The proper installation of a catch car/oil separator is in the PCV line from the valve to the intake. It removes or separates the oil from the oil vapor and contains in the sealed container. The vapor continues into the engine to be burned.
Running a catch can on a 82 5.0 and greatly reduced the emissions on the bi-annual sniffer test. Without it it was close to failing. Besting thing I ever did!
On newer engines with Direct Injection, adding a catch can, absolutely will help keep your intake valves much cleaner. When you don't have the fuel injectors spraying fuel on the backside of the valves, they get very encrusted with crankcase vapor. Capturing that vapor before it gets onto the valves saves a lot in repairs.
A catch can or valve cover breathers will both alleviate the gunk. Also, older cars used to have a foam filter between the PCV and air intake hose, which would fill with gunk and need changing. They don't make those anymore?
@@mrmrlee Some manufacturers have strategies to combat the problem. But that adds cost. If it can make it past the warranty without one, then they probably don't care.
I’m dealing that right now with the used 16 Buick with a 2.4 eco tech I grabbed for a few grand as a new run around car. The inlet put gets clogged very quickly, added a “cleaning port” to make that easier to get to vs removing the intake manifold every month. (Twice when it’s cold) and run the stock PCV outlet though a catch can then to the air box and then I’ve a breather cap that ports to a separate catch can and then right outside or into the airbox on a new port. I don’t get a lot of gunk but it seems to run, even if it still runs richer than she’d like to, still getting a good bit of blow by. Any ideas for other ways to help her would be much welcomed!
The pcv valve is one of the few emissions control devices that I actually like, for a naturally asparated street engine there is absolutely zero reason not to use one, the benefits of them out weight the cons of them by a long shot. For a race only engine I would use either a set of evac scavenge tubes in the exhaust or if I could afford it a belt driven vacuum pump with a catch can. I have also used pcv systems on a few boosted applications with decent success but they usually will smoke a bit after a hard pull so it might not be the best for a hardcore race only boosted or nitrous application to prevent oil consumption resulting in detonation. Another big plus to the pcv system is that it keeps the crankcase pressure lower which helps keep gaskets and seals from blowing out and leaking.
Brian, I just bought a car that is supercharged. The pcv hose isn't on the car. What would you recommend me using to ventilate the crankcase pressure? Also, to mention, the pcv valve is still in the valve e cover. Unsure as to why this is the way it is, bit I'd like to get it right. I will also say that the intake manifold is a MARANA intake for mounting the supercharger to this car. Saying that, the pcv hose would have been deleted with this intake. Any help would be appreciated. This is for a 2006 Mustang 4.0l v6. Thank you.
@@alfenner3309 is the supercharger on the car an aftermarket kit?, If so check online or call the manufacturer of the supercharger setup and see if they have a suggested method in their installation instructions. If you can't find any info and if the valve cover vents are currently open and hooked to nothing, you should at the very least have them vented to a filtered catch can, btw if you do vent both sides to a catch can you have to remove the PCV valve and install a fitting or remove the check valve and spring in the PCV valve or the valve cover won't vent properly. If you supercharger is a legitimate kit they probably engineered it to have the PCV valve tied in somewhere so I would highly recommend looking around for some installation instructions or find the manufacturer first before resorting to the catch can method. Also if you bought this car and everything is unknown they may have disconnected the PCV valve to hide bad blow-by from a damaged or wore out piston/piston ring but if the engine doesn't have any signs of extreme blow by you should be ok.
@@briang4470 The supercharger came off a lightning. I'm not sure of the year. Marana does intakes to fit these types of builds to add superchargers. The car runs like a top. I just noticed the pcv valve hose not there at all. The egr valve has also been deleted. Since it is a v6, do I add a catch can just on the passenger side, or do I tap into the drivers side as well? I'm just not sure how to do all of this. It was strong to me that the pcv hose wasn't connected at all. I'm not sure which way to go here. I'll look around again on the intake to see where the hose might connect to, but it looks like it was gutted because of the add of the supercharger. Usually the connection goes from valve cover to the front of the stock intake manifold, but again, that doesn't exist.
Maybe that’s why my truck’s rear main and pan gasket puke oil. Funny enough that’s the first thing I replaced before I started a massive series of repairs for my skill level. The pan gasket and rear main will be next but I need to use the vehicle to get stuff done before it gets cold out.
The only way that would happen is if you plug the hole where the pcv valve was. The function of the pcv valve is to remove combustion gas from the crank case. It's not to remove crankcase pressure. It draws a small amount of fresh air threw the crank case when there is manifold vacuum and low blowby. At wide open throttle, when there is there is high blowby and no manifold vacuum it acts as a normal crankcase breather and crankcase pressure traves out of both the pcv valve and breather hose equally. If you replace the valve with a vent then you will elevate crankcase pressure just fine but your oil will get dirty much faster.
@@johnpotsch7349 there’s a few ways to do it without issues you can take a block and drill it out for a tube with a filter and as long as that tube is at the correct angle and length it will catch the air and create a vacuum by movement a rather crude and risky way to do it though that’s have cars were built before the pcv system
I use a pneumatic in-line oil separator on all of my engines and I’ve had great luck! Preserves your plugs, reduces carbon deposits, etc. I’ve read that oil vapor also lowers the octane of your fuel mixture. I’ve found this is a perfect solution-on my old Buick 215 it came with just a draft tube which vents, but fails to actually evacuate gases with negative pressure. So inevitably this leads to sludge
I'm going to go with YES. I rigged a catch can with an atmospheric vent then blew the oil pan gasket. So I kept the catch can & replaced the vent with a vacuum, through a pcv valve. After that I had no oil leaks.
The PCV system creates vacuum inside the engine preventing oil from being blown out through seals, and/or damaging them. High performance drag engines use vacuum pumps to maintain vacuum within the engine to stop seals getting blown out. A common misconception is that it is for emissions purposes alone, but it's more associated with an advance in technology preventing seal damage and oil leaks. Many OEM valve covers have 'catch can' filters incorporated in the design up top just below the outlet that filter out oil and have holes drilled in the bottom that the 'caught' oil drips out of and back into the engine. Engines without this arrangement should have a catch can to prevent oil making its was into the intake and gumming up valves.
I always put a PCV on my muscle car I want the oil mist in the engine to be evacuated and a breather pipe to the air cleaner to suction clean air through the engine and through the PCV. This way you do not have to inhale oily smoke into your interior environment with open breathers. No stinky downdraft tubes.
You can also use exhaust evacuation which works much better for a big choppy camshaft. Instead of using the intake vacuum you use the headers or exhaust to evacuate pressure and keep air flowing through the crankcase
@@larryw5429 are you talking about a "jet valve" style pcv system like VW uses? Most modern engines use a vacuum pump now for brake assist. Variable camshaft/valve timing creates a scenario of low manifold vacuum in certain situations.
@@jeremypike9153 No its just a simple pcv valve that doesn't have a weighted jiggle valve. It looks just like a PCV valve but has a small 1/8 inch hole (maybe a tad bigger) so their isn't that fluttering valve and big hole like a traditional pcv that makes vacuum signals flutter and lose more vacuum than is needed! I forgot what part number it was.
@@larryw5429 have you seen the exhaust evac systems? Instead of pulling it through the engine you use the exhaust stream. Works well no metered vacuum leaks either. Plus your not creating carbon build up in the intake or on the valves everything stays as clean as the fuel you run through the engine. On a performance engine I've always suggested an electric vacuum pump for brake assist or a mechanical pump.
@@jeremypike9153 Problem with that strategy is that it's no better than a road draft tube as far as emissions are concerned; ok for a racecar but not acceptable on something that is driven on the street. PCV is *the* number one most effective emissions control feature, especially on a dollars/complexity to benefit basis.
