# catch can revelation!



## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

Well looky what we have here. This is after less than 100 miles of driving in my A4 GTO. Multiply this amount by 30 and imagine how much oil that would be. And i was wondering where that oil went between changes. Now i know


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Is that what you call oil.. 


This is what you call oil.. After 5K miles.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

judging how mine looks after under 100 miles... It will probably have at least as much oil as you pictured maybe more. This is on a stock engine with an automatic also. The catch can was well worth the investment i think.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Thats normal for my engine, even before most of the mods. I rather have that in the can then anywhere else. I wasn't a big beleaver in catch cans until I pulled my TB off to P&P it. I found puddle of oil sitting at the bottom of the TB behind the TB blade. I shined a light into the intake and seen how oily it was inside. Shortly after I bought a catch can. Had the TB off and later removed the intake after the CC install and the oil film has pretty much disappeard also no oil puddle.

I found out some Corvette guys swear by breathable catch-cans, say they work better than the standard catch cans. I would try one but mine work fine and its not that noticeable by the SMOG Nazi's.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

GM4life said:


> Thats normal for my engine, even before most of the mods. I rather have that in the can then anywhere else. I wasn't a big beleaver in catch cans until I pulled my TB off to P&P it. I found puddle of oil sitting at the bottom of the TB behind the TB blade. I shined a light into the intake and seen how oily it was inside. Shortly after I bought a catch can. Had the TB off and later removed the intake after the CC install and the oil film has pretty much disappeard also no oil puddle.
> 
> I found out some Corvette guys swear by breathable catch-cans, say they work better than the standard catch cans. I would try one but mine work fine and its not that noticeable by the SMOG Nazi's.



Cool! I was researching why I was down about half a quart of oil between changes. Sometimes it seemed like it lost more oil than other times. I read about the catch can and why it was needed and im glad i did!

I dont know about the breathable catch-cans. I know some people will do away with the pcv and run a breather on the oil cap but i heard that gets the engine bay oily and I like keeping my engine clean.


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## Bluegoat05 (Mar 22, 2010)

you guys just convinced me to buy a catch can. while reading this post it accured to me that that is the reason i get that burn oil smell when i push the goat hard. i have slight seapage i think on the rear main and always thought that was it but i think this has a lot to do with it. also i can imagine it cuts down on power when burning oil like this too. just got one on ebay for 50 with shipping is that a good deal?


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

RJ_05GTO said:


> Cool! I was researching why I was down about half a quart of oil between changes. Sometimes it seemed like it lost more oil than other times. I read about the catch can and why it was needed and im glad i did!
> 
> I dont know about the breathable catch-cans. I know some people will do away with the pcv and run a breather on the oil cap but i heard that gets the engine bay oily and I like keeping my engine clean.


I don't use oil, except whats in the can. It stays about the same between 5k oil changes.


Bluegoat05 said:


> you guys just convinced me to buy a catch can. while reading this post it accured to me that that is the reason i get that burn oil smell when i push the goat hard. i have slight seapage i think on the rear main and always thought that was it but i think this has a lot to do with it. also i can imagine it cuts down on power when burning oil like this too. just got one on ebay for 50 with shipping is that a good deal?


You can get any catch can you want, you can make a homemade one if you want to. I perfered the allready made ones because of the fit and finish. Some say you should have some type of filter medium in there to help it do its job.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

Bluegoat05 said:


> you guys just convinced me to buy a catch can. while reading this post it accured to me that that is the reason i get that burn oil smell when i push the goat hard. i have slight seapage i think on the rear main and always thought that was it but i think this has a lot to do with it. also i can imagine it cuts down on power when burning oil like this too. just got one on ebay for 50 with shipping is that a good deal?


The one i have pictured. I got off of ebay for $89 plus shipping. I think it looks nice and it has some type of filter mesh in the top of it.
GM PONTIAC GTO LS2 BILLET OIL CATCH CAN SEPERATOR TANK: eBay Motors (item 290443081848 end time Jun-17-10 16:51:46 PDT)


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## 87GN06GTO07IRL (Aug 10, 2009)

GM4life said:


> Some say you should have some type of filter medium in there to help it do its job.


Do you think there's enough vacuum to need a filter? I can't see enough for the oil to jump over the can and go straight to the other hose.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

At times there is plenty of vacuum. The filter might also help condensate the oil.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

Yea it makes sense now that i think of it. The filter mesh is in there to catch the oil particles in the air so they will build up on the mesh and then fall into the bottom of the catch can rather than getting sucked into the engine.


