Links to the products used in this video: PQY/Mishimoto: amzn.to/3ZAcXpS Evil Energy: amzn.to/3BaGvQB J&L: amzn.to/47Dj1j5 ProVent 200: amzn.to/47RBoBj ProVent Replacement Filters: amzn.to/47AjmTH Idash: amzn.to/4dfJkNH Smoke Machine: amzn.to/3Nt6DsG My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/repairgeek Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.
Just to be fair, you forgot to mention that J&L has a 3 Oz. Capacity Extension Tube that you can buy. I purchased the J&L kit for the simple reason that all connectors are included and required zero cutting of factory hoses! ----- The reasoning for my purchase decision is the following... Not sure if this is related, but I have a 2020 Ford Explorer XLT and I discovered that when the EcoBoost Turbo got hot that it would offgas "fumes", which to me smelled like burning oil. Doing a bit of research, I discovered that the engine that I have is direct fuel inject with the PCV valve gasses (piston blowby and misted oil from the crankcase) getting routed right back into the intake!!! This caused the PCV contaminants to basically "burn" on the hot Turbo fan blades and off gas causing the smell in the vehicle interior. Adding an "Oil Catch/Separator Can" to the PCV line practically eliminated the burning smell!!! Adding in the Oil Separator Can also keeps the intake valves free of carbon resulting in a better seal and higher compression. Oil mist in the air stream also kills the octane rating of whatever gasoline you're using as the computer ignition timing has to "hunt" for proper combustion. Removing the incomplete combustion particulates from the exhaust is also more beneficial for your catalytic converter maintaining a longer life. People wonder why their engines don't last very long. The above observations is probably the reason why!!!
Mishimoto and Amazon - trash. They will not only can be defeated by Provent, but they will blow your gaskets, because raised crankcase pressure because of them is not good.
On your “Evil Energy” it appears to be missing the stainless baffling material to go into the can. I have a version of this and it has the “ball” of stainless (looks like a kitchen pot scrubber) to help grab the oil particles and baffle for movement.
Back in the sixties, I received the 1st smog license in Stockton, California. In those days, most of the cars we dealt with were the open draft tube type, which we converted with a common add-on PCV kit. We ran a hose from the draft tube opening on the block up to a vacuum port under the carburetor. We inserted a generic PCV valve into that line as close to the manifold as we could get. Between the PCV valve and the port on the block, we inserted a version of a catch can. It got mounted on the fender or radiator bracing, wherever we could find room. The can was basically a quart Ball glass jar. It had a lid with hose fittings for the PCV hose. The IN line (from the block) went down into the jar at least halfway. The OUT line was right at the top. On a newly converted old engine, you could fill that jar with crud in 1,000 miles. After every dump and refill, the crud amount got less and less. Engines with a draft tube could get really sludged up inside. Running the PCV conversion kit for a few thousand miles got some engines looking like new inside.
Noticed this same thing happen on my 'older'' vehicle. Got LOTS at first, then it stabilized to a pretty small amount and has kept that way for the last 30k miles. Thought this was a weird phenomenon but It seems to be in line with what you said!
My 2012 V6 Tacoma had dry oil soot in the tail pipe, and it was burning more oil than I thought it should. So I installed an oil catch can. Now the tail pipe is clean and truck burns noticeably less oil. I bought two Mishimoto cans, cut out the bottom of one, and stacked the two cylinders to create one tall catch can that holds a lot of oil. Oh, yea, and I installed a drain cock at the bottom. Also, I stuffed stainless steel mesh into the can above the baffle and below the bronze filter to create more surface area for the vapors to contact and liquify. It works like a dream. Yes, I get a bit of water during the cold season (not too cold since I'm in San Diego), but the water seems to vaporize and burn off on its own. Works like a dream. The only drawback is the need to remove the unit every other year for the smog check. I get only a couple ounces of oil at each oil change, and I do periodically unscrew the cylinder from the upper component in order to spray all the inner parts down with carb spray cleaner. Lastly, I think it's also a good idea to remove the unit with its hoses (spray it down like I described) and spray out any accumulation of oil in the hoses, which depending on the angle of the hoses, can pull inside a hose and block it. One last thing. I did drill and tap a hole at the top of the unit directly above the bronze filter. I put a screw in it, which I can remove at the same time I remove the drain cock at the bottom. This allows me to insert the sprayer tip (of carb spray cleaner) down in there and wash things out, then replace the screw and the drain cock -- just a shorter option for cleaning out the insides.
The thing is not to stop the ventilation from flowing or restrict it, as that will build up pressure in the crankcase causing the main seals and valve cover gasket etc... to blow out
I was considering installing a catch can on my vehicle. The timing of the video couldn't be better. A well made and researched video with excellent discussion and educated opinion. Many thanks.
@@bw6078 The issue not discussed well in this video is the oil gunk in the Egr. A catch can reduce the chances of ash mixing with oil, thereby reducing the oil content in the Egr. It is easier to clean dry soot than it is with oil mixed in. A blockage is also faster and easier with an oil/ash mixture, in theory, the oil component is what your Egr is there for and not ash. This should imo, extend your service times.
Thank you for this video. This is the first review that used actual testing instead of opinions. I no longer wonder if I need a catch can on my car. No catch can for my car.
WACHED MANY VIDEOS AND YOU ARE THE ONLY PRAGMATIC AND EFFECTIVE COMPARISION CONCENTRATING ON IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF IT! INSTEAD OF WASTING TIME IN UNFRUTIL FEATURES OF PRODUCTS THAT ONLY CONFUSE THE VIEWER AND WASTE OUR TIME ! GREAT SMART AND CONCISE AND EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION ! YOU HAVE A NEW FOLLOWER ! GUYS PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS YOUNG MAN ! TNHAKS GEEK !
Get the PQY, rip out the insides, install a stainless steel pot scrubber pad instead. Now the inlet and outlet don't matter. Place it just above the catalyst as a heat source or you will trap mostly water. The increase in surface area provided by the pot scrubber pad is the key. Drain at every oil change.
I say this as an engine builder for race and extreme duty engine applications. A properly designed catch can can be effective in managing oil loss due to high crankcase pressures. I modify the drain plug and replace it with a hose returning collected oil back into the engine after going through catch can filter. Proper management of crankcase vapors involves more than sending vapors into the air or into the combustion chamber to be burned. Controlling , filtering then redirecting vapors can reduce oil consumption, reduce carbon buildup and reduce NOX emissions. And no i am writing this to promote or sell any products. Just real world experience from a real world regular guy wanting to help give an explanation of my own personal experiences.
I bought the J&L. I also bought the evil one and returned. The reason I kept the J&L is that they came with right sized hose and fitting. It catches 3 oz of oil out of 3000 miles. I’d rather to have 3oz less to intake
Living in Vermont, I knew I will be dealing with lots of moisture condensations in the winter months (latte anyone?). J&L sells catch can extensions which double the can's capacity, which helps immensely in not having to worry about the can overflowing quickly. However, I still wish the can is see through so you don't have to unscrew everytime to check.
Billet Technologies. Look at the design. It literally speaks for itself (for anyone that understands how catch cans and other oil separators work). It is FAR superior to those tested here. No, I am not affiliated, but I have bought multiple of these cans for multiple vehicles because the design is as perfect for a catch can as it can possible be.
Go with the brand called UPR also made in USA. I too have purchased and returner or had to sell many other big brand named cans on the market because of their lack of living up to the name, performance and expectations. They were all overpriced garbage except for the gem by upr. I got their medium sized can which is plenty big. Keep in mind this brand is marketed toward American muscle vehicles so you won’t find a direct plug and play kit for most other applications, they are mostly for fords and Chevy. I bought just the can and made my own lines and fittings to be used on my bmw. It uses 1/4npt treads so it’s super easy to make it connect to anything
I mean you can empty it often lol. Thats what I do on mine. I admire your testing and dedication to testing these. But imo, you’re not supposed to wait until these are full in order to empty them. You empty them often. They do work. May not as well as you would like them to and thats fair. Sure. But I have picture proof that it works on my Accord. I empty my 4runners can every 1-2k miles in the summer and every 500 in the winter due to increased condensation. Idk man, I mean imo, it captures a ton of oil and water and just general shit from entering my intake and depositing on my valves and pistons and such. And yes, the water/ oil mixture may freeze but if its not COMPLETELY full to the top, the gasses can still pass by easily until the hot air melts the water/ oil mixture and all is well. The block of ice essentially just makes the can smaller until it melts. I think you’re playing the “freezing” up a little too much. I have been running a catch can on my 4runner for several winters and I too live in NEO and have never had an issue with any seal blowing out man. I just empty the can often and make sure its not full. If you do that youll be fine. My 4runner also doesn’t have an egr system and I have the same can installed on my heavily modified 2015 Accord V6 manual but have disabled the egr system. Imo, the intake side of the engine should ONLY be for fresh clean air, not oily, unburnt exhaust gases mixed with fresh air. So I understand your trepidation and concerns and while they’re not invalid I think they’re a bit over the top. Anything is better than nothing as long as its not making anything worse which I would emphatically argue that it doesn’t but it seems like you would say it does. Which is fine. Were allowed to disagree. I just wanted to share my experience of running a can through several winters and never having an issue. If you’re so worried about freezing, what would stop the condensation and oil/ water that remains in the stock oem pcv line from freezing and causing issues? But that never happens right? Just empty your can often and youll be fine. Good video man. Thanks for making it!
We can agree to disagree. I don't doubt your experiences at all. The hoses can freeze as well. Just like the Pro-Vent, if the inlet line freezes, the pressure relief doesn't matter because the high pressure doesn't make it to the valve. The price that you pay for one of these also plays into my decision not to use one. If you install one of these you're simply prolonging when you need to do a GDI cleaning, either way you're going to have to do it. You're just pushing the mileage out on the service. Why not take that $200+ dollars in some cases and set those funds aside IF you need to do a GDI cleaning in the future. I shot a DIY valve cleaning video last fall with this Escape featured in this video. At 112K miles it had build up but it made zero effect on how the engine ran before or after the cleaning. I have no doubt that I could have pushed this valve cleaning out to 150K without any problem. Oil has been going into car intakes since the 60s. Teams of engineers design these engines. I'd be surprised if J&L employed a single one... If a piece of stainless steel wool shoved in a PCV line will stop all of these problems, why are a lot of cars going back to Port injection in combination with DI? Auto manufacturers are literally installing 2 fuel systems on some engines because of this problem. If they could solve that problem with some steel wool, you have to figure they would. That could save 10s of millions a year. I completely respect your opinion. At the end of the day, it's your car and your decision. I just haven't seen a single compelling argument FOR these things other than "Wow, look what is in this can".
