top two things we want to log are crankcase pressure and cooling system pressure. Really good data points 🙂 Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Awesome info here!! I've heard of some people using external electric vacuum pumps for their pcv system, is this something I could do on a ej25? I've been looking at an IAG aos but was thinking a homemade dual catch can set up with external vacuum pump would work and I could do that for 1/2 the cost. I heard about this when reading some boosted LS forums.
Thanks for your question. That could certainly be done, but you would want some good controls in place. Too much vacuum can be as much of a problem as too much pressure. Because most of the time, and good solution can be found with either catch can/cans, or an Air Oil Separator, that would be my suggestion for a place to start. If you can't get one of those solutions to work, and specifically if you have a high power car or race car, then you would want to look into a dry-sump oiling system which uses scavenge/vacuum pumps to send the oil to an external tank. I hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!
The short answer to this is no. Even with a vent to atmosphere setup, positive pressure will mean that more oil is going to move to the can, and there can be more issues with draining the AOS. But we are working on looking that in more detail. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Very useful and great information !! my car cold drive have smoking on tailpipe , once warm up a bit then smoke was gone Maybe was my fault way to install a dual catch can
Thanks for watching. It is definitely a good idea to check how your connected the Catch Cans to see if the problem is coming from an issue with the plumbing, etc. I'd recommend taking a look at our video on AOS routing, and the PCV system: th-cam.com/video/6bPgslpWjak/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!
Killer B Motorsports was actually working on the catch can filling on a racetrack issue and developed a product to solve it. Apparently, the problem is related to the oil being pushed up against the outside valve cover during hard cornering, where it gets sucked up the breather. Killer B's product closes off the outside breather during hard cornering to prevent this issue. Apparently it is based off of a valve used for the same purpose in airplanes. They call it an Oil Control Valve and claim it's only necessary where cornering loads of 1.5+ g's are seen regularly (you guys must be having some fun out there!) A forum thread about it can be found here:forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2628337 The product is also now available through their website (www.killerbmotorsport.net/oiling-products/oil-control-valves.html).
Yes, we are familiar with that part. We still need to do some more testing, and while that is most likely an improvement when needed, it does look like there is more going on with purpose-built track cars that are making a log of grip and G's :-) Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Can you tell me why you have strong opinions about not Tee'ing together pcv lines? I'd like to understand better why that is something not to like. Thank you!
Thanks for your question. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the main one is "T'ing" the PCV lines is a quick path to trouble because it can quickly compromise the function of your PCV system. We actually tested this fairly effectively (by accident) when we started to look at Catch Cans here: th-cam.com/video/xjFYW1ICjIo/w-d-xo.html If you go through our discussion of the OEM PCV system here: th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html We talk about the function of the two PCV circuits. We discovered that the two circuits have different functions, and if you combine them, you end up compromising them both. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks for the reply. I've finished all the videos. The topic was not addressed of why T'ing isn't desirable. I'm still curious. Let me throw my situation your way- I don't have the answers, but I have some ideas that I've been implementing.. I've converted my 5 press fit tube pcv ports to male pipe thread. I plugged the 4 head ports and 1 block port. I have 1 AN12 line on the back port by the turbo with the built in baffle. That connects to my catch can. I have excessive crank case vacuum ( likely I will soon restrict my manifold diameter connection). System is working great. But on my new build I have smoke on start up like you said. I though it was a problem with my first time installing new valve stem seals... Or perhaps it's related to your case you mentioned with smoke on startup. But you said your reason for that was you didn't have crank case vacuum under boost because you forgot or misplaced the turbo inlet vacuum line to the CCV system. For me, the 1 connection line (haven't heard anyone run it) makes sense and I can't see how it wouldn't be ideal.. My thinking is (I'd love to have your thoughts) the oil return passages on the head are equivalent to the upper PCV hoses.. In fact they are larger. Pressure is pressure, and it's one large open body between the heads and the block. So if your vacuum suction flow is sufficient, any port will do. The largest central one with the built in baffle is the best if picking just one.. But hey, I may as well try adding 1 from each head to make 3 lines instead of 1 and see if my smoke on startup goes away.. I'm only looking into this again because I Just diagnosed my super annoying squealing noise is actually too much crank case vacuum at idle which is pulling in air through an oil seal! Probably a cam gear seal, but which place it's happening, I haven't found yet. I can make the noise by covering and uncovering the oil fill cap. It's like a wind instruments reed effect.. Everyone thought it was the turbo or a ton of other ideas.. Funny. Not claiming magical internet powers, but I am a mechanical engineer in hydraulics so I'm not a moron is what I'm adding here. Much relevant language. With my current set up, I can mash 24 psi all day with no smoke or issues. I agree 100% that I and other enthusiasts should add a second boost gauge to monitor the PCV system. Thanks for that idea!
Thank for the video guys, i love all these in-depth analysis videos on the inner working of engines. I have one question though as im having a problem with my car. Can you help? Before this video i didn't have much understanding of crank pressure. I'v vented all three breathers to a catch can that vents to atmosphere. The PCV has been removed and capped and so has the return to the turbo intake pipe. My pcv system is non-existent at this point and essentially all i have is three pipes off the engine. So no crank pressure at all! Now, i'm starting to regret doing this. My car feels just, flat. The turbo comes on but it feels a shadow of its former self. Should i put the whole pcv system back to standard? Or while im at it, is there something better then standard i could do instead? My car is a 2006 JDM wrx sti. Thanks fellas. Im now a subscriber :)
Thanks for your question. I would first ask if you tuned the car after you set your PCV system to atmospheric? If you did not, that is definitely the place to start. If you remove the PCV system from the intake, most likely you will run lean without a new tune to compensate. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Wow.... thank you so much.... We are hunting down excessive oil consumption starting recently on my sons 2006 WRX, all stock car, 137k miles. It runs excellent, all stock, used 3.5 quarts in less than 3k miles, average spirited street driving. 120 psi compression on cylinders, all pcv system is stock, but decided to replace the PCV valve just in case. There is a film of oil on the turbo inlet, slight hazing coming out the exhaust with revving the engine, but no turbo shaft play. Perhaps we should set up your pressure guage idea, but trying to make a decision on getting a good air oil separator, or rebuilding the engine.... I inderstand normal compression testing should be over 147 psi? Any suggestions come to mind?
Thanks for your question. Actually, no. There is typically more blow by with a turbo because of the higher cylinder pressures. You can use the suction from the turbo inlet to scavenge that pressure out of the crankcase. However, if that is not done properly and crankcase pressure increases, that will cause increased blow-by because that pressure is now pushing oil vapor, and in some cases liquid oil out of the crankcase. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
I watched this video when it was first released, and I don't remember if this was discussed and don't feel like sitting through another hour. Is there a crankcase pressure that is considered normal? If so, what's the range and conditions, i.e.: idle vs load?
Thanks for your informative videos on oil catch cans and AOS systems and their relation to Subarus PCV set up. I'm going to install a single catch can on my 2010 WRX. The car has 210,000 km( approx 125,000 miles). Previous owner installed a Cobb SF and complete exhaust but removed access port. The car runs very well. My question is should the catch can just be tapped in to the crank case PVC or some how include the valve covers as well. Currently oil consumption is very low. I'm wondering if blow-by might be replenishing the oil level to appear like it's not burning oil. That and a compression/leak down test revealed cyl # 1- 155psi and 5% leak. #2-150psi and 18% leak.#3- 140psi and 16% leak. And #4-160psi and 4% leak. Leak down on #2 and #3 attributed to rings. I'm wondering if a catch can might reveal higher oil use. Any thoughts on this very long question? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for your question. Before you install your catch can, take a look at our video going into detail about the PCV circuits. th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html The short answer is you don't want to "T" any of the PCV circuits together. So one catch can per circuit. I'd also recommend taking a look at the latest video in my catch-can vs. AOS series: th-cam.com/video/iJs1SSAOYiU/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Thanks for the quick reply. Adding three catch cans sounds to be the best solution. Since I don't track the car, would a single catch can attached to the crank case / PCV port be useful and not cause other issues?
If you installed one catch can, you would want it to be between the factory AOS and the turbo inlet. If you see any continued signs of oil coming from the valve covers, that would be the second location you would want to install a catch can. If your PCV system is working well, the valve covers should actually be letting clean air in, not letting crankcase gasses out.
