Catch Cans

This is the PCV Catch Can that everyone is talking about!

Featured in the Sept. 2009 issue of Corvette Fever magazine!

Purpose of your Stock PCV System

The PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system is designed to regulate and remove fumes from the engine crankcase, and to alleviate crankcase pressure which could cause oil leaks or seal damage. The PCV system routes crankcase fumes into the intake manifold where they can be burned to eliminate harmful emissions into the atmosphere. The PCV valve controls the amount of crankcase flow volume depending on the engine's load. With large throttle openings (high engine loads), the more blow-by gases are produced, and the more the PCV system flows oil vapor in to the intake manifold. The PCV valve also functions as a check valve to prevent intake manifold flow from reversing back into the crankcase when there is a backfire, or during periods of high manifold pressure (boost) during forced induction by turbocharger or supercharger.

Negative Effects of your Stock PCV System

Many Corvette, Camaro, Firebird and GTO owners with LSX engines can testify to the amount of oil residue that can accumulate inside the intake manifold, throttle body, intake track and even the air filter during aggressive driving conditions.

There are various negative effects when excess oil vapor contaminates the intake system from the stock PCV system - such as:

Throttle body and/or MAFS (Mass Air Flow Sensor) malfunction or failure.
Air filter, intercooler (if equipped) and intake ducting contamination if oil pools and run back out the intake system after engine shutdown.
Reduced octane of the air/fuel mixture, which can cause detonation and the ECM (Engine Control Module) to retard timing, thereby reducing engine power.
Excessive carbon build-up on valves, piston crowns, combustion chambers and spark plugs. This also increases the chance of detonation and power loss.
Increased emissions & possible contamination of catalytic converters and oxygen sensors.

Bottom Line: Excessive amounts of oil vapor in the intake manifold is detrimental to your engine!

Solution: Install the E2 Elite Engineering PCV Oil Catch Can!

Ultimate Function

The E2 Elite Engineering PCV Oil Catch Can is designed to effectively separate oil from the crankcase vapors, thereby eliminating all negative effects of excessive intake system oil contamination. Our Catch Can has been engineered to remove the oil vapor before it has a chance to contaminate your intake system.

Not all Catch Cans are created equally! Often imitated, never duplicated. Most Catch Cans on the market are just comprised of an empty container with 2 ports. While that simple design may trap a few oil droplets, our Catch Can is designed to condense the oil vapor and trap the oil inside the container.

Our test proven design incorporates a stainless steel mesh and screening mechanism that acts like a maze to collect and condense the oil vapor. Once the oil vapors condense into liquid droplets, it falls to the bottom of the can. In addition, the top assembly is specially designed to keep any liquid from climbing out the exit hole during aggressive driving conditions. Stored oil volume is approximately 8 ounces. You will be amazed by how much oil our Catch Can will catch! Don't settle for an inferior competitor's product. Insist on Elite Engineering's Catch Can!

Premium Construction

The Elite Engineering PCV Oil Catch Can is constructed of the finest materials inside and out. High performance car owners insist on the best products that offer unsurpassed function as well as impressive visual enhancement. Our Catch Can does both! Our exclusive design incorporates optimum function and the finest materials, construction and finish for maximum dependability.

The 2.6" diameter by 6.0" long body is machined from billet 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, and then anodized in a variety of colors for a striking look. The internal condensing screen is stainless steel encased inside an aluminum alloy housing designed for low flow restriction. The housing can be disassembled for screen inspection, cleaning or replacement if needed. The inlet and outlet hose fittings are brass, and threaded into the body and sealed with Teflon tape. Supplied hoses are fuel and oil vapor compatible (SAE 30R7 rated). The bottom catch can reservoir screws onto the top of the unit, and is sealed with a built in O-ring. Inspection and cleaning is easy by simply removing the bottom of the unit without disturbing the mounting system or hoses.

In keeping with our high quality standards, all supplied mounting hardware and screws are stainless steel. The supplied custom machined mounting bracket is black anodized 6061-T6 aluminum, and is attached to the passenger side engine head on LS1/LS6/LS7/ applications with (2) two 10 mm button head screws.

Each Catch Can kit includes everything you need to install the system. Basic mechanical skills and common hand tools are the only things required.