@@RepairGeek totally respect that and agree with it even. You make a great point about the engineers and such. But the only thing I would push back with that on is in this day and age specifically and particularly, engineers are tasked with producing and providing solutions for government regulations and cram downs and mpg regulations. The reason my Accord (and most newer cars for that matter) require a super light oil such as a 0-w20 isn’t because thats what BETTER for the engine lol. No. Its because it does and okay-enough job at protecting the engine internals whilst providing better mpg as then engineers search for every last 0.00001 mpg that they can squeeze out of an internal combustion engine. A 0 weight oil isn’t the best choice for longevity and for engine protection its the best for mpg. Gone are the days of producing whats best for the engine and longevity. My point is engineers are given a task of designing something to fit a spec that HAS to comply with government regulations. They dont have to fix it or repair it or work on it and they dont have the freedom to make it better even if they wanted to. So its now up to us as the consumer to look out for us because no one else will. And my opinion is anything that can help protect my engine and possibly increase longevity is good for me. But well said my man and I respect what you said. Good job again man.
Thanks for your time on the review. I personally have the J&L on my 2022 Wrangler with the 2.0 turbo. They supply you with factory type connectors to connect to the factory fittings on your vehicle, easy to follow instructions and highquality parts is thoughtful engineering on their part. You don't get that with cheap knockoffs. I catch about an oz every 1k mi. Yeah you need to be on top of emptying it out but if your a DIYer it's a nice setup.
I have two 1.5l ecoboost cars and two 2.7l ecoboost cars. I run J&L catch cans on all of them. Empty them every 2 weeks during winter months. They get full quickly in my cold winter climate.
SAE Published a paper on this subject back in 2018: Comparative Performance of 12 Crankcase Oil Mist Separators doi:10.4271/03-12-01-0001 The MH ProVent came out on top.
I have a Porsche Cayman with the 3.4 l normally aspirated DFI engine. Like other DFI engines, my car had significant carbon/grime build-up on the back of the intake valves and in the intake ports. My friend and I created a catch can kit that plugs in between the air oil separator (AOS) and the intake manifold. I've designed fittings and use hoses that match the internal diameter of the original hoses in order to maintain OEM airflow. We also sourced a very high quality can with a large capacity, good quality filtering, and good baffling. We have a customer uses a can of our design and gets roughly 35-50 ml out of it after 3-5k miles of driving. I track my car and typically do oil changes in between events so I don't see the volume he sees, but it is interesting to see the can "in action". I tend to generally agree that a catch can usefulness may be somewhat subjective, but in my scenario, it does seem to be effective - if nothing else, because design of the system and the can were thoughtful considerations to maintain good factory-like vacuum pressure and flow. I have noticed a significant drop in the amount of soot at the tailpipe and sticking to the back of the car after installation as well. I feel like your smoke test isn't really representative of heavier liquids and contaminants found in oil vapors and therefore may be misleading. The increased surface area of the common "scrubber" elements found in some catch cans is really what is doing the work here, forcing those contaminated vapors to twist and turn around the element which forces the heavier elements to get caught up and drip into the can. Sure smoke will pass through those easily, as they aren't small particulate air filters, which is what a smoke machine is putting out - remember it's supposed to allow the smoke to find very small breaches so you can identify them.
My GDI Engine equipped with a catch-can with a lot of steel wool inside catches a lot. I then take the output from the catch can and run this into a Spin-on remote mount oil filter adapter and run it through a standard spin-on oil filter so that the cellulose paper filtering material further dries the PCV and removed 99.99% of the vapour between the two and then I run it back into the engine. 200K and 0 build-up on the valves. I empty the catch can a few times between oil changes and I change the oil filter on the spin-on oil filter at every oil change. The media inside the oil filter is damp but not soaked so it's absolutely a second step that is needed before routing the PCV back into the engine. It's important to use a cellulose paper style conventional spin-on filter that doesn't have synthetic media. The synthetic media will not absorb the oily moisture and will let it pass through unlike the Cellulose paper standard type filters. Like your crappy orange can Fram filters for example is what you would want to use and not the Fram Ultra.
I have Ford Everest with a Bi Turbo Diesel. The first month I pulled the cold side pipe and it dropped oil out. I installed a Provent 200 and pulled 2 months later and it was clean, with a hint of a little moisture. (From what I understand) The problem with CCV is the moisture in the EGR system. The EGR actually helps Diesels run better, but bc they route the CCV into it, it becomes a clogged mess. Provent filters are designed to be saturated to perform the way they do. Also, I paid $150 for the complete kit, not 200+. The other CCs should have a pressure relief like the Provent does IMO. I may be wrong about this--------> Your smoke test only proves that Air continues to flow as it should. Good video though, this is something very hard to test but has a simple idea behind it.
I try to explain that EGR is good for diesels and people just spew that exact same idea that no ash equals good. Well yes, but also no. DPF's are bullshit, EGR's have a purpose. I didn't know about the CCV and EGR mixing, that's a pretty good point.
Back in the late 60's when cars switched from draft tubes to PCV there was an inline canister with something like a metal pot scrubber inside. The oil would condense on that and then drip back down into the oil pan. There was nothing to drain. A lot of hot rodders still swear by that solution either inline or in a catch can.
IF well designed then it works well but in most cases.. that system is to small when the engine get older like my old Suzuki Grand Vitara 2000" 2.0lt TDI it had a system like that but it was to small at old age..
At 100,000 miles I put a camera into my intake, installed an AFe intake tune and JL can on my 2014 F150 3.5l EcoBoost I don't quite fill out up between oil changes, but it does have a decent amount of milky oil. It might not fully stop carbon build up, but looking at my valves now (nearly 200,000 miles today) i can not see a noticeable increase on the valves. Id say if you have a GDI engine, it's be definitely going to help! That said, I'm glad my new ford Edge ST has the newer direct+port injectors
Sorry but, I’m on my second Edge ST and all model years 2019 to 2024 are based on the Gen 1 2.7 EcoBoost and never received the port+direct injection. The good thing is the Gen 1 has the chain driven oil pump and not the wet belt that the Gen 2 motors were cursed with.
My catch can is well sealed. 3/8 gas hose. No kinks routed to the cool side. Clean dark amber oil was caught in the ssmesh. My intake is still perfectly clean. Mine works! Mpg over sticker guestimate! New plugs. Oil flush and barrymans b12 3 tanks. All running gear fluids fresh! Trans drain n refill. I was down to 14 mpg. So glad my 3000 oil change in 6 months keeps my engine shiny silvery clean!!!!!!! So powerfull now!
I use one of these on a gdi Chevrolet engine. Drain it every oil change. There’s oil in it that isn’t on the back of the intake valve. I doubt it catches all the oil vapor but it helps.
@@Blue-moon12 who would a wont help.. if the carbon it on the intake valves..it pretty much cooked on,, thats why we use walnut shell blasting to clean the back of the valves..WOT will not do anythimg
I have a clone of the Evil Energy on my Whipple supercharged 6.2L L86 powered Tahoe. Every oil change I empty the catch can and it is always about 1/3 full of oil/fuel mix. It may not be perfect; but it’s gotta be better to be stopping that oil from cooking on the back of the valves
Great Video. Very educational... I never used any oil-catch or oil separators in the past on any of my vehicles and had no issues… Just got myself a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and of course, I went to forums and as you can assume tons of users there recommend an oil catch can so I bought one made by Ford - Ford Performance Oil-Air Separator Kit Passenger Side Mustang GT 5.0L 2018-2023 Now after watching your video, I am not so sure anymore if that was a worthy investment at $230 spent 😞
I agree on your first place pick. My 1977 F-150 with the 300 inline six has tons of blow by . Three of my plugs get caked with crap and it starts misfiring every few months. I have the same catch can as the "Evil" one you tested but it is a china one but looks exactly the same. It was $18 on Amazon. Every 1000 miles or so it becomes about 1/3 full of oil. My plug gaps are not getting fouled up anymore.
I have the Evil Energy can on my 2016 Canyon 2.8. Duramax. I increased the fitting size to use larger hoses. I empty the can at oil changes, it collects about 1/4 inch of oil in that time. The outlet hose is clean from oil residue now.
The volume of the catch can is the key to it functioning well. A large volume causes the airflow to slow down and give time for the heavier particles to settle out. On a diesel, if you want to keep your intake clean, install water injection system.
I ran one on my Golf R for a couple of years. It wouldn't catch a ton during the warmer months and then during the colder months you would have to empty the can weekly. It more of a nuisance than anything. Removing that water vapor during the colder months probably made the carbon stick more than it helped.
@@alessandrofreda4687just get a small filter off eBay or Amazon that fits on your pcv output on the valve cover, cap off the port on your intake and if it has any ports off the intake manifold cap them off. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to use little filters on both valve covers if it has multiple ports like on my g35/350z. The moisture will evaporate and the filter will keep the engine from inhaling any dirt or whatnot. If your engine is worn it may barf out oil and in that case just run a hose down to the ground with a filter on the end so it doesn't oil up your engine bay
The dipstick feature seems very practical and the hole can be used to suck out the liquid. Thanks for this test, the best around. With all the knowledge about the freezing and seals.
Good video. It opened my eyes a bit more than I thought it would. I, personally, never considered the effect of having a slight vacuum on the crankcase helping to seal the oil control rings. I’m designing a catch can system now, having a separate, remote, oil reservoir from the separator but need to consider overall reservoir volumes.
In normal driving, vacuum will vary, it is not going to remain always negative. Ever ride in an old car with vacuum actuated wipers? They would slow down or stop when you went up a hill. Vacuum varies, another reason vacuum canisters were invented. Don't sweat it.
I use one of those catch cans and it does collect oil. I remove it in the winter because you can see the water mixed in oil in cold weather. Overall I’m very satisfied with it.
Thanks for the demonstration. I wondered about these and was going to use one of these on my Transit Van as I have used them before. My extended warranty voids if I use one so I didn't buy one which I am glad because it seems like it doesn't solve the problem.