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## Lautinjr (Mar 27, 2010)

I'm currently building one from a AC drier off a 1st gen Mita It's quiet perfect size and design the fit and finish will be excellent when i'm done and I have 0 dollars invested in it, Just couldn't see spending a $100 on something like this. I'll get some pics up when my Camera battery charges but I was going to use a Fuel pump strainer for the filter being it's plastic and hard to damage or clog. The drier imput has a tube that runs to the bottom of the can while the vacuum hole is on top should seperate oil nicely.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

Lautinjr said:


> I'm currently building one from a AC drier off a 1st gen Mita It's quiet perfect size and design the fit and finish will be excellent when i'm done and I have 0 dollars invested in it, Just couldn't see spending a $100 on something like this. I'll get some pics up when my Camera battery charges but I was going to use a Fuel pump strainer for the filter being it's plastic and hard to damage or clog. The drier imput has a tube that runs to the bottom of the can while the vacuum hole is on top should seperate oil nicely.


I hope that works out good for you. I like pretty billet machined stuff and i dont mind paying for it.


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## motoristx (Apr 27, 2010)

i noticed there are 2 hoses coming from the crank case. 1 is from the valley, between the heads with a very short hose that makes a 180 turn behind the TB, and the other is off the passenger side valve cover connecting just behind my air filter. would it be a good idea to have a catch can for both? does anyone know if they both suck oil?


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## Bluegoat05 (Mar 22, 2010)

i just put mine on and i noticed that there is no oil on the out side of my throttle body nor on the inside of the intake tubes so in response to your question no there is no need for two catch cans because no oil gets threw the breather hose that goes to the intake tube. oh by the way i took off my throttle body and the whole inside of my intake is soaked in oil so its no wonder someone started making catch cansarty:


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

motoristx said:


> i noticed there are 2 hoses coming from the crank case. 1 is from the valley, between the heads with a very short hose that makes a 180 turn behind the TB, and the other is off the passenger side valve cover connecting just behind my air filter. would it be a good idea to have a catch can for both? does anyone know if they both suck oil?


The one that goes to your valve cover is the breather the one that comes from the valley behind the TB is the suction/PCV. The catch-can goes inline with the valley and the intake connection behind the TB.


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## motoristx (Apr 27, 2010)

ok, just wondering if they both suck oil, or just the TB/Valley. so i only need one! Thanks guys


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## roy (Jun 1, 2010)

Being a GM newbee, especially the LS2, any pics on how one mounts a catch can?
Thanks


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

Are they hard to put on? What's the install like?


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## Bluegoat05 (Mar 22, 2010)

> dustyminpin Are they hard to put on? What's the install like?


its very easy to install mine came with a little bracet that a bent and made it fit on my brake master cylinder. but there are some that are ls2 specific like 
rj has that mount on head with an already existing hole.


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## motoristx (Apr 27, 2010)

looks like a 20 mins install


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

dustyminpin said:


> Are they hard to put on? What's the install like?


Very easy and quick to install. I have an Elite Engineering Catch Can.

This is the only pictures I have uploaded to photobucket right now.


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## Bluegoat05 (Mar 22, 2010)

gm4life made it look difficult with the pictures lol but that was probably the pics you took when you put i the cam.. just for the record it only takes about a half hour to an hour depending on how much you need to modify your bracket.. i have an off subject question for gm4life, did you have to pull the front bumper to do your cam or just the rad and condencer?


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Bluegoat05 said:


> gm4life made it look difficult with the pictures lol but that was probably the pics you took when you put i the cam.. just for the record it only takes about a half hour to an hour depending on how much you need to modify your bracket.. i have an off subject question for gm4life, did you have to pull the front bumper to do your cam or just the rad and condencer?


The catch can was just "P&P" took about 10-15mins. 

No need to pull the front bumper off just the radiator and the condensor.


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## motoristx (Apr 27, 2010)

ok i can't believe how much oil i got in mine!

i made a makeshift catchpot for temp use out of a pyrex glass jar, sone fuel hose, and a glass fuel filter. 

i installed the filter "backwards" or "from in to out" so i could see it catch the oil better. i didn't think i'm end up with any in the Catch pot for a few hundred miles... but i got about 3ML of oil in the Catch pot after 50 miles! 

i'm flabergasted! how could the design it to suck so much oil? :shutme

I'd recomend a professional made PCV catch can to anyone with an LS engine. plain and sinple, it should have come with it from the factory!


