For real, I was shocked at the results I found. I expected a little drip or maybe a small amount of crud. Do you think it will fix the carbon issues? Let me know in the comments.
HumbleMechanic what year is your wife's Tiguan? I'm looking to instal one on my wife's 2012 Tiguan TSI AWD. Can you point me in the direction to where you bought the can?
This is a 2015. The 2012 will be exactly the same. Here is how to install it. There is a little trimming you need to do on the bracket, but it's not bad. Here is the one I have I think. I can't remember which of the two I have HAHA. ~ store.blackforestindustries.com/bficcacroils1.html
This is awesome, great test Charles! That is indeed a shocking amount, gross! I have a friend with a '15 GTI (you know Trev haha) and he didn't have much stuff build up in his from what I recall, but was only on maybe 3 months. Maybe see what his is like as well! Edit: I'm also curious if what you've captured is flammable. It looks like a very low viscosity, almost like water (which you could also expect, since the lighter end of oil is what would go through PCV). Curious if there's much water content, or if it's mostly oil.
Yeah, this confirms my comment earlier. It seems that VW and Audi cars with the 3rd generation 2.0 TSI engine are not benefiting that much from the catch can.
Thanks Jason! I can save it for ya. We can try and burn it! It takes little convincing for me to light stuff on fire. On that, it may make for interesting conversion about catch cans PVCs and vapors in the systems. ALSO FIRE FIRE FIRE!
From my experience with how much oil is missing in my engine (not much) versus the amount of fluid found in my catch can, I would say that 99% of what is found in Charles catch can was condensation. I would also note that he should check the level more often in the winter months if it's cold where he lives.
In cold temperatures it's a great idea to empty this DAILY. Mine gets up to half full on a daily basis in the winters (-15 to 30 degree F weather). Don't let it freeze in there! You don't want excess pressure put onto the crank seal. EDIT: by crank seal I mean Rear Main Seal.
Catch can liquid is blowby (what blows past the rings on the piston into the oil sump) and therefore is mainly petrol and oil (the oil mainly being the solid chunks you see in the liquid he pulled out).
He mentioned earlier - she's already got two oil separators, what for separatin' yer oil! I presume they're directly ahead of this, so if VW did their job right there shouldn't be much oil getting this far to begin with.
In my experience, of tens of thousands of miles with catch cans, you collect a ton of condensation as the gas cools and a tiny tiny bit of oil.. exactly as this video shows
Yes catch can's do work for Shure I've had mine on for 15.000 miles emptied it twice and got yellow brownish Gunk out that would have gone in my engine. Thanks for a great vid
Mate, love this post. It just goes to show in my opinion that the catch can system can help the environment on it's own. Keep up the great work. (you would not believe here in Australia, catch cans are not legal but Auto shops sell them) Might invest in one for my GM 3.6 Alloytec. Cheers.
I've installed a catch can in my 2012 gen 1 GTI about a year ago. The can itself is about 12 oz and every time I change my oil (3600 miles)I drain about 8 oz out of the catch can. The oil in my catch can is a much thicker sludge than what you showed on the Tiguan. I can only imagine that this is a good product to install on any Volkswagen direct injection turbo engine. I am definitely a believer and catch cans!
I agree, and if you ask any old timer about decarboning an engine they will tell you to get it hot and pour water down the intake while running. Small amounts at a time. Just like an induction service is done.
I to get about a cup every 3000 miles out of my 2017 ford focus ST catch can. I also run a can of CRC intake valve cleaner every 10,000 miles in the intake and between the two I think it’s gonna go along way to help keep the valves clean. Thanks for sharing!
Just did that on c63 w204 after an intake Clean job. Lots oil in the intake. First 500km catches some water like fluids. Even it’s an port injection , still recommend add one! So far no codes on, hoses connected between the middle of low pressure pcv.
Wow, ok, now I really want to put a catch can on my Camaro. That will be one of my projects this weekend. Real eye opener man, thanks for all the great video.
I think you should send that catch can deposit to Blackstone labs and see if there are still detergents in the oil. If so, it may be better to let it flow through the intake and possibly clean the valves
You should get a sample chemically analyzed to see what's in there and the percentage. Could tell you more about the engine's health in relation to piston rings and valve seals
Hey Charles, I think you may want to re-touch on explaining what a catch can is. I didn't understand what it was until I saw that it was connected to the head. I don't think a lot of people are going to understand what oil is doing in the air without further explanation.
I added on to my 99 Pontiac Bonneville because they are known to pool oil. the 3.8L N/A at least. sometimes even the supercharged versions could pool oil. I've taken it apart several times and on top of the lower intake manifold, the oil builds up in the opposite ends of the corner. it comes from the PCV. so when there is engine oil blow by, it is supposed to bypass into the intake manifold to be consumed in the combustion process, unfortunately, the oil vapor builds up instead of going into each cylinder and for whatever reason the circulation doesnt allow it but instead it mostly pools up. the catch can makes an improvement on this, which helps risk of fire and may increase fuel economy. it is a mostly custom job procedure. you have to adapt the pcv from the crankshaft to go into the catch can and drill a hole directly into the intake vaccum (either in the middle or right next to throttle plate), or sometimes you can put the output before the air cleaner or before the throttle plate but that may cause MAF errors and more carbon build up. so I think it's best to bypass that and go straight into the intake like it originally does. the bypass is the intake sucks through the catch can which inlet is the output of the pcv. pcv --> catch can --> Intake (vaccum). so because there is always a vaccum when running, the pcv opens and the vapors automatically filter through the can and should prevent oil going into the intake and cylinders for combustion. it really ought to recirculate the oil back into crankcase and leave the vapors for combustion, but it just catches the oil and the remaining vapors go into the intake. all the catch can does is allow the oil vapor to cool and build up in the "catch can" itself so you are not burning up unnecessary oil. I left my pcv system there but sometimes you can just delete it. I just adapted it after because there is a tube hook up that goes under the upper intake to the throttle body but it's just flimsy design. so yes if you have experienced oil buildup in the lower intake manifold a catch can is for you. requires hose adapter fittings and drilling and rerouting and universal setup and a type of engineering brain to make it work together. also in the catch can you should the copper wool instead of steel wool to help slow the flow and collect the oil vapor.
Installed a catch can on my Fiesta ST. Its a low mileage motor but I still get some oil collection in mine. Mine was much more oily than what you got out but I did think the oil looked a little watery. I got no where near a cup last time I checked however. Looks like that car is driven on a lot of short trips where you will have more condensation left in the engine.
Oil catch cans are a must in Force Induction Applications. Oil and any other contaminates that enter the cylinders / intake can change the octane of the fuel and detonate prematurely causing damage over time.
I think catch cans are a serious preventive equipment. But there are several qualities of catch cans. Some have a vacuum line, some have pressure valves.... I’d like your view about it. Some comparison test would be great. Oh and I’m looking for some advise about which additive or method (hydrogen?) works best to remove carbon build up (without disassembling). Thanks.
Wow, that thing does work !!! At least it catches something...LOL. Like Condensations (Water) and Oil Condensations at least. The " Pluses " is, that it's NOT going back to the Engine. So either way, it's a WIN WIN for sure regardless how you look at it. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE VIDEO
I have 2001 F250 7.3 power stroke I put the BD ccv oil catch can with filter it cost around $300 before I installed it I cleaned the turbo all piping from intercooler and intercooler it was very easy to install all hoses were preformed and correct length it comes with filter and a can that attaches to the engine and can that attaches to frame so you can drain oil I have had it on for more than a year no oil in turbo or intercooler I catches 1/2 to 1 cup a month depending on my driving
That’s scary! I would have to say it’s a whole heck more possible that trapping this can only be an added benefit. My eyes bugged out when it drained that much
I've run a catch can on my cammed/tuned 2010 Challenger SRT8 for about 7 years. The can catches straight oil vapor and never ever catches/condenses water vapor into water in any way. The oil in the can looks pure enough to dump back into the engine... although I always dispose of it. This is a very popular mod in the Modern Mopar community and I imagine it is as much so among other car enthusiasts. It ranks up there with CAIs and exhaust catbacks as a mod highly contested as to whether or not it actually ads power. It is my understanding a CC can marginally improve horsepower of an engine by reducing the *slight* timing retardation that can occur when oil vapor passes by various sensors. Particularly the sensor in the intake tube just before the Throttle Body. How much more power? Nothing you can feel for sure and likely nothing measurable on a Dyno. At the very least, the the interior of my intake manifold is noticeably cleaner; a shallow pool of oil is common to find in the rear of a Modern Mopar V8 but the CC stops that. Great short video!