I just found your channel. Great and useful content. I for one still like a PCV. I say, do not delete it until you have to. It works, and the factory used them on some pretty high performance engines with no issues. I build engines, and I think it still is good technology. Thanks for sharing. Take care, Ed.
I think it's fine but if your engine has some wear and or any forced induction motor should have a catch can from the factory you can have that still be under vacuum from the engine instead of vented to atmosphere but you want that oil vapor at the very least in you intake system
Great video but I believe you misspoke concerning the basic PVC function. It closes down the vacuum during high vacuum to limit the amount of blow by pulled through and opens up at low vacuum to flow more It is essentially a vacuum regulator.
My catch can comes from the PVC into the can then back out into the carb. For me it collects the dirty oil so that it doesn't go back in the combustion chamber, I'll get a cleaner burn for the spark plugs and it has to help with carbon on the piston tops
Good video Bone, catch can worked good, I did a video on replacing the draft tube on my 54 Chevy Truck with a PCV system, made it my self , sure helped take that blow by smell out of the cab
Absolutely brilliant video. I have a 454 originally setup with dual breathers and I'm thinking about adding a PCV valve just because the blow-by in the engine is pretty bad. Should probably go the catch-can route to quantify the issue, and if so, I'll credit this video for some great tips on the process.
On a typical street engine that’s not boosted I’m not sure I’d ever consider it. But this thing is WORN OUT! Was fun (and disturbing) to see how much the catch can caught. Good luck with your big block!
So me and my wife have a third gen Camaro her brother who passed away did all the work on it anyways there isn't a pcv on it just two filters would that cause the spark plugs to foul up also I think we need to rebuild the whole engine as well
Start with the simple things. Do a leak down and compression test. That will at least he’ll you understand the engines ability to seal itself up to make compression and power. You’ll usually get some really solid answers and a place to start.
I run a catch inline of pcv and works nice, now no oil burnt on the valves, unfortunately bigger cams always mess with this system needing a catch can.
Nice man. My daily is a 300 six. Has 24K miles on it now. I use a breather on the front and a PCV going into a sealed catch (vacuumed) can for the rear. I have to dump it like every 4mo. Looks nasty. But I'm pretty sure it's normal to have blowby. idk.
You have your explanation of the valve operation backwards, HIGH VAC in manifold closes and reduces flow through the valve, its fully open, highest flow at low or no vac, ie WOT, its fully closed in a backfire event.
Put a catch can between the PVC and intake I did and it works fine I have to emty the catch can atleast once a month my engine has 280k miles and doesn't use oil still runs great its a 350
A dual sealed catch can setup would be the most ideal. One inline into the air cleaner base, and one inline with the PVC system. No filters needed, it would defeat the desired goal of negative pressure in the crank case for ring sealing.
You paper used to sample what came out shows unburned fuel when cold quench area's are in the combustion area, but water, oil and tiny carbon particles are found. True, a lot would be suspended in the SS wool inside, so just let it sit a drain. To increase the capture of nastys, I would have a negative pressure from the intake. One does not need a full blown PCV valve inline as tiny washer would be perfect for this calculated air leak. This along would bring more into the can. As for smoke when cold, remember some V-8 engines at any time when shut off have some cylinders in negative pressure. The lathe cut flat valve stem seals are as useless as an umbrella with a 1 foot hole in the top. Always rebuild with positive fitting units from the viton family. Keep it cool in the corner helps in condensation of the gases. With excuses about money and constant engineer medaling, now Oct 2022 find oil catch cans at $150+! It is nice yours is a heavy plastic so heat soak into an aluminum can can last for hours. I personally would clamp to a working A/C accumulator as your 67-72 does not have to use a "POA" system. Install an o-tube in the suction line, accumulators are $30+ bucks, just need the fitting correct. May the forces of temperature differences be with you! DK, ASE master since 78, retired.
great vid. Catch can's can tell you alot. Your engine is looking much cleaner with all you have done. I'm fixing to put the gen 6 454 together and drop it in the c10 :)
PCV valve was originally designed to burn the hydrocarbons keeps the engine clean now you can run a catch can with the PVC valve in the catch can so you're still burning up the unburn hydrocarbons. I have I have decided systems with a fresh air goes into the crankcase and the hydrocarbons are sucked out the top. Keeps the oil rings from clogging up.
the pcv system adds longevity to a sbc, pulling all the water and junk out of the crankcase, the older motors with draft tubes,sludged of fairly rapidly, and usually needed a rebuild before 100k.
Gen I engines never lasted more than 100k, generally. One of the great things about modern engines and the longevity. But even they have a system to evacuate the crankcase.
I rebuilt a stock driver Ford 352 fourteen years ago and it now has 130,000 miles on it. It's been running it's original draft tube from day one; no sludge in the oil pan, under the valve covers or in the oil galley. It doesn't smoke out the exhaust and the motor is still tight. At about 90,000 miles the intake was lifted off and new lifters were dropped in but that's it. Quite honestly I think this thing is going to get to 200,000 miles just fine. Yes the draft tube drips oil and there is a little vapor that seeps out but it's minimal.
At WOT vacuum drops and blowby can cause ring flutter. A catch can is better and a breather on each side is better. I put a pair of open breathers with the shroud on one side to prevent oil from running out and fouling the valve cover. I have always run open breathers with out PCV. I consider it un needed. My turbo engines use a catch can.
not sure what was actually determined. some blow by exists, its does on any engine. Is that amount normal for 500 miles, or not, for the age of the engine? what does "good" look like?
Newer vehicle, I have a catch can between my PCV valve and the intake vacuum port on my Jeep 4.7, with 175,000 rough miles I get about 2 oz of oil every tank full in the can. In winter it is a nasty mixture of condensation and oil.
You had the valve cut open and in your hand and described how at idle with high vac the valve opens! No, at high vac the valve pulls CLOSED/UP against the spring which pulls the valve into its MAXIMUM restriction position where only a small orifice exists to allow the high vac to just keep a Positive Crankcase Ventilation happening. Then as vac drops the valve drops/opens into its minimum restriction position to allow the low intake vac and higher blowby volume to pass thru. All up removing the PCV on a street car is the dumbest mod out there as light/low throttle driving at low oil temps is where the biggest ammount of oil condensation contamination occurs. The PCV removes the majority of this condensation(among other things of course) which is the single biggest contributing factor to poor oil life, oil performance and oils ability to protect your engine. Paying for a catch can on a strert engine is simply paying to wear your engine faster and need more frequent oil changes.
The PCV system is the most overlooked under the hood. I'd stick a clear round fuel filter in the hose next to the carb vac line and see what it catches.
What I never fully understood is what happens at WOT? Zero vacuum and max blowby. Seems like a PCV system is inoperational under the situation where crank case pressure would be at its highest.
I run a fixed orifice pcv that has no ball check on my two 350s and 327, it is just a sized pinhole. There are articles from Chevy on why they went to that on certain OEM years: "GM offers a modified PCV valve to address customer complaints of excessive oil consumption on several applications equipped with 4.8L, 5.3L or 6.0L engines. Excessive consumption would involve a vehicle that consumes one quart of oil per 2,000 miles. This is assuming the vehicle is a personal use, non-commercial type vehicle driven under normal conditions. Obviously, vehicles that are used in extreme service, such as heavily loaded trucks, or vehicles driven at high rates of speed would not be included, as their oil consumption rates may vary. Important, a minimum of a 4,000 mile engine break-in period should be performed, prior to condemning an engine for excessive oil consumption."
Know next to nothing about American trucks and recently purchased a '77 Chevy Big10. A little off topic, the guy I got the truck from said the transmission should be rebuilt because it won't shift. After a few questions, he admitted his ignorance about American trucks. Weeks later and after a lot of videos, found missing and disconnected hoses during my inspection. No line/hose to the Vacuum Modulator Valve on the transmission (TH350) and no PCV valve or hose connection to the carb. Shouldn't there be a hose and/or line from the Vacuum Modulator Valve to a connection on the engine for the truck to shift gears properly? Shouldn't there be a PCV valve and hose connecting it to the carb? Ordered a service manual, but really helps to see these things pointed out and explained in a video. Thank you for your videos and look forward to more tutorials. Cheers
Yes for sure hook up the transmission modulator to full manifold vacuum. Intake manifold is generally where they’re hooked up from the factory. Will help the trans know when to up shift or downshift.