Kit Includes:

Catch Can assembly beautifully anodized in choice of available colors, complete with 3/8" barbed inlet/outlet hose fittings.
Custom machined mounting bracket for LS1/LS2/LS6/LS7/ applications, black anodized.
Stainless steel mounting hardware.
24 inches of 3/8" ID fuel and oil vapor compatible hose.
PCV adaptor hardware.
Black zinc plated hose clamps.
Brass Hose Barb fittings are standard, upgrade to Chrome Fittings for that custom look below

Purchase your PCV Catch Can here!

Some more History!

First off, let's go over the basics of how most misinterpret the PCV system. As this has not been taught in Automotive Tech schools for decades, and dealer/manufacturer training has not either, we have 2 generations of techs that don't understand it either, and almost no performance shops outside of Professional racing shops do either.

The PCV system was mandated in the mid 1960's, mainly to reduce the ground water pollution from engines simply "venting" pressure out a draft tube and oil would be expelled as well. From the earliest auto's up until the mid 1960's this was how all engines dealt with this. Engines during the pre PCV system mandate rarely lasted more than 30-40k miles before wear dictated an entire rebuild, Wear was severe enough pistons could not be removed with out cutting the wear ridge that formed in the cylinders. And this was changing oil every 1200 miles at that time.

In the years following the PCV mandate, these same engines, using the same oils, and same change intervals were now lasting 100k plus miles and wear was fractional of pre PCV systems. Now, think hard about this as this covers how most people think of crankcase pressure today in the tuner shop crowd, most ONLY consider crankcase pressure and have no clue to all that a PCV system doe to keep an engine and the oil clean and as wear free as possible. So they throw breathers or vented cans on sacrificing not only engine longevity, but power and more. This is where catchcan systems like ours (most catchcans do very little and just trap a small portion of the contaminants you do not want ingested) are really a true air/oil separating crankcase evacuation system if you choose our E2 and E2-X line in dual valve. So if just an average catchcan is installed, it does not do a ton to benefit unless it traps nearly all of the oil mist and other contaminants that are by-products of the combustion process.

Here is what is contained in the blow-by:

Water, raw fuel, sulfuric acid, other acids, and abrasive particulate matter. If these are not flushed and evacuated (sucked out) as soon as they enter, they quickly settle and mix with the engine oil accumulating in the crankcase. Our E2 and E2-X Catch Cans are 95% effective and have patented designs that prove to be the most effective on the market. To be more effective a centrifuge system would have to be used and the cost and bulk make them only practical in industrial applications.

Then, if you are not pulling full time evacuation (suction) on the crankcase, you have several other issues taking place. One, is the parasitic power loss caused by the pistons fighting pressure on each down stroke. A breathered or vented system allows pressure to build and be expelled into the atmosphere. So there is always pressure and this cost power.

Then we look at piston ring design. ALL modern engines are build with low tension piston rings in order to reduce parasitic loss so if the crankcase does not have suction on it, the piston rings at higher RPM's loose stability and enter into a state of rapid vibration known as "Ring Flutter". This creates even more blow-by and power loss and oil consumption issues.

Next is the wear the contaminants cause. On a LS engine this is easy to see. A LS3 draws the crankcase vapors out the valley cover. The filtered fresh MAF metered make up air that enters the passenger side valve cover to flush and make up for the contaminant laden vapors being drawn out of the valley PCV barb only flushes that side of the valvetrain, so look underneath at the color and condition of each side valve cover when you have them off (L99 does provide a much better cross flushing so not an issue like the LS3). The acids and moisture condense at the highest points of the crankcase as the engine cools after running.

This will discolor and eat away at the steel baffle and the raw aluminum, the passenger side will be relatively clean and corrosion free. These acid droplets falling onto the rocker arms also attack the stamped steel retaining caps and over time they can loosen and fall out allowing the needle bearing to fall out.

The abrasive particulate matter is always circulating in the oil. The average oil filter only effectively filters out particulate matter 10-20 microns in size or larger, so smaller particles, responsible on average for app. 70% of all internal engine wear, are not trapped and continue to circulate causing wear to all internal moving parts.

All of this of course occurs over time and most are not aware of what is occurring.