Thanks for your question. It really is as simple as installing the gauge as normal, but then running it to the oil cap for your boost/vacuum. That is it! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Yep, I just did that after watching this - on a 02 wrx the hose from the BOV tee almost reaches the oil cap. very easy, can't log it, but at least you know what's going on if you pay attention. Thanks guys for the inspiration
Hello there, how about fitting a variable area rota flowmeter, as a simple tool onto oil cap, for use to verify rate gas blowby by pistons at idle rpm. Will need a conversion table as rota flowmeter is for water at 0 to 250litre min. 🤔🤔🤔 Thanks
As simple as the pcv system seems. It's really not. Especially Once you boost a car that was originally n/a. If you sit there and think about it there's alot of variables that can confuse u. I was waiting for a video like this... 👍
It is absolutely more complicated than it would seem on the surface. And we are still learning about how things work, that is for sure. Glad that the video helped, and Stay Tuned!
It does more than gum up the system; it reduces the effective octane rating of your fuel mixture, causing much more knock than would otherwise be the case.
I need to do this mod now to watch mine. Im an inspiring tuner and Harvey is actually who inspired me to get into the tuning world. Gotta love Colorado. Ive recently had an issue with my dipstick shooting out, and causing a big ol mess everywhere. I have a dual catchcan setup as of now. But i made the same mistake and ran them right behind my filter and not close to my turbos compressor. I was thinking of venting my cylinder heads to atmosphere, and keeping the crankcase through a catchcan back infront of the turbos compressor. Would this be an alright setup?? Car is a weekend car, when its driven, its normally in boost and barely cruising and barely idling. So im thinking VTA for cylinder heads, and catchcan to turbo inlet for the crankcase vent...should be sufficient yeah??
Thanks for the video and knowledge! 2011 Sti blouch 1.5, I’m struggling with an oil leak from my RH exhaust cam sensor! My mechanic is thinking excessive crankcase pressure is causing it. Cobb inlet, and PCV deleted. I routed the vacuum lines myself off the inlet, maybe I have something screwed up, but my tuner said it looked good before I dynoed it... would a catch can help reduce some of the pressure? Leak has been happening pretty much since the new block!
Hello Ahmad. Thanks for your question. If you think that there might be excessive crankcase pressure, I'd definitely recommend trying to take a look at how much pressure you might be running into. If you re-routed the vacuum lines for your PCV as well, I'd recommend going back through and double checking those as well. If it helps, we also put together a video that details what the stock routing is for the PCV system. Here is a link to that: www.flatironstuning.com/blog/video:-taking-a-look-at-the-subaru-ej25-turbo-pcv-system Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
what a wealth of info ! I have a 2016 WRX, you would recommend the IEG race AOS ? Car only has Nvidia R400 and MAPerformace stage 1 e85 tune or would I still need to monitor crankcase pressure ?
Thanks for watching! If our car is a street car, we'd definitely recommend the street series AOS. Keep in mind that if you are tuned for a closed PCV system, then you would want to follow the stock plumbing for the most part. If you would switch to an atmospheric AOS, you would need to re-tune the car, and for street applications, you really should not need to vent the AOS to atmosphere. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning absolutely =) thank you for your time in answering this question. I will make sure to get the street series and look at tuning options on the site =)
Thanks for the helpful video. I am experiencing similar symptoms in my car i would like to ask you about if you dont mind I have an IAG stage 2 tuff block with fp green turbo. Lately whenever i do a WOT pull, or am hard on the car my radium dual catch cans FILL with oil. And ive started getting an oil leak around the turbo area. Which i think is because of the excessive crank case pressure causing it not to be able to drain like you said. I am considering switching to the IAG competition AOS to vent the pressure to atmosphere as my car is making almost 500hp at 27psi. I am experiencing a misfire at idle, that clears up as soon as i drive off. and engine is slower to start running on cold start. After watching your video i am concerned it may be an internal engine issue not just an issue with the crank case. If you have the time i would appreciate your opinion. If it needs a shortblock.. i would rather do it now before it actually gets hurt worse. Car feels good on power and doesnt seem down at the moment. But these symptoms have me concerned
Thanks for your questions, and there is a lot to go through there. I'd first recommend opening up a chat with us on our site and we can go into detail about your issues. www.flatironstuning.com/ The first question I have is did you install the Radium dual catch can exactly as they specify in their instructions? And is the oil leaking from the bottom of the OEM PCV tree right in front and to the center of the block of the turbo? In regards to the starting issue, what cams are you running? Stock? Aftermarket? If you can open a chat with that information, we'll do our best to help any way we can. Thanks, and Stay Tuned!
Late to the party but saw this video because I believe my Evo X is suffering from this. I currently have a stock block with EFR7163 set up. Crankcase is routed back into inlet and PCV goes into a sealed catch can then recircs into the manifold. I checked my downpipe and turbo and both "appear" to be oil free on the exhaust side. On the compressor side there is a super light film on the bottom of the inlet. I have been getting this super light bluish haze coming out of my exhaust on the same two occasions. When driving and coming to a stop, once the RPMs drop to idle the haze comes out of my exhaust and even if the car is sitting still, if I tap the gas to around 3k and let it go down back to idle, the haze comes out. Smells like burnt oil. Thinking that I should try a VTA catch can for both ports and see if that helps. Car is making double the factory power as well.
@@mrfumetsu ended up doing the a vent atmosphere catch can, didn't work. car started to leak oil from the timing case, blue smoke got worse so ended up selling the car out right. The new owner actually tracked me down and told me that it was the turbo the entire time
So I have a built closed deck block ej205 as opposed to an ej257 or ej207 block with the additional port on the crankcase to equalize pressure between the bottom end and the heads. Could the lack of that port be detrimental to my engine at about 30 psi of boost and 500whp?
Thanks for your question. The balancing of pressure between the heads and crankcase mainly starts to be beneficial with high g-loads on track. If you are tracking your car on R-Compound tires, then it would be beneficial to see what is happening to your crankcase pressure, and I'd also recommend keep an eye on oil pressure. The worst case scenario is that oil would be trapped in a head in a corner, which could contribute to a loss of oil pressure. Keep an eye on crankcase pressure, and if you start to see any issues, that would be a cue to work on your PCV system to make sure that it is working as well as possible. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks for the advice! I love your content and how it focuses on the technical aspect of performance. You guys deserve more subscribers. Hmmmm... in regards to your reply, now I'm thinking I may order an accusump oil accumulator just to be on the safe side. I don't plan on running R compound tires, but maybe it's best to install one just in case oil pools in the heads due to pressure differences. Would my block lacking that 2nd breather port affect the accuracy when measuring crankcase pressure via the oil filler cap? Also, someone told me that the later ej205s with AVCS also had the 2nd crankcase vent. Have you seen any jdm ej205s with that second vent? I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions lol. I certainly appreciate all of your replies. 😊
both of my engines are creating extra crankcase pressure. one engine had 80k miles and the brand new one still has same issue. there has to be something else causing my issue other than blow
Sorry to hear that leo. Definitely take a good look at the plumbing of the PCV system, and the size of the venting, etc. Hope you are able to sort it out. Best of luck and Stay Tuned!
Great video to say the least, I just recently purchased a used procharged c4 corvette and I believe I’m having some sort of pcv system error under boost causing a white smoke to appear near the dipstick and coats the full length of the dipstick with oil under high boost I’m worried it could be piston rings aswell anyway to check for myself most surrounding mechanics won’t touch it because it’s procharged. Any response is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your question. If the car was not originally set-up for forced induction, it could certainly be causing an issue with the PCV system. I would first recommend reaching out to the Procharger kit manufacturer to see if it is a know or common issue. Beyond that, the next step would be to try to find a way to measure your crankcase pressure to get a window into what is going on. Unfortunately I am not familiar enough with the C4 Corvette to offer you any suggestions there. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
I have an 04 wrx with the ej205. It's just a street car but do you think this gauge would be beneficial for me to have? I dont race on track just do pulls from time to time on the street and some back road driving. Still utilizing the stock pcv system but eventually would like the iag aos.
