Oil catch can?

Rme2513 · January 5, 2016

Does any one get a oil smell in the cab after they empty the can I don't spill any and I always smell it after I empty mine

wmtrucker · January 5, 2016

So has anyone looked into BG cleaning services for DI engines? I was speaking to a trusted mechanic friend of mine last night about his take on oil catch cans. While he agreed they do help, he said they don't catch 100% of everything and stuff will still get through the can. In his opinion, you still should be cleaning these engines out about once a year or every 15,000 miles to keep them clean and functioning in tip top shape. He said an oil catch can would definitely help and he'd be glad to install one for me if I wanted one, but in his opinion it would be a waste of money from the standpoint that I would still need to clean the engine out anyway. He's a pretty knowledgeable GM guy and I trust his opinion. I will also add that I mainly commute to work in my truck with the occasional hauling/towing in doing home projects throughout the year so I don't push the vehicle very hard. I'm sure if I was towing more often and did some performance upgrades to get more speed and power, that increases the likelihood of oil blow by and deposits forming on the valves so an oil catch can would definitely be a good upgrade in that scenario. But it basically won't eliminate the need to clean the engine 100%.

I just bought a 15 LTZ and they provide engine for life for original purchaser as long as you change oil with them (free also) and just pay for BG oil additive like 11 dollars

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1300c · January 5, 2016

I just bought a 15 LTZ and they provide engine for life for original purchaser as long as you change oil with them (free also) and just pay for BG oil additive like 11 dollars

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I have powertrain for life too. I asked them about this problem today, and they said they never heard of a problem with the truck engines which didn't surprise me. They are really nice guys, but being a small dealer in a small rural town I doubt they've honestly seen any cases of it yet.

JimmyVal · January 5, 2016

Does any one get a oil smell in the cab after they empty the can I don't spill any and I always smell it after I empty mine

Yes I do. However it goes away after the first drive.

I did put hose clamps on all connections as well as Teflon tape where the fittings enter the can. (I have the RX can). Before I did this, the smell was worse. but did eventually go away.

Terp84Alum · January 5, 2016

Has anyone had a dealer install a catch can?

GDI Tech · January 5, 2016

It definitely been an interesting read going through all the pages. I was set on a dual Mike Norris can setup until I read about the new Elite Can. Is the Mike Norris can one of the cans that only caught 15-40%. On a side note I took my infrared temp gun and read the temp tonight at the brake booster, and spare battery tray after a drive to see the difference. The battery tray is the way to go there for sure.

Yes. Back in the day, the Mike Norris (CCA, etc. tons of brands on that can...not made by Mike) was an early can and one of the only choices, but it comes in around 20% effectiveness and has had no revisons made over the years to improve on it. It can be used on the cleanside fairly well.

What does the temp difference help with? I'm from Wisconsin where my truck can sit out in some pretty cold temps. I've held off with my purchase not completely sure if the cold weather could have any negative effects. From some of the pictures it looks as though the can can catch a lot of condensation and oil in the winter. Anyone have any freeze ups from an E2x can?

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No negative effects (unless you get a rxspeedworks glued together unit that can come apart with temp changes...that is the cheap copy of the original RX) from freezing, as long as you do not allow it to over fill. Drain when the engine has been running to temp and is off, should be no issue. If it is difficult to drain, simply push a zip tie up into the drain. Winter always will result in way more water and unburnt fuel from cold start enrichment, so drain more often. If you let it sit, you will see 3-4 ditinct layers form over time as it separates into the different compounds.

I'm in Minnesota (go vikes btw) and I've been running an Elite can for a few thousand miles now. I haven't noticed any negative effects from the cold (although this has been a mild winter)

The one thing to be aware of is the amount of condensation. I have a short drive to work so I have been catching a lot of water - which means emptying the can after only a few hundred miles.

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Yup! What he said!

From what I've read the cooler the can is kept the better it will condensate the oil vapors. It was 35 degrees ambient air temperature when I took the readings immediately after parking the truck. On the brake booster it was 86.4f, and it was 52 degrees at the spare battery location. You'll have noticeably more condensation in the can during the winter especially if you take short trips.

True again.

Yep - winter time nets me about 3x more moisture than summer.

Good feedback all

I just bought a 15 LTZ and they provide engine for life for original purchaser as long as you change oil with them (free also) and just pay for BG oil additive like 11 dollars

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The BG oil additive is fine, but the cheap syn blend oil the dealer uses is NOT what I would run IMHO. ONLY full synthetic, and they cannot require you to use them for ANY warranty. That is a violation of Federal law in the US. The Magnusun/Moss act cover this. Dealer try this game to keep you captive and sell add on's, etc. If you Google search you can read all the legal speak on what led to the passing of this law, but dealers all over still play this game. I would pay the extra for full synthetic if you want the best for your engine, and I am an Amsoil believer for decades.

I have powertrain for life too. I asked them about this problem today, and they said they never heard of a problem with the truck engines which didn't surprise me. They are really nice guys, but being a small dealer in a small rural town I doubt they've honestly seen any cases of it yet.

This is very common, in fact the dealers are contractually forbidden from acknowledging these issues in public. Imagine the panic if all knew about this. They know very well as they tear down and manually clean valves when needed. Here is a picture from a GM TSB on it:

That is form the V6 LLT GDI engine, but the same issue affects all GDI engines. The sales staff, management, and service manager will deny it, but you could probably get a repair tech that tears the engines down to discuss it off the record.

Has anyone had a dealer install a catch can?

Yes, dealers all over the US and Canada install these at the dealer....mainly GM and Ford dealers, but they are out there.

Willshire · January 5, 2016

Good Read GDI

1300c · January 5, 2016

I agree good read GDI Tech. Your expertise is greatly appreciated. There is another thread on here where a guy converted a fuel/water seperator into a catch can. By the looks of it it would probably flow at least as good as a lot on the market today. I like seeing people's innovations.

