I'm installing a corksport catch can on my mazda soon but got curious if anyone uses a CC on a thirdgen. If you have pics, post them if you please.

 

Okay, I misread that and not in a good way.
I'll admit I need glasses.

I have a UPR dual valve catch can and clean side separator on my F150 Ecoboost (turbocharged engine). You need something with filler materials inside that promote condensation. Otherwise you might as well attach a coffee can to your engine. The bigger the can the better because it fills up fast (with water) when ambient temps drop below 40F. The last thing you want is for an overflow to go into the manifold.

Mounting in front of radiator makes it a real PIA below 25F because it will freeze up and not thaw. I usually go back to OE hose routing in winter if temps stay below 25F during the day. Mounting in engine bay will give you leeway for some colder temps.

 

Got pics?
The mazda is DI and is a couple years before they started putting extra injectors to wash off the valves. So putting a can on that car is for sure a good idea.
But does it really matter for TPI motors? Other than to just keep things clean. The TPI intake I bought for the truck, upper and lower, was filthy, and I assume was partly due to the nastyness coming in on the passenger side valve cover.

 

You car would almost fit inside my engine bay so I don't know why pictures would help?

 

Pics on a thirdgen not a ford truck. The mazda is solved.

 

I have never seen a compelling reason to install a catch can or AOS system on an NA engine unless the engine is clapped out with shot rings. If the rings are sealing properly and the PCV system is functioning correctly, there should be no need for this.

In the specific case of track vehicles that see high G cornering, what you need is an oil control valve such as used in stunt aircraft to prevent oil being sucked out of valve covers, etc.

If you have too much crankcase pressure due to high boost levels, you need larger vents on the crankcase and valve covers, often atmospheric vents, and a heated AOS with a drain back.

They (catch cans) are usually a poor solution to an improperly designed crankcase ventilation system or clapped out rings. Typically these are installed by DIY's and shops that believe they are neccessary when they are not and they are usually a band aid for poorly built/maintained engines of modified engines with poorly designed crankcase ventilation.

I have had to use heated air oil separators in cases where we built stock engines into high-compression race engines running E85 and the stock PCV system wasn't capable of dropping out the oil by itself. We built a Honda B18 with about 12.5 compression that needed help with slobbering oil into the PCV at sustained high RPM (8,000+) because the stock crankcase air-oil-separator box on the back of the engine was just too small for the job. But at the volume this thing was pushing you would have to empty a catch can several times a day at the track. It had to be a heated AOS so the oil would go back to the crankcase and not pickup a bunch of moisture on the way.

GD

 

I've had a Moroso catch can installed since I noticed the excessive puffing of smoke from the PCV valve cover hole when it was disconnected. And for the reasons posted above, namely "clapped out rings", I wanted to eliminate or at least reduce the amount of blow-by that would enter the intake.
Mounted up by the rad, it's in from the PCV valve and out to the base of the intake. I can recover an ounce or two of condensate every other oil change or so (although I haven't exactly kept a record of the amounts).


Circled in red beside the ignition box

 

If all you are getting is condensation, why use a catch can? Condensation is a symptom of the catch can itself (and it not being heated). If you remove the catch can, then the PCV vapors will not be allowed to cool prior to being burned, and the moisture will never form in the first place (see Wikipedia for "Dew-point"). A catch can or AOS is used to prevent the engine from consuming it's own oil. If all you get out of the can is condensation (which is a byproduct of having a catch can) then one has to wonder what possible purpose it serves?

What are your compression numbers?

Dirty intake is often a result of EGR also. It may have nothing to do with the PCV system.

GD

 

I suppose I should have said "condensation and oil mixture".
Compression is down from what it used to be (and what it should theoretically be as well), and the variance between cylinders is as much as 25 PSI. Leak down tests show unacceptable losses too. So much so that I doubt the accuracy of my testing but at the very least 20% is observed and with one cylinder, not surprisingly the one with the lowest compression pressure, indicating a 50% loss.
"Clapped out rings" is a good definition I would think. And given the history of this shortblock, understandable as well.

 

When I mean dirty intake, I meant plenum. The plenum, runners, and TB I bought off of thirdgen if I remember had 150k on them and were absolutely black and filthy on the inside. I had just assumed it was due to PCV.

 

every catch can i have installed has been empty which is a bit silly. I used a 2" long piece of hose on the inside of the can attached to the CRAP IN fitting which pushed the vapors down towards the bottom of the catch can, then threw one of those stainless steel scourer ***** in there (stretch it out by hand). You would be amazed at how much stuff will settle on the scourer pad and drip to the bottom of the catch can.

then every once every few thousand km, pull the old scourer out, tip any crap out and thrown a new scourer in there. Last time i pulled my intake it was nice and clean.

 

Probably more to do with the EGR system than the PCV system.

That being said I have seen plenty of NA engines with lower mileage that have very good PCV baffling blowing oil out of the PCV vent into the intake system. Nissan/Infiniti engines are terrible about pulling oil through the PCV valves and into the intake at high vacuum, higher rpm cruising. They have a baffle/separator plate built into the valve cover and a PCV valve and vent on each bank yet still consume 1 qt every 1,000 miles when driven hard. I put an AOS on the M56 because of its habit of eating massive amounts of oil through the PCV. It was on my Titan prior to owning the M56.

The GM 8.1 is also known to do this. GM removed the PCV valve from the LS truck engines and in their place installed a dummy valve with a small metered orifice in them as well to curb oil consumption and reduce spark knock.

I have a heated AOS on my Express van that I tow with. It sees sustained RPM and load which makes the PCV valve itself nearly pointless while running down the road. Even with good ring seal it was pushing oil out of the vent and into the intake system causing spark knock. The L31 marine engines do it as well. My L31 marine intake had a light layer of oil completely covering the lower intake and intake plenum when I picked it up.