Ive made catch cans from air compressor water filters,and add marbles for media to catch oil vapour,and it did work,but i had to remove the catch cans in the winter ,you do not want a frozen catch can. I think the filter media plays a big part on how they perform, why I used marbles, no restriction and do not desintegrate . as far as the brilo pad goes, yeah it may filter and catch vapour, but what IF it does it break down and go through your intake, also if that freezes well you now have a slush ball ,restricting pcv operation. LOL I do have the evil energy one, but haven't installed it yet. I want to upgrade the filter media first. great comparison video,
Our kohler generators that use large diesel engines use a filter similar to the mann. They act as a filter and oil separator with a drain routing oil back into the crankcase. The suction side attaches in the intake tract before the turbo inlet. No problem with there being a suction on the filter/separator even under heavy load.
I use a ProVent 200 on my 2013 mercedes GL350 (diesel). It catches ~3 ounces of oil every 1,000 miles. That’s great on these cars and will protect the DPF from the soot & ash from burning engine oil. I’m very happy either way the results and have been for 125,000 miles so far.
I have used the Mann and Hummel ProVent on a couple of pick ups, one turbo diesel Andthe other a DI gas. A couple points: ProVent has the only coalescing filter which naturally needs to be changed from time to time like any other filter. Being a plastic product, it is less likely to freeze in cold weather. With a pressure as well as vacuum breaker, should the filter freeze off, your engine is better protected. I appreciate your effort to shed light on all catch cans. It is absolutely true that the outlet of the catch can needs to be routed upstream of the turbo inlet.
Every time that I used to see someone post the Mishimoto catch can, I would reply with the PQY catch can. Oh, the amount of butt-hurt that came out was hilarious! That aside, I did install the PQY catch can on my former car (2006 WRX) and it did collect material that I needed to empty periodically (ie. every 3000 miles). In that regard, it did it's job as expected, so no complaints there. I do wish that the capacity was greater though. I did not perform an inspection of the intake valves before/after, so I cannot detail if it was truly effective or not. All that said, it would be interesting to see a PCV and EGR filter setup (1 dedicated filter per). That would help to limit oil vapor and carbon.
I use a ProVent 200 on my 2013 mercedes GL350 (diesel). It catches ~3 ounces of oil every 1,000 miles. That’s great on these cars and will protect the DPF from the soot & ash from burning engine oil. I’m very happy either way the results and have been for 125,000 miles so far.
On a turbo engine the pcv is rerouted to the inlet side of the turbo instead of the manifold when under boost. There is a valve located in the pcv lines.
Thank you for doing this. I am adding one to specifically catch the oil the EA888 gen 3 motor expels under a hard braking right hand turn. The James Bond white smoke clouds are not cool for the motor nor the environment.
I've used catch cans on 2 different vehicles, my first generation Ram with a six cylinder gas engine and a Honda Ridgeline with the J35 engine and VTEC. Both of them caught an amazing amount of oil between oil changes.
@RepairGeek a proper catch can should have a mesh baffle and the catch can should drain back to the oil pan, a hot engine will cook out all the moisture, problem is the OEM don't have an oil drain back bung on the oil pan unless it's turbo charged or aftermarket or the owner installed a drain back line to the oil pan. 2nd a catch can should be air cooled to help the vapors condense in the mesh/filter. this problem is something the OEM should be doing on modern cars.
I have the provent on my Diesel Colorado. I plan on keeping it a really long time and if it helps even a little that’s fine. I live in south Texas so it only gets to freezing maybe a handful of night and only overnight. The idea of all that oil going into the intercooler let alone the intake just kind of grosses me out. The kit from Sasquatch parts has the high quality custom hoses and bracket and a long hose with a valve for it to drain to. I can always see how much oil it has and is easy to drain. I just release a few reusable wires ties that hold the hose down and then up behind the headlight and dangle it down to the side of the frame and open the valve to drain. I typically do it about every 3 months. I’m pretty happy with how clean the throttle body is now compared to how dirty it would get before I installed it. Just anecdotal, but it’s been fine.
I bought a UPR. I feel it is a quality product. In the summer, I dump out about 3 ounces off goo per 900 miles. Installed in 2017 yukon denali. The AFM, was deleted by computer at preformance shop. I'm in Minnesota and dump out 4 ounches every 200 to 350 miles in cold winter. 😊
I have a UPR and have no complaints on 2023 Silverado 5.3L. I figure if a catch can is good enough for a corvette which comes stock, it's good enough for my truck.
Interesting. From memory, my engine routed the PCV in front of the turbo where there is always vacuum. You would think that would foul up the turbine but there was a air/oil separator built in that I did not know about.
I run the J&L. Tapped and added a 1/2 inch hose barb to the bottom of the canister, with about 24 inches (lifted Jeep) of hose with a petcock valve on the end of the hose. When I change the oil I open the valve and drain the catch can at the same time. The hose adds capacity and never had an issue with freezing.
Great video‼ We LS swapped an NA vehicle. Just a few months ago I spent days reading & researching “Catch Cans”. I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to figure out what you did. So I purchased a “Motion Raceworks Oil catch can.. It’s not recirculating the PCV and the can I purchased has two inlets or an inlet & outlet. So we have a hose from each valve cover to the can. Anyway you can test this companies cans. They state they were completely redesigned by an engineer!
The vacuum side of a PCV system on a turbocharged engine should be on the intake side of the turbo, not the engine intake manifold that receives boost pressure. At least that's my experience with turbo diesel engines and their OEM PCV systems.
I'm not sure how his engine works, but all of the turbo engines I've messed with had a pcv system that pulled in front of the turbo when the intake manifold goes positive.
I have up agree with the 2 prior comments. My reasoning for wanting a catch can is bc the oil vapors go in, through the turbo, but then when it passes through the intercooler it's condensing and going from vapor to liquid (thus the intercooler is acting as a catch can and it pools-up in the bottom of the intercooler), also the charge tubes cool the vapor and ultimately everything in the intake system becomes coated in oil and every low point in the tubes pools oil as well. This is also on a 4-Stroke Turbo Snowmobile, so there's 200° Vapors and -20° Air flowing around the tubes and through the intercooler -- it's not 100° air driving through Arizona -- so it congeals back into a cold thick oil
Came here to say this, glad you mentioned it. My 6.7L Cummins and my old 7.3L IDIT both had their PCV lines connected on the intake side of the turbo from the factory / OEM.
Every vehicle I've ever worked on (all European vehicles) have the PCV enter the intake before the throttle or turbo, so they effectively are always on the atmospheric side of the system. This is a standard design across all European vehicles. It seems dumb to put them on the vacuum or boosted side, as it can't function correctly.
I've installed an oil catch can on several of my Toyotas. One thing that I found out is that while the OCV valve is generally around 3/8" the size of the intake tube is 3/4". I've used larger ports on the oil catch cans to help with this while sometimes I've had to use a 5/8" hose and then use a 5/8" to 3/4" barb fitting so I can attach the proper size hose to the intake. It's good to know that the larger hoses are a good thing though!
I have a 2014 Jeep jku that I rock crawl with. The catch can works on the Jeep when you are climbing up rocks and at an angle for long periods of time. With out the catch can the Jeep will start smoking very badly after a few minutes. I definitely recommend a Catch can.
Re: The PQY and its baffle. Perhaps the baffle is a blessing in disguise? If it stops collecting oil once the level reaches the baffle, it will prevent the concern you have about getting big slugs of oil dumped in the intake during high acceleration manoeuvres. I do agree with the conclusion, though - oil catch cans are a solution looking for a problem, and having an oil mist in the intake is not a big enough problem to worry about unless the engine already has some big issues.
I have owned both Moroso and Crawford on a Subaru STI. In the south, on humid days, if you make short ~30min trips, you will need to empty the small cans weekly. The Crawford has a drain back feature, and was also heated to engine temperature with coolant lines. The Crawford stopped all oil entering the intercooler. The Moroso worked well, until you forgot to empty the can, then it makes a huge mess, and you will need to wash out the intercooler...
For boosted engines you hook up the exit line or return line from the catch can to the intake tube of the intake. So when you’re in boost. It’s pulling air through the catch can via turbo suction aka vaccum
Thank you for this video with a clear and scientific approach. It convinced me not to install a catch can on my vehicle, unlike all the "promotional" videos without any scientific proof. But remains an open question: How can I avoid carbon deposits on my turbocharged direct injection gasoline engine?
Good to know about the possible freeze up, compromising expensive seals, or just gaskets. Makes me Worry now. The old Carbed engines with the pcv and a little filter in the air cleaner worked great, and an indication of the engine-for blow-by. Might switch back to factory in my new truck-especially in winter, although it has made it thru a few winters, no problem-catching sludge and water. Start ups, and short trips kill engines, and batteries.
Large Ball canning jar Stainless Steel Chain Maille Scrubber with Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Scrubbers on top. Stretch and loosely fill. Hot glue hoses in the lid, one hose bottom of jar, one at lid. Mason jar hanger and zip ties Large volume and turns mist, vapor to liquid. Clear easy to keep a eye on. Probably have the material on hand. Collects far more than any you can buy. Original catch can from back in the day.
@@Longbowgun Most standard hot glue sticks have a melting point in the range of 250 to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. The engine bay of a car typically operates at a temperature between 190 and 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Just need it to seal Even coming out of the gun it's thick enough to form a seal. Have to use the trigger to push it out.
I would have liked if you included a 3 chamber catch can. This means the brillo pad is only part of the separation system and yes it does reduce capacity for the same external size. This has removed all evidence of oil in my supercharger.
Depends how new or old it is (whether it has sensors that monitor these systems or not) Ultimately, you can try (try not to make irreversible changes like cutting hoses, unless you want to buy a replacement in case you need to go back to the factory setup) and if the CEL (check engine light) comes on, I'd say you don't wanna do it. But if you stick a small air filter on the end of a hose (just ask an auto parts place for a filter - you don't want the chance for dirt/dust going into the crankcase) and vent it out to the great wide open world, you shouldn't have any issues, unless your car's computer decides to make it an issue.
I just got a catch can just to stop oil from going back in and gunking up my intake. I've had the evil energy one for a year now on my 2009 Crown Vic and no issues with it icing up in Northern Illinois. I usually empty the can every couple oil changes.