Catch can's mainly capture water vapour from the crankcase, some of it is oil and combustion products from blowby, but the overwhelming majority is just water. Still it might be doing something, but I believe most of the carbon build up on the backs of valves comes from oil leaking past the valve stem seals - this is why you tend to see a large carbon blob at the base of the valve stem when you inspect valves on engines that have seen some miles.
I would suspect that cheap anodizing on the inside might be the source of the contamination. The inside of the catch can does appear to be anodized black (explaining the flakes) and the green tint to the oil resembles the green anodizing on the inside portion of the cap.
I believe it does help a lot. Every 3,000 miles I drain it and every 10,000 i clean the filter (mashimoto oil Catch can). I also noticed that I'm running a bit better in performance. I dont think itll solve the problem but having that oil catch can helps by not burning that oil in the engine and coming out the exhaust. It even smells like gas when you drain it.
It's clearly worth installing a catch can. I am really surprised how much oil did your catch can collected. Most cheap ebay ones (that are empty on the inside) will only capture a fraction of what you are showing here ! A good one makes all the difference ! That 200 ml is probably exactly the oil that the engine "consumed"... Also a good idea to install one on diesel engines, as they are even more problematic, because the oil vapors combine with soot from the EGR and make nasty deposits on the back of the intake valves...
i run a catch can on all my cars, even my daily. it makes a huge difference. no oil in my intake manifold which was cleaned before installed. I have to say that looks like mostly condensation in yours, all of mine get that too.
Daaaang. Ok, I’m convinced. I’m putting this on my stage 3 Cobb Ecoboost. I think it should be required for every car manufacturer to have these things stock. But that’s where the money is right? Maintenance and repairs after a car is sold?😑
Watching this video just sold me on catch cans. I've been researching the hell out of the subject and think it would be good to have one on my G8 that has a direct injection 3.6 V6. I was shocked at the amount of stuff that came out of that catch can! Thank you for the video.
I have a rx performance catch can it was filled with water oil from my 2014 Ford focus with a standard 2.0l I dumped out the catch can every 5k miles. Works really well and I will do also do an intake cleaning using soda media or glass to clean out my intake valves.
Just tore the pcv diaphragm last week and replaced it for like $20 on my 2011 gti. This makes me want a catch can sooooo badly. Good work Charles keep it up I love watching your videos.
I have a 2011 GTI and installed the ECS tuning catch can. In the cold weather months, I empty my catch can every 300 miles. With my long commute, I empty out the can every three days. There is a huge concern with the catch can system freezing and blocking the air way which will cause series problems with the engine.
Allot of that is water created inside the engine due to high heat. However, that top layer is the layer that causes carbon. Awesome video! This makes me more convinced to put one on my girls car. But I am hesitant to do it on my subaru as I replaced the subaru oil seperator on it from the plastic to steel one.
Yes and no. It will also add cost to purchase, and increase maintenance. But if it was a total solution the odds would be higher. Plus you'd think that OEMs would find a way to install a retrofit kit.
HumbleMechanic Very true or beef up the current pcv system as well... On another note I'll be sending you a question about axle bolts and why they are a 2 step procedure later when I'm on lunch.
Auto manufacturers are in the business of making cars. If cars last a long time, they won’t make many, and they won’t make them for long. Now extend that thinking: if auto makers truly wanted to be environmentally friendly, they would make cars that did last a long time so that as few resources as possible would be consumed making new cars. The downside of that extended thought is that it impacts the cash flow of a lot of people...what would all of those jobless people do? What would the people who rely on those people having jobs/money do?
Hey man I figured it out. I have the 2009 mk5 golf GTI tsi an I used 1 catch can first with the back pcv blocked off an only using the front but was emptying it out very often like this of mainly water the same u had. So now I run both pcv ports open to their own separate catch cans an habe none of the water anymore in either can just some oily mixture now an this is more what I expect an in the last 20,000 miles i still haven't emptied them but they are like 1/4 full now well the back is an the front is only 1/8 full. What I think happens when you blocked the back PCV is the condensation they would normally drip out the tailpipe ends up in the catch can. Because I noticed I no longer had water out of my tailpipe when I was empty in my single catch can that often.. but now I have it out the tailpipe again an not in the catch can. So I run 2 cans now one for both outlets on the pcv with great results. I have been running them since 70,000 and I'm at 95,000 miles now an about to do a timing chain an tensioner job along with the injectors an intake manifold flapper runner sensor as well an I will know how well the catch cans this way worked for me in the last 25,000 miles an will post on here an get back to u.btw love ur videos man
Charles, I've been watching for some time now, and I enjoy the videos you put up, even if they aren't entirely translatable to the Subarus that I work on. I just wanted to make an ultimately insignificant and slight suggestion. Your video quality is top notch, but I've noticed when watching in 720 or 1080p, that your intro card is a bit lower res(perhaps 360p). It doesn't detract from anything but I think getting it re-rendered in high res would add another touch of great presentation to your videos. Just a thought. Thanks for putting the content out! -Ty
I agree with most here. That there is water from blowby with a layer of oil on top. I do think a catch can will help slow the issue of coke build up on intake valves but the only real soultion is to have a small low volume fuel injector wash the valves. Even if its only something that handles a 5% of the motors fuel demands.... then again with more turbocharged and supercharged cars i bet a H2o/meth injection on the back of the valves would work just as well and think bmw has one motor designed as such.
I really was expecting a bit more on this one. Of course these work on our cars. Yes it's gross looking stuff that is being drained. But that's 250 mls for (what you said) is 3000 miles. That works out to 1/10 of a ml per mile being separated. 1/10 of a ml of fluid per mile of driving is an insanely small amount and I doubt the engine or intake can even tell it's absence. People love to pull their catch cans and show social media to justify their 400 dollar purchase. But when you work out how much is actually being consumed it is a mute point. Still. Love the videos Charles. Huge fan. Still giving it a thumbs up :)
When you break it down to the mile you're right, it is almost nothing. And I don't think they will solve the issue. But I think it may prolong the time before a carbon cleaning is needed. You NAILED it when you said "justify $400". and I think that is just fine. LOL Thank for the support man!
Oh crap... let me try again.. Dude you're Fing nuts. My video is 100% right and you are stupid.. also your mom joke.. And a comment suggesting you do bodily harm to yourself.. Better? :P
I think with the combination of a catch can and a meth/water kit.. you’ll have a lot clearer engine. I definitely think it would be a benefit to fit, you know it’s not healthy to recirculate oil vapours back through the intake. My LCR has issues with condensation in the oil, so I’ll be fitting a kit myself in the near future. First time viewer, subbed.
Good sir, you are an example of what all mechanics should strive for, hell, anyome who calls them a professional. I wish you were my mechanic... Hell i wish u were a personal friend of mine lol. Awesome vids. You should do a vid on secondary air pumps and the system tests, i have a fault on my 2002 jetta 1.8t which im in the process of getting checled out in the next week. Keep up the awesomeness!! Killer beard bro!
On a day to day basis, my catch can stays mostly empty. What I found interesting, though, is that when I used LiquiMoly Motor Oil saver (to help the aging seals), nearly ALL of it was caught in my catch can, filling it up. I wonder if pre-catch can, all that stuff was getting back into the intake.......................
Just some food for thought; the new LT4 engine found in the C7 and new Camaro come stock with a factory catch can. This engine is a DI engine and forced induction as well.
I saw that and wondered the same. Clearly, it is mostly condensation and a small amount of water injection may be good for a variety of reasons (improved knock resistance, cooler engine temperatures, and some steam cleaning on the back of the valve). Really makes me wonder if a catch can makes things worse or better.
All that shit would go back into your intake. Do you still wanna question if it should be there or not? It's vapours, Sherlock, it's bound to condensate eventually.
It's mostly just collecting water. Not a big help. In cold weather it is actually a pretty big risk. If that can fills up before you get a chance to empty it all that junk will get gulped back into the intake all at once. If it freezes , even worse. Pcv won't work and pressure will build it in the crank case. In my opinion these risks aren't worth the reward.