Thanks for your question. I would say that Crankcase pressure wouldn't be a bad thing to watch, though when everything is working properly, there is not much to see :-) But on an older car, and especially if you have plans to build it, take it to the track, etc., it wouldn't be a bad thing to watch. Even if it is just from time to time. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I wish i had watched this when I built my new IAG 900 .... I think I have bad seals now because I Td the rear valve cover ports to the middle crankcase port and now I have a smoking car...........
Glad that you found the video helpful. From what you are describing, you may have just replicated the factory balance ports. We have a video where we look at the PCV system, and that may be helpful for you as well: th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html definitely take a look at that, and if at all possible, make sure that you are keeping the factory PCV circuits in tact. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks that was a great help also... unfortunately I eliminated the PCV valve and put the AOS there... so i don't have the suction needed, I connected an IAG AOS to the front valve cover ports along with the PCV port on the block, the AOS vents to atmosphere. So I need to check my crankcase pressure with your method and do a leak down.... :(
Thanks for your question. That is not something that we have seen. The exhaust is largely separate from the crankcase so I would say it is unlikely, but I suppose in the right conditions it could be possible. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning it didn't seem possible to me, but I have an ej255 with a vf52 that had dramatic blow by with a catted downpipe. After swapping to a catless for unrelated reasons it reduced. My theory is the exhaust was back feeding to some degree through the internal wastegate port. Could be a total coincidence.
@@carlb86 I would say that is unlikely. However, we have seen some turbo failures where the center section of the turbo starts leaking pressure through the oil return line into the block. If your car or turbo are higher mileage, you may want to take a look at the turbo itself.
This was great information! Really changed my whole perspective on the PCV system! Thanks! One quick question: Who is the tuner, and what shop does he work at?
Thanks for your question Derek. This is Harvey from The Boostcreep in Longmont, Co. He is the tuner that we work with, and he has been tuning our cars for a long time now. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Thanks for your question. I'd say that the main issue with that set-up is you are starting off with an AOS that has some inherent issues. As you see in the video, that AOS will start off by creating some positive crankcase pressure, and that is not ideal. If you track the car, I would not be surprised if you saw a bit or even a fair amount of oil that was making it past the AOS and into the catch can. I would recommend looking at either a well designed dual catch can set-up, or a better designed AOS (maybe like the IAG Street series AOS) to replace what you are currently running. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Just got my 2021 STi and my main goal is to reach 200k mileage. Im only doin minimum mods such as catback exhaust and cobb intake and a tune. Do i need AOS?? Or how about if i just do a simple catback exhaust ……
Thanks for your question. If your car has a new and healthy engine, most likely you don't need anything. Keep an eye on your oil consumption and if/how much oil is going through the PCV system. Make sure you use good fluids (Motul 8100 or Redline) and stay up on maintenance. If you want to minimize the chances that any oil vapor is making its way to the intake, look at going with a good dual catch can setup. Plumbing is going to be important there, but that is a good way to go. You just have to make sure that you are keeping on the levels in the cans. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
OK, 2017 WRX Base, Twin Boomba racing catch cans. Stock air box with AEM dry filter. Gab adjustable repercussions valve, Perrin charge pipe, MAP top mount inter cooler. Stock tune. Have you guys tested anything similar? Am I increasing or decreasing crank case pressure? Been running this setup for about 20,000 miles. What danger have I placed my FA20 in?????? PS. I am asking the producers of this video this question, not all the tanagers that think they have all the answers. Or the amateur “Experts” out there.........
Thanks for your question Scott. If you are running 2 catch cans, so that each is connected to a single vacuum source, that is definitely the ideal way to set those up. As long as the fittings are the same size as factory, you should not be creating much additional restriction compared to the factory set-up. I'd say that if you are not seeing much oil collection, you should be fine. I hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!
FlatironsTuning do not much oil/water in the PCV side, I get most of on the EGR side and even then, less than two OZ. Thank you for taking the time to reply!
What hp were you shooting for with that last car with 15° around redline and 20lbs. I'm running 12° at peak torque and 16° at redline for only about 12psi and 260whp. I've been thinking I needed to add a few degrees of timing for sure
Self prediction before hearing what happens with larger intake. The increase in intake size increases air volume at the cost of less vacuum pressure. (My comment can be ignored because it likely sounds dumb anyway)
@@williamhall2386 there are manual pumps that run off drive belts but not many engines are supported. There are also electric vacuum pumps that can be tuned to rpm but people don't like those because.. electrical.
Thanks for watching! If you have time, I'd recommend going through the video we did detailing the PCV system specifically. th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Can anyone sum this up so I don't have to watch an hour of anecdotal discussion? I have a '23 Subaru Outback with turbo... should I run a AOS or Oil separator? Also is there a blowoff valve needed for the 2.4 turbo? TIA.
Hi everyone say I should get aos. But do I? I have bought a oil cap aos but not installed. If I monitor crank pressure will I be ok to use it. Or should I just satay stock.....how I get it here is that was the only problem with it
Thanks for your question. We actually just made a video talking about exactly this: th-cam.com/video/OjoA2qXujMA/w-d-xo.html Take a look at that and let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
The iag race version was mentioned what's the opinion of the street version - DD that goes to the track, currently have a grimspeed oil cap aos I just had the same issue on startup between track sessions
Thanks for your question. In taking a look back at the data from that case, the car must have been running the Street AOS, not the competition because it was getting into vacuum in the upper RPM range. That can only happen with the steet series because the Comp series will never pull any vacuum. If your car is a street car primarily, I'd definitely recommend the street series AOS. We do keep them in stock, and we would love to be able to earn your business if you want to make a switch. Thanks for watching, and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning thanks for info would love a short video with some more info on your oil smoke between sessions on startup or if there a way to contact you directly about it that would be great
@@JustinKraft That is in the works, but you can absolutely reach out to us through the chat feature on Flatironstuning.com. If you are running the Grimmspeed AOS there is a high likelihood that the smoke on startup is being created by excess pressure in your crankcase on track. Correcting the issue with something like the IAG AOS as we talk about in the video will most likely solve the issue. But if you have any other questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out. Thanks!
thank you very much for all of this great content and information in this video and all the others !
i have been following your channel for a long time and i learned a lot from you about the vireos systems in my car , the way they operate and the proper way to tune or upgrade them
i will be installing the radium dual catch cans in my 06 forester xt build
to any one else reading this flatirons tuning have a great on line store with all the products you could ever want for your car and a team of great guys that gave me good advise every time i needed help , the prices are good and they never once tried to up sell me stuff i did not need ,really nice people with good costumer service
i live on the other side of the world and i still would prefer to support business that go throw all this trouble to shear knowledge and put out content and not just pushing merchandise and products.
so much respect form Israel and keep up the good work !
Thank you very much Haim! I am glad that our videos have been helpful, and we really appreciate your business!
Thanks and Stay Tuned!
Excellent content. The amount of myth, rumour and argument about these issues "out there" is incredible. Great to see some results of actual testing and some thoughtful commentary on the results.
Thanks very much for watching and Stay Tuned!
this information and the amount of detail going into explaining all these different types of vent systems is pure gold.
cant thank you enough!
Thanks for that comment. Very much appreciated.
Glad that the video was helpful, and Stay Tuned!
The world needs more videos and gathered info like this, keep it coming! Quality! Thanks!
Thanks very much! We will do our best to keep our content coming.
Stay Tuned!
Having a mostly forced induction engine background I was really impressed when I was at the machine shop and helping the owner setup an engine on the dyno and it was a large displacement hemi engine and I watched a few pulls and then the engine builder hooked up a vacuum pump that he had disconnected on initial start up and the difference in how that engine ran and the power it made with no other changes was mindblowing to me because I have never really worked with a vacuum pump on a engine (besides DI engines) and had never seen the immediate effects of it and I was just very impressed with it
This content is gold, mate thanks for sharing! I am also obsessed with crankcase pressure and I always refute when customers say they want the pcv delete caps. I also created a cap like yours time ago, but I used it for diagnosis only, I will try your boost gage idea now.
Thanks for the comment, and very glad that the video was helpful!
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Very informative guys. Thanks for taking the time to make this video and keep up the good work.
Thanks Keith! Stay Tuned!
Just to add bit onto this great video. I recently took over a 16 years old Mercedes with a 1.8litre M271 supercharged engine. I read in internet that many car owners frequently overlook PCV system for these type of engines.