@@hellraiser1478 generally it’s on an intake runner on the manifold directly behind the carburetor. If you Google it you’ll probably find an image or two form something you can look for. Is it a factory cast iron intake on the engine? Maybe it’s still there and will be easy to locate.
Just lifted the hood, found a line connected to the rear of the manifold, followed it under the truck and what-da-ya-know, I found the disconnected line for the VMV. Will connect that line, reinstall the driveshaft, add some ATF fluid and see what happens. Cheers
Small engines like Briggs actually pull a vacuum on the crankcase. You should see like 7-9" of water on a vacuum gauge or else start looking for things like bad rings or a blown head gasket.
PCV is a big deal for medium to high powered N/A motors, and all turbo motors because the rings are gapped wider and there’s a lot of blow by under boost. If you have an LS you can swap in a LS-6 valley cover which eliminates all that crap and hoses, keeping it all neatly under the valley cover
keep all the vacume you make. even at part throttle the pcv vale is a huge vacume leak. old tired rings work better at no vacuume. catch can all the way !
Heres a clue-PCV posative crankcase ventilation-pulls out the fumes that contaminate your oil keeping it cleaner longer-without it the oil gets dirtier way faster...
I’m replacing the stock ford covers on my 1968 390 ( bought it a few months ago- runs pretty clean and smooth when warm) with generic chrome covers that have 1.25” breather holes. My question: Should I buy 2 regular chrome breathers, or 1 breather along with 1 PVC valve along with a new hose that attaches to the air cleaner or an open carb vacuum line? BTW I can’t figure out what the open carb vacuum line is supposed to be attached to. The electric choke ( 2-barrel Motorcraft?) isn’t working properly despite my efforts to adjust it ( ie the choke is not engaging fully on cold starts and fast idle not working right either). I’m obviously not a mechanic but trying to learn.
If you do a catch can on a blow thru carb set up I’d like to see it … I’m going that route and messed up and gapped the rings a lil wide and I’m expecting a lil blow by on my first twin turbo set up
I'm bored, so if it isn't a race motor, pcv all the motors. If nothing else, it helps it smell better when cruising around. It also helps rings seal, much like venturi tubes or a vacuum pump.
What, I thought that just hung down near thee ground ? Shooting out a gentle foggy blue steam below the car. I'm from the 70,s lol. First three steps to stock performance are... Delete the entire emissions system, sealed cold air intake, and free flow exhaust. Then you Fool the stock ECU, or tune or swap carb to give the performance you desire , within limits of course.🔥🧯 Obviously aint gonna be an SMX lolz.
My pcv became disconnected at some point between changes and my oil turned to sludge. I kinda freaked out but redid the pcv and it hasn’t done it since.
On a similar note- where should the purge line of a charcoal canister be connected to? I thought I could connect it to manifold vacuum but a mechanic said not to because I could get raw fuel into the canister.. I just can't find a conclusive answer to save my life. It's on a GM (Holden) car. Opinion? I am using a Holley 350 on an inline 6 engine.
Thanks for the video on PCV systems. I noticed a shot of the evacuation canister for the fuel tank and its connection to the PCV valve inlet line. In the recent past, I put a new modified engine in my car. I then disconnected the evac. system at the outlet side of the evac. canister. I want to route the line again for better emissions. Is connecting this line to the PCV valve line that runs into the vacuum port on the carburetor a good idea? Just wondering.
The out line from the canister is purge. All you are going is removing raw hydrocarbons from the activated carbon by allowing fresh air to remove them and then distribute un burn fuel in vapor form in a location equal to all cylinders. In the world of high mileage engines, fuel in vapor form is the best form to burn. You paid for the fuel so why dirty it up inside a catch can? Purge is programmed in the PCM / ECM but is added at times fuel mapping can monitor it. It is the cleanest form of fuel you can provide the engine. The EVAP system test are only their to monitor for escaping hydrocarbons. Does anyone understand OBD-II? It is the junk in the crankcase you want to keep out of a modern intake and I was shocked to see no condensation media inside the can, the looks plastic. For it to work best, it must be cooler so vapors of all kinds to condense turning back into liquid form then let gravity do its job.
Using a catch can on earlier muscle V8 engines between pvc valve and intake manifold will help from getting a lot of gunk into your intake manifold and it relieved my oil leaks from oil pan.
A breather with a catch can wont necessarily "catch" everything. Its not just about whats coming out of the breather. If you have oil leaks or blow by (smoking), you might have positive crank case pressure thats not venting off. A PCV, especially a good one, can help take care of that. If you dont want oil/crud getting back to the carb use a catch can in between. Itll have an inlet and an outlet. Engine vacuum helps evacuate the pressure and moisture and it collects in the catch can. Keeps carb clean.
How about the most simple of all answers--it's a federal offense to remove a smog device that was put there from the factory (even if the vehicle isn't tested).
In the camaro LT4 supercharger engine it has 3 pcv, so should I install 3 catch cans? And what about the engine pressure would the open catch decrease the pressure. Thus the closed catch can will increase the pressure
@@CCAutoWorks I don’t normally use one on an n/a engine unless it’s a dedicated track car. No reason to. But I found out it’s a good tool to use when you want to know how much pressure is in the crankcase of a worn out small block!
Great video. I have a 69 dodge with the 440. I have a pcv valve set up and on the passenger side a breather with a hose connected to the air filter base. Would my engine benefit if I remove that breather & hose and simply install an aftermarket performance breather ( without ) the hose. Also, when you installed the catch can did you use an adapter instead of the pcv valve?
should the can be mounted lower than the vent point on the engine? I’m deleting a charcoal canister on a 96 impala, I want to go this route. My current canister is much lower than developing covers.
If you ask a dozen people you’ll get a dozen different responses and opinions. Really it depends on the can and how it’s baffled. Just follow their installation instructions. I think universally they all need to be as far away from the heat source as possible.
Can someone clarify something for me, if i was to take the output from the pcv valve and container it, But feed clean filtered air back into the system , would this be problematic because it’s no longer a closed system?
F.Y.I. if you have a Holley Sniper fuel injection system on your classic the PCV ,operating normally, will mess up the vacuum signal to the f. i. computer.
Something doesn't make sense to me about this! No vacuum in that set up so of course your gonna get all that oil from build up of Crank case pressure! The whole reason for a PCV set up to begin with.
i understand how the pcv works burt what does the breather on the oposite valve cover do ...on my old engine the pcv is conected to the carb and on the other side the breather is conected to the air cleaner ...why is that
There is a lubricating factor to this that he is forgetting about. If you notice that was all oil he dumped out which would also lubricate the upper compression chamber. Older 350 Chevy was normally good for only a hundred thousand miles before the PCV system came along
In 500 miles of driving, less than one ounce of fluid came out of the engine. It wasn’t all oil. There is a little water mixed in, slight smell of fuel (which isn’t surprising, given it was on as I was making tuning adjustments). I’m not clear what you mean by “upper compression chamber”. Are you thinking combustion chamber? Anything there is burned on the power stroke of a four stroke combustion cycle. Anything pulled from the crankcase and sent into the intake to be burned is much different than say a two stroke engine that has an oil/gas mix for its lubrications properties. Given the other contaminants coming from the crankcase, I’m not sure you could call this a positive net effect. Though that would be in interesting long term test to see what the wear looks like on a PCV engine vs an engine with a catch can.
