oil catch can - which brand?

[RubyCamaro]

Okay let's hear some discussion about oil catch can brands - comparison, pros/cons, opinions, etc. Which is preferred & why? What about a "breather"? Nothing like a healthy debate to help sort things out & let everyone make informed choices.

[noisemker]

I agree. I'm very interested in get one of these but i'd like to hear some comparison and feedback on all the brands out there.

[PM Designs]

I want to see an unbiased test of the various catch cans available. And more reasonable pricing on the cans! I see the cans on the market as having a huge profit margin for the manufacturer. $150-200 for a "quality" catch can is ridiculous how about $50-100?

[SC2150]

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102397

Hard to be unbiased but you can follow the testing described and do it for yourself. I will buy the RX can back if it does not beat every can you can try and test for oil pull through.

[SC2150]

Here is the result of testing every can we could find to buy:

The catch can test:

Now the explanation to follow is generic in nature and analysis of how a catch can should work, filter media can or not. & I'll go over the pros and cons of both. The administering of the testing was pretty straight forward and anyone could reasonably duplicate. A simple 3/8" inline clear glass fuel filter with the white element, $12 or so at any auto parts store, hooked inline between the the can outlet & the intake manifold. Install a clean filter for every can tested. Use the same vehicle for every can, and run the same route at speeds & style as close as possible. Make sure to include a stretch in the country you can run some WOT runs as well as semi aggressive cruising speeds (within the speed limit of course). I used a car with 189000 miles on it and run hard, low 11's NA and stock internals/LS6 intake, and patriot heads, so it made it easy to do in 200 miles a test.


See, the crankcase vapors should enter a inlet fitting on a catch can that will bring the vapors first, into an area that allows for two things, A: the vapors can cool, and this results in the oil vapor/mist condensing to droplets, that can then fall to the bottom of the can to be removed later, and B: slow the velocity of the vapors traveling through the can so the oil can fall out of suspension.

If a can is going to use a type of media/mesh to assist in condensing the vapor into droplets and causing some to actually condense right onto the mesh and drop of as larger droplets as they form.

The vapors should then flow through a main chamber (sizes & shapes vary greatly) where the vapor flow can slow even further and touch as much of the outer cooling surface as possible accelerating the droplet formation. Then the vapors will travel (again, as separate of a chamber as possible from the inlet chamber) through and up the outlet or main chamber (again, this is configured differently in different cans) to the outlet fitting where it exits. At this point of exit the vapor flow accelerates back to the same velocity it was when it entered and therefore any droplets anywhere near will be pulled out with the outgoing vapors.

Issues I see with each type of can, pros & cons:

A simple 1 pint to 1 qt fluid overflow catch can with an inlet & outlet fitting attached with NO internal baffling or filter media does catch a great deal of oil, but a fair amount still gets through as some of the vapors emerging travel right out that outlet fitting that is in many cases only an inch or two from each other. Impossible for it not to. The plus side of these is the amount of capacity, or volume, is large enough to allow the velocity of the flow down enough for the cooling oil vapors/mist to form droplets, and let them fall out of suspension so they can accumulate in the bottom without worry of any being pulled out the outlet. In tests, these surprised us as to how well they worked for so cheap of a price ($10-$50 on ebay, etc.) but with no baffling between the inlet & outlet and the closeness of each fitting they ALL allowed far to much through.

The "filter media" cans:

These are all very nicely made as for quality, and the filter media if placed in the right location and with a definite separation of the inlet & outlet via chambers or baffles, worked very well in condensing & capturing the oil droplets, but I saw 2 main problems. Not with the theory, that is sound, but with the design of the cans themselves. The worst of these were even some of the highest in price. They have the inlet & outlet fittings in a small top section of the can (these unscrewed to empty) with a condensing media in that top.The vapors flow from the inlet at full velocity, slow slightly while traveling through the media (where the oil does condense quite effectively) and right out the outlet pulling droplets off the condensing media! Defeating a sound principal by the design of the can.

We also found that the overall size resulted in disassembling often on all but the tightest motors with little issue with oil ingestion. On a big cube or FI build these cans allowed almost as much through during operation as they actually caught. We further found that the oil was not dropping to the bottom of the can during engine operation, but mainly after shut down when there was no flow through them and the saturated media would drop clean.

There is one can though that addressed these issues to some extent and was in the middle of the price range we encountered. This being the Mike Norris/CCA can.