I have to wonder if some of this oil would have dropped back in the crank case. As I was editing this video I was wondering if the can upset the PCV enough for it to pull more oil than it would normally. I also wonder how that could be properly tested. I assume measuring vacuum at the can vs the manifold. But you would have to have an inline manometer... maybe?
I installed one on my 07 Cadillac Escalade with a 6.2 L engine it drains about the same amount every five or six thousand miles I noticed the intake and the Pistons are much cleaner I did video before and after and there is a really big result better fuel economy by about a half a gallon ....my one way to work is 58 miles mostly Highway
I wish we could do this test at my job with one car fitted with a good can system and another one with a stock pcv system. We have cars running on dynos and robots controlling them to a specific drive curve. I would also like to compare a car with a can vs a car with a stock pcv system and water meth injection. I'm pretty sure water meth injection on any forced induction direct injection engine would be far more affective then a can in reducing intake valve deposits.
Looks like there might be a risk of catch can contents freezing in cold climates. That could cause the can to fail and maybe a vacuum leak big enough to leave you stranded. I'm surprised it filled so quickly.
Answer: Hell yes they work The inlets of my turbos, intercooler piping and low spots along the intercooler were saturated with oily residue and pockets of oil. The inlet of the turbo? Awful! By adding the catch can, it prevents your motor from ingesting the dirty oily air. And...intake valves stayed cleaner too.
I can't help but wonder how much condensation is from the catch can itself. Like a single pane window, condensation appears due to cold outside air, warm inside. (draws the moisture out of the air to the cold surface and then condensates)
That looks to be mostly condensation. Definitely not oil. I don't see that gunking up anything to be honest. Most of that would evaporate in the intake once the engine is at operating temp.
It is condensation, however it has been proven numerous times that the crap going back into the intake reduces performance over time and gums up the back of the intake valves which conventional fuel system cleaner doesn’t clean.
Keeping in mind she's got 2 factory oil separators which sit ahead of this aftermarket add on. I'd say it serves a good purpose keeping all this condensation out of the intake too, water is a combustion product, we don't want it in with the reactants if we can help it :P
I put a can on my 6.4l charger within a couple weeks of owning it, and its always slightly amazing to empty it out every oil change and just see how much crap would have gotten sucked into the engine
In other words. Engine designers design their engines with a flawed process in place and so we the end user has to come along and fix their failures. Interesting as I note they all have fuel filters and air filters and oil filters and even cabin air filters, surly they must have some idea about keeping things clean yet for some reason they don't install catch cans. Thankfully, we the customer know better than the guys who have millions of dollars to designed and test our engines.
We have dyno style E-tests here on the Colorado front range and they, years back, stopped looking under the hood and only scan the underside for a visual on your exhaust system. If Cal disqualifies the catch can I would simply remove it before and then reinstall after the test. It is not necessarily bad design work as it is also management not wanting to lay out precious pennies and Nickels for a better result. In Delorean's book; "On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors", he outlines time and again how management; the accounting department too, run the roost and it is their influence that dictates the way the product finishes up. www.amazon.com/Clear-Day-You-General-Motors/dp/0960356207 . Finally; if every car had a catch can how many would actually do the periodic emptying and even then most would likely throw it on the ground or into garbage that goes to the landfill. I take my used oil and can catch juices to a recycling facility here in Boulder County.
If your car is using that much oil than you have an issue a catch can is only suitable on modified vehicles if there were meant to be on standard ones then the manufacturer would fit them I think your engine could be using that much oil due to exessive bore to ring clearances or valve stem issues I would check that out but if you can't be bothered than keep the catch can on and drain it every service just keep an eye on your oil level
at the very least, it is good to get that vapor out of the intake path....I;ve seen oil collect in air filters and line the intake tube pretty regularly. Also would like to keep that vapor as far from my turbo as possible.
I think a good experiment would be to have a car that has xx,xxx amount of miles and never had a carbon cleaning opened up and see just how much build up there is. Then clean the carbon and install the catch can all at once, then bring that same car in when the miles are around double what it had prior to installation. Open it up and see how much carbon it has that time. To me that would be a pretty accurate estimate as to how much the catch can helps the carbon build up problem. Definitely time consuming and labor intensive, but a very good insight as well.
Long term I don't think a catch can will prevent carbon build up. It certainly doesn't hurt it though. I'd say the best thing to do is not sit in traffic and try to burn off most of the buildup throughout the car's life. I do Italian tune-ups every day on my way to work. I'll drive at 4k+ RPM for 20+ min. I'm at 86k miles and haven't had any symptoms of carbon build up yet. I avg only 23 mpg but I think it's my driving. I change spark plugs and fuel filter every 40k miles. Edit: I drive '13 GTI
I drive about 2K miles per month and traffic can’t be avoided. I open her up whenever I can though, but I’m sure I’ll be doing a walnut shell cleaning about every 50K miles. 2018 Audi S3.
I don't do Dago tuneups and my '99 Tahoe has over 321,000 miles and still runs well. I intend on getting an engine rebuild when smoking or breakdown occurs or other evidence of impending disaster.
@@rennkafer13 Yes, Bill, I am port injected and if and when I move into a direct injected unit I will have my catch systems installed. I currently have a three stage set up. The first catches more water than oil, the second for some reason, does the least and the third gives me a "nice" puddle of oil. I think I will change the stage two to a glass container in place of the ABS homemade container. It would be nice to do a visual check for accumulation on that one as well. If you pull the hose off the PCV and it is dry, success ! . There is still the issue of carbon coming in through the EGR. I have pulled the module and cleaned hard carbon deposits from it. If I can keep the "T" running long enough I figure my next move would be hybrid or full electric. I am leery of all electric since if you die somewhere how do you juice up without a terminal or your home electric being handy ? The selection of hybrids aint so great right now as I would want a truck type vehicle and they are still mostly geared to cars. Playing the waiting game for better tech and vehicle selection. :-)
I would like to know if the pcv was still inline. If removed, of course you're going to pull a lot. But you only need a small vacuum (i.e. the purpose of the pcv) to operate properly.
HumbleMechanic yeah but they could say the same thing about cabin filters :p I hope catch cans become mandatory because without them engine performance and efficiency suffers and that ultimately increases emissions. I'd be more comfortable driving a turbo direct injection car if it came with a catch can from factory.
CSRT4 Ever that's a stupid assumption. That's like saying people are too lazy to change air filters and do oil changes (which they are but at least they let the mechanics do it). Catch cans should be mandatory on all direct injection engines as per emissions requirements
CSRT4 Ever besides what extra maintenance all you gotta do is turn a valve and drain the gunk it's not rocket science. This is no more difficult than adding washer fluid...
CSRT4 Ever that's the consumers problem then. Why are you defending a shitty design that will cause these cars to become junkyard scrap in 10 years. If you feel the consumer is so incompetent then don't you think less people couldn't be bothered to even drive a car?
Blowby (produced by all engines, new and old; severity is the difference). All the nasty crud (oil, fuel, emissions etc) that used to be spat right onto the road as you went, until environmental hoo-hah changed that in the 70's. This crud was never meant to recirculate back to the engine. The fact that it does, since this environmental hoo-hah, is a factor in why vehicles don't last as long as they used to. The catch-can is a "gray area" compromise, as far as most States are concerned. Apparently you will actually fail SMOG if you don't reconnect the block-side hoses directly to the manifold, as it was originally (if you install one, account for that necessity later). And it would prove most effective if you've installed it basically right after you've bought new off the lot (before that crud builds up and fouls it all up)... though older, already fouled up vehicles will also benefit to an extent (their blowby will be significantly greater than a new/er vehicle. All that crud eventually will start affecting even the throttle body and idle air control valves and causing more problems down the line. These can help mitigate that too, buy you more time to decide to rebuild or junk it).
I believe you left out the very important part about how oil in the intake stream lowers the overall octane of the mixture in the combustion chamber, I would love to hear your thoughts on this!
That's a myth it take more energy to ignite oil. If that was the case then Diesel fuel witch is closer to oil would not be able to withstand the high compression in a diesel engine. Oil catch can was made for old direct injection engines that didn't have the dua fuell injectors. Somewhere down-the-line the information got screwed up when they tried to sell it for every car.