Video is 13:20 long. Is that by design? I installed a catch can on my VW. I get so much water/condensation combined with unburned gas and not much oil. It needs to be emptied out probably every 1/4-1/2 tank of fuel consumed.
Condinsator will improve fuel milage-pulls condensation out of the pcv circuit-doesnt do crap for milage increase,the people that say it does are stupid,have removed many...
I do have one question about a problem I've been having. My car has a 355 SBC and it leaks past the front main seal. I've changed the front timing chain cover but to no effect. My car has one of those fat chrome pcv valves hooked into the passenger side valve cover and a breather in the driver side. The pcv is connected to the full manifold vacuum on the carb. It has been misting around the breather and the grommet the pcv valve pushes into. I've been getting oil all over the front of my engine and the engine fan just kicks it up onto the hood while driving. I think it's leaking because it has excessive crankcase pressure, but I thought the pcv valve would be taking it away. I really need to get it to stop leaking. Your thoughts?
Time for a leak down test! It sounds very much like what happens when the crankcase gets over pressurized. A PCV nor a catch can is going to keep up with it. Pushes out the seals, sometimes up through the dipstick or out the valve covers. That’s where I’d start to verify how bad the issue is. That will determine what your next steps are. Unfortunately, I’d plan for the worst.
@@MuscleCarSolutions the dipstick stays in place. I did do a compression test and my lowest cylinder measures 161 psi. It's only leaking out the front. It's been doing that ever since the engine was put together. It has about 30k miles on it. I'll see about renting a leak down tester.
@@DYLAN102001 compression test doesn’t tell the whole story. The leak down test will tell it’s ability to keep it contained for a sustained period of time. You should get a good idea of what’s happening with the information from that test.
@@MuscleCarSolutions ok so I rented a leak down tester from AutoZone. For around 100psi to gives me about 92 psi average. Here are my pressures: 1. 93 3. 92 5. 93 7. 90 2. 91 4. 91 6. 94 8. 90 When I did the test couldn't hear anything out the oil passages or the intake.
I have major blow-by on my motor, & installed a similar catch can to vent the right side of the engine, & using a PVC valve to carb on the left. But am wondering if it would relieve eng. pressure if I ran a second hose from left valve cover to the same catch can. What your thoughts on this? (& yes a rebuild is in the future when I can afford it) PS: having fun driving the car again after it being stored since the mid 80's! But pressure is forcing oil out the dipstick, & pushing the PVC valve out enough to spew oil. Not good!
It’s one or the other. The PCV uses manifold pressure to open the valve to vent to crankcase pressure. It’s going to render the catch can redundant. If you’re keeping the PCV, there’s no reason to have a catch can.
@@MuscleCarSolutions I might as well remove the PVC valve, plug the carb manifold vac. Inlet. & run a second line to the catch can then. PS: Thanks for all your carb video's!
@@dannovello1577 no. One cover has the line to the can. The other side needs to be open to pull in air (outside pressure) into the engine. Breather cap on that side.
@@MuscleCarSolutions oh shoot, ok. I'm kind of re-learning the car. (my first car), '68 Barracuda Fastback, with a 340 I rebuilt with help of a mechanic friend, back in 1980. I screwed up & didn't gap the rings, etc. Then it was wrecked...but not forgotten, lol. Fun driving it again with all the handling upgrades....accept for the blow-by/oil spew issue. Just trying to relieve more crankcase pressure so it not pushing oil out the dipstick tube. Pointless of course, ha. But so fun to drive it again! Thanks again!
@@dannovello1577 I think I’d commit a felony of your choice to own a nice mopar A body car! 😂 love the cudas! Depending on your manifold vacuum, you’ll likely remove more pressure from the engine with a PCV system. The catch can (unless it has a scavenger pump installed) relies on the over pressure to push to the can. A PCV system pulls it when the engine vacuum is high.
First of all, fuck emissions laws. Second, a PCV system is both bad and good. The bad part is that you are sucking crankcase gasses and all the crap that's in them into the intake. The good part is that you are actually using a vacuum to ventilate the crankcase, which is FAR more efficient than the old road draft tubes, and certainly more efficient than just sticking a filter on the crankcase vent. The best way to do it by far is a vacuum crankcase vent system that does not dump crankcase gasses back into the engine intake. You could use either a belt driven or electric vacuum pump. You can use a catch can, or you can simply blow the exhaust gasses out under the bottom of the car somewhere. Fuck the EPA.
Reset mixture screws/timing. You’re drawing a different amount of air now through that PCV port. It’s a change and the carb needs you to tell it how to respond to it.
The proper installation of a catch car/oil separator is in the PCV line from the valve to the intake. It removes or separates the oil from the oil vapor and contains in the sealed container. The vapor continues into the engine to be burned.
Yeah he set it up correctly. What you are saying would cause a vacuum leak.
@@srsairbags Not if the catch can is sealed with no breather, then it will be fine.
@@srsairbags
PCV IS a vacuum leak.... It's just oily air getting sucked in.
Running a catch can on a 82 5.0 and greatly reduced the emissions on the bi-annual sniffer test. Without it it was close to failing. Besting thing I ever did!
On newer engines with Direct Injection, adding a catch can, absolutely will help keep your intake valves much cleaner. When you don't have the fuel injectors spraying fuel on the backside of the valves, they get very encrusted with crankcase vapor. Capturing that vapor before it gets onto the valves saves a lot in repairs.
A catch can or valve cover breathers will both alleviate the gunk. Also, older cars used to have a foam filter between the PCV and air intake hose, which would fill with gunk and need changing. They don't make those anymore?
@@mrmrlee Some manufacturers have strategies to combat the problem. But that adds cost. If it can make it past the warranty without one, then they probably don't care.
I’m dealing that right now with the used 16 Buick with a 2.4 eco tech I grabbed for a few grand as a new run around car. The inlet put gets clogged very quickly, added a “cleaning port” to make that easier to get to vs removing the intake manifold every month. (Twice when it’s cold) and run the stock PCV outlet though a catch can then to the air box and then I’ve a breather cap that ports to a separate catch can and then right outside or into the airbox on a new port. I don’t get a lot of gunk but it seems to run, even if it still runs richer than she’d like to, still getting a good bit of blow by. Any ideas for other ways to help her would be much welcomed!
@@mrmrlee
Fuel filter
The pcv valve is one of the few emissions control devices that I actually like, for a naturally asparated street engine there is absolutely zero reason not to use one, the benefits of them out weight the cons of them by a long shot. For a race only engine I would use either a set of evac scavenge tubes in the exhaust or if I could afford it a belt driven vacuum pump with a catch can. I have also used pcv systems on a few boosted applications with decent success but they usually will smoke a bit after a hard pull so it might not be the best for a hardcore race only boosted or nitrous application to prevent oil consumption resulting in detonation. Another big plus to the pcv system is that it keeps the crankcase pressure lower which helps keep gaskets and seals from blowing out and leaking.
A few spoonfulls of oil/water crud in 500 miles driving would have been burnt in amongst 10,000 ? gallons of air fuel/flow mix through the engine.
Brian,
I just bought a car that is supercharged. The pcv hose isn't on the car. What would you recommend me using to ventilate the crankcase pressure? Also, to mention, the pcv valve is still in the valve e cover. Unsure as to why this is the way it is, bit I'd like to get it right.
I will also say that the intake manifold is a MARANA intake for mounting the supercharger to this car. Saying that, the pcv hose would have been deleted with this intake.
Any help would be appreciated.
This is for a 2006 Mustang 4.0l v6.
Thank you.