The mishimoto clone works fine on both my 2.7tt f150 and my vr6 n/a corrado. Add more steel wool and the results will surprise you. The crank pressure test was enlightening though. Might add a in line check valve before the can on my f150.
Interesting. In the old school turbo Subaru world people are absolutely dedicated to catch cans and air oil separators. It’s just a known fact that you have to have one to keep your EJ from blowing up. They still have the audacity to blow up anyway. 😂 I bought the J&L catch can for my Ecoboost 3.0 V6 because it was fairly inexpensive, simple to install, and I figured worst case scenario it wouldn’t hurt. Looks like if I lived in a cold climate that might not be true, but at least I live in a southern state. Thanks for the in depth testing even if it wasn’t news I wanted to hear
I blew out a rear main seal on 2012 equinox due to pcv sensor cloggin up in the intake caused by excessive blow-by, i would highly recommend anyone install a catch on any ecotech engine that burns oil, which is 90% of them 😅 to avoid this costly reparation. Either that or removing the intake and widening the hole in the pcv sensor 😒
Years ago, I re-built a 2.3 engine for my Opel. (Vauxhall engine, European GM) I built my own catch can with large surface area to condense oil vapour. It seemed to work although the valve I made did 'rattle' when I decelerated quickly 😁
Not sure if US has adapted what Aussies do when it comes to catch cans but usually with a high performance build you'll see that they most likely got a fabricator to make a catch can (as big as they can so usually over 1L filter which vents atmosphere, 1 line to each cam cover, and a 3rd line which will be on the bottom which drains to sump pan so no longer needing to drain the can, only issue is if e85 is used may. Red to do oil changes a little more frequently since it holds moisture more
@@Bpf1893 I never said 2.8s specifically. I worked at a fleet for a utility company, Ford 6.7 powerstroke trucks will clog them due to the carbon build up. That same carbon that clogs a 6.7 powerstroke egr cooler goes right in the intake...
You should try what I did. I bought a small radiator and plumbed it up in front of my regular radiator then ran it to a catch can in an attempt to condense as much of that vapor as I could. Works very well. Of course there is still an amount that gets through but it's significantly less. After 10K miles the amount of diesel snot in my intake system is considerably less. Next I need to find a way to do something about the EGR soot. I really wish they would start taking it from AFTER the DPF like some European cars do.
I am using the one with the dip stick. It's from china/aliexpress and it's crazy that someone marketed it as it's own. Regardless, it does the job for me. Before installing it on my BMW 340i ~650hp, the intake was getting a lot of oil and every morning after a night of WOTs on the strongest map I was getting tons of smoke out of the exhaust. Now I have 0 smoke, however I will still go an replace the valve cover as I feel there is a valve or something else in the PCV that's failed.
Glad I found this video (I live in a sometimes cooler climate where temps drop below freezing 2-3 months of the year). I've been on the fence about which brand of catch can and even if I should bother with it but I'm going off little knowledge of a catch can besides a fundamental concept of that it collects "bad oil" in it. So this has opened my eyes to a more well rounded understanding of the innerworkings and consequential situations that may arrive. My question is this: Would purchasing a Baffled Billet Valve Cover Breather in place of the oil cap remedy the pressure buildup you discussed at the end of the video regarding your personal opinions on catch cans? Would the seals still be vulnerable in a scenario where my catch can is frozen ? Thanks for all your info and enjoy finding your channel!
Minor Correction: a catch can be installed on a boosted vehicle they just require the vent goes before the turbocharger, not after where boost is stored
I installed one on a 3rd gen Prius, I take the intake manifold out every year to clean it and it would have a quart of oil living in it because of the position of the PCV valve. Which is mounted on the side instead of the top, this design allows it to swallow oil like crazy. I understand this isn’t a perfect method however, for my application, it works great and the catch can fills up every three months. So they do work if you have an engine design that allows, the valve to ingest oil like crazy
For the ecoboost engines I think it's worth getting the direct fit check-valved oil cap breathers. It only helps in boost becuase of the check valve, but will help less vapor go to the intake and lower crankcase pressure even more in boost. Very easy install. Also worth noting that the 2.0 and 2.3 (probably other ecoboost too but idk for sure) have what's called a breather plate to help remove oil from the air before it gets to the manifold. Essientially the catch can concept but without any maintenance. Another good potential option is the mountune breather plate. It's supposed to do a better job of removing oil from the air than stock one due to increased surface area and still retains factory pcv line connectivity and also doesn't add the maintenance of emptying the catch can just like the breather. My experience with catch cans is they work best in a cooler area to increase the condensation of oil and water(the whole point of it) but that makes it more prone to freeze up in winter. When I ran one in my front bumper it seemed to perform quite well, mostly water, and the outlet hose always stayed dry, so it seemed to be working well there. However, the absolute best way to deal with the carbon buildup problem is vent to atmosphere if you can. No emptying cans or freezing. Absolutlely no question as to whether or not there's gonna be carbon buildup.
I live in NY where the winters sometimes get nasty. I have 2 oil catch cans on my turbo GDI Hyundai motor, and can say with some certainty this is why my rear main seal blew one winter. Not only that, but emptying them is a pain in the ass when they freeze, and what do you do with the disgusting liquid? I empty it in with used oil from oil changes, but due to the moisture content added, shops won't take my used oil anymore for fear of getting fined. Looking back, I don't think it was worth it at all.
How about doing a test on the best catch can out there the duel catch can from UPR..specially made for boosted engines..open one of them and tell me what you think..
Ford racing sells a oil-air separator for the coyote engines. Has a filter inside, similar to ford transmission filter "screens" and its made of abs plastic. Ive had it installed for 5yrs and empty every oil change, removing maybe 3-5 floz of oil/water mix from it. I cleaned my throttle body last year and it was like new clean (very little build up on edge). Long story short, yeah, they dont remove 100% vapors, but it does actually work well and at least prolongs the amount of time before carbon starts causing issues.
Thank you so much for your video, you’ve got a new subscriber! I have a 2012 GMC Terrain with the Ecotec 2.4 engine, and I’ve installed a budget catch can because I read online that these vehicles often have issues due to the PCV hole being very small and getting clogged. I also bought a new oil cap with a hole to allow pressure to escape. I live in a hot climate and was wondering if it’s normal that after a year, my catch can literally has zero liquid in it. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad sign. Also, when I start the vehicle and remove the oil cap, instead of suction, there’s air pressure coming out. Recently, every now and then when I start the vehicle, it loses RPMs and stalls. The issue goes away after starting the engine several times. Do you think this is related? Should I be concerned? Thanks again!
I have the PQY on a coyote engine but I've modified it. Mine has 2 inlets, one outlet to manifold and the bottom drain. I put a barbed fitting on the bottom drain and both it and the outlet to manifold instead vent to hoses to the bottom of the car to ambient air. Oh, I removed the pneumatic filter too so it cant clog. Maybe it drips a drop of oil every 30 miles but it never left a spot where I park. So what's the point of the can? Well, now it's really a distribution block for the hoses. But the end result is: Zero oil to my intake, no oil on my valve cover as with little k/n valve cover filters, little risk of both intake or drain hoses clogging with ice, no filters to clog, and zero maintenance. $75 all in with aluminum pcv fittings and hoses. Works for me.
The right setup for the right car done the right way is the point of the catch can and also catch cans are not I repeat not meant to stop the carbon build up on the valves they are meant to drastically reduce the amounts of carbon potentially building up on the valves generally on DI engines considering they don't have any way to clean the valves like a port injection engine does so with the right combination of a catch can along with preventative maintenance say like cleaning your valves with CRC every oil change or every other oil change is a good way of doing this said preventative maintenance to keep your valves clean on a DI engine. Also if you're going to install a catch can you should understand everything about your particular car and the particular catch can that you are buying examples would be if you are a forced induction engine also the fact of how big the catch can is what kind of filtration the catch can has in it. You also need to be competent enough to continually check the catch can and make sure that it is not full and at bare minimum should be cleaning it out every oil change which at most should be every 5,000 mi on a fully synthetic oil.
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Just to be fair, you forgot to mention that J&L has a 3 Oz. Capacity Extension Tube that you can buy. I purchased the J&L kit for the simple reason that all connectors are included and required zero cutting of factory hoses!
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The reasoning for my purchase decision is the following...
Not sure if this is related, but I have a 2020 Ford Explorer XLT and I discovered that when the EcoBoost Turbo got hot that it would offgas "fumes", which to me smelled like burning oil. Doing a bit of research, I discovered that the engine that I have is direct fuel inject with the PCV valve gasses (piston blowby and misted oil from the crankcase) getting routed right back into the intake!!! This caused the PCV contaminants to basically "burn" on the hot Turbo fan blades and off gas causing the smell in the vehicle interior. Adding an "Oil Catch/Separator Can" to the PCV line practically eliminated the burning smell!!! Adding in the Oil Separator Can also keeps the intake valves free of carbon resulting in a better seal and higher compression. Oil mist in the air stream also kills the octane rating of whatever gasoline you're using as the computer ignition timing has to "hunt" for proper combustion. Removing the incomplete combustion particulates from the exhaust is also more beneficial for your catalytic converter maintaining a longer life. People wonder why their engines don't last very long. The above observations is probably the reason why!!!
Mishimoto and Amazon - trash. They will not only can be defeated by Provent, but they will blow your gaskets, because raised crankcase pressure because of them is not good.
Connecto you section tube between filter and turbo.
On your “Evil Energy” it appears to be missing the stainless baffling material to go into the can. I have a version of this and it has the “ball” of stainless (looks like a kitchen pot scrubber) to help grab the oil particles and baffle for movement.
@@damonstone379033:08 ?
Back in the sixties, I received the 1st smog license in Stockton, California. In those days, most of the cars we dealt with were the open draft tube type, which we converted with a common add-on PCV kit. We ran a hose from the draft tube opening on the block up to a vacuum port under the carburetor. We inserted a generic PCV valve into that line as close to the manifold as we could get. Between the PCV valve and the port on the block, we inserted a version of a catch can. It got mounted on the fender or radiator bracing, wherever we could find room.
The can was basically a quart Ball glass jar. It had a lid with hose fittings for the PCV hose. The IN line (from the block) went down into the jar at least halfway. The OUT line was right at the top.