This engine valve cover has a 15mm diameter rubber tube that goes to the air duct located after the MAF. From lower part of the engine there is another 15mm diameter black rubber tubing that goes into a funnel shape PCV, then thru a orifice, then another longer lack rubber tubing that route into downstream of air throttle valve body. During idling air intake manifold pressure is -7.3psi. On a typical trip the on the dash OBD2 display indicate boosting of supercharger is less than 20% of the journey.
During supercharger boosting air intake manifold from -1psi towards +7.5psi the funnel shape PCV should be shut by it loaded spring and not allowing supercharged air pressure from going into engine crankcase.
The problem is the PCV valve hidden beside the SC and not reachable. I banded a transparent tube, by about 2" into the hollow tube, for the engine oil dip stick, and the other end into a cup of water. It is neither sucking, even a few mm column of water, or bubbling out air while air intake manifold is at -7.3psi. 🤔🤔🤔. I disconnect the black tubing on top of valve cover and connect a short garden hose and insert to the other end into a pail of water and noted +ve bubbling thru 300mm of water or = +0.03barg. I had expected a negative pull.
The engine does run smoothly and only require engine oil topping up of not more than 0.5 litre after 5000km.
Next to do is to follow this video. I had readied a boost gauge of -1barg to +20 psi range. However I will try using the entry point of engine oil dip stick to get the crankcase pressure reading. If this fails I will buy an engine oil cap and follow this video. Thanks.
Thank you so much for sharing your information and findings. I can see how useful monitoring and using crankcase pressure would be now. Who would have thought! Well done guys...👍
Thanks very much, and thanks for watching! Stay Tuned!
Extremely useful information.
I own a mazdaspeed3 with a full cobb stage 3 kit and since owning the kit I've noticed large clouds of blue coming out after revving up. I've already replaced the PCV valve and I didn't see the benefit to adding a catch can if the issue was excessive crankcase pressure. This video was a gold mine in nailing down the cobb SF intake as a huge issue for a stock turbo car that doesn't pull enough vacuum to stay negative at all times. Simply adding restriction by taping the cone filter so it had a similar surface area to the stock filter made a huge difference. Now where is my old stock intake...
Thanks very much and glad that this video was helpful.
Stay Tuned!
You guys are saving all of us from the misinfo! Thanks so much
Absolutely! We are doing our best.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning absolutely, these things aren't gonna fix themselves lol
Very interesting conversation, guys, hope that manufacturers like Renault, would watch this video and see why their downsized little engines like TCe are dropping like flies.
Great info! Love being able to see real data and not just internet theories. Thank you!
Absolutely! Very glad that this was helpful for you.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Flatirons, thank you for bringing crucial, and original content of value to us!
You are most welcome! Thanks for watching Spencer, and thanks for your comment!
Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning you are most welcome!
Awesome vid guys, good info.
For Motorsport use a competition oil pan package from IAG/Killer Bee would help a lot with any oiling issues along with a well routed AOS.
Thanks for your comment and glad that the video was helpful!
Yes, an oil pan like the Roger Clark Group-N pan, Killer-B Super-G or IAG oil pan can definitely help with oiling issues.
If you haven't seen our videos on the Dry Sump oiling system that we are running on our race car, I'd recommend checking those out as well.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
After watching this i definitely want to monitor crank case pressure on my race motor. Thanks again for the great content !
Absolutely! We are monitoring it through our standalone on the Pikes Peak car now. We should have some more interesting data here soon.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
This video is the first I've heard of any auto enthusiast know about and use the term enthalpy. Nice :-) Wrap the small up pipe, Water cool the large down pipe :-)
I have a 18 wrx and just ordered my catch can. Seeing the data helps a lot on what's going on. Thanks for all the good info guys.
Thanks for the comment and Stay Tuned!
Thank you for this video Jon! I'm looking to modify a Radium AOS to vent blowby out the exhaust during idle/low loads, then out to the turbo inlet under boost. Both outlets have low drag check valves to prevent cross contamination. However I have to measure how much vacuum the exhaust can create, same for the turbo inlet, to make this work.
Thanks for watching, and hope that you find this information helpful. It sounds like an interesting set-up, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you want to bounce some ideas around.
Thanks and Stay Tuned!
Lots of great information in this video. Huge thank you for sharing your knowledge, experiences and lessons learned. It also inspired me to get a second oil cap and tap into it for my upcoming rebuilt EJ25 in a 2010 WRX. I have an AEM boost gauge with 0-5V output hooked up to one of my deleted TGV ECU inputs. This way I will be able to log the crankcase pressure via my Cobb AccessPort 3 and display it with all the other ECU log info. In the video they show logs from the dyno and I think that off dyno it would be very handy to log rather than try to watch the gauge while pushing the car.
I have an IAG AOS (Street version) and I want to monitor its performance. Before the AOS I had a long drive in extremely cold winter weather and the PCV system froze up and crank case pressure built to the point that the dip stick blew out and oil was blown into the engine bay. Lost almost 1.5 liters of oil. I got lucky and caught it before any oil pressure issues or before I blew any seals.
First, thanks for watching and I'm really glad to hear that the video was helpful!
If you froze your PCV system, it must have been really cold out!
I love your idea of being able to log the crankcase pressure. Being able to see what is happening on the dyno is certainly very helpful, but seeing what is going on in real world conditions, or on track for that matter, will be fantastic.
Thanks again for watching and Stay Tuned!
Thanks guys for all the knowledge you are sharing with us. A lot a important stuff in that video. Harvey, after seeing this video, I'll add a crankcase vacuum/pressure sensor to catch this data on my dyno. Merci!
That is awesome! Glad that this video was helpful to you, and glad that you have a new data point to take a look at.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
You guys are fantastic. Almost an hour long but I watched all of it. Worth nearly every minute. ;-)
Very glad it was helpful. Stay Tuned!
Love all your rabbit hole conversations! So, informative.
Thank you.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Wow - so happy to see a video on this
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I'm currently running a Grimspeed AOS with a catch can after that before venting to the inlet before the turbo, and PCV deleted.
I'm going to "T" into the the inlet hoses to the AOS and check the pressures under some pulls. Before this video I was complacent my set up was perfect. Maybe I'll ditch the AOS and ran duel catch cans.
Thanks for the comment. Definitely take a look at what your crankcase is doing, and go from there.
Glad that this was helpful for you and Stay Tuned!
Hey Jon, this video is really a masterpiece. Thanks a lot for the technical and empirical information. Can you pls tell how exactly you installed the vacuum fitting on the oil cap without causing any leaks? What is the size of the hose and fitting specs you used? Any additional tips on how to build this oil cap set? I'm willing to use it as a permanent install for logging/monitoring purposes. Tks!
Thanks for your question I found a brass fitting that was NPT on one side and 1/4" vacuum fitting. I just pre-drilled the hole for the fitting, and worked on it until I could get it threaded and started. That way the threads seal in the plastic.
Hope that helps, and thanks for the comment. Very glad that the video was helpful.
Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning I will try that. Thanks for the answer, really helped!
For those with limited time could we put a TL,DR; for what we should and shouldn't do in the comments or description?
Thanks for your question. I'll put some thought into that for sure. Off the top of my head, it might be a good start to break out all of the examples into their own videos, so people could watch the case that is closest to what they have or are seeing.
My concern about a Cliff Notes version of this is that the understanding and impact if the results here would be lost in a condensed version.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Forgot to add..... very informative video with common language, for everyone to understand..
Thanks for the comment, it is much appreciated!
Invaluable videos for Subaru enthusiasts.
Thanks very much, and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning I recently ordered an RCM oil pan from you guys for my sti. I watched all the oiling videos you have. Thx
@@pabauza That is awesome! Glad that you found the videos helpful.
I'll definitely be going to Harvey to get tuned from now on. I think I'll be going with haltech standalone for this reason
i will be seeing you soon Creep! building an RA block for my 06 wrx
So what’s the summary and verdict from this video?
LOL Why the hell did the guy cap the PCV system. Fantastic content as usual!
Could be venting from the sump. Depends on setup
It was a mistake based on a misunderstanding of how the PCV system worked.
It happens, and it did give us some really useful data!
muddin yall
It's not unheard of for someone to think "that's all just anti-pollution stuff that you don't really need. I'll remove it."