@@alfenner3309 is the supercharger on the car an aftermarket kit?, If so check online or call the manufacturer of the supercharger setup and see if they have a suggested method in their installation instructions. If you can't find any info and if the valve cover vents are currently open and hooked to nothing, you should at the very least have them vented to a filtered catch can, btw if you do vent both sides to a catch can you have to remove the PCV valve and install a fitting or remove the check valve and spring in the PCV valve or the valve cover won't vent properly. If you supercharger is a legitimate kit they probably engineered it to have the PCV valve tied in somewhere so I would highly recommend looking around for some installation instructions or find the manufacturer first before resorting to the catch can method. Also if you bought this car and everything is unknown they may have disconnected the PCV valve to hide bad blow-by from a damaged or wore out piston/piston ring but if the engine doesn't have any signs of extreme blow by you should be ok.
@@briang4470 The supercharger came off a lightning. I'm not sure of the year. Marana does intakes to fit these types of builds to add superchargers. The car runs like a top. I just noticed the pcv valve hose not there at all. The egr valve has also been deleted. Since it is a v6, do I add a catch can just on the passenger side, or do I tap into the drivers side as well? I'm just not sure how to do all of this. It was strong to me that the pcv hose wasn't connected at all. I'm not sure which way to go here.
I'll look around again on the intake to see where the hose might connect to, but it looks like it was gutted because of the add of the supercharger. Usually the connection goes from valve cover to the front of the stock intake manifold, but again, that doesn't exist.
If ya want a blown fuel pump diaphram remove the pcv. Also, crank case pressure will blow pan gasket and rear main seal.
Maybe that’s why my truck’s rear main and pan gasket puke oil. Funny enough that’s the first thing I replaced before I started a massive series of repairs for my skill level. The pan gasket and rear main will be next but I need to use the vehicle to get stuff done before it gets cold out.
I had a 66 nova 327 and they didn’t have a pvc from the factory. There was a vent tube in the block behind the distributor.
My dad drove his old sbc for 30+ years with no pcv and it still ran lol. Alot of amoke comming out the back but still ran.
The only way that would happen is if you plug the hole where the pcv valve was. The function of the pcv valve is to remove combustion gas from the crank case. It's not to remove crankcase pressure. It draws a small amount of fresh air threw the crank case when there is manifold vacuum and low blowby. At wide open throttle, when there is there is high blowby and no manifold vacuum it acts as a normal crankcase breather and crankcase pressure traves out of both the pcv valve and breather hose equally. If you replace the valve with a vent then you will elevate crankcase pressure just fine but your oil will get dirty much faster.
@@johnpotsch7349 there’s a few ways to do it without issues you can take a block and drill it out for a tube with a filter and as long as that tube is at the correct angle and length it will catch the air and create a vacuum by movement a rather crude and risky way to do it though that’s have cars were built before the pcv system
I use a pneumatic in-line oil separator on all of my engines and I’ve had great luck! Preserves your plugs, reduces carbon deposits, etc. I’ve read that oil vapor also lowers the octane of your fuel mixture. I’ve found this is a perfect solution-on my old Buick 215 it came with just a draft tube which vents, but fails to actually evacuate gases with negative pressure. So inevitably this leads to sludge
Oh I know exactly what you mean with that oil separator. That’s a good idea.
I'm going to go with YES.
I rigged a catch can with an atmospheric vent then blew the oil pan gasket. So I kept the catch can & replaced the vent with a vacuum, through a pcv valve. After that I had no oil leaks.
The PCV system creates vacuum inside the engine preventing oil from being blown out through seals, and/or damaging them. High performance drag engines use vacuum pumps to maintain vacuum within the engine to stop seals getting blown out. A common misconception is that it is for emissions purposes alone, but it's more associated with an advance in technology preventing seal damage and oil leaks. Many OEM valve covers have 'catch can' filters incorporated in the design up top just below the outlet that filter out oil and have holes drilled in the bottom that the 'caught' oil drips out of and back into the engine. Engines without this arrangement should have a catch can to prevent oil making its was into the intake and gumming up valves.
I always put a PCV on my muscle car I want the oil mist in the engine to be evacuated and a breather pipe to the air cleaner to suction clean air through the engine and through the PCV. This way you do not have to inhale oily smoke into your interior environment with open breathers. No stinky downdraft tubes.
You can also use exhaust evacuation which works much better for a big choppy camshaft. Instead of using the intake vacuum you use the headers or exhaust to evacuate pressure and keep air flowing through the crankcase
Fixed orifice pcv valves are good for modified engines. Mine works great it has a small hole and helps the vacuum out with brakes ect ect!
@@larryw5429 are you talking about a "jet valve" style pcv system like VW uses? Most modern engines use a vacuum pump now for brake assist. Variable camshaft/valve timing creates a scenario of low manifold vacuum in certain situations.
@@jeremypike9153 No its just a simple pcv valve that doesn't have a weighted jiggle valve. It looks just like a PCV valve but has a small 1/8 inch hole (maybe a tad bigger) so their isn't that fluttering valve and big hole like a traditional pcv that makes vacuum signals flutter and lose more vacuum than is needed! I forgot what part number it was.
@@larryw5429 have you seen the exhaust evac systems? Instead of pulling it through the engine you use the exhaust stream. Works well no metered vacuum leaks either. Plus your not creating carbon build up in the intake or on the valves everything stays as clean as the fuel you run through the engine. On a performance engine I've always suggested an electric vacuum pump for brake assist or a mechanical pump.
@@jeremypike9153 Problem with that strategy is that it's no better than a road draft tube as far as emissions are concerned; ok for a racecar but not acceptable on something that is driven on the street. PCV is *the* number one most effective emissions control feature, especially on a dollars/complexity to benefit basis.
I just found your channel.
Great and useful content.
I for one still like a PCV.
I say, do not delete it until you have to.
It works, and the factory used them on some pretty high performance engines with no issues.
I build engines, and I think it still is good technology.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care, Ed.
I think it's fine but if your engine has some wear and or any forced induction motor should have a catch can from the factory you can have that still be under vacuum from the engine instead of vented to atmosphere but you want that oil vapor at the very least in you intake system
Don't use the air filter on the catch can, hook the vacuum line to the top of the can instead.
Me too
Great video but I believe you misspoke concerning the basic PVC function. It closes down the vacuum during high vacuum to limit the amount of blow by pulled through and opens up at low vacuum to flow more It is essentially a vacuum regulator.
My catch can comes from the PVC into the can then back out into the carb. For me it collects the dirty oil so that it doesn't go back in the combustion chamber, I'll get a cleaner burn for the spark plugs and it has to help with carbon on the piston tops
Good video Bone, catch can worked good, I did a video on replacing the draft tube on my 54 Chevy Truck with a PCV system, made it my self , sure helped take that blow by smell out of the cab
Yeah those older engines with a road tube could get pretty smelly!
@@MuscleCarSolutions I know it’s no biggie deal but I meant to say my 53, not 54, lol
Absolutely brilliant video. I have a 454 originally setup with dual breathers and I'm thinking about adding a PCV valve just because the blow-by in the engine is pretty bad. Should probably go the catch-can route to quantify the issue, and if so, I'll credit this video for some great tips on the process.
On a typical street engine that’s not boosted I’m not sure I’d ever consider it. But this thing is WORN OUT! Was fun (and disturbing) to see how much the catch can caught. Good luck with your big block!
Did you measure compression in the cylinders? What numbers did you get?
So me and my wife have a third gen Camaro her brother who passed away did all the work on it anyways there isn't a pcv on it just two filters would that cause the spark plugs to foul up also I think we need to rebuild the whole engine as well
Start with the simple things. Do a leak down and compression test. That will at least he’ll you understand the engines ability to seal itself up to make compression and power. You’ll usually get some really solid answers and a place to start.
I run a catch inline of pcv and works nice, now no oil burnt on the valves, unfortunately bigger cams always mess with this system needing a catch can.
Nice man. My daily is a 300 six. Has 24K miles on it now. I use a breather on the front and a PCV going into a sealed catch (vacuumed) can for the rear. I have to dump it like every 4mo. Looks nasty. But I'm pretty sure it's normal to have blowby. idk.