On a newly converted old engine, you could fill that jar with crud in 1,000 miles. After every dump and refill, the crud amount got less and less. Engines with a draft tube could get really sludged up inside. Running the PCV conversion kit for a few thousand miles got some engines looking like new inside.
I have a mason jar catch on my f150, 😂
This is car history right here ❤
Noticed this same thing happen on my 'older'' vehicle. Got LOTS at first, then it stabilized to a pretty small amount and has kept that way for the last 30k miles. Thought this was a weird phenomenon but It seems to be in line with what you said!
My 2012 V6 Tacoma had dry oil soot in the tail pipe, and it was burning more oil than I thought it should. So I installed an oil catch can. Now the tail pipe is clean and truck burns noticeably less oil. I bought two Mishimoto cans, cut out the bottom of one, and stacked the two cylinders to create one tall catch can that holds a lot of oil. Oh, yea, and I installed a drain cock at the bottom. Also, I stuffed stainless steel mesh into the can above the baffle and below the bronze filter to create more surface area for the vapors to contact and liquify. It works like a dream. Yes, I get a bit of water during the cold season (not too cold since I'm in San Diego), but the water seems to vaporize and burn off on its own. Works like a dream. The only drawback is the need to remove the unit every other year for the smog check. I get only a couple ounces of oil at each oil change, and I do periodically unscrew the cylinder from the upper component in order to spray all the inner parts down with carb spray cleaner. Lastly, I think it's also a good idea to remove the unit with its hoses (spray it down like I described) and spray out any accumulation of oil in the hoses, which depending on the angle of the hoses, can pull inside a hose and block it. One last thing. I did drill and tap a hole at the top of the unit directly above the bronze filter. I put a screw in it, which I can remove at the same time I remove the drain cock at the bottom. This allows me to insert the sprayer tip (of carb spray cleaner) down in there and wash things out, then replace the screw and the drain cock -- just a shorter option for cleaning out the insides.
You seem to have a good understanding of a catch can it's not rocket science.👍
The thing is not to stop the ventilation from flowing or restrict it, as that will build up pressure in the crankcase causing the main seals and valve cover gasket etc... to blow out
So what you’re saying is that we should all be driving WOT all of the time. I’m with you.
I was considering installing a catch can on my vehicle. The timing of the video couldn't be better. A well made and researched video with excellent discussion and educated opinion. Many thanks.
remember to check your specific kind of vehicle. See what other owners of identical vehicles think. Nothing beats specific product-level knowledge.
@@rarespetrusamartean5433 Good advice.
@@bw6078 The issue not discussed well in this video is the oil gunk in the Egr. A catch can reduce the chances of ash mixing with oil, thereby reducing the oil content in the Egr. It is easier to clean dry soot than it is with oil mixed in. A blockage is also faster and easier with an oil/ash mixture, in theory, the oil component is what your Egr is there for and not ash. This should imo, extend your service times.
Thank you for this video. This is the first review that used actual testing instead of opinions. I no longer wonder if I need a catch can on my car. No catch can for my car.
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Get the PQY, rip out the insides, install a stainless steel pot scrubber pad instead. Now the inlet and outlet don't matter. Place it just above the catalyst as a heat source or you will trap mostly water. The increase in surface area provided by the pot scrubber pad is the key. Drain at every oil change.
That material is called Scrubble or Stainless Steel Scrubble.
@@chrispompanoScrubble 400 to be exact.
I say this as an engine builder for race and extreme duty engine applications. A properly designed catch can can be effective in managing oil loss due to high crankcase pressures.
I modify the drain plug and replace it with a hose returning collected oil back into the engine after going through catch can filter.
Proper management of crankcase vapors involves more than sending vapors into the air or into the combustion chamber to be burned.
Controlling , filtering then redirecting vapors can reduce oil consumption, reduce carbon buildup and reduce NOX emissions.
And no i am writing this to promote or sell any products. Just real world experience from a real world regular guy wanting to help give an explanation of my own personal experiences.
I'm with you on this.👍
I bought the J&L. I also bought the evil one and returned. The reason I kept the J&L is that they came with right sized hose and fitting. It catches 3 oz of oil out of 3000 miles. I’d rather to have 3oz less to intake
Exactly! I empty my J&L every 3k. It’s always 3/4 the way full. That’s 2 ounces or more of oil would be on my valves.
Living in Vermont, I knew I will be dealing with lots of moisture condensations in the winter months (latte anyone?). J&L sells catch can extensions which double the can's capacity, which helps immensely in not having to worry about the can overflowing quickly. However, I still wish the can is see through so you don't have to unscrew everytime to check.
Billet Technologies. Look at the design. It literally speaks for itself (for anyone that understands how catch cans and other oil separators work). It is FAR superior to those tested here. No, I am not affiliated, but I have bought multiple of these cans for multiple vehicles because the design is as perfect for a catch can as it can possible be.
Go with the brand called UPR also made in USA. I too have purchased and returner or had to sell many other big brand named cans on the market because of their lack of living up to the name, performance and expectations. They were all overpriced garbage except for the gem by upr. I got their medium sized can which is plenty big. Keep in mind this brand is marketed toward American muscle vehicles so you won’t find a direct plug and play kit for most other applications, they are mostly for fords and Chevy. I bought just the can and made my own lines and fittings to be used on my bmw. It uses 1/4npt treads so it’s super easy to make it connect to anything
I have the J&L in my 2023 Frontier. I empty my catch can every 5000k kms and it has liquid in there.
I mean you can empty it often lol. Thats what I do on mine. I admire your testing and dedication to testing these. But imo, you’re not supposed to wait until these are full in order to empty them. You empty them often. They do work. May not as well as you would like them to and thats fair. Sure. But I have picture proof that it works on my Accord.
I empty my 4runners can every 1-2k miles in the summer and every 500 in the winter due to increased condensation. Idk man, I mean imo, it captures a ton of oil and water and just general shit from entering my intake and depositing on my valves and pistons and such. And yes, the water/ oil mixture may freeze but if its not COMPLETELY full to the top, the gasses can still pass by easily until the hot air melts the water/ oil mixture and all is well. The block of ice essentially just makes the can smaller until it melts. I think you’re playing the “freezing” up a little too much. I have been running a catch can on my 4runner for several winters and I too live in NEO and have never had an issue with any seal blowing out man. I just empty the can often and make sure its not full. If you do that youll be fine. My 4runner also doesn’t have an egr system and I have the same can installed on my heavily modified 2015 Accord V6 manual but have disabled the egr system.
Imo, the intake side of the engine should ONLY be for fresh clean air, not oily, unburnt exhaust gases mixed with fresh air. So I understand your trepidation and concerns and while they’re not invalid I think they’re a bit over the top. Anything is better than nothing as long as its not making anything worse which I would emphatically argue that it doesn’t but it seems like you would say it does. Which is fine. Were allowed to disagree. I just wanted to share my experience of running a can through several winters and never having an issue. If you’re so worried about freezing, what would stop the condensation and oil/ water that remains in the stock oem pcv line from freezing and causing issues? But that never happens right? Just empty your can often and youll be fine.
Good video man. Thanks for making it!
We can agree to disagree. I don't doubt your experiences at all. The hoses can freeze as well. Just like the Pro-Vent, if the inlet line freezes, the pressure relief doesn't matter because the high pressure doesn't make it to the valve.
The price that you pay for one of these also plays into my decision not to use one. If you install one of these you're simply prolonging when you need to do a GDI cleaning, either way you're going to have to do it. You're just pushing the mileage out on the service. Why not take that $200+ dollars in some cases and set those funds aside IF you need to do a GDI cleaning in the future. I shot a DIY valve cleaning video last fall with this Escape featured in this video. At 112K miles it had build up but it made zero effect on how the engine ran before or after the cleaning. I have no doubt that I could have pushed this valve cleaning out to 150K without any problem.
Oil has been going into car intakes since the 60s. Teams of engineers design these engines. I'd be surprised if J&L employed a single one... If a piece of stainless steel wool shoved in a PCV line will stop all of these problems, why are a lot of cars going back to Port injection in combination with DI? Auto manufacturers are literally installing 2 fuel systems on some engines because of this problem. If they could solve that problem with some steel wool, you have to figure they would. That could save 10s of millions a year.
I completely respect your opinion. At the end of the day, it's your car and your decision. I just haven't seen a single compelling argument FOR these things other than "Wow, look what is in this can".
@@RepairGeek totally respect that and agree with it even. You make a great point about the engineers and such. But the only thing I would push back with that on is in this day and age specifically and particularly, engineers are tasked with producing and providing solutions for government regulations and cram downs and mpg regulations. The reason my Accord (and most newer cars for that matter) require a super light oil such as a 0-w20 isn’t because thats what BETTER for the engine lol. No. Its because it does and okay-enough job at protecting the engine internals whilst providing better mpg as then engineers search for every last 0.00001 mpg that they can squeeze out of an internal combustion engine. A 0 weight oil isn’t the best choice for longevity and for engine protection its the best for mpg. Gone are the days of producing whats best for the engine and longevity.
My point is engineers are given a task of designing something to fit a spec that HAS to comply with government regulations. They dont have to fix it or repair it or work on it and they dont have the freedom to make it better even if they wanted to. So its now up to us as the consumer to look out for us because no one else will. And my opinion is anything that can help protect my engine and possibly increase longevity is good for me.
But well said my man and I respect what you said. Good job again man.
Gotta say, I'm with you here. I'm in warm weather and I dump mine every 4k miles - it doesn't really get that full
@@RepairGeekcar went to port and direct hybrid because manufacturers can’t trust owners to maintain and empty catch cans.
@@lespaulguitarist92 but they call out oil changes as maintenance items? What is the difference?
Thanks for your time on the review. I personally have the J&L on my 2022 Wrangler with the 2.0 turbo. They supply you with factory type connectors to connect to the factory fittings on your vehicle, easy to follow instructions and highquality parts is thoughtful engineering on their part. You don't get that with cheap knockoffs. I catch about an oz every 1k mi. Yeah you need to be on top of emptying it out but if your a DIYer it's a nice setup.
I have two 1.5l ecoboost cars and two 2.7l ecoboost cars. I run J&L catch cans on all of them. Empty them every 2 weeks during winter months. They get full quickly in my cold winter climate.
"Looks like you blew a seal."
"No, it's just a little ice cream."