@@yowie0889 very true, people sometimes undervalue the engineering that goes into even the 'simple' systems
Wonderful video, learned quite a bit. Gotta double check that my own dual-catch can setup is correct though, I based it on Radium instructions, however, being a JDM EJ255 the PCV system is slightly different than in the instructions. Well, quite a lot actually, it seems to be a mixture of EJ257 and 205 setup. One catch-can is collecting as it's supposed to, while another isn't doing all that much.
Thanks for watching and hopefully this information is helpful to you. Since you have a slightly different set-up, you may want to take a look at the video that we did that goes through the EJ257 PCV system in detail. Here is a link to it:
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
very informative.. You've hit on a couple possibilities of the issue I've been chasing. 210psi comp. test, 13% leak-down across all 4 cyls (VW 2.0T) 131k miles, semi-fresh head. CTS Catch can catches about 300ml oil in less that 150mi. Replaced catch can setup with new OEM style PCV, and it sucks oil from the valve cover into the turbo inlet, 1/2 qt per 75 mi.. I'm wondering if it isn't more of a restrictive (chinese) air filter on the CAI, rather than an issue with too much CC pressure...
That is an interesting one for sure. If possible, put a pressure gauge on your crankcase so you can see what it is doing. If your current filter is more restrictive, there should be more suction on the crankcase. If it is less restrictive, then there would be less.
Best of luck and glad that the video was helpful.
Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning I've ordered a (hopefully) less restrictive filter and will give that a go. I thought I have have had an old boost gauge in the garage, but I didn't. Guess I'll order one for 'testing'.. I'll keep you posted, if you'd like.
Thanks for a great video. I have a question will I need a retune if I switch from atmospheric back to recirculating.
With my AOS, I hate the fumes
Thanks for your question. If you change the AOS configuration, yes, you will have to re-tune the car because you are effecting the amount of usable air going into the engine.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Definitely going to be using this to test on my 11 sti hatch. I have a basic pistons rods engine in my car that I am theorizing is very very loose. Until the car is about 2 qts low on oil I get very excessive smoke on decel with a radium dual catch can. Still has the factory pcv system. Hopefully can get some good data about the crankcase pressure and figure out how to vent it to keep it alive
Thanks for the comment and I hope that this helps. Did you connect the Radium Dual Catch Cans as they instruct? If memory serves that connects one can to the PCV valve, and the other can is for the valve covers and the rear engine port?
Hope you can find a good solution!
Stay Tuned!
One of the best subie channel🏁👍🏁
Thanks very much and Stay Tuned!
Priceless education, thank you gentlemen
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Great video!
Just replaced my clutch and rear main seal, since I noticed it was leaking. It seemed to be push out a bit so I immediately went to check all my AOS lines (Crawford). The crankcase hose was kinked... 🤦♂️ 06 STi 101k miles, stock block, 22.5 psi GTX3576R... time for a new engine anyways 😂
Thanks for watching, and hopefully it doesn't come to that.
Best of luck and Stay Tuned!
You guys should design an oil cap for a gauge, would buy.
This was a great video. Ive been suspecting ringlands on my block for a long time insane oil consumption while under load but good leakdown and compression with a new turbo and vta pcv system. I might make a cap to check my crank pressure.
Thanks for watching, and hopefully this is some helpful information for you!
Best of luck, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.
Thanks, and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning I will definitely get in touch. I've been tuning my single cam wrx build on speeduino for awhile and will be swapping to a forged sti block soon so thatd be rad to pick your brains tuning wise
Sbc 400 turbo 10.7 compression I put a catch can on mine seemed to have a lot of blow by I put a balloon over my catch can filter and it started blowing up the balloon but then started smoking out the exhaust like a mofo
Only running 4 psi still has great power
I put the pcv on the one valve cover and have the other to the catch can
Wondering if I need a vacuum pump
Just seems odd
Not really smoking,good power ,
Getting ready to do a leak down test ..
Very useful, thank you! Just wanted to diagnose strange issues with PCV on my car. I have GC8 with V2 STi engine and PCV system is basically stock layout but made with custom hoses and fittings. What I noticed was gasket under the port on LH valve cover (cyl 2-4) is covered in oil while hose connected to that port is clean... Other side is ok and seems to be working slightly better.. Since all gaskets and seals are new and his front port on intake has relatively low vacuum as you said, I wonder if slightly different hose length can cause imbalance between vacuum at the valve cover breather ports. Makes me want to hook pressure sensors and log it in different spots..
Track where the car gets used is clockwise with lots of long right turns with lateral acceleration just above 1g on semi slicks, so it might have more oil accumulating in LH head.
Also, having car mafless with MAF deleted completely may be contributing to the problem of low vacuum because restriction in the intake is further decreased...
Thanks for watching, and hopefully this video will give you some good things to look at and check. It is possible on our engines for oil to pool up in one cylinder head, and in an extreme case, it can cause pressure to build up and trap oil there.
This is one of the reasons that Subaru included the second breather on the valve covers that "T" into the crankcase to balance pressure. Though your system is a bit different, it may still be helpful to take a look at the video that we put together on the EJ257 PCV system:
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
So much good info 👍 I'll be relocating my AOS turbo inlet location now 😬 I have built my own AOS using parts and concept from the Mann-Hummel unit and has been doing well to keep oil out of the intake but how much better now with more suction 😎
Glad that you found the video and that it was helpful.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Great video with tons of helpful info! Taking me to school. I am totally nerding out on your PCV nerdy info. *LIKE*
You bet! Glad that this video was helpful for you.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
When you start introducing larger cams does this create crankcase issues
Thanks for watching and thanks for the question. Not specifically that we have seen. Though generally moving to a larger cam would mean that you are making more power, and that could certainly change what is going on with the crankcase.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning thanks I'm getting a noticeable amount of oil in the intake runners I'm running 272 cams and still stock recirc
@@bigredwrx4313 Do you have an AOS or anything installed to catch oil in the PCV? Have you looked at what pressure your crankcase is seeing?
@@FlatironsTuning nothing as yet it's still stock pcv setup. I might try get another stock oil cap and see what pressure it making, should I be looking for like an average, in idle and on full wot
@@bigredwrx4313 What you would be looking for is a peak number. Measuring WOT would be a good place to start. Ideally, you should be holding at zero psi, or slight vacuum. If you are moving that much oil through the PCV, I'd guess that you are getting into positive crankcase pressure, but the question is how much.
Guess I have to build me an oil cap and hook crankcase pressure to my AIM MXP logging data and see how it does.
That is awesome. Glad that you found some good information here, and hope it helps.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Very good video! Ive been back and forth on if i should go vent to atmosphere and this shows that its relatively flat. Only question is the vaccume enough of a factor to scavenge the crank to make closed loop worthit
There are definitely benefits in having a bit of vacuum in the crankcase.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning thanks, I'm curious how important those benefits are vs being able to reduce clutter with a vta
@@SuperCreativeLemon It turns out they are pretty important. If you aren't able to scavenge the block, you have to make sure that you are able to dissipate any pressure that may build up. If you can't and you do start to pressurize the case in some circumstances, it can cause problems fairly quickly.
@@FlatironsTuning true, but in the testing video it seemed a good atmosphere vent seemed to vent the pressure right? If its just basically 0 than its fine? I believe that to be true but idk you guys did the tests lol. I wish i could see the charts from the crankcase pressure tests
Love the channel and information provided! Awesome, I have an aos Crawford for the fmic and hopping that’s a good setup too 🤙🏽
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I noticed in the example with the guy who has the filler cap AOS he was told to get the "race" version of the IAG AOS. You then show him pulling a vacuum when he finally installed the race AOS. Did you misspeak when you said you recommended the "race" version or did that version actually pull a vacuum somehow?
Thanks for your question. You are correct that he installed the street version of the AOS, and that is how he is able to see a bit of crankcase vacuum.
There is not a way for the race series, or any atmospheric catch can or AOS to pull any crankcase vacuum.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I will be logging this parameter when I install my Motec. Peace of mind in data.
Absolutely. When we go stand-alone, the top two things we want to log are crankcase pressure and cooling system pressure.
Really good data points 🙂
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Awesome info here!! I've heard of some people using external electric vacuum pumps for their pcv system, is this something I could do on a ej25? I've been looking at an IAG aos but was thinking a homemade dual catch can set up with external vacuum pump would work and I could do that for 1/2 the cost. I heard about this when reading some boosted LS forums.