You have your explanation of the valve operation backwards, HIGH VAC in manifold closes and reduces flow through the valve, its fully open, highest flow at low or no vac, ie WOT, its fully closed in a backfire event.
@Jim Bourne Yes, he said there are tons of videos explaining the pcv system...he should have watched some of them before he spoke.
Put a catch can between the PVC and intake I did and it works fine I have to emty the catch can atleast once a month my engine has 280k miles and doesn't use oil still runs great its a 350
A dual sealed catch can setup would be the most ideal. One inline into the air cleaner base, and one inline with the PVC system. No filters needed, it would defeat the desired goal of negative pressure in the crank case for ring sealing.
You paper used to sample what came out shows unburned fuel when cold quench area's are in the combustion area, but water, oil and tiny carbon particles are found. True, a lot would be suspended in the SS wool inside, so just let it sit a drain.
To increase the capture of nastys, I would have a negative pressure from the intake. One does not need a full blown PCV valve inline as tiny washer would be perfect for this calculated air leak. This along would bring more into the can. As for smoke when cold, remember some V-8 engines at any time when shut off have some cylinders in negative pressure. The lathe cut flat valve stem seals are as useless as an umbrella with a 1 foot hole in the top. Always rebuild with positive fitting units from the viton family. Keep it cool in the corner helps in condensation of the gases. With excuses about money and constant engineer medaling, now Oct 2022 find oil catch cans at $150+! It is nice yours is a heavy plastic so heat soak into an aluminum can can last for hours. I personally would clamp to a working A/C accumulator as your 67-72 does not have to use a "POA" system. Install an o-tube in the suction line, accumulators are $30+ bucks, just need the fitting correct. May the forces of temperature differences be with you!
DK, ASE master since 78, retired.
great vid. Catch can's can tell you alot. Your engine is looking much cleaner with all you have done. I'm fixing to put the gen 6 454 together and drop it in the c10 :)
Thanks boss!
PCV valve was originally designed to burn the hydrocarbons keeps the engine clean now you can run a catch can with the PVC valve in the catch can so you're still burning up the unburn hydrocarbons. I have I have decided systems with a fresh air goes into the crankcase and the hydrocarbons are sucked out the top. Keeps the oil rings from clogging up.
the pcv system adds longevity to a sbc, pulling all the water and junk out of the crankcase, the older motors with draft tubes,sludged of fairly rapidly, and usually needed a rebuild before 100k.
Gen I engines never lasted more than 100k, generally. One of the great things about modern engines and the longevity. But even they have a system to evacuate the crankcase.
Bs👎🏻😤🤮🐖👺
Fords have no blow by so they just blow up instead up and that is y they blow up prrematurly!why you got to stir shit up? Must be a liberal👎🏻😤🤮
I rebuilt a stock driver Ford 352 fourteen years ago and it now has 130,000 miles on it. It's been running it's original draft tube from day one; no sludge in the oil pan, under the valve covers or in the oil galley. It doesn't smoke out the exhaust and the motor is still tight. At about 90,000 miles the intake was lifted off and new lifters were dropped in but that's it. Quite honestly I think this thing is going to get to 200,000 miles just fine. Yes the draft tube drips oil and there is a little vapor that seeps out but it's minimal.
At WOT vacuum drops and blowby can cause ring flutter. A catch can is better and a breather on each side is better. I put a pair of open breathers with the shroud on one side to prevent oil from running out and fouling the valve cover. I have always run open breathers with out PCV. I consider it un needed. My turbo engines use a catch can.
not sure what was actually determined.
some blow by exists, its does on any engine. Is that amount normal for 500 miles, or not, for the age of the engine? what does "good" look like?
Newer vehicle, I have a catch can between my PCV valve and the intake vacuum port on my Jeep 4.7, with 175,000 rough miles I get about 2 oz of oil every tank full in the can. In winter it is a nasty mixture of condensation and oil.
Anyone who has torn down a classic V8 engine can see with their own eyes the importance of running a PVC system on their vehicles.
You had the valve cut open and in your hand and described how at idle with high vac the valve opens! No, at high vac the valve pulls CLOSED/UP against the spring which pulls the valve into its MAXIMUM restriction position where only a small orifice exists to allow the high vac to just keep a Positive Crankcase Ventilation happening. Then as vac drops the valve drops/opens into its minimum restriction position to allow the low intake vac and higher blowby volume to pass thru.
All up removing the PCV on a street car is the dumbest mod out there as light/low throttle driving at low oil temps is where the biggest ammount of oil condensation contamination occurs. The PCV removes the majority of this condensation(among other things of course) which is the single biggest contributing factor to poor oil life, oil performance and oils ability to protect your engine. Paying for a catch can on a strert engine is simply paying to wear your engine faster and need more frequent oil changes.
The PCV system is the most overlooked under the hood. I'd stick a clear round fuel filter in the hose next to the carb vac line and see what it catches.
This should be highlighted at top of page
@8power He said there are tons of videos on how the pcv system works...he should have watched a few before he spoke.
I do find that engine vacuum does pull oil even with valve covers with baffles
Me too. It also cause a vacuum leak symptom when tied in with brake booster
What I never fully understood is what happens at WOT? Zero vacuum and max blowby. Seems like a PCV system is inoperational under the situation where crank case pressure would be at its highest.
I run a fixed orifice pcv that has no ball check on my two 350s and 327, it is just a sized pinhole. There are articles from Chevy on why they went to that on certain OEM years:
"GM offers a modified PCV valve to address customer complaints of excessive oil consumption on several applications equipped with 4.8L, 5.3L or 6.0L engines. Excessive consumption would involve a vehicle that consumes one quart of oil per 2,000 miles. This is assuming the vehicle is a personal use, non-commercial type vehicle driven under normal conditions. Obviously, vehicles that are used in extreme service, such as heavily loaded trucks, or vehicles driven at high rates of speed would not be included, as their oil consumption rates may vary. Important, a minimum of a 4,000 mile engine break-in period should be performed, prior to condemning an engine for excessive oil consumption."
Know next to nothing about American trucks and recently purchased a '77 Chevy Big10. A little off topic, the guy I got the truck from said the transmission should be rebuilt because it won't shift. After a few questions, he admitted his ignorance about American trucks.
Weeks later and after a lot of videos, found missing and disconnected hoses during my inspection. No line/hose to the Vacuum Modulator Valve on the transmission (TH350) and no PCV valve or hose connection to the carb. Shouldn't there be a hose and/or line from the Vacuum Modulator Valve to a connection on the engine for the truck to shift gears properly? Shouldn't there be a PCV valve and hose connecting it to the carb?
Ordered a service manual, but really helps to see these things pointed out and explained in a video. Thank you for your videos and look forward to more tutorials.
Cheers
Yes for sure hook up the transmission modulator to full manifold vacuum. Intake manifold is generally where they’re hooked up from the factory. Will help the trans know when to up shift or downshift.
Is there and obvious spot on the manifold, right or left side? Thank you for the quick reply. Not feeling so lost now.
@@hellraiser1478 generally it’s on an intake runner on the manifold directly behind the carburetor. If you Google it you’ll probably find an image or two form something you can look for. Is it a factory cast iron intake on the engine? Maybe it’s still there and will be easy to locate.
Just lifted the hood, found a line connected to the rear of the manifold, followed it under the truck and what-da-ya-know, I found the disconnected line for the VMV. Will connect that line, reinstall the driveshaft, add some ATF fluid and see what happens. Cheers
@@hellraiser1478 good deal. Hopefully that cured it.
Small engines like Briggs actually pull a vacuum on the crankcase.
You should see like 7-9" of water on a vacuum gauge or else start looking for things like bad rings or a blown head gasket.
they also burn a shit load of oil through it though so it makes you wonder. Does the pcv oil consumption make it a compounding issue?
