EVERYONE one needs a Catch can! save your motor $25. everyone inside!

**STANG KILLA SS** · 03-22-2006, 06:57 AM

(mods sticky if you like)
i know alot of you have them. but most dont. ive been in this LT1/LS1 game a looooong time and never knew what a catch can was or what it did. so today im gonna play Mr. "know it all" to all the folks that were like me in the dark about this.

if your in the know ignore this thread.
after spending alot of time on 'tech after the motor install i discoved this.
your PCV system basically connects to your valve covers and to your intake manifold. under hard driving, WOT, and down shifting the valve covers spits oil and it goes into the PCV tube and is routed back into the INTAKE

i bought my LSX 90mm intake used and could not for the life of me figure out why it was standing full of oil!

about a 1/8" thick sludge in the bottom! and this seeps back into the intake runners and is put into the motor and cyliders. not good. this was from the PCV system tube.
well the fix is very simple and cheap. a oil catch can.
heres how it works in its simplist form. two tubes and a container

(copy/paste links into NEW browser)
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/39/...anworks6pf.jpg

u can buy a oil catch can for about 130 bucks. or you can buy a nice polished billet one off ebay for about $35, or you can make you own as most do for about $25. all you need is a water seperator thats used for air tools. (goes in the line)
i bought this campbell housing(spelling?) one from Lowes for 19.99 and the two pipe nipples were 2 bucks each. and allitle 3/8" rubber hose. its not pressurized so hose clamps arent even needed. alot of guys also use the red "Husky" brand seperator from Home Depot as well.

yesterday to add some bling i switched from rubber hose to braided hose. and i checked how it was working. been doing very well. i checked the "out" tube going to the motor(intake) and it was BONE dry. not even a trace of oil was getting back into the intake. the inside of the tube was flat/matte like a rubber hose should be, not shiny from oil. and sure enough the bottom of the intake manifold was bone dry, no oil (i could stick my hand in the 90mm TB) IT WORKS!
heres what it looks like installed. install time is about 15 minutes.

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/3243/catchcan7np.jpg

you can see the oil in the bottom and this is only after 600 miles of EASY breakin miles for the new long block. i cant imagine how much it will catch once i can get on the car and open her up(when the most oil is spit into the line) u can also see a black nipple at the bottom, that is a cover for the drain valve in the bottom.

now does this give you more horsepower? no
does it make your motor last longer? mmmm probly not
but just knowing i dont have a manifold standing full of dirty oil, thats getting back into the cylinder and being combusted, makes me sleep allitle easier. especially for only $25 and 15 minutes.
hope ive helped......

**1fastcamarosss11** · 03-22-2006, 07:23 AM

pics not working.

**STANG KILLA SS** · 03-22-2006, 11:24 AM

read

(copy/paste links into NEW browser)

**1fastcamarosss11** · 03-22-2006, 01:01 PM

i see it was edited after i posted. hummm?????????

your post above me is 3:24. then edited is 3:25 after

**STANG KILLA SS** · 03-22-2006, 04:37 PM

you are very keen. however i added the BOLD around that part since you missed it

that was the edit. your welcome to ask mods to verify by checking the original post

**nytmare** · 03-22-2006, 04:53 PM

Copying and pasting the first link in a new browser window isn't working. I get redirected to Imageshack's start page and no pic ever shows up. It does work with the second link though. Nice pic BTW...

Marc

**JLSain** · 03-22-2006, 05:13 PM

Just FYI for everyone. I think that since I have NOT had a catch can until now, It's caused me to fuck up a piston ring. It did that by slowly bruning the oil in my car. Unfortunately for me, the Low Oil light came on LONG afte rit should've. I had to put 3 qts in the other week.

**keliente** · 03-22-2006, 06:04 PM

I can't get either photo to work, even pasting them into new browsers. If you email me the photos I will host them so they do work. fbody4me@hotmail.com

**MadSeason** · 03-22-2006, 10:25 PM

took a minute but the photos work... also, since you replaced the manifold why not just do the LS6 PCV conversion mod instead of the catch can?

**DaddySS** · 03-23-2006, 01:38 AM

Actually a catch can is a good idea and it can add horse power - oil vapor reduces the octane rating of your fuel mixture and contributes to knock and knock retard, so it may help your timing and add horse power. In the long run, it reduces gunk on your valves and improves air flow.

**STANG KILLA SS** · 03-23-2006, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by MadSeason

took a minute but the photos work... also, since you replaced the manifold why not just do the LS6 PCV conversion mod instead of the catch can?

http://www.ls1howto.com/howto/geniii...ls1_vs_ls6.jpg

thank you.
well its been tryed and proven that its a myth. that the mod doesnt work. many folks on 'tech had documented there catch can, catching the exact same about oil after the LS6 PCV conversion as it did before.

so i didnt fool with it.

**STANG KILLA SS** · 03-23-2006, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by DaddySS

Actually a catch can is a good idea and it can add horse power - oil vapor reduces the octane rating of your fuel mixture and contributes to knock and knock retard, so it may help your timing and add horse power. In the long run, it reduces gunk on your valves and improves air flow.

good point

**MadSeason** · 03-23-2006, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

thank you.
well its been tryed and proven that its a myth. that the mod doesnt work. many folks on 'tech had documented there catch can, catching the exact same about oil after the LS6 PCV conversion as it did before.

so i didnt fool with it.

Simple reason for that... They're bypassing the catching mechanism inside the valley cover. Oil's going to drop the first place it has a chance too.

**YoMommasTA** · 03-23-2006, 02:47 PM

i built a catch can-condensor,using a aluminum water bottle 1st inline to cool the crankcase vapors,then a air oil separator to catch the condensed oil.worked perfect,except it filled the separator so fast it was a HUGE PITA to take care of.i ended up disconecting it.unfortuneatly you not only catch oil but also fuel and water vapor.the aluminum water bottle 1qt would fill with water in a few days,same for the separator.it did make a big differance in performance though.just to me it wasn't worth all the hassle of cleaning it every week.i thought about adding a set of electric solenoids to automaticly dump the mess out on the road very time you put the brakes on.but i never bought the valves to do it.

**STANG KILLA SS** · 03-23-2006, 04:26 PM

wow u have a breather on that car? ive heard the increases the amount of oil caught in the catch can.
thats crazy. i havent emptied mine yet. still only has like 3/8" in the bottom.

**SeVeReDiStOrTiOn** · 03-23-2006, 09:00 PM

Good post

I bought mine from amw...it works and looks great. Only prob is the location I had to install it...I still have my egr so I had to put it next to the radiator on the driverside. The car kinda starts a little rough now...not sure if it's because there's a lot of line or what

Lots of condensation gets in there also...making me a nice milkshake, but at least it's not going into the motor.

Here's a link to amw for anyone that wants to buy one... http://www.accmachtech.com/pcvcatchcans.htm