Thanks for your question. That could certainly be done, but you would want some good controls in place. Too much vacuum can be as much of a problem as too much pressure.
Because most of the time, and good solution can be found with either catch can/cans, or an Air Oil Separator, that would be my suggestion for a place to start.
If you can't get one of those solutions to work, and specifically if you have a high power car or race car, then you would want to look into a dry-sump oiling system which uses scavenge/vacuum pumps to send the oil to an external tank.
I hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!
I've got the blind spot assistance on my 22 WRX. And rear collision alert. They can keep the rest of that crap. My wrx beeps and dings, chimes enough.
the question we now need answering though is..... is slight positive pressure when venting to air ok? or is there some need for the vacuum?
The short answer to this is no. Even with a vent to atmosphere setup, positive pressure will mean that more oil is going to move to the can, and there can be more issues with draining the AOS.
But we are working on looking that in more detail.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Awesome bro, really looking forward to see what you find on this
Very useful and great information !!
my car cold drive have smoking on tailpipe , once warm up a bit then smoke was gone
Maybe was my fault way to install a dual catch can
Thanks for watching. It is definitely a good idea to check how your connected the Catch Cans to see if the problem is coming from an issue with the plumbing, etc.
I'd recommend taking a look at our video on AOS routing, and the PCV system:
th-cam.com/video/6bPgslpWjak/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!
Killer B Motorsports was actually working on the catch can filling on a racetrack issue and developed a product to solve it. Apparently, the problem is related to the oil being pushed up against the outside valve cover during hard cornering, where it gets sucked up the breather. Killer B's product closes off the outside breather during hard cornering to prevent this issue. Apparently it is based off of a valve used for the same purpose in airplanes. They call it an Oil Control Valve and claim it's only necessary where cornering loads of 1.5+ g's are seen regularly (you guys must be having some fun out there!)
A forum thread about it can be found here:forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2628337
The product is also now available through their website (www.killerbmotorsport.net/oiling-products/oil-control-valves.html).
Yes, we are familiar with that part. We still need to do some more testing, and while that is most likely an improvement when needed, it does look like there is more going on with purpose-built track cars that are making a log of grip and G's :-)
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Can you tell me why you have strong opinions about not Tee'ing together pcv lines? I'd like to understand better why that is something not to like. Thank you!
Thanks for your question. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the main one is "T'ing" the PCV lines is a quick path to trouble because it can quickly compromise the function of your PCV system.
We actually tested this fairly effectively (by accident) when we started to look at Catch Cans here:
th-cam.com/video/xjFYW1ICjIo/w-d-xo.html
If you go through our discussion of the OEM PCV system here:
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
We talk about the function of the two PCV circuits. We discovered that the two circuits have different functions, and if you combine them, you end up compromising them both.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks for the reply. I've finished all the videos. The topic was not addressed of why T'ing isn't desirable. I'm still curious. Let me throw my situation your way- I don't have the answers, but I have some ideas that I've been implementing.. I've converted my 5 press fit tube pcv ports to male pipe thread. I plugged the 4 head ports and 1 block port. I have 1 AN12 line on the back port by the turbo with the built in baffle. That connects to my catch can. I have excessive crank case vacuum ( likely I will soon restrict my manifold diameter connection). System is working great. But on my new build I have smoke on start up like you said. I though it was a problem with my first time installing new valve stem seals... Or perhaps it's related to your case you mentioned with smoke on startup. But you said your reason for that was you didn't have crank case vacuum under boost because you forgot or misplaced the turbo inlet vacuum line to the CCV system. For me, the 1 connection line (haven't heard anyone run it) makes sense and I can't see how it wouldn't be ideal.. My thinking is (I'd love to have your thoughts) the oil return passages on the head are equivalent to the upper PCV hoses.. In fact they are larger. Pressure is pressure, and it's one large open body between the heads and the block. So if your vacuum suction flow is sufficient, any port will do. The largest central one with the built in baffle is the best if picking just one.. But hey, I may as well try adding 1 from each head to make 3 lines instead of 1 and see if my smoke on startup goes away.. I'm only looking into this again because I Just diagnosed my super annoying squealing noise is actually too much crank case vacuum at idle which is pulling in air through an oil seal! Probably a cam gear seal, but which place it's happening, I haven't found yet. I can make the noise by covering and uncovering the oil fill cap. It's like a wind instruments reed effect.. Everyone thought it was the turbo or a ton of other ideas.. Funny. Not claiming magical internet powers, but I am a mechanical engineer in hydraulics so I'm not a moron is what I'm adding here. Much relevant language. With my current set up, I can mash 24 psi all day with no smoke or issues.
I agree 100% that I and other enthusiasts should add a second boost gauge to monitor the PCV system. Thanks for that idea!
Thank for the video guys, i love all these in-depth analysis videos on the inner working of engines.
I have one question though as im having a problem with my car. Can you help?
Before this video i didn't have much understanding of crank pressure. I'v vented all three breathers to a catch can that vents to atmosphere. The PCV has been removed and capped and so has the return to the turbo intake pipe. My pcv system is non-existent at this point and essentially all i have is three pipes off the engine. So no crank pressure at all!
Now, i'm starting to regret doing this.
My car feels just, flat. The turbo comes on but it feels a shadow of its former self. Should i put the whole pcv system back to standard?
Or while im at it, is there something better then standard i could do instead?
My car is a 2006 JDM wrx sti.
Thanks fellas.
Im now a subscriber :)
Thanks for your question. I would first ask if you tuned the car after you set your PCV system to atmospheric? If you did not, that is definitely the place to start. If you remove the PCV system from the intake, most likely you will run lean without a new tune to compensate.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Wow.... thank you so much.... We are hunting down excessive oil consumption starting recently on my sons 2006 WRX, all stock car, 137k miles. It runs excellent, all stock, used 3.5 quarts in less than 3k miles, average spirited street driving. 120 psi compression on cylinders, all pcv system is stock, but decided to replace the PCV valve just in case. There is a film of oil on the turbo inlet, slight hazing coming out the exhaust with revving the engine, but no turbo shaft play. Perhaps we should set up your pressure guage idea, but trying to make a decision on getting a good air oil separator, or rebuilding the engine.... I inderstand normal compression testing should be over 147 psi? Any suggestions come to mind?
So the turbo actually increase blow by due to the suction from in the pre turbo inlet vacuum.
Thanks for your question. Actually, no. There is typically more blow by with a turbo because of the higher cylinder pressures. You can use the suction from the turbo inlet to scavenge that pressure out of the crankcase. However, if that is not done properly and crankcase pressure increases, that will cause increased blow-by because that pressure is now pushing oil vapor, and in some cases liquid oil out of the crankcase.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
I watched this video when it was first released, and I don't remember if this was discussed and don't feel like sitting through another hour. Is there a crankcase pressure that is considered normal? If so, what's the range and conditions, i.e.: idle vs load?
Thanks for your informative videos on oil catch cans and AOS systems and their relation to Subarus PCV set up. I'm going to install a single catch can on my 2010 WRX. The car has 210,000 km( approx 125,000 miles). Previous owner installed a Cobb SF and complete exhaust but removed access port. The car runs very well. My question is should the catch can just be tapped in to the crank case PVC or some how include
the valve covers as well. Currently oil consumption is very low. I'm wondering if blow-by might be replenishing the oil level to appear like it's not burning oil. That and a compression/leak down test revealed
cyl # 1- 155psi and 5% leak. #2-150psi and 18% leak.#3- 140psi and 16% leak. And #4-160psi and 4% leak.
Leak down on #2 and #3 attributed to rings. I'm wondering if a catch can might reveal higher oil use.
Any thoughts on this very long question?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks for your question. Before you install your catch can, take a look at our video going into detail about the PCV circuits.
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
The short answer is you don't want to "T" any of the PCV circuits together. So one catch can per circuit.
I'd also recommend taking a look at the latest video in my catch-can vs. AOS series:
th-cam.com/video/iJs1SSAOYiU/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Thanks for the quick reply. Adding three catch cans sounds to be the best solution. Since I don't track the car, would a single catch can attached to the crank case / PCV port be useful and not cause other issues?