PCV is a big deal for medium to high powered N/A motors, and all turbo motors because the rings are gapped wider and there’s a lot of blow by under boost.
If you have an LS you can swap in a LS-6 valley cover which eliminates all that crap and hoses, keeping it all neatly under the valley cover
I’m new to the channel, fantastic non egotistical content 👍 cheers from Australia
keep all the vacume you make.
even at part throttle the pcv vale is a huge vacume leak. old tired rings work better at no vacuume.
catch can all the way !
I really appreciate this guy and this channel 👍
Cool! I’m glad you’re here!
With a roots blown application, run a puke tank - no pcv. Oil vapor WILL lower fuel octane and lead to detonation under boost.
Heres a clue-PCV posative crankcase ventilation-pulls out the fumes that contaminate your oil keeping it cleaner longer-without it the oil gets dirtier way faster...
I’m replacing the stock ford covers on my 1968 390 ( bought it a few months ago- runs pretty clean and smooth when warm) with generic chrome covers that have 1.25” breather holes. My question: Should I buy 2 regular chrome breathers, or 1 breather along with 1 PVC valve along with a new hose that attaches to the air cleaner or an open carb vacuum line? BTW I can’t figure out what the open carb vacuum line is supposed to be attached to. The electric choke ( 2-barrel Motorcraft?) isn’t working properly despite my efforts to adjust it ( ie the choke is not engaging fully on cold starts and fast idle not working right either). I’m obviously not a mechanic but trying to learn.
I’m deleting mine the carbon is choking the motor and runs rough but if I unplug it runs great fires up first click every time.
If you do a catch can on a blow thru carb set up I’d like to see it … I’m going that route and messed up and gapped the rings a lil wide and I’m expecting a lil blow by on my first twin turbo set up
Installing a clear plastic fuel filter in the pcv line does the same thing for $2.
I'm bored, so if it isn't a race motor, pcv all the motors. If nothing else, it helps it smell better when cruising around. It also helps rings seal, much like venturi tubes or a vacuum pump.
I run with both, homemade catch can and PCV valve.
What, I thought that just hung down near thee ground ? Shooting out a gentle foggy blue steam below the car.
I'm from the 70,s lol. First three steps to stock performance are... Delete the entire emissions system, sealed cold air intake, and free flow exhaust.
Then you Fool the stock ECU, or tune or swap carb to give the performance you desire , within limits of course.🔥🧯 Obviously aint gonna be an SMX lolz.
Motor looking great 👍 great info always, can l say l love this channel!👍
Hey thanks! Glad you liked it! I learned a little bit more about the mystery small block. It might need a rebuild sooner than I anticipated.
My pcv became disconnected at some point between changes and my oil turned to sludge. I kinda freaked out but redid the pcv and it hasn’t done it since.
On a similar note- where should the purge line of a charcoal canister be connected to? I thought I could connect it to manifold vacuum but a mechanic said not to because I could get raw fuel into the canister.. I just can't find a conclusive answer to save my life. It's on a GM (Holden) car. Opinion? I am using a Holley 350 on an inline 6 engine.
Thanks for the video on PCV systems. I noticed a shot of the evacuation canister for the fuel tank and its connection to the PCV valve inlet line. In the recent past, I put a new modified engine in my car. I then disconnected the evac. system at the outlet side of the evac. canister. I want to route the line again for better emissions. Is connecting this line to the PCV valve line that runs into the vacuum port on the carburetor a good idea? Just wondering.
Yes, that is a good connection point for the Purge line
The out line from the canister is purge. All you are going is removing raw hydrocarbons from the activated carbon by allowing fresh air to remove them and then distribute un burn fuel in vapor form in a location equal to all cylinders. In the world of high mileage engines, fuel in vapor form is the best form to burn. You paid for the fuel so why dirty it up inside a catch can? Purge is programmed in the PCM / ECM but is added at times fuel mapping can monitor it. It is the cleanest form of fuel you can provide the engine.
The EVAP system test are only their to monitor for escaping hydrocarbons. Does anyone understand OBD-II?
It is the junk in the crankcase you want to keep out of a modern intake and I was shocked to see no condensation media inside the can, the looks plastic. For it to work best, it must be cooler so vapors of all kinds to condense turning back into liquid form then let gravity do its job.
Could you run the pcv and the catch can on a hot rod
Using a catch can on earlier muscle V8 engines between pvc valve and intake manifold will help from getting a lot of gunk into your intake manifold and it relieved my oil leaks from oil pan.
That is PCV.
A breather with a catch can wont necessarily "catch" everything. Its not just about whats coming out of the breather. If you have oil leaks or blow by (smoking), you might have positive crank case pressure thats not venting off. A PCV, especially a good one, can help take care of that. If you dont want oil/crud getting back to the carb use a catch can in between. Itll have an inlet and an outlet. Engine vacuum helps evacuate the pressure and moisture and it collects in the catch can. Keeps carb clean.
How about the most simple of all answers--it's a federal offense to remove a smog device that was put there from the factory (even if the vehicle isn't tested).
Ain't you the good slave....
I did that one time on a 1979 305 and it made oil come out of the dip stick
Obviously you want both.pvc is good and the catch can keeps it clean
I run a catch can on my diesel and man it works well but I wouldn’t bother in my petrol v8.
Would you on a direct infection gas engine?
So how did u relieve the pressure in the system? The breather part?
In the camaro LT4 supercharger engine it has 3 pcv, so should I install 3 catch cans?
And what about the engine pressure would the open catch decrease the pressure. Thus the closed catch can will increase the pressure
Will a PCV function if hooked to the large rear port of an Edelbrock? I have my reasons.
My valve cover doesn't even have a PCV spot 😭 just has breathers on it where you can add oil. Is that enough?
This can set-up is suitable for breather pipe, not for PCV which operates on manifold vacuum..
Me and my brother was just talking about this today thanks for this video
It’s a must have on a turbo car but I thought it would be a good idea to see how much blow by this old engine has. It’s got a lot. 😆
@@MuscleCarSolutions Ive been thinking about putting one on my 351 but I'm sure I don't need it
@@CCAutoWorks I don’t normally use one on an n/a engine unless it’s a dedicated track car. No reason to. But I found out it’s a good tool to use when you want to know how much pressure is in the crankcase of a worn out small block!
Do I have to use the same line or can I just replace it with a vacuum hose?
I have a 1987 dodge d150 and my pvc makes all kinds of noise like the check in the valve is alway too much or too little .318
Great video. I have a 69 dodge with the 440. I have a pcv valve set up and on the passenger side a breather with a hose connected to the air filter base. Would my engine benefit if I remove that breather & hose and simply install an aftermarket performance breather ( without ) the hose. Also, when you installed the catch can did you use an adapter instead of the pcv valve?
should the can be mounted lower than the vent point on the engine? I’m deleting a charcoal canister on a 96 impala, I want to go this route. My current canister is much lower than developing covers.
If you ask a dozen people you’ll get a dozen different responses and opinions. Really it depends on the can and how it’s baffled. Just follow their installation instructions. I think universally they all need to be as far away from the heat source as possible.
Can someone clarify something for me, if i was to take the output from the pcv valve and container it, But feed clean filtered air back into the system , would this be problematic because it’s no longer a closed system?
F.Y.I. if you have a Holley Sniper fuel injection system on your classic the PCV ,operating normally, will mess up the vacuum signal to the f. i. computer.
Is it wise to run PCV straight across to the runner port on intake? Thanks.
Will this work if my valve cover breather smoking from oil soak ?
@@SS_B33 if you have that much blow by, no. A catch can won’t mask the need for a full rebuild.
@ waiting on the heads to come in the mail just need these to last a few days says Saturday for delivery
DO U NOTICE ALOT LESS SMOKE OUT THE EXHAUST WITH THE CATCH CAN ON?
Sure like your brackets STOUT! Great video thanks
It was some recycled material I had laying around! It’s extremely stout. 😂
Really good info here. Thanks for giving me some ideas.