SAE Published a paper on this subject back in 2018: Comparative Performance of 12 Crankcase Oil Mist Separators doi:10.4271/03-12-01-0001 The MH ProVent came out on top.
... b-b-but the J&L is shinier 😂
I have a Porsche Cayman with the 3.4 l normally aspirated DFI engine. Like other DFI engines, my car had significant carbon/grime build-up on the back of the intake valves and in the intake ports. My friend and I created a catch can kit that plugs in between the air oil separator (AOS) and the intake manifold. I've designed fittings and use hoses that match the internal diameter of the original hoses in order to maintain OEM airflow. We also sourced a very high quality can with a large capacity, good quality filtering, and good baffling. We have a customer uses a can of our design and gets roughly 35-50 ml out of it after 3-5k miles of driving. I track my car and typically do oil changes in between events so I don't see the volume he sees, but it is interesting to see the can "in action". I tend to generally agree that a catch can usefulness may be somewhat subjective, but in my scenario, it does seem to be effective - if nothing else, because design of the system and the can were thoughtful considerations to maintain good factory-like vacuum pressure and flow. I have noticed a significant drop in the amount of soot at the tailpipe and sticking to the back of the car after installation as well.
I feel like your smoke test isn't really representative of heavier liquids and contaminants found in oil vapors and therefore may be misleading. The increased surface area of the common "scrubber" elements found in some catch cans is really what is doing the work here, forcing those contaminated vapors to twist and turn around the element which forces the heavier elements to get caught up and drip into the can. Sure smoke will pass through those easily, as they aren't small particulate air filters, which is what a smoke machine is putting out - remember it's supposed to allow the smoke to find very small breaches so you can identify them.
My GDI Engine equipped with a catch-can with a lot of steel wool inside catches a lot. I then take the output from the catch can and run this into a Spin-on remote mount oil filter adapter and run it through a standard spin-on oil filter so that the cellulose paper filtering material further dries the PCV and removed 99.99% of the vapour between the two and then I run it back into the engine. 200K and 0 build-up on the valves. I empty the catch can a few times between oil changes and I change the oil filter on the spin-on oil filter at every oil change. The media inside the oil filter is damp but not soaked so it's absolutely a second step that is needed before routing the PCV back into the engine. It's important to use a cellulose paper style conventional spin-on filter that doesn't have synthetic media. The synthetic media will not absorb the oily moisture and will let it pass through unlike the Cellulose paper standard type filters. Like your crappy orange can Fram filters for example is what you would want to use and not the Fram Ultra.
That’s a really good idea 👍
Turbo or NA?
@@WholeCosmos It’s N.A. but you can do it in a turbo application with the addition of a catch with 3 ports and the addition of some check valves.
@@ericgustafson8716 I also use a filter without an anti-drain back valve for better flow.
@@CedroCron I say just put a vaccum pump and a sensor on that shit to pull just over crank case pressure at all times adjusting to the boost.
I have Ford Everest with a Bi Turbo Diesel. The first month I pulled the cold side pipe and it dropped oil out. I installed a Provent 200 and pulled 2 months later and it was clean, with a hint of a little moisture. (From what I understand) The problem with CCV is the moisture in the EGR system. The EGR actually helps Diesels run better, but bc they route the CCV into it, it becomes a clogged mess. Provent filters are designed to be saturated to perform the way they do. Also, I paid $150 for the complete kit, not 200+. The other CCs should have a pressure relief like the Provent does IMO.
I may be wrong about this--------> Your smoke test only proves that Air continues to flow as it should.
Good video though, this is something very hard to test but has a simple idea behind it.
I try to explain that EGR is good for diesels and people just spew that exact same idea that no ash equals good. Well yes, but also no. DPF's are bullshit, EGR's have a purpose. I didn't know about the CCV and EGR mixing, that's a pretty good point.
Back in the late 60's when cars switched from draft tubes to PCV there was an inline canister with something like a metal pot scrubber inside. The oil would condense on that and then drip back down into the oil pan. There was nothing to drain. A lot of hot rodders still swear by that solution either inline or in a catch can.
BMW still uses this solution, works great (till it breaks cause everything is plastic lol)
@@busterscrugs Nissans have had this since the 80s as well. Works fine even with massively turbocharged...
IF well designed then it works well but in most cases.. that system is to small when the engine get older like my old Suzuki Grand Vitara 2000" 2.0lt TDI it had a system like that but it was to small at old age..
Yes. Hot roders would not dare put that sewage anywhere near their polished intake ports or their finely metered air-fuel ratio. ❤👍👍
This is the vid I have been looking for.
Says it all.
At 100,000 miles I put a camera into my intake, installed an AFe intake tune and JL can on my 2014 F150 3.5l EcoBoost
I don't quite fill out up between oil changes, but it does have a decent amount of milky oil.
It might not fully stop carbon build up, but looking at my valves now (nearly 200,000 miles today) i can not see a noticeable increase on the valves.
Id say if you have a GDI engine, it's be definitely going to help!
That said, I'm glad my new ford Edge ST has the newer direct+port injectors
Sorry but, I’m on my second Edge ST and all model years 2019 to 2024 are based on the Gen 1 2.7 EcoBoost and never received the port+direct injection. The good thing is the Gen 1 has the chain driven oil pump and not the wet belt that the Gen 2 motors were cursed with.
My catch can is well sealed. 3/8 gas hose. No kinks routed to the cool side. Clean dark amber oil was caught in the ssmesh. My intake is still perfectly clean. Mine works! Mpg over sticker guestimate! New plugs. Oil flush and barrymans b12 3 tanks. All running gear fluids fresh! Trans drain n refill. I was down to 14 mpg. So glad my 3000 oil change in 6 months keeps my engine shiny silvery clean!!!!!!! So powerfull now!
I use one of these on a gdi Chevrolet engine. Drain it every oil change. There’s oil in it that isn’t on the back of the intake valve.
I doubt it catches all the oil vapor but it helps.
Agreed. It won't capture all, but certainly helps. Regular oil changes are key, WOT on the odd occasion.
@@Blue-moon12 who would a wont help.. if the carbon it on the intake valves..it pretty much cooked on,, thats why we use walnut shell blasting to clean the back of the valves..WOT will not do anythimg
I have a clone of the Evil Energy on my Whipple supercharged 6.2L L86 powered Tahoe. Every oil change I empty the catch can and it is always about 1/3 full of oil/fuel mix. It may not be perfect; but it’s gotta be better to be stopping that oil from cooking on the back of the valves
Vent to atmosphere lol
@@jdjesse perhaps you could inhale it?
Great Video. Very educational... I never used any oil-catch or oil separators in the past on any of my vehicles and had no issues… Just got myself a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and of course, I went to forums and as you can assume tons of users there recommend an oil catch can so I bought one made by Ford - Ford Performance Oil-Air Separator Kit Passenger Side Mustang GT 5.0L 2018-2023
Now after watching your video, I am not so sure anymore if that was a worthy investment at $230 spent 😞
Its crazy how little information i was able to find when considering to install a catch can. Thank you! thank you! thank you for this info!!!
I agree on your first place pick. My 1977 F-150 with the 300 inline six has tons of blow by . Three of my plugs get caked with crap and it starts misfiring every few months. I have the same catch can as the "Evil" one you tested but it is a china one but looks exactly the same. It was $18 on Amazon. Every 1000 miles or so it becomes about 1/3 full of oil. My plug gaps are not getting fouled up anymore.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It gave me something to think about.
I have the Evil Energy can on my 2016 Canyon 2.8. Duramax. I increased the fitting size to use larger hoses. I empty the can at oil changes, it collects about 1/4 inch of oil in that time. The outlet hose is clean from oil residue now.
The volume of the catch can is the key to it functioning well. A large volume causes the airflow to slow down and give time for the heavier particles to settle out. On a diesel, if you want to keep your intake clean, install water injection system.
I ran one on my Golf R for a couple of years. It wouldn't catch a ton during the warmer months and then during the colder months you would have to empty the can weekly. It more of a nuisance than anything. Removing that water vapor during the colder months probably made the carbon stick more than it helped.
Jokes on you, I'm venting directly to atmosphere on my 6.7L Powerstroke 🤣😂
Same on my 5.3 colorado
A straight tube direct to the floor ?
Same - LML
Seriously, people are taken advantage of in the car world like no other. I don't understand that shit
@@alessandrofreda4687just get a small filter off eBay or Amazon that fits on your pcv output on the valve cover, cap off the port on your intake and if it has any ports off the intake manifold cap them off. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to use little filters on both valve covers if it has multiple ports like on my g35/350z. The moisture will evaporate and the filter will keep the engine from inhaling any dirt or whatnot. If your engine is worn it may barf out oil and in that case just run a hose down to the ground with a filter on the end so it doesn't oil up your engine bay
The dipstick feature seems very practical and the hole can be used to suck out the liquid.
Thanks for this test, the best around. With all the knowledge about the freezing and seals.
Tastes extra OILY tho....
:D
This video is very well made and explained, thank you thumbs up
Good video.
It opened my eyes a bit more than I thought it would.
I, personally, never considered the effect of having a slight vacuum on the crankcase helping to seal the oil control rings.
I’m designing a catch can system now, having a separate, remote, oil reservoir from the separator but need to consider overall reservoir volumes.
In normal driving, vacuum will vary, it is not going to remain always negative. Ever ride in an old car with vacuum actuated wipers? They would slow down or stop when you went up a hill. Vacuum varies, another reason vacuum canisters were invented. Don't sweat it.
@@thangknowa3288 I have driven old cars with vacuum operated wipers. And I have added large vacuum canisters inline because of that! 😉
So basically you could just make a catch can with a metal coffee can and some steel wool..🤔
EXACTLY! I may make one out of an old pickle jar to prove a point lol
Back in my day, people ran a cut open soda can as a catch can
I use one of those catch cans and it does collect oil. I remove it in the winter because you can see the water mixed in oil in cold weather. Overall I’m very satisfied with it.
Thanks for the demonstration. I wondered about these and was going to use one of these on my Transit Van as I have used them before. My extended warranty voids if I use one so I didn't buy one which I am glad because it seems like it doesn't solve the problem.