If you installed one catch can, you would want it to be between the factory AOS and the turbo inlet. If you see any continued signs of oil coming from the valve covers, that would be the second location you would want to install a catch can. If your PCV system is working well, the valve covers should actually be letting clean air in, not letting crankcase gasses out.
Awesome video! Can you make a video on how to make this crank case pressure setup with the boost gauge?
Thanks for your question. It really is as simple as installing the gauge as normal, but then running it to the oil cap for your boost/vacuum. That is it!
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Yep, I just did that after watching this - on a 02 wrx the hose from the BOV tee almost reaches the oil cap. very easy, can't log it, but at least you know what's going on if you pay attention. Thanks guys for the inspiration
Hello there, how about fitting a variable area rota flowmeter, as a simple tool onto oil cap, for use to verify rate gas blowby by pistons at idle rpm. Will need a conversion table as rota flowmeter is for water at 0 to 250litre min. 🤔🤔🤔 Thanks
That is an interesting idea for sure.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
2015 sti 30,000km running grimmspeed aos no catchcan, stage3 cobb sf intake, no problems yet, got me questioning if l should be concerned though
As simple as the pcv system seems. It's really not. Especially Once you boost a car that was originally n/a. If you sit there and think about it there's alot of variables that can confuse u. I was waiting for a video like this... 👍
It is absolutely more complicated than it would seem on the surface. And we are still learning about how things work, that is for sure.
Glad that the video helped, and Stay Tuned!
I don’t have any crank case pressure it leaks out of the head gaskets lol
Excellent content as usual. Thank you!
Thanks very much for watching and Stay Tuned!
I never liked the idea of oil moisture going back thru the intake gummin up the system.
It does more than gum up the system; it reduces the effective octane rating of your fuel mixture, causing much more knock than would otherwise be the case.
I need to do this mod now to watch mine. Im an inspiring tuner and Harvey is actually who inspired me to get into the tuning world. Gotta love Colorado. Ive recently had an issue with my dipstick shooting out, and causing a big ol mess everywhere. I have a dual catchcan setup as of now. But i made the same mistake and ran them right behind my filter and not close to my turbos compressor. I was thinking of venting my cylinder heads to atmosphere, and keeping the crankcase through a catchcan back infront of the turbos compressor. Would this be an alright setup?? Car is a weekend car, when its driven, its normally in boost and barely cruising and barely idling. So im thinking VTA for cylinder heads, and catchcan to turbo inlet for the crankcase vent...should be sufficient yeah??
Thanks for the video and knowledge! 2011 Sti blouch 1.5, I’m struggling with an oil leak from my RH exhaust cam sensor! My mechanic is thinking excessive crankcase pressure is causing it. Cobb inlet, and PCV deleted. I routed the vacuum lines myself off the inlet, maybe I have something screwed up, but my tuner said it looked good before I dynoed it... would a catch can help reduce some of the pressure? Leak has been happening pretty much since the new block!
Hello Ahmad. Thanks for your question. If you think that there might be excessive crankcase pressure, I'd definitely recommend trying to take a look at how much pressure you might be running into.
If you re-routed the vacuum lines for your PCV as well, I'd recommend going back through and double checking those as well.
If it helps, we also put together a video that details what the stock routing is for the PCV system. Here is a link to that:
www.flatironstuning.com/blog/video:-taking-a-look-at-the-subaru-ej25-turbo-pcv-system
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Excellent video guys!! Thanks!!
Thanks very much for watching and Stay Tuned!
what a wealth of info ! I have a 2016 WRX, you would recommend the IEG race AOS ? Car only has Nvidia R400 and MAPerformace stage 1 e85 tune or would I still need to monitor crankcase pressure ?
Thanks for watching! If our car is a street car, we'd definitely recommend the street series AOS. Keep in mind that if you are tuned for a closed PCV system, then you would want to follow the stock plumbing for the most part.
If you would switch to an atmospheric AOS, you would need to re-tune the car, and for street applications, you really should not need to vent the AOS to atmosphere.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning absolutely =) thank you for your time in answering this question. I will make sure to get the street series and look at tuning options on the site =)
Thanks for the helpful video. I am experiencing similar symptoms in my car i would like to ask you about if you dont mind
I have an IAG stage 2 tuff block with fp green turbo. Lately whenever i do a WOT pull, or am hard on the car my radium dual catch cans FILL with oil. And ive started getting an oil leak around the turbo area. Which i think is because of the excessive crank case pressure causing it not to be able to drain like you said.
I am considering switching to the IAG competition AOS to vent the pressure to atmosphere as my car is making almost 500hp at 27psi.
I am experiencing a misfire at idle, that clears up as soon as i drive off. and engine is slower to start running on cold start. After watching your video i am concerned it may be an internal engine issue not just an issue with the crank case.
If you have the time i would appreciate your opinion. If it needs a shortblock.. i would rather do it now before it actually gets hurt worse. Car feels good on power and doesnt seem down at the moment. But these symptoms have me concerned
Thanks for your questions, and there is a lot to go through there.
I'd first recommend opening up a chat with us on our site and we can go into detail about your issues.
www.flatironstuning.com/
The first question I have is did you install the Radium dual catch can exactly as they specify in their instructions?
And is the oil leaking from the bottom of the OEM PCV tree right in front and to the center of the block of the turbo?
In regards to the starting issue, what cams are you running? Stock? Aftermarket?
If you can open a chat with that information, we'll do our best to help any way we can.
Thanks, and Stay Tuned!
Late to the party but saw this video because I believe my Evo X is suffering from this. I currently have a stock block with EFR7163 set up. Crankcase is routed back into inlet and PCV goes into a sealed catch can then recircs into the manifold. I checked my downpipe and turbo and both "appear" to be oil free on the exhaust side. On the compressor side there is a super light film on the bottom of the inlet. I have been getting this super light bluish haze coming out of my exhaust on the same two occasions. When driving and coming to a stop, once the RPMs drop to idle the haze comes out of my exhaust and even if the car is sitting still, if I tap the gas to around 3k and let it go down back to idle, the haze comes out. Smells like burnt oil. Thinking that I should try a VTA catch can for both ports and see if that helps. Car is making double the factory power as well.
did you do this? did it help?
@@mrfumetsu ended up doing the a vent atmosphere catch can, didn't work. car started to leak oil from the timing case, blue smoke got worse so ended up selling the car out right. The new owner actually tracked me down and told me that it was the turbo the entire time
So I have a built closed deck block ej205 as opposed to an ej257 or ej207 block with the additional port on the crankcase to equalize pressure between the bottom end and the heads. Could the lack of that port be detrimental to my engine at about 30 psi of boost and 500whp?
Thanks for your question. The balancing of pressure between the heads and crankcase mainly starts to be beneficial with high g-loads on track. If you are tracking your car on R-Compound tires, then it would be beneficial to see what is happening to your crankcase pressure, and I'd also recommend keep an eye on oil pressure.
The worst case scenario is that oil would be trapped in a head in a corner, which could contribute to a loss of oil pressure.
Keep an eye on crankcase pressure, and if you start to see any issues, that would be a cue to work on your PCV system to make sure that it is working as well as possible.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks for the advice! I love your content and how it focuses on the technical aspect of performance. You guys deserve more subscribers.
Hmmmm... in regards to your reply, now I'm thinking I may order an accusump oil accumulator just to be on the safe side. I don't plan on running R compound tires, but maybe it's best to install one just in case oil pools in the heads due to pressure differences.
Would my block lacking that 2nd breather port affect the accuracy when measuring crankcase pressure via the oil filler cap?
Also, someone told me that the later ej205s with AVCS also had the 2nd crankcase vent. Have you seen any jdm ej205s with that second vent?
I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions lol. I certainly appreciate all of your replies. 😊
both of my engines are creating extra crankcase pressure. one engine had 80k miles and the brand new one still has same issue. there has to be something else causing my issue other than blow
Sorry to hear that leo. Definitely take a good look at the plumbing of the PCV system, and the size of the venting, etc.
Hope you are able to sort it out.
Best of luck and Stay Tuned!