Two questions: 1: What if you had some kind of media like steel wool to have a much higher surface area? 2: How does fuel quality possibly play a part in valve deposit buildup when the problem is on direct injection engines *because* there is no fuel contact with the valve?
Hello Charles. What you have there is mostly Condensation. On the GTI forums many folks have had their Catch Can Goop tested and found it to be mainly what is to be called Condensation. There is some oil in it yes, but not as much as you think. To answer your question? No. I have seen SO MANY reviews and folks that have used these in their MK6 GTI's on the forums, on oil websites, etc that folks that have had Catch Cans on for over 50k miles STILL had carbon build up. If anything, this MIGHT slow it down some. That would all depend on your driving style and where you live. There have been folks in cold climates that have had SERIOUS problems with catch cans causing problems and lets not forget to mention Oil Catch Cans are An AUTOMATIC FAIL in an emissions test here in California, as I am sure any other strict Emissions State. My local Dealer cleans the Valves for $400. This is cheaper than most catch cans, and since it only needs to be done once in a blue moon, I think just getting the valves cleaned every so often is the best way to go. You dont really save any money here, its not proven anyway. Just my ten cents.
Jeff Eppenger are you sure catch cans are a fail in Cali? Its my understanding that catch cans like Mighty Mouse are fine because they arent actually letting anything escape, just allowing the oil to seperate from the air.
Jeff Eppenger this catch can isn't open to atmosphere so the vapours go back into the intake which shouldn't fail emissions test. It's more an aos (air oil separator) than catch can.
Jeff Eppenger best comment I've seen on catch cans. We know it's not 100 percent effective for sure. Your still going to have to clean your intakes , plus the cost if a catch can, plus the motion of cleaning it out more often than not. A change of oil.
Most of the captured content is water and excess gasoline. I run a can on a 2.7 twin turbo Ford and ran them on 5.4 Supercharged Fords but due to my climate I dont get much water in the can, just pure oil. I know yours isnt oil just by looking at it - when you drain the engine oil it will not match the contents in the can or the can contents would be black. It is certainly doing what it is designed to do but the stuff youa re capturing wont play into coking on the valves, it just extends the oil life. When I drain my can on my 2.7 ecoboost I get about 4 oz of oil in 5k miles.
Dear Charles yes catch cans are effective (in my opinion) but you have to be cautious if you own a vehicle with a catch!! I learn the hard way twice - in the winter any condensation the warm engine produces travels from the engine to the catch can and Back to the intake can freeze solid if they have any kind of a low point between PCV and can or ontake the first time it happened I blew out a front main seal...remove the timing components replaced it I assumed I had a undersized seal and went on with my day around a year later it happened to the valve cover gasket which spray oil everywhere because it pressurized the crankcase. Not to mention losing oil and not noticing while operating the engine at speed! Again my opinion no 90 degree bends at the hoses and make sure all fluids slope back to the catch can.
HumbleMechanic I've noticed on my direct injection vehicle I have a 2012 Kia Optima SX it's a turbo and I've noticed the more humidity and or wet weather you have and the colder it is the more Blow by that you catch so I would not wait the full 3000 miles in say winter time because they do fill up a lot faster I have to catch cans on my vehicle with a PCV delete so it goes through both catch cans and I catch quite a bit in the winter time I checked mine at least once a week or every fill-up
Going have you say no, almost no oil. Look how it drained the viscosity was way too low to be oil, It flowed like water. Really all catch cans are a waste of money. Should let the container sit for 24hours and see how it separates.
Installed catch Can on my brand-new 2017 VW It is my hope It reduces the amount of carbon buildup long enough until I sell it, about 100,000 miles. I'm a conservative driver. I use full synthetic oil, only purchased top-tier gas in California. Hopefully, it makes a difference?
A beautiful 2015 model and they still haven't figured out a way to eliminate carbon buildup from the GDI system. Definitely disappointing. Excellent informative video. Disappointing to anyone thinking of buying a modern VW
I have a 2017 beard that keeps catching food particles, what's your expertise on what I should do to avoid such debris. Trading in for something with a sleeker finish is out of the question because I can't afford the constant maintenance on it. The problem went away when I stopped eating but I then had issues starting up in the mornings and reduced performance throughout.
For real, I was shocked at the results I found. I expected a little drip or maybe a small amount of crud. Do you think it will fix the carbon issues? Let me know in the comments.
HumbleMechanic what year is your wife's Tiguan? I'm looking to instal one on my wife's 2012 Tiguan TSI AWD. Can you point me in the direction to where you bought the can?
This is a 2015. The 2012 will be exactly the same. Here is how to install it. There is a little trimming you need to do on the bracket, but it's not bad.
Here is the one I have I think. I can't remember which of the two I have HAHA. ~ store.blackforestindustries.com/bficcacroils1.html
HumbleMechanic man, thanks so much. I've subscribed to your channel I don't know how long ago, a year or so maybe. Thanks again.
Thanks so much for the support :)
Nice video... sold my MK6 Gti cause of all the issues including this .. who needs all the worries lol.
Charles, your wife is like “honey have you seen my good glass measuring bowl?”😏
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
This is awesome, great test Charles! That is indeed a shocking amount, gross!
I have a friend with a '15 GTI (you know Trev haha) and he didn't have much stuff build up in his from what I recall, but was only on maybe 3 months. Maybe see what his is like as well!
Edit: I'm also curious if what you've captured is flammable. It looks like a very low viscosity, almost like water (which you could also expect, since the lighter end of oil is what would go through PCV). Curious if there's much water content, or if it's mostly oil.
Yeah, this confirms my comment earlier. It seems that VW and Audi cars with the 3rd generation 2.0 TSI engine are not benefiting that much from the catch can.
Thanks Jason! I can save it for ya. We can try and burn it! It takes little convincing for me to light stuff on fire. On that, it may make for interesting conversion about catch cans PVCs and vapors in the systems.
ALSO FIRE FIRE FIRE!
Don't burn it! Send it to Blackstone and get an analysis done (and maybe a sponsor deal out of it too)
Why not do both? LOL
From my experience with how much oil is missing in my engine (not much) versus the amount of fluid found in my catch can, I would say that 99% of what is found in Charles catch can was condensation. I would also note that he should check the level more often in the winter months if it's cold where he lives.
In cold temperatures it's a great idea to empty this DAILY. Mine gets up to half full on a daily basis in the winters (-15 to 30 degree F weather). Don't let it freeze in there! You don't want excess pressure put onto the crank seal. EDIT: by crank seal I mean Rear Main Seal.
shhhhhhhhhhhhhh simple fix: just buy a gallon sized catch can!
shhhhhhhhhhhhhh
On Passenger, driver or both?
@@FSXflyermasterShhhhh and add a quart of antifreeze to your oil and gallon in fuel tank.
Looks more like water than oil. Like condensation
Check out anything lp/nat gas powered.
White milky shit coming out the breathers , and the oil isn’t far behind that.
Catch can liquid is blowby (what blows past the rings on the piston into the oil sump) and therefore is mainly petrol and oil (the oil mainly being the solid chunks you see in the liquid he pulled out).
He mentioned earlier - she's already got two oil separators, what for separatin' yer oil! I presume they're directly ahead of this, so if VW did their job right there shouldn't be much oil getting this far to begin with.
In my experience, of tens of thousands of miles with catch cans, you collect a ton of condensation as the gas cools and a tiny tiny bit of oil.. exactly as this video shows
Which is why you do not run those aos setups that filter at the oil filler tube. All that water goes back into the sump.
Yes catch can's do work for Shure I've had mine on for 15.000 miles emptied it twice and got yellow brownish Gunk out that would have gone in my engine. Thanks for a great vid
Mate, love this post. It just goes to show in my opinion that the catch can system can help the environment on it's own. Keep up the great work. (you would not believe here in Australia, catch cans are not legal but Auto shops sell them) Might invest in one for my GM 3.6 Alloytec. Cheers.
Omly illegal if your catch can has a breather of vent that dumbs pcv gas directly to environment, if it's a closed system then it's legal.