It had a long completely separate inlet chamber running down the center of it with the media in this inlet chamber. ALL vapors have to travel down this tube and cool as they do so. Then they pass through the condensing media which helps separate the oil even more. The vapors are then in the main chamber where droplets can accumulate and the velocity of the flow slows enough to allow them to drop out of suspension. They then flow up the outlet chamber cooling further and out the outlet.

Shortcomings are few in this can...the size is twice what most other media cans are which is a plus, but still to small overall to allow the vapor flow to slow enough for the maximum amount of oil droplets to fall out of suspension, and when the can is partially full of collected oil it caused the flow to "bubble" through the accumulation allowing the occasional droplet get through. This was only when left to fill this far (normal builds would not experience this I believe) or when it was a large cube or FI build where the extra blow by overtaxed it due to size.

Another plus of this brand was it has a bottom drain petcock allowing drainage w/out disassembly.

Then the large capacity Saiku Micci & RX cans. These both are close in size, and use a unique perforated inlet dispersion tube that ensures the maximum amount of cooling surface area is contacted by the vapors as they flow from the perforated dispersion tube and swirl around the large cooling & collection chamber. The velocity of the flow also slows enough to allow nearly all of the oil droplets to fall out of suspension, with the remainder collecting on the outer cooling surface. That is where the 2 brands differ. The RX can has a disc baffled separate outlet chamber that segregates the vapors that are entering the cooling chamber and the outlet chamber, and then the RX can incorporates a poly positive closing check valve that also controls the amount of flow (same as a PCV valve would), and no media material.

The Saiku Micchi has only simple inlet & outlet open fittings same as the other cans, and recently added a condensing media to the outlet chamber actually CAUSING more oil to pas through much as the very small media cans did. I'm assuming the can designer (a small out of the home garage operation as I understand) felt pressured to add it as the small less effective media cans claim this feature as what makes theirs "the best" and has never done the extensive in-depth testing we did. and used good theory behind the design, but since the media was added to the outlet chamber the tests found oil getting through where the earlier versions did not.

Now be aware, an engine with excessive blow by & crankcase pressure would overwhelm every can we tested, and most were very acceptable with a stock or mild build as far as removing the suspended oil and keeping most out of the intake air charge, but the smaller the can, and those with the inlet & outlet sharing a common chamber, etc. were overwhelmed with any large cube or above average boost/FI build.

The small media cans with separate inlet & outlet chambers were quite a bit more effective in mild builds letting almost no oil thorough unless it was an engine with an internal issue (valley cover baffle failure/defect, pinched ring land, damaged piston or excessive ring/piston/bore wear). The ones with the inlet & outlet close together with nothing but the media were the worst period. Even though these caught plenty of oil when opened to examine & empty, the inline filter installed between the can outlet & the intake manifold vacuum nipple would show saturation.

The Mike Norris/CCA can was completely effective at all levels of operation with mild builds and performed well with all up until a large FI build or radical big cube test and then only a small amount was getting through. Increase the size by another pint allowing the velocity of flow to slow even further, add a integrated check valve with flow control, and it would be second to none.

[RubyCamaro]

Originally Posted by SC2150

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102397

Hard to be unbiased but you can follow the testing described and do it for yourself. I will buy the RX can back if it does not beat every can you can try and test for oil pull through.

Thanks, but that was a lot to digest. I get it that I need one, just don't understand the differences in brands. What about the "Breather"?

[chicagobulls]

but what makes this can worth 140 dollars

i dont understand why it would cost more than 30 dollars to make this thing that you have

i understand you have a great product but i will try to find some probably less expensive

thanks i really would want one of ur cans it just too much

[jagan323]

http://spadesv6.blogspot.com/2010/12...catch-can.html

This is the most viewed post of my blog, and it wasn't even up for too long.

Of course, being a customer of RX and Tracy, I look biased. So, I guess really no help from me. HOwever, I believe there are only 2 manufacturers currently making Catchcans for the V6. First off, I don't have anything to compare TO... BUT I do make all of my reviews objective to the buyers point of view.