Great video to say the least, I just recently purchased a used procharged c4 corvette and I believe I’m having some sort of pcv system error under boost causing a white smoke to appear near the dipstick and coats the full length of the dipstick with oil under high boost I’m worried it could be piston rings aswell anyway to check for myself most surrounding mechanics won’t touch it because it’s procharged. Any response is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your question. If the car was not originally set-up for forced induction, it could certainly be causing an issue with the PCV system. I would first recommend reaching out to the Procharger kit manufacturer to see if it is a know or common issue.
Beyond that, the next step would be to try to find a way to measure your crankcase pressure to get a window into what is going on.
Unfortunately I am not familiar enough with the C4 Corvette to offer you any suggestions there.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning haven’t contacted anyone from procharger yet, I’ll start there, I appreciate the advice And thanks for the response.
Love the video learned a lot, and data IS cool 😎
Could not agree more.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I have an 04 wrx with the ej205. It's just a street car but do you think this gauge would be beneficial for me to have? I dont race on track just do pulls from time to time on the street and some back road driving. Still utilizing the stock pcv system but eventually would like the iag aos.
Thanks for your question. I would say that Crankcase pressure wouldn't be a bad thing to watch, though when everything is working properly, there is not much to see :-) But on an older car, and especially if you have plans to build it, take it to the track, etc., it wouldn't be a bad thing to watch. Even if it is just from time to time.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Dom 5 with a factory sti top mount? That cant be ideal...
I wish i had watched this when I built my new IAG 900 .... I think I have bad seals now because I Td the rear valve cover ports to the middle crankcase port and now I have a smoking car...........
Glad that you found the video helpful. From what you are describing, you may have just replicated the factory balance ports.
We have a video where we look at the PCV system, and that may be helpful for you as well:
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
definitely take a look at that, and if at all possible, make sure that you are keeping the factory PCV circuits in tact.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning Thanks that was a great help also... unfortunately I eliminated the PCV valve and put the AOS there... so i don't have the suction needed, I connected an IAG AOS to the front valve cover ports along with the PCV port on the block, the AOS vents to atmosphere. So I need to check my crankcase pressure with your method and do a leak down.... :(
Have you seen excessive crankcase pressure caused by clogged catalytic converters creating large amounts of back pressure?
Thanks for your question. That is not something that we have seen. The exhaust is largely separate from the crankcase so I would say it is unlikely, but I suppose in the right conditions it could be possible.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning it didn't seem possible to me, but I have an ej255 with a vf52 that had dramatic blow by with a catted downpipe. After swapping to a catless for unrelated reasons it reduced. My theory is the exhaust was back feeding to some degree through the internal wastegate port. Could be a total coincidence.
@@carlb86 I would say that is unlikely. However, we have seen some turbo failures where the center section of the turbo starts leaking pressure through the oil return line into the block. If your car or turbo are higher mileage, you may want to take a look at the turbo itself.
This was great information! Really changed my whole perspective on the PCV system! Thanks!
One quick question: Who is the tuner, and what shop does he work at?
Thanks for your question Derek. This is Harvey from The Boostcreep in Longmont, Co.
He is the tuner that we work with, and he has been tuning our cars for a long time now.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
I'm running a grimspeed aos that sits on oil filler to a catch can that goes to the turbo inlet. I wonder if that's to much
Thanks for your question. I'd say that the main issue with that set-up is you are starting off with an AOS that has some inherent issues. As you see in the video, that AOS will start off by creating some positive crankcase pressure, and that is not ideal. If you track the car, I would not be surprised if you saw a bit or even a fair amount of oil that was making it past the AOS and into the catch can.
I would recommend looking at either a well designed dual catch can set-up, or a better designed AOS (maybe like the IAG Street series AOS) to replace what you are currently running.
I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
Just got my 2021 STi and my main goal is to reach 200k mileage. Im only doin minimum mods such as catback exhaust and cobb intake and a tune. Do i need AOS?? Or how about if i just do a simple catback exhaust ……
Thanks for your question. If your car has a new and healthy engine, most likely you don't need anything. Keep an eye on your oil consumption and if/how much oil is going through the PCV system.
Make sure you use good fluids (Motul 8100 or Redline) and stay up on maintenance.
If you want to minimize the chances that any oil vapor is making its way to the intake, look at going with a good dual catch can setup. Plumbing is going to be important there, but that is a good way to go. You just have to make sure that you are keeping on the levels in the cans.
Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!
OK, 2017 WRX Base, Twin Boomba racing catch cans. Stock air box with AEM dry filter. Gab adjustable repercussions valve, Perrin charge pipe, MAP top mount inter cooler. Stock tune. Have you guys tested anything similar? Am I increasing or decreasing crank case pressure? Been running this setup for about 20,000 miles. What danger have I placed my FA20 in??????
PS. I am asking the producers of this video this question, not all the tanagers that think they have all the answers. Or the amateur “Experts” out there.........
Thanks for your question Scott. If you are running 2 catch cans, so that each is connected to a single vacuum source, that is definitely the ideal way to set those up. As long as the fittings are the same size as factory, you should not be creating much additional restriction compared to the factory set-up.
I'd say that if you are not seeing much oil collection, you should be fine.
I hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!
FlatironsTuning do not much oil/water in the PCV side, I get most of on the EGR side and even then, less than two OZ.
Thank you for taking the time to reply!
What hp were you shooting for with that last car with 15° around redline and 20lbs. I'm running 12° at peak torque and 16° at redline for only about 12psi and 260whp. I've been thinking I needed to add a few degrees of timing for sure
Outstanding info!...
Any aos filler cap sohc non turbo scenarios?
Self prediction before hearing what happens with larger intake.
The increase in intake size increases air volume at the cost of less vacuum pressure.
(My comment can be ignored because it likely sounds dumb anyway)
Ok neat!
So then can you get those tunable PCV valves that can change the “draw” on the crank case?
@@williamhall2386 there are manual pumps that run off drive belts but not many engines are supported. There are also electric vacuum pumps that can be tuned to rpm but people don't like those because.. electrical.
You also don't want to have too much vacuum as you can suck the wrist pins etc dry of oil and cause damage.
Nibiru3064 Thank you for the information! Learning something new every day! I’ll have to read up on that
this is awesome!!! i’ve never understood the pcv system!!! this video will save so many motors🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 #CRANKCASEPRESSURE 07 sti limited
Thanks for watching!
If you have time, I'd recommend going through the video we did detailing the PCV system specifically.
th-cam.com/video/mO9mxDUDUDc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Hi. i got a steady "1 hg" (at idle & optg temp )on my Mini Cooper R56..i hope this is good readout after dual catch can install..tnx
Can anyone sum this up so I don't have to watch an hour of anecdotal discussion? I have a '23 Subaru Outback with turbo... should I run a AOS or Oil separator? Also is there a blowoff valve needed for the 2.4 turbo? TIA.
Does anyone have any idea what a good range for crankcase vacuum should be with 3.8 liter 6 cylinder stock engine. Buick lesabre
Sweet info thankyou
Absolutely! Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
Hi everyone say I should get aos. But do I? I have bought a oil cap aos but not installed. If I monitor crank pressure will I be ok to use it. Or should I just satay stock.....how I get it here is that was the only problem with it
Thanks for your question. We actually just made a video talking about exactly this:
th-cam.com/video/OjoA2qXujMA/w-d-xo.html
Take a look at that and let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!
The iag race version was mentioned what's the opinion of the street version - DD that goes to the track, currently have a grimspeed oil cap aos
I just had the same issue on startup between track sessions
Thanks for your question. In taking a look back at the data from that case, the car must have been running the Street AOS, not the competition because it was getting into vacuum in the upper RPM range. That can only happen with the steet series because the Comp series will never pull any vacuum.
If your car is a street car primarily, I'd definitely recommend the street series AOS.
We do keep them in stock, and we would love to be able to earn your business if you want to make a switch.
Thanks for watching, and Stay Tuned!
@@FlatironsTuning thanks for info would love a short video with some more info on your oil smoke between sessions on startup or if there a way to contact you directly about it that would be great
@@JustinKraft That is in the works, but you can absolutely reach out to us through the chat feature on Flatironstuning.com.
If you are running the Grimmspeed AOS there is a high likelihood that the smoke on startup is being created by excess pressure in your crankcase on track. Correcting the issue with something like the IAG AOS as we talk about in the video will most likely solve the issue.
But if you have any other questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out.
Thanks!
thanks very insightful
Thanks very much and glad the video helped.
Stay Tuned!