Do I really need an oil catch can?

[JimC]

Likely but nobody ever noticed fumes inside the car, ever.

And when you’re 17 or 18 in 1969 nobody cared about spots under the car.

The more I think about it, I’m thinking that many if not most brand new cars came from the factory with such a system up till around 1960 or maybe a bit later. I could be off some on the date but not by like 20 years.

My 1965 Mustang had the tube to drain to the ground. Never noticed any fumes with that either.

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[Mspider]

Only 2018+ have port injection though.

nah they all have it.

 

[Mspider]

Not engine explosion but noticeable loss of performance over time.

I am telling you this. With port injection you will not see loss over time. Direct injection is different story.

Sure you might see some oil in the intake but its not enough to cause problems in most cases. You can always get it cleaned as well every 50k miles or so.

 

[Konamoth]

Only 2018+ have port injection though.

Inverse. 2018+ have direct injection, in addition to port injection. All Coyotes are port injected.

 

[bnightstar]

I am telling you this. With port injection you will not see loss over time. Direct injection is different story.

Sure you might see some oil in the intake but its not enough to cause problems in most cases. You can always get it cleaned as well every 50k miles or so.

As I said I have a 2013 Fiesta 1.25i with use Port Injection and has the same intake PVAC issues as the Mustang. The last 2 years the loss of power because of oil blow by is very noticeable. I prefer to have a Catch can and clean it when needed than let that happen to the V8.

 

[Blu_stallion]

If you're willing to spend 50k on a car you love, I'd hardly call spending $160 on a catch can to prevent dirty oil going into your intake a waste of money...

I catch enough oil in mine that I'd buy it again if I traded in my car for a new one.

It's not some silly race themed add on that gives people percieved horsepower gains. It's done with the cars health in mind. I don't see how that could be perceived as a foolish purchase...

Its not a "hot air intake" either. Its not pulling hot air from the engine bay into your intake. What you have in there right now is a stock tube. The catch can is basically the same tube, but with a filter in the middle to catch the oil that gets caught up in the suction and prevents it from going into the intake , while allowing the tube to do the same job it already does. Its not pulling in any more hot air than your stock tube is pulling in presently.

Even if the benefits are minimal, it's not a thousand bucks... its two fill-ups at the gas station...

(If you decide to do it, just get the passenger side)

Agree 100%. I don't see how anyone can call this a wasteful purchase, these things work and in the grand scheme they are a cheap addition and so simple to install

 

[Skye]

As a reference for new owners who have installed a catch can...

Opened mine (J&L type) today to take a peak. New car, 250 miles. It had a light coat of oil in the can and 1/2 a teaspoon in the bottom. No tracking. No highway driving. Always full warm-up. Hit 5500 RPM several times each drive along with varied driving of all types. Put back on without emptying.

Intend to open and review again at 500 miles.

I do believe items like this have long-term value. At a minimum, I see items like this as a step towards goodness. Setting the entire debate aside, it's another method of me to get a feel for how well the car's internals are working. Seeing something other than oil in the can, moisture of some type for example, or excessive amounts of oil with low miles, would be a tell something is not right.

 

[Mspider]

Agree 100%. I don't see how anyone can call this a wasteful purchase, these things work and in the grand scheme they are a cheap addition and so simple to install

For me it not cost or even debating if it works or not. I actually agree, a catch can does stop some oil from getting into the intake manifold. I hate adding complexity, maintenance and the risk of ford blaming a engine failure on aftermarket PCV mod. Even if ford performance offers one, doesn't matter to them.

Plus if you are not keeping the car long term you are actually wasting money.

 

[edco]

I run one on my 2007 GT. I empty it every 1500 miles. No one sold me.
I had the plenum on my work bench for mods. The oil drench on the
ducts freaked me out. IMO it was excessive. I used an air compressor
separator from GRAINGER. $17.95. It is all good with no cons.
It was also a good time to improve the appearance of the dull ABS plastic black.

 

[demon67]

Took a look at mine yesterday. About 4,000 miles or so after I installed it. About 60% full. As others have said it's cheap and it's a 5 minute install.

I don't track my car, but I am fairly spirited on it and run E85. I'd rather see that oil in the can than somewhere else.

 

[StigyAus]

As a reference for new owners who have installed a catch can...

Opened mine (J&L type) today to take a peak. New car, 250 miles. It had a light coat of oil in the can and 1/2 a teaspoon in the bottom. No tracking. No highway driving. Always full warm-up. Hit 5500 RPM several times each drive along with varied driving of all types. Put back on without emptying.

Woah, that’s a reasonable amount for that few miles. Thanks for the reference. Helps convince me to fit one I think. Not required, but nice to have.
I would love to see Ford try and put forward an argument to say the Ford Performance catch can they fit as stock to some Mustang engines was the cause of your Mustang engine’s failure. Sounds like a rather hard sell to me

 

[Mspider]

Woah, that’s a reasonable amount for that few miles. Thanks for the reference. Helps convince me to fit one I think. Not required, but nice to have.
I would love to see Ford try and put forward an argument to say the Ford Performance catch can they fit as stock to some Mustang engines was the cause of your Mustang engine’s failure. Sounds like a rather hard sell to me

If it comes from factory its fine. If you buy the ford performance one and have it installed at dealership you should be fine. When you buy a non approved aftermarket part and install it yourself is where its a grey area. Really not a hard concept.

My suggest would be to remove the catch can if you have a engine failure or anything related to the PCV/oil system. Before you take your car into service.

 

[3pdl]

If it comes from factory its fine. If you buy the ford performance one and have it installed at dealership you should be fine. When you buy a non approved aftermarket part and install it yourself is where its a grey area. Really not a hard concept.

My suggest would be to remove the catch can if you have a engine failure or anything related to the PCV/oil system. Before you take your car into service.

i put the risk of losing warranty from a catch can right up there with modding the cabin with an air freshener.

 

[Mspider]

i put the risk of losing warranty from a catch can right up there with modding the cabin with an air freshener.

right....

 

[HolubS]

I had my dealer install the Ford Performance catch can on my 2018 Ecoboost when I bought the car used, the can is maybe 1/4 full when I check it about every 4000 miles.

My friend bought a 2021 Ecoboost and had the dealer install an aftermarket catch can. His can was filling every 1000 miles! Found that there was a flaw in the valve cover baffles, which the dealer replaced under warranty. Wonder what would have happened if he had not caught that?

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