Now lets look at the combustion process (hope this is not to long and technical, but knowledge and understanding is key). All PCV systems bring the vapors into the intake air charge to be burnt in the combustion process and further by the catalytic converters. BUT, the most precise and efficient burn is from ONLY air and fuel present. So any of these compounds disrupt the burn pattern, the flame front, how the quench works, and the energy released per explosive event. So the goal is to remove these so only scrubbed vapors enter as part. A small amount of water can be part without too much power loss, but if you look at any Professional racing, we measure every grain of moisture content in the air and adjust our tune accordingly (I have been involved in Professional Racing for decades as either builder, driver, team owner, or crew chief of some of the winningest Big$ race series in the US). So, we want to eliminate this, but for street applications emission laws must be observed and no State allows an open system for highway use. So our systems meet all emissions requirements except CA where we do not yet have CARB cert. We emulate a belt driven vacuum pumps functions as close as possible for street use. While not ass effective as a belt driven pump, we are as close as possible as a belt driven pump will not last more than a few thousand miles before needing new vanes, seals, and bearings.

Here is a video to watch. First dyno pull is venting as most shops do currently. Second pull is with the vacuum pump engaged. This is a NA small displacement engine so a great example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7bGshirEKI&t=18s

So, the power alone is demonstrated here not counting all of the other issues related to venting. In fact NO form of Professional racing has used "venting" for decades unless the class prohibits it as an unfair advantage such as NHRA and IHRA stock and pro-stock classes (today's Copo's must vent and cannot run evac systems due to class rules).

How our systems work. First, as your a performance focused company, this is even more critical in providing your customers the best solutions. On a NA application. We use the intake manifold vacuum for evacuation suction when at idle, light cruise, and deceleration. As there is no usable vacuum when accelerating, or at WOT, the stock PCV system and almost all other catchcans no longer evacuate and pressure builds and the crankcase remains stagnant. This is due to cam lobe overlap generated reversion pulses spiking back up each intake runner canceling any usable vacuum. So we use 2 checkvalves and a second suction source. When there is no usable vacuum from the IM, that primary checkvalve will close, and the secondary one will open using the vacuum/suction generated by the Venturi Effect from a fitting/barb installed just in front of the throttle body inlet so no matter what mode of operation, the valves always default to the strongest suction source so full time evacuation is taking place.

As our E2 and E2-X Catch Cans are 95% effective, only clean scrubbed vapors enter so detonation and the related knock retard is greatly reduced, and the combustion process is more efficient. When you lift on the throttle, the valves reverse order and the IM vacuum is again used, so no pressure can build in the first place.

Now there is another path of oil vapors, and that is the fresh, or cleanside of the PCV system. On the LS engine this is the passenger side valve cover through the barb located at the inner front of the valve cover. This is a direct path to the intake air charge, so we cap that and replace the oil fill cap with our billet cleanside separator (CSS). This is a device with an internal chamber and coalescing media that traps oil and also adds app. 4" additional vertical height to also use gravity to prevent oil entering through this path. As we have converted the PCV system to full time, vs part time evacuation, flow should only be in from the main CAI tube post MAF (as all air entering eventually becomes part of the combustion process, it must be metered for accurate short term fuel trims). This then travels into the passenger side valve cover (LT engines differ some) and around the rocker arms, and down into the main section of the crankcase all the while flushing and making up for the foul/dirty vapors being evacuated (sucked out) the driverside valve cover (we prefer you T the rear of the driverside’s valve cover and the valley barb on an LS3 so you don't have a stagnant driverside). IF there should be a breach in the piston/ring/cylinder seal suck as a pinched ringland, or damage, excessive pressure will simply vent unrestricted out the CSS and into the main CAI tube, so impossible to have seals fail. This is a failsafe feature in our systems design.

Note, our small original base can is NOT appropriate for performance applications and should only be used on mild driven cars and not a GDI engine. It is still the best for the money for these mild applications, but our E2 and E2-X line are what you will use 95% of the time. And if a big power build or big boost build, our E2-X Ultra is the only system to use.

We have a ton more to share, but we have probably overloaded you with a great deal already. Please read this over several times, print it out, and share with any other techs working with you, and send me back a list of specific questions. We will take all the time you’re willing to devote to train and educate you. This knowledge will set you apart from the "crowd".

Next session we will also go over the most common misconceptions as well such as "The oil is good to lubricate the super charger" or "Lubricate the valves", etc.

Below are some image examples of a turbo or centrifugal application where the boost pressurizes the IM. And will cover the different types of forced induction and how to properly deal with them. Turbonetics head of Engineering did extensive testing in house on their big boost builds and endorsed this design as the only solution that properly addressed the common issues with turbo charging and crankcase pressure and oil ingestion issues. Study these as well so you can see how we accomplish full time evacuation on these applications.