Something doesn't make sense to me about this! No vacuum in that set up so of course your gonna get all that oil from build up of Crank case pressure! The whole reason for a PCV set up to begin with.
i understand how the pcv works burt what does the breather on the oposite valve cover do ...on my old engine the pcv is conected to the carb and on the other side the breather is conected to the air cleaner ...why is that
Draw through air and stabilize the pressure inside the crank case.
There is a lubricating factor to this that he is forgetting about. If you notice that was all oil he dumped out which would also lubricate the upper compression chamber. Older 350 Chevy was normally good for only a hundred thousand miles before the PCV system came along
In 500 miles of driving, less than one ounce of fluid came out of the engine. It wasn’t all oil. There is a little water mixed in, slight smell of fuel (which isn’t surprising, given it was on as I was making tuning adjustments). I’m not clear what you mean by “upper compression chamber”. Are you thinking combustion chamber? Anything there is burned on the power stroke of a four stroke combustion cycle. Anything pulled from the crankcase and sent into the intake to be burned is much different than say a two stroke engine that has an oil/gas mix for its lubrications properties. Given the other contaminants coming from the crankcase, I’m not sure you could call this a positive net effect. Though that would be in interesting long term test to see what the wear looks like on a PCV engine vs an engine with a catch can.
That's the cleanest wore out engine I ever seen
I have a 65 El Camino with LT1 swapped Corvette engine. Does this help my engine or not ? Thanks
Like a small block LT or the new direct injected LT? The answer to both is yes.
Better off running a catch can instead of sending the shit back into intake! 👍
Video is 13:20 long. Is that by design? I installed a catch can on my VW. I get so much water/condensation combined with unburned gas and not much oil. It needs to be emptied out probably every 1/4-1/2 tank of fuel consumed.
No! But I like the way you think.
Where doe it hook up to the engine? Does not show or say where
So why didn't you look at the inside to see what was in the filter pads? 😕
Condinsator will improve fuel milage-pulls condensation out of the pcv circuit-doesnt do crap for milage increase,the people that say it does are stupid,have removed many...
I do have one question about a problem I've been having. My car has a 355 SBC and it leaks past the front main seal. I've changed the front timing chain cover but to no effect. My car has one of those fat chrome pcv valves hooked into the passenger side valve cover and a breather in the driver side. The pcv is connected to the full manifold vacuum on the carb. It has been misting around the breather and the grommet the pcv valve pushes into. I've been getting oil all over the front of my engine and the engine fan just kicks it up onto the hood while driving. I think it's leaking because it has excessive crankcase pressure, but I thought the pcv valve would be taking it away. I really need to get it to stop leaking. Your thoughts?
Time for a leak down test! It sounds very much like what happens when the crankcase gets over pressurized. A PCV nor a catch can is going to keep up with it. Pushes out the seals, sometimes up through the dipstick or out the valve covers. That’s where I’d start to verify how bad the issue is. That will determine what your next steps are. Unfortunately, I’d plan for the worst.
@@MuscleCarSolutions the dipstick stays in place. I did do a compression test and my lowest cylinder measures 161 psi. It's only leaking out the front. It's been doing that ever since the engine was put together. It has about 30k miles on it. I'll see about renting a leak down tester.
@@MuscleCarSolutions also it's a 9.7 to 1 compression motor with the lt4 hot cam, stock vortex heads and stock valves if that helps you.
@@DYLAN102001 compression test doesn’t tell the whole story. The leak down test will tell it’s ability to keep it contained for a sustained period of time. You should get a good idea of what’s happening with the information from that test.
@@MuscleCarSolutions ok so I rented a leak down tester from AutoZone. For around 100psi to gives me about 92 psi average. Here are my pressures:
1. 93
3. 92
5. 93
7. 90
2. 91
4. 91
6. 94
8. 90
When I did the test couldn't hear anything out the oil passages or the intake.
Do you get any crankcase smell in the cab?
None.
I have major blow-by on my motor, & installed a similar catch can to vent the right side of the engine, & using a PVC valve to carb on the left. But am wondering if it would relieve eng. pressure if I ran a second hose from left valve cover to the same catch can.
What your thoughts on this?
(& yes a rebuild is in the future when I can afford it)
PS: having fun driving the car again after it being stored since the mid 80's! But pressure is forcing oil out the dipstick, & pushing the PVC valve out enough to spew oil. Not good!
It’s one or the other. The PCV uses manifold pressure to open the valve to vent to crankcase pressure. It’s going to render the catch can redundant. If you’re keeping the PCV, there’s no reason to have a catch can.
@@MuscleCarSolutions I might as well remove the PVC valve, plug the carb manifold vac. Inlet. & run a second line to the catch can then.
PS: Thanks for all your carb video's!
@@dannovello1577 no. One cover has the line to the can. The other side needs to be open to pull in air (outside pressure) into the engine. Breather cap on that side.
@@MuscleCarSolutions oh shoot, ok. I'm kind of re-learning the car. (my first car), '68 Barracuda Fastback, with a 340 I rebuilt with help of a mechanic friend, back in 1980. I screwed up & didn't gap the rings, etc. Then it was wrecked...but not forgotten, lol. Fun driving it again with all the handling upgrades....accept for the blow-by/oil spew issue. Just trying to relieve more crankcase pressure so it not pushing oil out the dipstick tube. Pointless of course, ha. But so fun to drive it again!
Thanks again!
@@dannovello1577 I think I’d commit a felony of your choice to own a nice mopar A body car! 😂 love the cudas! Depending on your manifold vacuum, you’ll likely remove more pressure from the engine with a PCV system. The catch can (unless it has a scavenger pump installed) relies on the over pressure to push to the can. A PCV system pulls it when the engine vacuum is high.
First of all, fuck emissions laws. Second, a PCV system is both bad and good. The bad part is that you are sucking crankcase gasses and all the crap that's in them into the intake. The good part is that you are actually using a vacuum to ventilate the crankcase, which is FAR more efficient than the old road draft tubes, and certainly more efficient than just sticking a filter on the crankcase vent. The best way to do it by far is a vacuum crankcase vent system that does not dump crankcase gasses back into the engine intake. You could use either a belt driven or electric vacuum pump. You can use a catch can, or you can simply blow the exhaust gasses out under the bottom of the car somewhere. Fuck the EPA.
I always thought PCV's just had a BB and spring inside lol
I did a PCV delete and installed a catch can now my engine hasetate on idle.
Reset mixture screws/timing. You’re drawing a different amount of air now through that PCV port. It’s a change and the carb needs you to tell it how to respond to it.
It's an opd system it's a 96 Chevy LT1
Can you till me where to hook the IN hose and the OUT hose? On the catch can.
That’s a whole other animal. Still using the factory set up? Throttle body?
Weld bungs into the header collectors is the way to go.
On a street car? Haha
@@MuscleCarSolutions I have them on mine...
@@MuscleCarSolutions 66 Caprice
pcv system the real big benefits is feed some oil to lubricate valve and piston rings.
That may be true...but also moisture and contaminants.
@@geraldwegener8376 of course oil mist.
@@macgyverdroidAbsolutely correct...oil mist resulting in carbon buildup on pistons ,valves, rings, combustion chambers🙄
@@geraldwegener8376 same as fuel. Even if gasoline alone build up carbon when not combusted properly same as oil mist and diesel
@@macgyverdroid The use of fuel is unavoidable... engine will not run without it.🙄
how do you solve the blow by??
Rebuild the engine.
@@MuscleCarSolutions 🤣
Bro, you can tell that engines tired by the way it shakes that’s a lot of shaking
I think your catch can needs a vacuum source to simulate your stock system.
Just do a leak down test, cold and hot.
Great info! Thank you
You’re very welcome! Thanks for watching!
The cheapest way is do a leak down test