Z51 Oil Catch Can

sneakytoot

sneakytoot

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Dec 23, 2013
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1976/2014 Coupes
Has anyone installed an Oil Catch Can system on their Z51 dry sump engines?
If so what model or manufacture did you go with?
How do you like it and how much oil have you found in the catch can?
 
I have installed it, but have not got to second oil change to check (been under cover all winter) It can't hurt and does not look out of place under the hood...
 
Can you please explain the reason for having one?

Why would you need one? Unless you overfill your oil?
OR
Is there so much blow-by expected from loose valves, or ????

Only seen them used on old cars...
 
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carbuff said:
Can you please explain the reason for having one?

Why would you need one? Unless you overfill your oil?
OR
Is there so much blow-by expected from loose valves, or ????

Only seen them used on old cars...
Click to expand...

An oil catch can is used in turbo applications, or high-performance race applications where excessive blow-by (leakage past the piston rings) of air and fuel vapor occurs. This creates a positive pressure in the crankcase. Engine manufactures have placed a valve on the engine block which releases this pressure. This valve is known as a PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valve. During engine operation, blow-by gases, as well as oil mist from the rotating components of the engine, pass through the PCV valve and are routed back into the intake for the engine to burn off. However, some of the oil mist and other products settle along the engine intake and over time form a "gunk." The oil catch can collects the oil mist and condenses the fuel vapors while allowing "cleaner" gases to be passed back into the intake. Typically the blow-by gasses are passed through a wire mesh, which give the vapor droplets something to adhere to. Since the oil catch cans condense the vapor portion of the gasses, they will need to be drained periodically of all the oil, fuel and other contaminants.
 
sneakytoot said:
Has anyone installed an Oil Catch Can system on their Z51 dry sump engines?
If so what model or manufacture did you go with?
How do you like it and how much oil have you found in the catch can?
Click to expand...
I've been wondering about this myself. Has anyone with a '14 seen any oil seep into their intake system. I have seen on the other forum where some engines have a fair bit of oil pass through into the intake. I have a catch can on my LS6 and it did collect some oil.
 
myfirstvette said:
I've been wondering about this myself. Has anyone with a '14 seen any oil seep into their intake system. I have seen on the other forum where some engines have a fair bit of oil pass through into the intake. I have a catch can on my LS6 and it did collect some oil.
Click to expand...

Yes on my 2014 Z51 coupe when I changed to an AFE air intake system, I had oil inside my original GM air intake.(I also checked my oil at gas fills and it's in the middle of the dip stick when warm. On my first oil change out at the dealership they over-filled and when it was warm it was at the top mark on the dip stick so I had them lower it to the proper level. GM knows that the LT1 engine has an oil injestion problem when using the car as it was designed to be used, I do race the car and enjoy it to it's fullest.
 
Maybe this can help.
 

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Great video. There is a reference to the break-in period and 'spirited driving' assisting with the lack oil in the intake. Can anyone explain... this sounds counter to the break-in guidance from GM?!? :confused:
 
Pan......
That guy does not make me feel very confident in they way he does things....
what a Klutz.
And the camera operator is more concerned about getting the guy in the video,
as opposed to letting us see what is actually going on.
 
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I hope everyone got the answer from some very good posts here. Direct injection poses some problems prior methods of fuel injection did not encounter. The catch can certainly won't hurt- It's like chicken soup..lol. They are not used at spring mountain, but the maintenance on those C7's is much more stringent than us average users follow.
 
IMG_0613.jpg:mad:

Removed throttle body today to see if I had any oil in my engine air intake as you can see the brownish oil at the bottom of the intake. The throttle body flapper also had oil on it.
Car has only about 6k.
 
OK, I get it So oil get aspirated via the PCV as it does on any other engine. Old chevy v8s had tons of blowby, especially as they aged.

But what concequence does this have on engine longevity?
I can put up with a bit of oil burning, so that is not an issue.

Does it really gum up intake valves, or does it actually lubricate them and not cause any harm?
Nothing else in the path, other than the throttle body which gets lubed by the oil, or a mass sensor? Not understanding where the problem occurs. Valves?
 
carbuff said:
OK, I get it So oil get aspirated via the PCV as it does on any other engine. Old chevy v8s had tons of blowby, especially as they aged.

But what concequence does this have on engine longevity?
I can put up with a bit of oil burning, so that is not an issue.

Does it really gum up intake valves, or does it actually lubricate them and not cause any harm?
Nothing else in the path, other than the throttle body which gets lubed by the oil, or a mass sensor? Not understanding where the problem occurs. Valves?
Click to expand...

Here is a very good article which fully explains the issue https://drivegeek.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/gdi-carbon-buildup-issue-and-a-solution/ it's a generic article addressing the issue with Direct Injection.

Going to be adding a catch can this spring!
 
smackYYZ said:
Here is a very good article which fully explains the issue https://drivegeek.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/gdi-carbon-buildup-issue-and-a-solution/ it's a generic article addressing the issue with Direct Injection.

Going to be adding a catch can this spring!
Click to expand...

SmackYYZ the article says it all, as I posted I had a puddle oil gunk (oil/water mixture) sitting inside my air intake manifold, and oil on the throttle body flapper, so I'm buying a catch can this week for my 2014 NRB Z51 2LT coupe.
 
The old carbureted and TBI engines, had what is called a wet intake, fuel and air. The path was more or less down hill from the carb to the valves with no place for oil to lay and puddle up. The gas kept the intake washed reasonably clean of oil and deposits. The later fuel injection intakes are not so much down hill and are dry with gas injected right at the head port or into the combustion chamber on the newest engines. Look at the L98 intake as an extreme example of what I am talking about with plenty of places to puddle the oil. Our old '69 427 never got more than 800 miles to the quart of oil, yet when I tore it down with close to 200K miles on it, there was very little buildup in the valves and the intake was quite clean. The engine saw 6500 more than I care to remember and even 7200 on occasion so I can honestly say that it wasn't babied. City versus highway driving may have a considerable effect of buildup. Short city trips never give the engines time to get up to temperature so they spend a lot of their lives with condensation that never gets burned off. With us living at least 15 miles from the nearest town/city, the engines have enough time to warm up and burn off the sludge causing moisture. The way I see it anyway.
 
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