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My MCS was off the road for a month as I essentially rebuilt it, and part of the rebuild was to install an oil catch can that intercepted the vapour from both the left and right vents in the cam cover.
The OCC has a dipstick which I noted was beginning to show traces of 'oil' after only a day or two. At the end of ten days, I unscrewed the OCC to have a look....and the result was surprising. The OCC was full to the top with water.
That's about 2 full cups.
Not coolant, very little oil (just enough to float at the top). This was water.
Some panic-Googling leads me to conclude that this is condensation. That makes sense given it's still cold here at night (New Zealand).
I find it interesting to discover how much water was being fed to the engine before I installed the OCC.
So now I will be emptying it every weekend. Perhaps there will be less condensation as temperatures increase.
Sooooo I'm about to do this project and I've got some more questions to pile on.
I've found two different methods of routing.
Method 1 is PCV to the grey line.
It looks like Island Moose followed the routing of what I found in the ALTA install guide??? This caps the grey line and follows the blue?
But the recommendation was to remove the portion of the line from the breather (oil cap side) and just come from the PCV to the OCC and leave the grey line capped?
Sorry if I'm getting confusing here...
It's a very simple install with sometimes unnecessarily complicated instructions on line.
1st: Leave the breather side (oil filler cap side) out of the equation completely.
-Remove and replace the hose between the Grey Plastic line and the PCV.
-Run new hose from the PCV to the "IN" side of the Catch Can.
-Run new hose from the "OUT" side of the Catch Can to the Grey Plastic line.
Make sure all the lines are clamped, and it's Breather-Less Catch Can, it needs to be a closed/sealed system with no leaks.
All engines will produce water vapor/moisture, which when added to will actually be measurable water.
Short start and shut down periods will produce the most water. Also, as an engine cools, condensate will form where the internal air cools at a much different rate than the outside surfaces. This also causes rusted out mufflers and exhaust pipes. This is the exact reason why they are now made of of stainless steel. Plain high school physics.
That's why it's not a good idea to make short runs, or if a car sits "thru the winter", DO NOT start the engine for any reason. Just let it sit until you can drive it for 6 or 8 miles at a minimum. It should be run to full temperature, for a minimum of about ten minutes or so to help burn off the moisture in the various cavities in the engine and that have formed in the oil.
Another thing tis moisture can do, is collect, react with combustion (those short run times), and turn to an acid and actually start to eat into the main and rod bearings. It's an ugly site when you see it.
I just did a supercharger service and missed the opportunity to do the catch can while everything was already out i guess, but i have been thinking on doing it still.The car will is used 2 to 3 times a week and will be used for small fun track days time to time. Oil catch can really a good positive thing for those cars? how hard of an install by itself?
I'm in the middle of installing a cheap Amazon OCC right now and I'll post my findings here in a few days. BUT so far it looks to be super easy. Just make sure you have no air leaks...should be a closed system. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4502753
As to the benefits........a lot of opinions on both sides. All depends on the car. Some will have very little liquid to catch, some will have enough to make it worthwhile. Only real way to check is to install one and see what get caught, or pull off the IC to see how much gunk is in it.
BlwnAway : Thanks for the info>>>> Here's a couple diagrams of the correct routing... (not the Alta routing)
This diagram is exactly what I was referring to when it comes to confusing instructions...
They have the breather side listed as "optional and least effective" when it shouldn't be an option at all, that side has no vacuum or pressure in reference to atmosphere, so there's no way to draw the moisture vapor into the can.
The notation for the breather install should say... "not effective at all, a waste of time and money"
This diagram is exactly what I was referring to when it comes to confusing instructions...
They have the breather side listed as "optional and least effective" when it shouldn't be an option at all, that side has no vacuum or pressure in reference to atmosphere, so there's no way to draw the moisture vapor into the can.
The notation for the breather install should say... "not effective at all, a waste of time and money"
I'm not disputing what you're saying but wouldn't there potentially be pressure on the right side vent under positive boost? So the left side would be sucking off boost and the right side would be blowing on boost?
I'm not disputing what you're saying but wouldn't there potentially be pressure on the right side vent under positive boost? So the left side would be sucking off boost and the right side would be blowing on boost?
If there's boost going into your valve cover, you have a bigger problem than a bad catch can location.
I'm not disputing what you're saying but wouldn't there potentially be pressure on the right side vent under positive boost? So the left side would be sucking off boost and the right side would be blowing on boost?
No, the right side is strictly a fresh/atmospheric air draw, with no PCV (one way) valve.
Originally Posted by Da_Ghost
If there's boost going into your valve cover, you have a bigger problem than a bad catch can location.
^^ This ^^
The crankcase and cylinders create the vacuum, any positive pressure in the rocker cover means that the pressure in the crankcase is reversing direction, or not there at all due to a loss of seal in the rings or valves.
All of the boost should be retained in the intake and exhaust system only.
Appears that this is mainly for the S models and the Non S models would just a waste of money.
It's a good idea for a lot of vehicles. All engine sucking hot oil fumes can benefit from a catch can. I have a '15 Prius and they are known to end up clogging the intake manifold at high mileage. Just took out the intake manifold off my '03 Corolla to replace the gasket (somewhere over 300,000 km, cluster stuck at 299,999 like they all do) and it was an oily mess. The goal is to remove the oil from going into the manifold and into the combustion chamber. Over time, it can help lower the carbon deposit.
