IPF system and the catch can filling up
 

Hello All,

Many of you know me being on this forum for over 3 years. I don't venture into the FI section often. However, recently I am now thinking more and more about going FI. One of the concerns I just recently heard about from one of my friends in our Detroit 5th Gen Camaro Club is that his catch can is filling up with fluid after 200 miles. He was at the local 1/4 mile track 2 weeks ago and the can got so full it back flowed into the intake and soaked the air cleaner.

Does anyone know of this issue/problem? A fix for this issue. I know nothing about the FI scene yet. But will be learning quickly.

I want to help him resolve this issue and then learn which system to lean towards.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Mike

They do fill up faster in the winter than the summer. 200 miles seems really quick, though. How much does their can hold?

The can is probably at least a pint, possibly as much as a quart. It has a drain on it, plus a visual inspection line that indicates if there's a significant quantity of fluid in it. 200 miles and the thing was full? Something's wrong there!

John B.

:word:

That much is NOT normal though. Something may be backed up somewhere. Is it brand new? Maybe the lines are backwards, some people have had similar issue doing it backwards I believe.

yeah, if that thing is filling up every 200 miles, there won't be any oil left after 3,000 miles. lol

Its not oil its water, even put a match to it and it's not unburned fuel. Maybe a teaspoon of nasty oil if that. I'm trying to figure out where all the water is from.

DetDuke I remember you mentioning this issue before.

It does sound strange....surely it is not a common occurence otherwise the other IPF owners here would be complaining of the same thing.

Johnny have you checked your can? Does it fill up very quickly at all?

Some turbos and SC's have a tendency to build up condensation in the unit. Which isn't good. Luckily your MAF is before the SC and not after or your MAF would go bad also. Just another opinion of where the water could be coming from other than the regular engine condensation.

I never had water in my can. But my can filled up pretty quick

The can is pretty well hidden between the fender liner and the front bumper, so I haven't had more than a cursory glance at mine since my self-install. Guess I'll have to take a hard look at it soon. Luckily, there's barely any humidity in Phoenix...most of the time.

John B.

Its normal in wet conditions. The lines are so long that literally everything condenses and runs to the can.

I pulled my intake manifold to tighten my valve covers and there wasn't a drop or hint of any oil/water residue in the manifold.

I drop mine every time I track the car or every 500-1000 miles. I put it in Gatorade bottles and leave it on peoples desk around here. Always gets a funny reaction when they smell it.

That's hilarious lol

In the winter when the temps were in the 30's and 40's I would empty every other tank of gas. That would be about 750 miles since I don't run past 1/4 tank very often. It is just water water with a little oil. Now that the weather is in the 60s-70s :happyanim: I still empty every other fillup but the amount is probably cut in half. The amount surprised me also but the guys at Jennety's said this was normal for Centifugial SC in NewEngland.
I recently went to a Saikou Michi Custom Catch can that allows install up front so emptying is a lot easier. The can is a lot better catch system inside the can.

This is good to know. Sunny S. Utah is about the driest place you'd want to be, so hopefully I won't need to access mine too often.

NB- did you order directly from Saikou and could you PM me the details about size and style you chose? Thanks!