I've installed a catch can in my 2012 gen 1 GTI about a year ago. The can itself is about 12 oz and every time I change my oil (3600 miles)I drain about 8 oz out of the catch can. The oil in my catch can is a much thicker sludge than what you showed on the Tiguan. I can only imagine that this is a good product to install on any Volkswagen direct injection turbo engine. I am definitely a believer and catch cans!
I'd love to see some chemical analysis done on that sludge rather than eyeballing it, looks like mostly water with a very thin layer of oil on top
I agree
can you do a follow up on this video?
Yep! I spoke with them today about having the engine oil AND the catch can goo tested at the same time.
I agree, and if you ask any old timer about decarboning an engine they will tell you to get it hot and pour water down the intake while running. Small amounts at a time. Just like an induction service is done.
@@HumbleMechanic Did you sent samples for testing? What did the tests show?
I installed one on my GF’s 2013 Equinox. It works! Emptied it twice now in 3000 miles.
I to get about a cup every 3000 miles out of my 2017 ford focus ST catch can. I also run a can of CRC intake valve cleaner every 10,000 miles in the intake and between the two I think it’s gonna go along way to help keep the valves clean. Thanks for sharing!
Just did that on c63 w204 after an intake Clean job. Lots oil in the intake. First 500km catches some water like fluids. Even it’s an port injection , still recommend add one! So far no codes on, hoses connected between the middle of low pressure pcv.
2:58 RELEASE THE SHMOO!!!
Wow, ok, now I really want to put a catch can on my Camaro. That will be one of my projects this weekend. Real eye opener man, thanks for all the great video.
I think you should send that catch can deposit to Blackstone labs and see if there are still detergents in the oil. If so, it may be better to let it flow through the intake and possibly clean the valves
That would be interesting to see. I saved the sample so I might just do that when I sent the GTI oil out.
My question in mind aswell. Interesting topic
That would make a great statement, good thinking.
HumbleMechanic any update on the Blackstone labs analysis of the catch can deposit?
Update?
Would've loved to have seen the carbon build up b4 and after! 🤔
That's a lot of crud!
Definitely looks like a good item to have, aftermarket or otherwise.
Very well presented as always!
Thank you :)
You should get a sample chemically analyzed to see what's in there and the percentage. Could tell you more about the engine's health in relation to piston rings and valve seals
Hey Charles, I think you may want to re-touch on explaining what a catch can is. I didn't understand what it was until I saw that it was connected to the head. I don't think a lot of people are going to understand what oil is doing in the air without further explanation.
I think that warrants it's own video on PVC systems, oil separations, and catch cans.
Agreed. I would enjoy that!
I added on to my 99 Pontiac Bonneville because they are known to pool oil. the 3.8L N/A at least. sometimes even the supercharged versions could pool oil. I've taken it apart several times and on top of the lower intake manifold, the oil builds up in the opposite ends of the corner. it comes from the PCV. so when there is engine oil blow by, it is supposed to bypass into the intake manifold to be consumed in the combustion process, unfortunately, the oil vapor builds up instead of going into each cylinder and for whatever reason the circulation doesnt allow it but instead it mostly pools up.
the catch can makes an improvement on this, which helps risk of fire and may increase fuel economy. it is a mostly custom job procedure. you have to adapt the pcv from the crankshaft to go into the catch can and drill a hole directly into the intake vaccum (either in the middle or right next to throttle plate), or sometimes you can put the output before the air cleaner or before the throttle plate but that may cause MAF errors and more carbon build up. so I think it's best to bypass that and go straight into the intake like it originally does. the bypass is the intake sucks through the catch can which inlet is the output of the pcv.
pcv --> catch can --> Intake (vaccum).
so because there is always a vaccum when running, the pcv opens and the vapors automatically filter through the can and should prevent oil going into the intake and cylinders for combustion. it really ought to recirculate the oil back into crankcase and leave the vapors for combustion, but it just catches the oil and the remaining vapors go into the intake.
all the catch can does is allow the oil vapor to cool and build up in the "catch can" itself so you are not burning up unnecessary oil. I left my pcv system there but sometimes you can just delete it. I just adapted it after because there is a tube hook up that goes under the upper intake to the throttle body but it's just flimsy design. so yes if you have experienced oil buildup in the lower intake manifold a catch can is for you. requires hose adapter fittings and drilling and rerouting and universal setup and a type of engineering brain to make it work together. also in the catch can you should the copper wool instead of steel wool to help slow the flow and collect the oil vapor.
Installed a catch can on my Fiesta ST. Its a low mileage motor but I still get some oil collection in mine. Mine was much more oily than what you got out but I did think the oil looked a little watery. I got no where near a cup last time I checked however. Looks like that car is driven on a lot of short trips where you will have more condensation left in the engine.
Oil catch cans are a must in Force Induction Applications. Oil and any other contaminates that enter the cylinders / intake can change the octane of the fuel and detonate prematurely causing damage over time.
I think catch cans are a serious preventive equipment. But there are several qualities of catch cans. Some have a vacuum line, some have pressure valves.... I’d like your view about it. Some comparison test would be great. Oh and I’m looking for some advise about which additive or method (hydrogen?) works best to remove carbon build up (without disassembling). Thanks.
Another great video! Explain everything well and don’t over do it on the info. Thanks again
Wow, that thing does work !!! At least it catches something...LOL. Like Condensations (Water) and Oil Condensations at least. The " Pluses " is, that it's NOT going back to the Engine. So either way, it's a WIN WIN for sure regardless how you look at it. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE VIDEO
Look at my Catch Can..... Less than 400 Miles :/// See Video here: ua-cam.com/video/o5yoZhG__L4/v-deo.html
I have 2001 F250 7.3 power stroke I put the BD ccv oil catch can with filter it cost around $300 before I installed it I cleaned the turbo all piping from intercooler and intercooler it was very easy to install all hoses were preformed and correct length it comes with filter and a can that attaches to the engine and can that attaches to frame so you can drain oil I have had it on for more than a year no oil in turbo or intercooler I catches 1/2 to 1 cup a month depending on my driving
Should be one on from factory with drain down by oil pan. You could jus drain when you change the oil.
There it is, you found the (partial) oil "burning" issue in the VW Audi engines. Nasty!
I think catch cans will delay carbon build up issues. But the best way to prevent CBU is probably to have dual injection.
Yep That is basically where I am at too.
That’s scary! I would have to say it’s a whole heck more possible that trapping this can only be an added benefit. My eyes bugged out when it drained that much
scary? its just water..
I've run a catch can on my cammed/tuned 2010 Challenger SRT8 for about 7 years. The can catches straight oil vapor and never ever catches/condenses water vapor into water in any way. The oil in the can looks pure enough to dump back into the engine... although I always dispose of it. This is a very popular mod in the Modern Mopar community and I imagine it is as much so among other car enthusiasts. It ranks up there with CAIs and exhaust catbacks as a mod highly contested as to whether or not it actually ads power. It is my understanding a CC can marginally improve horsepower of an engine by reducing the *slight* timing retardation that can occur when oil vapor passes by various sensors. Particularly the sensor in the intake tube just before the Throttle Body. How much more power? Nothing you can feel for sure and likely nothing measurable on a Dyno. At the very least, the the interior of my intake manifold is noticeably cleaner; a shallow pool of oil is common to find in the rear of a Modern Mopar V8 but the CC stops that. Great short video!
Catch can's mainly capture water vapour from the crankcase, some of it is oil and combustion products from blowby, but the overwhelming majority is just water. Still it might be doing something, but I believe most of the carbon build up on the backs of valves comes from oil leaking past the valve stem seals - this is why you tend to see a large carbon blob at the base of the valve stem when you inspect valves on engines that have seen some miles.
*winter-time adds a lot of water/humidity to the catch can. You want to drain it more often so it doesn't freeze up over night*
ImStricken06 like how often?
@@armstrong4196 I do it every other fillup, but I dont live where it every really freezes even in the winter.
@@armstrong4196 every day
@@ericdiekmann11 lol thanks. Where I live the weather can reach -40
@@armstrong4196 me too
I would suspect that cheap anodizing on the inside might be the source of the contamination. The inside of the catch can does appear to be anodized black (explaining the flakes) and the green tint to the oil resembles the green anodizing on the inside portion of the cap.