Ive made catch cans from air compressor water filters,and add marbles for media to catch oil vapour,and it did work,but i had to remove the catch cans in the winter ,you do not want a frozen catch can. I think the filter media plays a big part on how they perform, why I used marbles, no restriction and do not desintegrate . as far as the brilo pad goes, yeah it may filter and catch vapour, but what IF it does it break down and go through your intake, also if that freezes well you now have a slush ball ,restricting pcv operation.
LOL I do have the evil energy one, but haven't installed it yet. I want to upgrade the filter media first.
great comparison video,
Very nicely done, and in formative !!
Thank you !!
Our kohler generators that use large diesel engines use a filter similar to the mann. They act as a filter and oil separator with a drain routing oil back into the crankcase. The suction side attaches in the intake tract before the turbo inlet. No problem with there being a suction on the filter/separator even under heavy load.
I use a ProVent 200 on my 2013 mercedes GL350 (diesel). It catches ~3 ounces of oil every 1,000 miles. That’s great on these cars and will protect the DPF from the soot & ash from burning engine oil. I’m very happy either way the results and have been for 125,000 miles so far.
I have used the Mann and Hummel ProVent on a couple of pick ups, one turbo diesel Andthe other a DI gas. A couple points: ProVent has the only coalescing filter which naturally needs to be changed from time to time like any other filter. Being a plastic product, it is less likely to freeze in cold weather. With a pressure as well as vacuum breaker, should the filter freeze off, your engine is better protected. I appreciate your effort to shed light on all catch cans. It is absolutely true that the outlet of the catch can needs to be routed upstream of the turbo inlet.
Every time that I used to see someone post the Mishimoto catch can, I would reply with the PQY catch can. Oh, the amount of butt-hurt that came out was hilarious!
That aside, I did install the PQY catch can on my former car (2006 WRX) and it did collect material that I needed to empty periodically (ie. every 3000 miles). In that regard, it did it's job as expected, so no complaints there. I do wish that the capacity was greater though. I did not perform an inspection of the intake valves before/after, so I cannot detail if it was truly effective or not.
All that said, it would be interesting to see a PCV and EGR filter setup (1 dedicated filter per). That would help to limit oil vapor and carbon.
I use a ProVent 200 on my 2013 mercedes GL350 (diesel). It catches ~3 ounces of oil every 1,000 miles. That’s great on these cars and will protect the DPF from the soot & ash from burning engine oil. I’m very happy either way the results and have been for 125,000 miles so far.
On a turbo engine the pcv is rerouted to the inlet side of the turbo instead of the manifold when under boost. There is a valve located in the pcv lines.
Thank you for doing this. I am adding one to specifically catch the oil the EA888 gen 3 motor expels under a hard braking right hand turn. The James Bond white smoke clouds are not cool for the motor nor the environment.
Thank you for speaking sense to the masses.
Fairly informative to the point I'm rethinking how much money should I spend on my stainless Brillo pad oil separator. LOL
I've used catch cans on 2 different vehicles, my first generation Ram with a six cylinder gas engine and a Honda Ridgeline with the J35 engine and VTEC. Both of them caught an amazing amount of oil between oil changes.
I made my catch can out of an old Seafoam can. With $15 worth of fittings. Vehicle gets track all summer and daily. Works like a charm.
@RepairGeek a proper catch can should have a mesh baffle and the catch can should drain back to the oil pan, a hot engine will cook out all the moisture, problem is the OEM don't have an oil drain back bung on the oil pan unless it's turbo charged or aftermarket or the owner installed a drain back line to the oil pan. 2nd a catch can should be air cooled to help the vapors condense in the mesh/filter. this problem is something the OEM should be doing on modern cars.
I have the provent on my Diesel Colorado. I plan on keeping it a really long time and if it helps even a little that’s fine. I live in south Texas so it only gets to freezing maybe a handful of night and only overnight. The idea of all that oil going into the intercooler let alone the intake just kind of grosses me out. The kit from Sasquatch parts has the high quality custom hoses and bracket and a long hose with a valve for it to drain to. I can always see how much oil it has and is easy to drain. I just release a few reusable wires ties that hold the hose down and then up behind the headlight and dangle it down to the side of the frame and open the valve to drain. I typically do it about every 3 months. I’m pretty happy with how clean the throttle body is now compared to how dirty it would get before I installed it. Just anecdotal, but it’s been fine.
I bought a UPR. I feel it is a quality product. In the summer, I dump out about 3 ounces off goo per 900 miles. Installed in 2017 yukon denali. The AFM, was deleted by computer at preformance shop. I'm in Minnesota and dump out 4 ounches every 200 to 350 miles in cold winter. 😊
I have a UPR and have no complaints on 2023 Silverado 5.3L. I figure if a catch can is good enough for a corvette which comes stock, it's good enough for my truck.
Interesting. From memory, my engine routed the PCV in front of the turbo where there is always vacuum. You would think that would foul up the turbine but there was a air/oil separator built in that I did not know about.
I have a J&L on my 2015 Mustang GT that was $119.00 back in 2015. I have never found water in the can. I have found ounces of oil.
I run the J&L. Tapped and added a 1/2 inch hose barb to the bottom of the canister, with about 24 inches (lifted Jeep) of hose with a petcock valve on the end of the hose. When I change the oil I open the valve and drain the catch can at the same time. The hose adds capacity and never had an issue with freezing.
Great video‼ We LS swapped an NA vehicle. Just a few months ago I spent days reading & researching “Catch Cans”. I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to figure out what you did. So I purchased a “Motion Raceworks Oil catch can.. It’s not recirculating the PCV and the can I purchased has two inlets or an inlet & outlet. So we have a hose from each valve cover to the can. Anyway you can test this companies cans. They state they were completely redesigned by an engineer!
The vacuum side of a PCV system on a turbocharged engine should be on the intake side of the turbo, not the engine intake manifold that receives boost pressure.
At least that's my experience with turbo diesel engines and their OEM PCV systems.
I'm not sure how his engine works, but all of the turbo engines I've messed with had a pcv system that pulled in front of the turbo when the intake manifold goes positive.
I have up agree with the 2 prior comments.
My reasoning for wanting a catch can is bc the oil vapors go in, through the turbo, but then when it passes through the intercooler it's condensing and going from vapor to liquid (thus the intercooler is acting as a catch can and it pools-up in the bottom of the intercooler), also the charge tubes cool the vapor and ultimately everything in the intake system becomes coated in oil and every low point in the tubes pools oil as well.
This is also on a 4-Stroke Turbo Snowmobile, so there's 200° Vapors and -20° Air flowing around the tubes and through the intercooler -- it's not 100° air driving through Arizona -- so it congeals back into a cold thick oil
Came here to say this, glad you mentioned it. My 6.7L Cummins and my old 7.3L IDIT both had their PCV lines connected on the intake side of the turbo from the factory / OEM.
Every vehicle I've ever worked on (all European vehicles) have the PCV enter the intake before the throttle or turbo, so they effectively are always on the atmospheric side of the system. This is a standard design across all European vehicles. It seems dumb to put them on the vacuum or boosted side, as it can't function correctly.
I've installed an oil catch can on several of my Toyotas. One thing that I found out is that while the OCV valve is generally around 3/8" the size of the intake tube is 3/4". I've used larger ports on the oil catch cans to help with this while sometimes I've had to use a 5/8" hose and then use a 5/8" to 3/4" barb fitting so I can attach the proper size hose to the intake. It's good to know that the larger hoses are a good thing though!
I have a 2014 Jeep jku that I rock crawl with. The catch can works on the Jeep when you are climbing up rocks and at an angle for long periods of time. With out the catch can the Jeep will start smoking very badly after a few minutes. I definitely recommend a Catch can.
Re: The PQY and its baffle. Perhaps the baffle is a blessing in disguise? If it stops collecting oil once the level reaches the baffle, it will prevent the concern you have about getting big slugs of oil dumped in the intake during high acceleration manoeuvres.
I do agree with the conclusion, though - oil catch cans are a solution looking for a problem, and having an oil mist in the intake is not a big enough problem to worry about unless the engine already has some big issues.
I have owned both Moroso and Crawford on a Subaru STI. In the south, on humid days, if you make short ~30min trips, you will need to empty the small cans weekly. The Crawford has a drain back feature, and was also heated to engine temperature with coolant lines. The Crawford stopped all oil entering the intercooler. The Moroso worked well, until you forgot to empty the can, then it makes a huge mess, and you will need to wash out the intercooler...
You just saved me money. I was about to order the j&l for my ram 1500. Thank you thank you thank you!!
For boosted engines you hook up the exit line or return line from the catch can to the intake tube of the intake. So when you’re in boost. It’s pulling air through the catch can via turbo suction aka vaccum
Agreed. But I didn't design this kit J&L did.
Thank you for this video with a clear and scientific approach. It convinced me not to install a catch can on my vehicle, unlike all the "promotional" videos without any scientific proof. But remains an open question: How can I avoid carbon deposits on my turbocharged direct injection gasoline engine?
Good to know about the possible freeze up, compromising expensive seals, or just gaskets. Makes me Worry now. The old Carbed engines with the pcv and a little filter in the air cleaner worked great, and an indication of the engine-for blow-by. Might switch back to factory in my new truck-especially in winter, although it has made it thru a few winters, no problem-catching sludge and water.
Start ups, and short trips kill engines, and batteries.
Large Ball canning jar Stainless Steel Chain Maille Scrubber with
Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Scrubbers on top. Stretch and loosely fill. Hot glue hoses in the lid, one hose bottom of jar, one at lid. Mason jar hanger and zip ties
Large volume and turns mist, vapor to liquid. Clear easy to keep a eye on. Probably have the material on hand. Collects far more than any you can buy.
Original catch can from back in the day.
You sure you name ain't "Catfish Cooley"?! 🤔😂
"Hot glue" in an engine bay? Come on.
@@Longbowgun EXACTLY what Catfish Cooley would do!!! 😂
@@Longbowgun Most standard hot glue sticks have a melting point in the range of 250 to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
The engine bay of a car typically operates at a temperature between 190 and 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Just need it to seal
Even coming out of the gun it's thick enough to form a seal. Have to use the trigger to push it out.
I would have liked if you included a 3 chamber catch can. This means the brillo pad is only part of the separation system and yes it does reduce capacity for the same external size. This has removed all evidence of oil in my supercharger.
Can I just vent to atmosphere like they did in the past and set the system back up for the annual inspection?