GDI Tech · January 6, 2016

Thx for the props.

Yes, we first tried using air/water separators for air compressors, and they all caught oil, but we still found detonation, so we put 2 in series, and they both caught oil, so they do as good or better than most on the market as "catchcans", but the flow restriction afetr time beacme an issue. Still they were better than none!

glcbn · January 7, 2016

Thx for the props.

Yes, we first tried using air/water separators for air compressors, and they all caught oil, but we still found detonation, so we put 2 in series, and they both caught oil, so they do as good or better than most on the market as "catchcans", but the flow restriction afetr time beacme an issue. Still they were better than none!

Thanks for this.

I was trying to decide whether saving a lot of cost and do my own by going with the air/water separators, or just biting the bullet, and get the Elite dual valve can and clean side separator. The latter it is.

batman900 · January 8, 2016

Just wanted to do a quick 400 mile update with my E2 2nd gen can, 1 in 1 out on a 5.3L installed at 2k miles.

I didn't plan on opening it up this soon but a buddy at work wanted to see it and if it worked. This bad boy was half way full with yellow sludge. We were both astonished. $185 well spent. I've also had the Range AFM delete for 100 miles and it has been magic so far, truck doesn't get confused anymore around town, smoother on the hwy and no noticeable mpg drop.

larryz71 · January 8, 2016

My mechanical aptitude is probably on par with your average grade school student so please don't flame too bad. I have been reading conflicting "opinions" regarding how necessary/important running a catch can is. From all the reading and research I have done it is obvious that although installing one may not be a perfect solution to the valve choking problems created by DI engines, a catch can definitely reduces the amount of oil reaching the valves.

My questions to the experts is the following: If one were to decide not to add a catch can for whatever reason --(eg. Too lazy to empty, fear of voiding warranty, costly (opinion), etc.) what exactly are the negative side effects associated with this valve choking problem? I would assume just reduced power and efficiency, but could valve choking lead to a catastrophic engine failure?

Based on the information I have read (not that I have fully interpreted it) my understanding is that even if you install a catch can it is still recommended that you perform a cleaning of the valves every 15K-25K.

I completely understand that installing a catch can reduces the amount of junk choking the valves thus you wont have to perform a valve cleaning as often, but outside of that is there any other reason one should have to get a catch can. My thought is if I am going to have to have valve cleanings performed on a regular basis regardless why bother with a catch can?

I plan to keep this truck for 200K-250K.

Thanks for all the help

fondupot · January 8, 2016

My mechanical aptitude is probably on par with your average grade school student so please don't flame too bad. I have been reading conflicting "opinions" regarding how necessary/important running a catch can is. From all the reading and research I have done it is obvious that although installing one may not be a perfect solution to the valve choking problems created by DI engines, a catch can definitely reduces the amount of oil reaching the valves.

My questions to the experts is the following: If one were to decide not to add a catch can for whatever reason --(eg. Too lazy to empty, fear of voiding warranty, costly (opinion), etc.) what exactly are the negative side effects associated with this valve choking problem? I would assume just reduced power and efficiency, but could valve choking lead to a catastrophic engine failure?

Based on the information I have read (not that I have fully interpreted it) my understanding is that even if you install a catch can it is still recommended that you perform a cleaning of the valves every 15K-25K.

I completely understand that installing a catch can reduces the amount of junk choking the valves thus you wont have to perform a valve cleaning as often, but outside of that is there any other reason one should have to get a catch can. My thought is if I am going to have to have valve cleanings performed on a regular basis regardless why bother with a catch can?

I plan to keep this truck for 200K-250K.

Thanks for all the help

Here is a good read. http://www.moderncamaro.com/forum/general-technical-discussion/52026-understanding-intake-valve-coking-di-engines.html

Silverado-Hareek · January 9, 2016

My mechanical aptitude is probably on par with your average grade school student so please don't flame too bad. I have been reading conflicting "opinions" regarding how necessary/important running a catch can is. From all the reading and research I have done it is obvious that although installing one may not be a perfect solution to the valve choking problems created by DI engines, a catch can definitely reduces the amount of oil reaching the valves.

My questions to the experts is the following: If one were to decide not to add a catch can for whatever reason --(eg. Too lazy to empty, fear of voiding warranty, costly (opinion), etc.) what exactly are the negative side effects associated with this valve choking problem? I would assume just reduced power and efficiency, but could valve choking lead to a catastrophic engine failure?

Based on the information I have read (not that I have fully interpreted it) my understanding is that even if you install a catch can it is still recommended that you perform a cleaning of the valves every 15K-25K.

I completely understand that installing a catch can reduces the amount of junk choking the valves thus you wont have to perform a valve cleaning as often, but outside of that is there any other reason one should have to get a catch can. My thought is if I am going to have to have valve cleanings performed on a regular basis regardless why bother with a catch can?

I plan to keep this truck for 200K-250K.

Thanks for all the help

Short answer: in my opinion with a catch can, a valve cleaning is even more effective and thorough and you reduce the probability of large deposit Particles building up and then Breaking off during a valve cleaning and scoring up your cylinder walls. In theory if you do the BG induction service every 15,000 miles this shouldn't happen anyway but still if you can stop most of the deposits from forming in the first place, why not do both? A valve cleaning is going to run you around $360 once a year. What's a one time purchase of $200 for a catch can at that point? That's my personal thinking on the matter. I am by no means an expert. I just read a lot on the Internet.

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1badtie · January 9, 2016

where is everyone ordering these from, and do they include specific instructions for out trucks? not just generic instructions, also specific hose lengths cut to our trucks.

Edited January 9, 2016 by 1badtie