I believe it does help a lot. Every 3,000 miles I drain it and every 10,000 i clean the filter (mashimoto oil Catch can). I also noticed that I'm running a bit better in performance. I dont think itll solve the problem but having that oil catch can helps by not burning that oil in the engine and coming out the exhaust. It even smells like gas when you drain it.
what is that substance caught in the can? and if you don’t have a can what does that substance do to your vehicle?
@devote459068 It is a brown liquid that is mixed with oil from the valve cover and fuel to be burned. When it settles, it's a gunky goo.
Thanks for the video Charles! I've been thinking of adding a catch can on my Land Rover Discovery and now I will. Cheers mate!
It's clearly worth installing a catch can. I am really surprised how much oil did your catch can collected. Most cheap ebay ones (that are empty on the inside) will only capture a fraction of what you are showing here ! A good one makes all the difference ! That 200 ml is probably exactly the oil that the engine "consumed"... Also a good idea to install one on diesel engines, as they are even more problematic, because the oil vapors combine with soot from the EGR and make nasty deposits on the back of the intake valves...
i run a catch can on all my cars, even my daily. it makes a huge difference. no oil in my intake manifold which was cleaned before installed. I have to say that looks like mostly condensation in yours, all of mine get that too.
Sadly, I've not seen much benefit. Still have to walnut blast the valves every 20k or so.
Run it down and dump it in the exhaust pipe with a high heat silicone hose.
Daaaang. Ok, I’m convinced. I’m putting this on my stage 3 Cobb Ecoboost. I think it should be required for every car manufacturer to have these things stock. But that’s where the money is right? Maintenance and repairs after a car is sold?😑
Watching this video just sold me on catch cans. I've been researching the hell out of the subject and think it would be good to have one on my G8 that has a direct injection 3.6 V6. I was shocked at the amount of stuff that came out of that catch can! Thank you for the video.
I have a rx performance catch can it was filled with water oil from my 2014 Ford focus with a standard 2.0l I dumped out the catch can every 5k miles. Works really well and I will do also do an intake cleaning using soda media or glass to clean out my intake valves.
Just tore the pcv diaphragm last week and replaced it for like $20 on my 2011 gti. This makes me want a catch can sooooo badly. Good work Charles keep it up I love watching your videos.
I have a 2011 GTI and installed the ECS tuning catch can. In the cold weather months, I empty my catch can every 300 miles. With my long commute, I empty out the can every three days. There is a huge concern with the catch can system freezing and blocking the air way which will cause series problems with the engine.
Allot of that is water created inside the engine due to high heat. However, that top layer is the layer that causes carbon. Awesome video! This makes me more convinced to put one on my girls car. But I am hesitant to do it on my subaru as I replaced the subaru oil seperator on it from the plastic to steel one.
I think if something as simple as a catch can would prevent the carbon problem manufacturers would have done it long ago...
Yes and no. It will also add cost to purchase, and increase maintenance. But if it was a total solution the odds would be higher. Plus you'd think that OEMs would find a way to install a retrofit kit.
HumbleMechanic Very true or beef up the current pcv system as well... On another note I'll be sending you a question about axle bolts and why they are a 2 step procedure later when I'm on lunch.
SWEET! Send it on!
Like they are not in the money making business. To try and fix long term problems. Why? I do not see any way they will do that.
Auto manufacturers are in the business of making cars. If cars last a long time, they won’t make many, and they won’t make them for long.
Now extend that thinking: if auto makers truly wanted to be environmentally friendly, they would make cars that did last a long time so that as few resources as possible would be consumed making new cars.
The downside of that extended thought is that it impacts the cash flow of a lot of people...what would all of those jobless people do? What would the people who rely on those people having jobs/money do?
On my build I am adding a catch can along with running water-methanol to help keep things clean.
I just drained the BFI V2 catch can on my wife’s Tiguan and it seemed like mostly condensation and a little oil.
Hey man I figured it out. I have the 2009 mk5 golf GTI tsi an I used 1 catch can first with the back pcv blocked off an only using the front but was emptying it out very often like this of mainly water the same u had. So now I run both pcv ports open to their own separate catch cans an habe none of the water anymore in either can just some oily mixture now an this is more what I expect an in the last 20,000 miles i still haven't emptied them but they are like 1/4 full now well the back is an the front is only 1/8 full. What I think happens when you blocked the back PCV is the condensation they would normally drip out the tailpipe ends up in the catch can. Because I noticed I no longer had water out of my tailpipe when I was empty in my single catch can that often.. but now I have it out the tailpipe again an not in the catch can. So I run 2 cans now one for both outlets on the pcv with great results. I have been running them since 70,000 and I'm at 95,000 miles now an about to do a timing chain an tensioner job along with the injectors an intake manifold flapper runner sensor as well an I will know how well the catch cans this way worked for me in the last 25,000 miles an will post on here an get back to u.btw love ur videos man
Charles, I've been watching for some time now, and I enjoy the videos you put up, even if they aren't entirely translatable to the Subarus that I work on.
I just wanted to make an ultimately insignificant and slight suggestion. Your video quality is top notch, but I've noticed when watching in 720 or 1080p, that your intro card is a bit lower res(perhaps 360p). It doesn't detract from anything but I think getting it re-rendered in high res would add another touch of great presentation to your videos.
Just a thought.
Thanks for putting the content out!
-Ty
Haha. Thanks Ty!! I appreciate it
I agree with most here. That there is water from blowby with a layer of oil on top. I do think a catch can will help slow the issue of coke build up on intake valves but the only real soultion is to have a small low volume fuel injector wash the valves. Even if its only something that handles a 5% of the motors fuel demands.... then again with more turbocharged and supercharged cars i bet a H2o/meth injection on the back of the valves would work just as well and think bmw has one motor designed as such.
I really was expecting a bit more on this one.
Of course these work on our cars. Yes it's gross looking stuff that is being drained.
But that's 250 mls for (what you said) is 3000 miles. That works out to 1/10 of a ml per mile being separated.
1/10 of a ml of fluid per mile of driving is an insanely small amount and I doubt the engine or intake can even tell it's absence.
People love to pull their catch cans and show social media to justify their 400 dollar purchase. But when you work out how much is actually being consumed it is a mute point.
Still. Love the videos Charles. Huge fan. Still giving it a thumbs up :)
When you break it down to the mile you're right, it is almost nothing. And I don't think they will solve the issue. But I think it may prolong the time before a carbon cleaning is needed.
You NAILED it when you said "justify $400". and I think that is just fine. LOL Thank for the support man!
HumbleMechanic with a mature response! I thought this was a UA-cam comment thread where we have to be at each other's throats ;)
Oh crap... let me try again..
Dude you're Fing nuts. My video is 100% right and you are stupid.. also your mom joke.. And a comment suggesting you do bodily harm to yourself..
Better? :P
HumbleMechanic now we are "youtubing!"
Oh thank goodness. I was worried.HAAHAH Thanks for this. :)
I think with the combination of a catch can and a meth/water kit.. you’ll have a lot clearer engine.
I definitely think it would be a benefit to fit, you know it’s not healthy to recirculate oil vapours back through the intake. My LCR has issues with condensation in the oil, so I’ll be fitting a kit myself in the near future.
First time viewer, subbed.
Good sir, you are an example of what all mechanics should strive for, hell, anyome who calls them a professional. I wish you were my mechanic... Hell i wish u were a personal friend of mine lol. Awesome vids. You should do a vid on secondary air pumps and the system tests, i have a fault on my 2002 jetta 1.8t which im in the process of getting checled out in the next week. Keep up the awesomeness!! Killer beard bro!
Thanks so much
On a day to day basis, my catch can stays mostly empty. What I found interesting, though, is that when I used LiquiMoly Motor Oil saver (to help the aging seals), nearly ALL of it was caught in my catch can, filling it up. I wonder if pre-catch can, all that stuff was getting back into the intake.......................
After watching im planning to install oil catch can on every car i have
even the electric car?
Just some food for thought; the new LT4 engine found in the C7 and new Camaro come stock with a factory catch can. This engine is a DI engine and forced induction as well.
oil catch can can catch oil
I love VW/Audi's and I love Milwaukee tools as well so this gets a double thumbs up! 👍🏻👍🏻
Hell yes!!!