Not if it’s a closed system. The ecm will detect the air loss and throw a code. Vehicles need a proper pcv system. They have been used since the 50’s
Almost every 6.6L Duramax has been re-routed to vent into the atmosphere.
They never have an issue doing this either.
Depends how new or old it is (whether it has sensors that monitor these systems or not)
Ultimately, you can try (try not to make irreversible changes like cutting hoses, unless you want to buy a replacement in case you need to go back to the factory setup) and if the CEL (check engine light) comes on, I'd say you don't wanna do it.
But if you stick a small air filter on the end of a hose (just ask an auto parts place for a filter - you don't want the chance for dirt/dust going into the crankcase) and vent it out to the great wide open world, you shouldn't have any issues, unless your car's computer decides to make it an issue.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@saltysteel3996 really? your proof..or is this just redneck fix?
I just got a catch can just to stop oil from going back in and gunking up my intake. I've had the evil energy one for a year now on my 2009 Crown Vic and no issues with it icing up in Northern Illinois. I usually empty the can every couple oil changes.
The mishimoto clone works fine on both my 2.7tt f150 and my vr6 n/a corrado. Add more steel wool and the results will surprise you. The crank pressure test was enlightening though. Might add a in line check valve before the can on my f150.
Interesting. In the old school turbo Subaru world people are absolutely dedicated to catch cans and air oil separators. It’s just a known fact that you have to have one to keep your EJ from blowing up. They still have the audacity to blow up anyway. 😂 I bought the J&L catch can for my Ecoboost 3.0 V6 because it was fairly inexpensive, simple to install, and I figured worst case scenario it wouldn’t hurt. Looks like if I lived in a cold climate that might not be true, but at least I live in a southern state. Thanks for the in depth testing even if it wasn’t news I wanted to hear
I blew out a rear main seal on 2012 equinox due to pcv sensor cloggin up in the intake caused by excessive blow-by, i would highly recommend anyone install a catch on any ecotech engine that burns oil, which is 90% of them 😅 to avoid this costly reparation. Either that or removing the intake and widening the hole in the pcv sensor 😒
Years ago, I re-built a 2.3 engine for my Opel. (Vauxhall engine, European GM)
I built my own catch can with large surface area to condense oil vapour.
It seemed to work although the valve I made did 'rattle' when I decelerated quickly 😁
Not sure if US has adapted what Aussies do when it comes to catch cans but usually with a high performance build you'll see that they most likely got a fabricator to make a catch can (as big as they can so usually over 1L filter which vents atmosphere, 1 line to each cam cover, and a 3rd line which will be on the bottom which drains to sump pan so no longer needing to drain the can, only issue is if e85 is used may. Red to do oil changes a little more frequently since it holds moisture more
I’ve been happy with my Provent on my 2.8 duramax. It is expensive, but if it helps oil from mixing with EGR I think it’s worth it.
If the PCV oil mixing with EGR is what causes intake coking, then why do trucks with high idle time plug EGR coolers?
@@RepairGeek I haven’t heard of one 2.8 that has had a clogged EGR cooler.
@@Bpf1893 I never said 2.8s specifically. I worked at a fleet for a utility company, Ford 6.7 powerstroke trucks will clog them due to the carbon build up. That same carbon that clogs a 6.7 powerstroke egr cooler goes right in the intake...
You should try what I did. I bought a small radiator and plumbed it up in front of my regular radiator then ran it to a catch can in an attempt to condense as much of that vapor as I could. Works very well. Of course there is still an amount that gets through but it's significantly less. After 10K miles the amount of diesel snot in my intake system is considerably less. Next I need to find a way to do something about the EGR soot. I really wish they would start taking it from AFTER the DPF like some European cars do.
I am using the one with the dip stick. It's from china/aliexpress and it's crazy that someone marketed it as it's own. Regardless, it does the job for me. Before installing it on my BMW 340i ~650hp, the intake was getting a lot of oil and every morning after a night of WOTs on the strongest map I was getting tons of smoke out of the exhaust. Now I have 0 smoke, however I will still go an replace the valve cover as I feel there is a valve or something else in the PCV that's failed.
Glad I found this video (I live in a sometimes cooler climate where temps drop below freezing 2-3 months of the year). I've been on the fence about which brand of catch can and even if I should bother with it but I'm going off little knowledge of a catch can besides a fundamental concept of that it collects "bad oil" in it. So this has opened my eyes to a more well rounded understanding of the innerworkings and consequential situations that may arrive. My question is this: Would purchasing a Baffled Billet Valve Cover Breather in place of the oil cap remedy the pressure buildup you discussed at the end of the video regarding your personal opinions on catch cans? Would the seals still be vulnerable in a scenario where my catch can is frozen ? Thanks for all your info and enjoy finding your channel!
Excellent rundown. For your next test you should freeze the catch cans and see how much of a difference there is.
Well, you helped make up my mind, the juice is-ant worth the squeeze. Thanks!
I use the Mann and Hummel on my 1.8T since years, works like a treat :-)
This is the reason why cars are not fitted with this crap from factory ! Great video thanks for the explanation, i was so close to buy one !
Minor Correction: a catch can be installed on a boosted vehicle they just require the vent goes before the turbocharger, not after where boost is stored
I installed one on a 3rd gen Prius, I take the intake manifold out every year to clean it and it would have a quart of oil living in it because of the position of the PCV valve. Which is mounted on the side instead of the top, this design allows it to swallow oil like crazy. I understand this isn’t a perfect method however, for my application, it works great and the catch can fills up every three months. So they do work if you have an engine design that allows, the valve to ingest oil like crazy
That budget one all the way on the right in the thumbnail better be the best one! ... because it's the one I own 😂
For the ecoboost engines I think it's worth getting the direct fit check-valved oil cap breathers. It only helps in boost becuase of the check valve, but will help less vapor go to the intake and lower crankcase pressure even more in boost. Very easy install. Also worth noting that the 2.0 and 2.3 (probably other ecoboost too but idk for sure) have what's called a breather plate to help remove oil from the air before it gets to the manifold. Essientially the catch can concept but without any maintenance.
Another good potential option is the mountune breather plate. It's supposed to do a better job of removing oil from the air than stock one due to increased surface area and still retains factory pcv line connectivity and also doesn't add the maintenance of emptying the catch can just like the breather.
My experience with catch cans is they work best in a cooler area to increase the condensation of oil and water(the whole point of it) but that makes it more prone to freeze up in winter. When I ran one in my front bumper it seemed to perform quite well, mostly water, and the outlet hose always stayed dry, so it seemed to be working well there.
However, the absolute best way to deal with the carbon buildup problem is vent to atmosphere if you can. No emptying cans or freezing. Absolutlely no question as to whether or not there's gonna be carbon buildup.
I live in NY where the winters sometimes get nasty. I have 2 oil catch cans on my turbo GDI Hyundai motor, and can say with some certainty this is why my rear main seal blew one winter. Not only that, but emptying them is a pain in the ass when they freeze, and what do you do with the disgusting liquid? I empty it in with used oil from oil changes, but due to the moisture content added, shops won't take my used oil anymore for fear of getting fined. Looking back, I don't think it was worth it at all.
I installed one similar to the "evil" one on my '69 Bronco and it works as intended. At every oil change (3000 miles) the can is about 3/4 full.
Thank you for the honest review
If I'm not mistaken the mash filter side is the inlet as It's the slow oil and allowing to drip into the catch can
Excellent video
How about doing a test on the best catch can out there the duel catch can from UPR..specially made for boosted engines..open one of them and tell me what you think..
Ford racing sells a oil-air separator for the coyote engines. Has a filter inside, similar to ford transmission filter "screens" and its made of abs plastic.
Ive had it installed for 5yrs and empty every oil change, removing maybe 3-5 floz of oil/water mix from it. I cleaned my throttle body last year and it was like new clean (very little build up on edge).
Long story short, yeah, they dont remove 100% vapors, but it does actually work well and at least prolongs the amount of time before carbon starts causing issues.
That Provent is ready for a Mack truck 😂
Thank you so much for your video, you’ve got a new subscriber!
I have a 2012 GMC Terrain with the Ecotec 2.4 engine, and I’ve installed a budget catch can because I read online that these vehicles often have issues due to the PCV hole being very small and getting clogged. I also bought a new oil cap with a hole to allow pressure to escape.
I live in a hot climate and was wondering if it’s normal that after a year, my catch can literally has zero liquid in it. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad sign. Also, when I start the vehicle and remove the oil cap, instead of suction, there’s air pressure coming out.
Recently, every now and then when I start the vehicle, it loses RPMs and stalls. The issue goes away after starting the engine several times. Do you think this is related? Should I be concerned?
Thanks again!
When you talked about the cold climate, I'm just North of Detroit, Michigan so should I also stay away from Catch Cans ?
remove it before freezing, I usually remove mine around october, and then reinstall april.
Thanks for saving me money 💰
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I have the PQY on a coyote engine but I've modified it. Mine has 2 inlets, one outlet to manifold and the bottom drain. I put a barbed fitting on the bottom drain and both it and the outlet to manifold instead vent to hoses to the bottom of the car to ambient air. Oh, I removed the pneumatic filter too so it cant clog. Maybe it drips a drop of oil every 30 miles but it never left a spot where I park. So what's the point of the can? Well, now it's really a distribution block for the hoses. But the end result is: Zero oil to my intake, no oil on my valve cover as with little k/n valve cover filters, little risk of both intake or drain hoses clogging with ice, no filters to clog, and zero maintenance. $75 all in with aluminum pcv fittings and hoses. Works for me.
The right setup for the right car done the right way is the point of the catch can and also catch cans are not I repeat not meant to stop the carbon build up on the valves they are meant to drastically reduce the amounts of carbon potentially building up on the valves generally on DI engines considering they don't have any way to clean the valves like a port injection engine does so with the right combination of a catch can along with preventative maintenance say like cleaning your valves with CRC every oil change or every other oil change is a good way of doing this said preventative maintenance to keep your valves clean on a DI engine. Also if you're going to install a catch can you should understand everything about your particular car and the particular catch can that you are buying examples would be if you are a forced induction engine also the fact of how big the catch can is what kind of filtration the catch can has in it. You also need to be competent enough to continually check the catch can and make sure that it is not full and at bare minimum should be cleaning it out every oil change which at most should be every 5,000 mi on a fully synthetic oil.