Some people have made the catchcan themselves, but then again, it's about how good your craft is. RX catch can is cheap for what you are getting. First off, you are getting countless "nothing but good" reviews from most V6 Camaro owners. You are also getting your choice in color. The paint finish is incredible. And the catchcan itself is proven to work... I myself have not yet emptied out the catchcan and checked the cleaned out intake manifold. But I will in a month or two (when i do my oil change)

Breather specs here. Most of the "tech jargon" is quoted from Tracy.
http://spadesv6.blogspot.com/2011/01/rx-breather.html

[RubyCamaro]

Yeah, install looks easy enough, that is helpful. Just still don't know about Rx vs Elite Engineering & do I need the "Breather".

[chicagobulls]

do I need the "Breather".


i want to know this also

could i just get the breather also i have heard that the breather makes your engine bay oily

[CamaroDreams07]

RX can. Just got mine in today, hopefully will put it on tomorrow. Finish is amazing.

[SC2150]

Two answers. First is the breather.

There are two main areas of oil ingestion into the intake air charge. The most prevelant is the OEM PCV system. A good can will take care of most of that. The 2nd is the crankcase fresh make up air source. This is drawn from a tube that runs from the passenger side valve cover inner front to the inake air bridge. At WOT there is very little vacuum supplied by the intake manifold and oil laden crankcase vapors back flow, or enter through reversion into the intake tube contaminating the air charge. Take the tube off and look closeley at the TB blade. it probably has some oil residue. Now reach into the intake tube from the TB side with a white paper towel and you should also see a coating of oil.

The breather eliminates this path completely by providing a filtered fresh makeup air source for the crankcase and the integrated checkvalve prevents any vapors from being released into the engine compartment.

Now, on the cost.

You would have to show me where you could build the can for $30.

The material cost alone for the RX can are $62. Then there is the labor to assemble and polish or paint. Each color (as any bodyman here can attest to) is a premium mixed high$ and the cans are chemically stripped, self etching primered, and backed on finish coat (heat resistant). The polished cans also take between 15 & 20 minutes each. There is a entire production shop to support (not a garage or spare bedroom operation). So compare that to a tin, made in china cheap empty can with 2 fittings screwed in and there is no comparison. The RX can is still the best functioning on the market period and the test challenge still stands (or we wouldn't publish the method on how to or we would look pretty foolish).

Now, a question was asked on the Elite can. Excellent quality and great function for its size. Many prefer the looks and ease of mounting the smaller cans and this is a great choice. Similar design to the Norris/CCA can but app 1/2 the size. The surface area in a can that the vapors contact are as important as the interior volumn to allow the flow to slow enough for the oil droplets to effectively fall out of suspension are the 2 areas where it could be more functional. The small a can, the less effective it can be as far as oil pull through. The smaller size and compact appearance are something to balance in making a decision on what brand to buy. And the Elite is an excellent choice if that is part of the decison making. The RX can tries to balance as good of a looking piece as possible but keeps the features that make it the best functioning hands down, so the choice is a personal one of appearance & function. Out of the small billet units the Elite is my top pick and there are others that look just as awesome but are not quite as effective.

As far as the supporting vendors on here ALL are great cans and will do the job, but the RX can is pure function as the most important feature with appearance the best we could do and keep the cost down to where it is.

I realize that most members are employeed by someone and do not know the cost & effort to run a business so they look at a product and over simplify it. Until one has made the huge investment and sacrifcies in their own business it is hard to understand what goes into manufacturing and marketing a piece.



One other thing in closing. You will notice I give props where props are due on competitors products. Business 101 rule #1 is broken by giving ANY credit to a competitor....but all but a few competetors of the RX can on here are great people with great products. In fact we used to use & sell the Elite, AMW, and Norris cans before we took this to the current level. Those that have had contact with the few that have their heads stuck in the clouds know they do NOT extend the same courtesy and only slam and cut down the others. These brands I praise deserve it....competitors or not.

[rtcat600man]

Mine is installed. Breather included. I happened to be the winner of this set-up just before Christmas. So I too am going to be bias but from everything I have read (and believe me I read allot when it comes to the Camaro V6) I have not found anyone else pushing the catch can as much as Tracy (SC2150). There is probably a reason why too.

Bottom line if I can keep oil out of the combustion chamber that would be a good thing. This is not a 2 stroke chain saw. But instead a highly sophisticated 3.6L engine.

While typing this up I see that Tracy posted up another good write-up about this unit.

Thanks again Tracey..........

[SC2150]

13 second V6 20 years ago was unheard of (well, the grandsports...but they were turbo charged). The LLT is an AWESOME motor.