It's tough competition but I think this dude is one of the best mechanics on UA-cam
That's a great video. DI needs all the help it can get. Where did you get the catch can from? 👍🏻
Maybe what you drained out was designed to clean the back of the intake valves lol.
I saw that and wondered the same. Clearly, it is mostly condensation and a small amount of water injection may be good for a variety of reasons (improved knock resistance, cooler engine temperatures, and some steam cleaning on the back of the valve). Really makes me wonder if a catch can makes things worse or better.
All that shit would go back into your intake. Do you still wanna question if it should be there or not? It's vapours, Sherlock, it's bound to condensate eventually.
@@Lessthanthreeedm yeah we're having a laugh orrite?
It's mostly just collecting water. Not a big help. In cold weather it is actually a pretty big risk. If that can fills up before you get a chance to empty it all that junk will get gulped back into the intake all at once. If it freezes , even worse. Pcv won't work and pressure will build it in the crank case.
In my opinion these risks aren't worth the reward.
Loss of performance? Your catch can is full. Mine fills with just as much.
Nope no lose at all. :)
Holly molly, that's quite a lot of moisture/water/condensation. My OCC only captures oil vapours coming out from my PCV.
The first time I drained mine I was blown away. I feel it's necissary on any performance car.
no, its really not. And this beardy twat knows fuck all,, its water. period.
Always wondered why you had to top up oil everytime in tsi engines. Man that's a lot of oil.. Awsome video Keep it up.
I have to wonder if some of this oil would have dropped back in the crank case. As I was editing this video I was wondering if the can upset the PCV enough for it to pull more oil than it would normally.
I also wonder how that could be properly tested. I assume measuring vacuum at the can vs the manifold. But you would have to have an inline manometer... maybe?
How do you not have over 1 mil subs?
MotorHead Tech Beard mites don't have computers.
because he hasnt found enough cock suckers like you yet? jesus you are pathetic
I installed one on my 07 Cadillac Escalade with a 6.2 L engine it drains about the same amount every five or six thousand miles I noticed the intake and the Pistons are much cleaner I did video before and after and there is a really big result better fuel economy by about a half a gallon ....my one way to work is 58 miles mostly Highway
Catch can + water/meth injection = best two friends.
I want water meth injection for mine.
@@sweis12 meth injection will cause the grill to lose teeth and pick marks to cover the fenders
I wish we could do this test at my job with one car fitted with a good can system and another one with a stock pcv system. We have cars running on dynos and robots controlling them to a specific drive curve. I would also like to compare a car with a can vs a car with a stock pcv system and water meth injection. I'm pretty sure water meth injection on any forced induction direct injection engine would be far more affective then a can in reducing intake valve deposits.
Looks like there might be a risk of catch can contents freezing in cold climates. That could cause the can to fail and maybe a vacuum leak big enough to leave you stranded. I'm surprised it filled so quickly.
In your humble opinion, what brand would your recommend. One that's not too expensive but is still highly effective.
Answer: Hell yes they work
The inlets of my turbos, intercooler piping and low spots along the intercooler were saturated with oily residue and pockets of oil. The inlet of the turbo? Awful!
By adding the catch can, it prevents your motor from ingesting the dirty oily air.
And...intake valves stayed cleaner too.
I need to fit one because carbon build up is a bonus for me but it's smoke emissions on my diesel I want to cut down on
Hey Charles, what about just removing the return pipe to the intake and letting the crank case vent atmospherically?
I can't help but wonder how much condensation is from the catch can itself. Like a single pane window, condensation appears due to cold outside air, warm inside. (draws the moisture out of the air to the cold surface and then condensates)
That looks to be mostly condensation. Definitely not oil. I don't see that gunking up anything to be honest. Most of that would evaporate in the intake once the engine is at operating temp.
It was mostly oil. I am hanging on to that sample to let it settle out to see what it looks like.
I think the little bit of oil is floating at the top, and everything else is water. It would be cool if you got that tested for make up.
You are right 99% of the times but this is 99% water. ;)
It is condensation, however it has been proven numerous times that the crap going back into the intake reduces performance over time and gums up the back of the intake valves which conventional fuel system cleaner doesn’t clean.
Keeping in mind she's got 2 factory oil separators which sit ahead of this aftermarket add on. I'd say it serves a good purpose keeping all this condensation out of the intake too, water is a combustion product, we don't want it in with the reactants if we can help it :P
I put a can on my 6.4l charger within a couple weeks of owning it, and its always slightly amazing to empty it out every oil change and just see how much crap would have gotten sucked into the engine
In other words.
Engine designers design their engines with a flawed process in place and so we the end user has to come along and fix their failures.
Interesting as I note they all have fuel filters and air filters and oil filters and even cabin air filters, surly they must have some idea about keeping things clean yet for some reason they don't install catch cans.
Thankfully, we the customer know better than the guys who have millions of dollars to designed and test our engines.
Planned Obsolescence
It's the emissions laws that actually result in our engines being destroyed
We have dyno style E-tests here on the Colorado front range and they, years back, stopped looking under the hood and only scan the underside for a visual on your exhaust system. If Cal disqualifies the catch can I would simply remove it before and then reinstall after the test.
It is not necessarily bad design work as it is also management not wanting to lay out precious pennies and Nickels for a better result. In Delorean's book; "On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors", he outlines time and again how management; the accounting department too, run the roost and it is their influence that dictates the way the product finishes up.
www.amazon.com/Clear-Day-You-General-Motors/dp/0960356207
.
Finally; if every car had a catch can how many would actually do the periodic emptying and even then most would likely throw it on the ground or into garbage that goes to the landfill. I take my used oil and can catch juices to a recycling facility here in Boulder County.
If your car is using that much oil than you have an issue a catch can is only suitable on modified vehicles if there were meant to be on standard ones then the manufacturer would fit them I think your engine could be using that much oil due to exessive bore to ring clearances or valve stem issues I would check that out but if you can't be bothered than keep the catch can on and drain it every service just keep an eye on your oil level
That looks like its mostly water.
at the very least, it is good to get that vapor out of the intake path....I;ve seen oil collect in air filters and line the intake tube pretty regularly. Also would like to keep that vapor as far from my turbo as possible.
This is what comes out of me after I eat Taco Bell
Lol gross. Ha
And it's what goes into you at Taco Bell too, just made to look like food.
I think a good experiment would be to have a car that has xx,xxx amount of miles and never had a carbon cleaning opened up and see just how much build up there is. Then clean the carbon and install the catch can all at once, then bring that same car in when the miles are around double what it had prior to installation. Open it up and see how much carbon it has that time. To me that would be a pretty accurate estimate as to how much the catch can helps the carbon build up problem. Definitely time consuming and labor intensive, but a very good insight as well.
Long term I don't think a catch can will prevent carbon build up. It certainly doesn't hurt it though. I'd say the best thing to do is not sit in traffic and try to burn off most of the buildup throughout the car's life. I do Italian tune-ups every day on my way to work. I'll drive at 4k+ RPM for 20+ min. I'm at 86k miles and haven't had any symptoms of carbon build up yet. I avg only 23 mpg but I think it's my driving. I change spark plugs and fuel filter every 40k miles.
Edit: I drive '13 GTI
I agree with everything you said but you cant avoid sitting in traffic all the time if you live in a very congested area.
I drive about 2K miles per month and traffic can’t be avoided.
I open her up whenever I can though, but I’m sure I’ll be doing a walnut shell cleaning about every 50K miles.
2018 Audi S3.
I don't do Dago tuneups and my '99 Tahoe has over 321,000 miles and still runs well. I intend on getting an engine rebuild when smoking or breakdown occurs or other evidence of impending disaster.
Gweedo, your 99 Tahoe is port injected, not direct injected. That's the difference.
@@rennkafer13 Yes, Bill, I am port injected and if and when I move into a direct injected unit I will have my catch systems installed. I currently have a three stage set up. The first catches more water than oil, the second for some reason, does the least and the third gives me a "nice" puddle of oil. I think I will change the stage two to a glass container in place of the ABS homemade container. It would be nice to do a visual check for accumulation on that one as well. If you pull the hose off the PCV and it is dry, success !
