The "Catch Can" Explained!

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Firebird2xc

It's been well over two months since I ordered my Rx catch can. How and is the backlog? Should I have received it by now?

They have been running in excess of 2 months out.

[Deebo]

Another forum has numerous members who refer to the catch can as "snake oil." I'm my own man, however, and will never, EVER run another vehicle without a catch can, period!

[Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Deebo

Another forum has numerous members who refer to the catch can as "snake oil." I'm my own man, however, and will never, EVER run another vehicle without a catch can, period!

Let them think what they want but I pulled almost 2oz out of my Elite can after 3500 miles on a motor with only 5000 miles. That would have been all in my intake and caked on the back of my valves.

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Deebo

Another forum has numerous members who refer to the catch can as "snake oil." I'm my own man, however, and will never, EVER run another vehicle without a catch can, period!

People are free to have their own opinions but that doesn't change cold hard facts. All they need to do is pull their throttle body and take a peek inside their intake manifold. Or talk to anyone who takes engines apart for a living about what they see on a daily basis. Edmunds has studied and published on this problem. Every OEM out there now recommends upper induction cleaning at regular intervals and some are even starting to introduce oil separation systems. If you plan on keeping your car for more than a few years it is a no brainer.

Originally Posted by Firefighter

Let them think what they want but I pulled almost 2oz out of my Elite can after 3500 miles on a motor with only 5000 miles. That would have been all in my intake and caked on the back of my valves.

Exactly. Here are a couple posts made by C5 members that just installed their Apex catch cans.

Originally Posted by Denis

Well just emptied mine. Only on the car for about a week and a half now. I'd say she works better then the RX can I used to have.

Originally Posted by Pharmaro

We cruised down to Somerset, KY for the powercruise which was about a 350 mile round trip, a portion of which had some uhh, spirited street driving. The catch can was bone dry prior to the cruise. This is a photo of the catch can later that night.

[parkermoeder]

i bought a rx catch can off the classifieds early this week and plan on installing it soon. is there anyway to clean the leftover gunk and other stuff from 16kmiles without one?

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by parkermoeder

i bought a rx catch can off the classifieds early this week and plan on installing it soon. is there anyway to clean the leftover gunk and other stuff from 16kmiles without one?

You can do a Seafoam treatment yourself with the help of a friend or you can pay the dealership to do an upper induction cleaning.

[parkermoeder]

Originally Posted by Apex Chase

You can do a Seafoam treatment yourself with the help of a friend or you can pay the dealership to do an upper induction cleaning.

is that worth doing? and id probably do it myself

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by parkermoeder

is that worth doing? and id probably do it myself

With 16k miles you will have some build up and pooling in your intake manifold. It probably isn't crazy bad but it is there. Because I am OCD just knowing it was there would drive me crazy so for me it would be worth it.

[Denis]

what do they actually do for an "Upper induction cleaning"?

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Denis

what do they actually do for an "Upper induction cleaning"?

Basically clean up everything the stock PCV system dirtied up. They clean the injectors, throttle body, intake manifold, intake valves and combustion chambers.

[parkermoeder]

Originally Posted by Apex Chase

Basically clean up everything the stock PCV system dirtied up. They clean the injectors, throttle body, intake manifold, intake valves and combustion chambers.

is their any diy about this/how hard do you think it would be/ average cost a dealer may charge for it? thanks for the help btw

[Apex Motorsports]

Originally Posted by parkermoeder

is their any diy about this/how hard do you think it would be/ average cost a dealer may charge for it? thanks for the help btw

I am not aware of any DIYs. At the dealership I go to I believe it runs $139.

[Firebird2xc]

Originally Posted by Apex Chase

They have been running in excess of 2 months out.

Thanks. Actually, a few days after I asked about it here, my order processed and shipped. It have it here now.

I'm going to install it this week. I haven't run the whole instruction program but so far it looks pretty simple. I'll try to post pictures.


Thought for all others reading- a 'catch can' doesn't just help gas mileage by improving the composition of recirculated gases, it also gives you a good way to meter the health of your piston rings and spark plugs. If you check it regularly, and get a given amount of fluid drain, and then one time see more in the can, this could be indicative of a ring or seal problem.

[Firebird2xc]

Tech Question:

I bought a breather cap for my oil filler tube along with my catch can. I've heard guys say that the 'unmetered air will affect your fuel/air ratio' but that's dumb. How would air enter the fuel air mixture via the crank case unless it was causing severe piston ring blow by? It wouldn't.

As I understand PCV systems, the PCV valve should close when the engine isn't generating internal pressure via combustion. As the crank case would also be generating oil pressure, and thereby excess gas pressure in the fill tube.

I'm assuming the filler tube cap is a check valve?

It only lets vapor out when the engine isn't generating oil pressure? That the excess gaseous pressure being vented from the crankcase prevents pressure from being exerted on the piston rings when the cylinders aren't being regularly pressurized?

Anybody?