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## roy (Jun 1, 2010)

*gotta get a catch can*

Yep, This is a must do, can't believe how much oil is sitting in my TB!
Thanks for pics. GM,
I don;t see any measurable drop when checkin my oil, but still!
Sourcing a catch can today!


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## nastygoat405rwhp (Mar 28, 2010)

Never thought of a catch can before reading this article i always thought it was more for looks than anything but i stand corrected. Lookin for a catch can now


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

So the oil that comes out of it is still good or what? You just pour it back in the cap on top the valve cover?


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

The only time I pull mine down is during an oil change. Thats when it gets dumped.


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## nastygoat405rwhp (Mar 28, 2010)

i been looking for a can but most of them are coolant overflow where can i find one for the oil, or will the billet coolant overflow work the same


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

dustyminpin said:


> So the oil that comes out of it is still good or what? You just pour it back in the cap on top the valve cover?


NO! Do not pour the oil back into the engine. Always top off with clean new oil.


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## motoristx (Apr 27, 2010)

motoristx said:


> ok i can't believe how much oil i got in mine!
> 
> i made a makeshift catchpot for temp use out of a pyrex glass jar, sone fuel hose, and a glass fuel filter.
> 
> ...


i was wrong in my intial guess at the amount of oil in my can.

I'm lucky i have access to a lab and I did some measuring on the oil in my catch pot/can. it is home built serving only temperary till i buy a profesionaly built one, But i'm afriad my catch can/pot might not be separating all the oil from the vapors.

ok 275 miles, I had 2.25 mL of oil in the container. this comes to about 40mL of oil every 5k miles, or .0082mL per mile. 

so far this is only my first measurement so i'll start measuring it every so often and come up with a more accurate average of oil separation through the miles.

for you non-meteric guys
40mL = 1floz & 2 teaspoons
5mL = 1teaspoon


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

RJ_05GTO said:


> NO! Do not pour the oil back into the engine. Always top off with clean new oil.


The oil in the catch can is the same oil as is in the motor, and it wasn't damaged or contaminated. There is no problem with putting the oil back into the motor.


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

jetstang said:


> The oil in the catch can is the same oil as is in the motor, and it wasn't damaged or contaminated. There is no problem with putting the oil back into the motor.



I will never reinterduce used oil back into my engine reguardless of what "may not be wrong with it". And i will never recommend someone else too. It just isnt a good idea.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

RJ_05GTO said:


> I will never reinterduce used oil back into my engine reguardless of what "may not be wrong with it". And i will never recommend someone else too. It just isnt a good idea.


Guess I won't reinterduce? it either. I will dump it back in the motor though. So, oil vapor got sucked up the PCV tube and got accumulated in the catch can, and somehow the oil is now bad, although the same oil is lubricating your engine, hmm.. Some battles you just can't win...:cheers


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

jetstang said:


> Guess I won't reinterduce? it either. I will dump it back in the motor though. So, oil vapor got sucked up the PCV tube and got accumulated in the catch can, and somehow the oil is now bad, although the same oil is lubricating your engine, hmm.. Some battles you just can't win...:cheers


Wow! Thanks for catching my misspelled word! Your observation of that must make you feel very smart. Im not saying that the oil has all of a sudden gone bad just because it is in the catch can. Its just 100% better to top of with clean oil because the oil that comes out of the engine into the catch can could possibly have contamination in it that you would rather not want to be putting back into your engine. You cant help what is already in your engine short of changing the oil entirely. 
I know it seems very insignificant but little things like this can make a difference in the long term.


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## jetstang (Nov 5, 2008)

RJ, 
If you change the oil and dump the catch can, then check the catch can at say 2k miles and it has a couple ounces or so of oil in it, in theory, the oil in the can started accumulating upon the oil change, meaning the oil in the can is better and has lower miles than that in the pan..
I like the idea of a catch can, I have had cars that really needed one, Mustang 5.0s for sure. Most of the excess oil burns up in the cat anyway, it just saves your intake from getting contaminated.
Sorry for being an ass. :cheers


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## RJ_05GTO (Jul 6, 2008)

I can see what your saying. I do like a good debate sometimes  
And hey! We can all be asses sometimes so dont worry!:cheers


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