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There is still the issue of carbon coming in through the EGR. I have pulled the module and cleaned hard carbon deposits from it. If I can keep the "T" running long enough I figure my next move would be hybrid or full electric. I am leery of all electric since if you die somewhere how do you juice up without a terminal or your home electric being handy ? The selection of hybrids aint so great right now as I would want a truck type vehicle and they are still mostly geared to cars. Playing the waiting game for better tech and vehicle selection. :-)
I would like to know if the pcv was still inline. If removed, of course you're going to pull a lot. But you only need a small vacuum (i.e. the purpose of the pcv) to operate properly.
I don't know why this device isn't standard on all Turbo/Direct Injection cars...
IT brings up the price, of the car, and the cost of maintenance.
HumbleMechanic yeah but they could say the same thing about cabin filters :p I hope catch cans become mandatory because without them engine performance and efficiency suffers and that ultimately increases emissions. I'd be more comfortable driving a turbo direct injection car if it came with a catch can from factory.
CSRT4 Ever that's a stupid assumption. That's like saying people are too lazy to change air filters and do oil changes (which they are but at least they let the mechanics do it). Catch cans should be mandatory on all direct injection engines as per emissions requirements
CSRT4 Ever besides what extra maintenance all you gotta do is turn a valve and drain the gunk it's not rocket science. This is no more difficult than adding washer fluid...
CSRT4 Ever that's the consumers problem then. Why are you defending a shitty design that will cause these cars to become junkyard scrap in 10 years. If you feel the consumer is so incompetent then don't you think less people couldn't be bothered to even drive a car?
Great video. The beard was a bonus. I'd kill to have a legendary mane like that.
I'd be interested to know what it's made up of? You should send it to a lab for testing lol I'm guessing I'm not the only one who's curious ;)
Yep spoke with BlackStone about that. I will be sending the engine oil and this sample to them
Excellent!!
Still no followup yet, so it's going to be oil, fuel and water is what makes that mess up.
Any results from the sample?
Blowby (produced by all engines, new and old; severity is the difference). All the nasty crud (oil, fuel, emissions etc) that used to be spat right onto the road as you went, until environmental hoo-hah changed that in the 70's. This crud was never meant to recirculate back to the engine. The fact that it does, since this environmental hoo-hah, is a factor in why vehicles don't last as long as they used to. The catch-can is a "gray area" compromise, as far as most States are concerned. Apparently you will actually fail SMOG if you don't reconnect the block-side hoses directly to the manifold, as it was originally (if you install one, account for that necessity later). And it would prove most effective if you've installed it basically right after you've bought new off the lot (before that crud builds up and fouls it all up)... though older, already fouled up vehicles will also benefit to an extent (their blowby will be significantly greater than a new/er vehicle. All that crud eventually will start affecting even the throttle body and idle air control valves and causing more problems down the line. These can help mitigate that too, buy you more time to decide to rebuild or junk it).
I believe you left out the very important part about how oil in the intake stream lowers the overall octane of the mixture in the combustion chamber, I would love to hear your thoughts on this!
That's a myth it take more energy to ignite oil. If that was the case then Diesel fuel witch is closer to oil would not be able to withstand the high compression in a diesel engine. Oil catch can was made for old direct injection engines that didn't have the dua fuell injectors. Somewhere down-the-line the information got screwed up when they tried to sell it for every car.
Oil low? Pour that stuff into the oil and bring the level back up. Problem solved! ;)
LOL, yeah the oil was low. I am gonna save it for another time. :)
If any of that was engine oil that would work, but 99% of what came out was water.
HumbleMechanic
I save it for Friday night shots with the crew.
It's usually a nasty oil/water mix.
Looked like sulfur in there too. you running diesel In that thing? That would build up the carbon😃
Two questions:
1: What if you had some kind of media like steel wool to have a much higher surface area?
2: How does fuel quality possibly play a part in valve deposit buildup when the problem is on direct injection engines *because* there is no fuel contact with the valve?
Hello Charles. What you have there is mostly Condensation. On the GTI forums many folks have had their Catch Can Goop tested and found it to be mainly what is to be called Condensation. There is some oil in it yes, but not as much as you think. To answer your question? No. I have seen SO MANY reviews and folks that have used these in their MK6 GTI's on the forums, on oil websites, etc that folks that have had Catch Cans on for over 50k miles STILL had carbon build up. If anything, this MIGHT slow it down some. That would all depend on your driving style and where you live. There have been folks in cold climates that have had SERIOUS problems with catch cans causing problems and lets not forget to mention Oil Catch Cans are An AUTOMATIC FAIL in an emissions test here in California, as I am sure any other strict Emissions State. My local Dealer cleans the Valves for $400. This is cheaper than most catch cans, and since it only needs to be done once in a blue moon, I think just getting the valves cleaned every so often is the best way to go. You dont really save any money here, its not proven anyway. Just my ten cents.
Jeff Eppenger are you sure catch cans are a fail in Cali? Its my understanding that catch cans like Mighty Mouse are fine because they arent actually letting anything escape, just allowing the oil to seperate from the air.
Jeff Eppenger this catch can isn't open to atmosphere so the vapours go back into the intake which shouldn't fail emissions test. It's more an aos (air oil separator) than catch can.
Jeff Eppenger best comment I've seen on catch cans. We know it's not 100 percent effective for sure. Your still going to have to clean your intakes , plus the cost if a catch can, plus the motion of cleaning it out more often than not. A change of oil.
Jeff Eppenger -- I think your right, and the condensation is from the catch can it self !
Why not just do an "Italian Tuneup" instead of spending the $400?
I get that much in 10-15 days. Central Valley California. Oil level doesn’t change. I think it’s mostly condensation.
Most of the captured content is water and excess gasoline. I run a can on a 2.7 twin turbo Ford and ran them on 5.4 Supercharged Fords but due to my climate I dont get much water in the can, just pure oil. I know yours isnt oil just by looking at it - when you drain the engine oil it will not match the contents in the can or the can contents would be black. It is certainly doing what it is designed to do but the stuff youa re capturing wont play into coking on the valves, it just extends the oil life. When I drain my can on my 2.7 ecoboost I get about 4 oz of oil in 5k miles.
Dear Charles yes catch cans are effective (in my opinion) but you have to be cautious if you own a vehicle with a catch!! I learn the hard way twice - in the winter any condensation the warm engine produces travels from the engine to the catch can and Back to the intake can freeze solid if they have any kind of a low point between PCV and can or ontake the first time it happened I blew out a front main seal...remove the timing components replaced it I assumed I had a undersized seal and went on with my day around a year later it happened to the valve cover gasket which spray oil everywhere because it pressurized the crankcase. Not to mention losing oil and not noticing while operating the engine at speed! Again my opinion no 90 degree bends at the hoses and make sure all fluids slope back to the catch can.
Yep. I’ve heard from a bunch of you guys saying they had freezing issues. That’s something I didn’t give a ton of thought to.
Was this mostly oil or condensation with a small amount of oil?
Mostly oil from the looks of it
HumbleMechanic I've noticed on my direct injection vehicle I have a 2012 Kia Optima SX it's a turbo and I've noticed the more humidity and or wet weather you have and the colder it is the more Blow by that you catch so I would not wait the full 3000 miles in say winter time because they do fill up a lot faster I have to catch cans on my vehicle with a PCV delete so it goes through both catch cans and I catch quite a bit in the winter time I checked mine at least once a week or every fill-up
HumbleMechanic also there is unburnt fuel water oil ECT in the catch can there is more gas in water than there is oil
Going have you say no, almost no oil. Look how it drained the viscosity was way too low to be oil, It flowed like water. Really all catch cans are a waste of money. Should let the container sit for 24hours and see how it separates.
Installed catch Can on my brand-new 2017 VW It is my hope It reduces the amount of carbon buildup long enough until I sell it, about 100,000 miles. I'm a conservative driver. I use full synthetic oil, only purchased top-tier gas in California. Hopefully, it makes a difference?
A beautiful 2015 model and they still haven't figured out a way to eliminate carbon buildup from the GDI system. Definitely disappointing. Excellent informative video. Disappointing to anyone thinking of buying a modern VW
Crazy since this engine came out in 2008
I have a 2017 beard that keeps catching food particles, what's your expertise on what I should do to avoid such debris. Trading in for something with a sleeker finish is out of the question because I can't afford the constant maintenance on it. The problem went away when I stopped eating but I then had issues starting up in the mornings and reduced performance throughout.