Catch Can...

[Alfonsio]

I'm curious because I see a lot of posts about catch cans and I know what they do but I'm thinking if it's something critical to the operation and longevity of the engine, it would have been engineered into the engine from the start.
Just wondering...

 

[Casper]

I'm curious because I see a lot of posts about catch cans and I know what they do but I'm thinking if it's something critical to the operation and longevity of the engine, it would have been engineered into the engine from the start.
Just wondering...

You may not remember the Ford Pinto, but Detroit has a habit of not doing what is right or correct because litigation is cheaper.

So Chrysler complies with stupid @$$ EPA requirements and re-injects nasty crankcase carryover into the intake. This is a long term bad idea, not an immediate failure thing. If you are one of those people who never change their oil, forh-geht about a catch can. After the terms of the warranty expire issues emerge, but the dumb schmucks what bought he vehicle are left with their pants around their ankles. EPA and NTSB are not going to come after a company dutifully following "Dear Leader's directions. You don't do a catch can, and you keep the vehicle for 6-7 years, well then the valve job is on you.. Capice?

 

[Alfonsio]

HAHA I actually owned a 1971 Pinto...

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

HAHA I actually owned a 1971 Pinto...

There you go, get a catch can!

I got one because i intend to keep my truck for a good 7-8 years so i want it to run as best as i can get it.

 

[audio1der]

^ Well put.
I REALLY struggled with the can as I'd never heard of this before buying our truck last year. Even went so far as trying to find out if there were seals or something else the "crap" was supposed to lubricate, cool, etc. I found nothing.
Now I dump about an ounce of nasty, petroleum-based crap out of my can for every 1,000km we drive.
Ours is the family vehicle and is used to tow our 32' travel trailer so it does work hard and we need it to last.
I think this is an important mod but that is a decision for every owner based on how they use their RAM, how long they plan on keeping it, if they don't mind an additional maintenance step and if they prefer to do prevetative maintenance or believe everything the factory did when building it is all it needs.

 

[BlkRamRt]

dont think about it twice well worth the investment.

 

[Alfonsio]

I have a 1996 Explorer (V8) with a lot of miles on it and no catch can. I have zero issues with the engine. That's why I wonder if its all hype to make people believe they need a catch can or else.... I guess its whatever helps you sleep better at night, just do it

 

[Mopar_Express]

I have a 1996 Explorer (V8) with a lot of miles on it and no catch can. I have zero issues with the engine. That's why I wonder if its all hype to make people believe they need a catch can or else.... I guess its whatever helps you sleep better at night, just do it

Not all motors are created equal... First off your exploder probably isnt putting out almost 400 horse. These are very powerful motors box stock and put a lot of stress on the components and when one of these monsters is run hard its going to create some byproducts. Other vehicles have built in breathers or some kind of alternate set up to alleviate any vapor blow off like we have and also just plain dont create as much vapor as these new hemis do. For example, a catch can is not an item available for earlier generation rams as they had a built in breather. So i guess under your logic vendors should start selling them for 2nd and 3rd gens just to make a buck off the "hype".

The issue is that you wont really see many negative side effects short term but over time the crap is going to build up in there create sludge and make your motor run poorly. Also if you are planning on doing anything even remotely performance minded with the truck that oil vapor causes the motor to pull timing when it mixes with the air being forced into the cylinders. Pulled timing results in power losses. You may not notice it a ton but it does happen.

If you dont want to buy one because they're relatively pricey you can make one yourself out of an air-oil separator from lowes or home depot. I did that myself for about 40 bucks total cost for all supplies. I catch a ton of oil even with a DIY set up that I feel is probably 80-90% as effective as the real deal. Eventually I will buy a BT can because it is just a nicer product and my set up isnt as perfect as I would like.

Chrysler cheaped out and used a bs hard line to dump the oil back somewhere because it cost them less than a proper set up and because they know most owners wont have their trucks long enough to notice and they know that when or if it causes any issues the truck will be out of warranty. I dont care if it never causes my motor to fail, having a catch can is a smart investment if you want your truck to run as strong as it can. If you're satisfied with sacrificing performance by all means dont get one. They are not just hype or something that people are paranoid into thinking they need. Catch cans show results time after time. If you dont believe it search for some pictures and ask yourself if you want that being dumped in with the air that goes into your cylinder head to be combusted.

 

[Casper]

I have a 1996 Explorer (V8) with a lot of miles on it and no catch can. I have zero issues with the engine. That's why I wonder if its all hype to make people believe they need a catch can or else.... I guess its whatever helps you sleep better at night, just do it

This is a design issue unique to the Hemi engine--your explorer is an apples to oranges comparison.

 

[Casper]

Not all motors are created equal... First off your exploder probably isnt putting out almost 400 horse. These are very powerful motors box stock and put a lot of stress on the components and when one of these monsters is run hard its going to create some byproducts. Other vehicles have built in breathers or some kind of alternate set up to alleviate any vapor blow off like we have and also just plain dont create as much vapor as these new hemis do. For example, a catch can is not an item available for earlier generation rams as they had a built in breather. So i guess under your logic vendors should start selling them for 2nd and 3rd gens just to make a buck off the "hype".

The issue is that you wont really see many negative side effects short term but over time the crap is going to build up in there create sludge and make your motor run poorly. Also if you are planning on doing anything even remotely performance minded with the truck that oil vapor causes the motor to pull timing when it mixes with the air being forced into the cylinders. Pulled timing results in power losses. You may not notice it a ton but it does happen.

If you dont want to buy one because they're relatively pricey you can make one yourself out of an air-oil separator from lowes or home depot. I did that myself for about 40 bucks total cost for all supplies. I catch a ton of oil even with a DIY set up that I feel is probably 80-90% as effective as the real deal. Eventually I will buy a BT can because it is just a nicer product and my set up isnt as perfect as I would like.

Chrysler cheaped out and used a bs hard line to dump the oil back somewhere because it cost them less than a proper set up and because they know most owners wont have their trucks long enough to notice and they know that when or if it causes any issues the truck will be out of warranty. I dont care if it never causes my motor to fail, having a catch can is a smart investment if you want your truck to run as strong as it can. If you're satisfied with sacrificing performance by all means dont get one. They are not just hype or something that people are paranoid into thinking they need. Catch cans show results time after time. If you dont believe it search for some pictures and ask yourself if you want that being dumped in with the air that goes into your cylinder head to be combusted.

Ditto. I had the Huskey filter DIY for several months. I didn't fabricate a mount I was happy with and didn't like the plastic bottle so close to the manifold/block. Smashed my piggy bank and bought a BT Catch Can. No regrets.

 

[Alfonsio]

Is the BT Catch Can fairly easy to install and do you have to do any reprogramming to the engine afterwards?

 

[TRXHemi]

I have a 2010 Hemi with 92K miles on it.... no catch can....

I have checked my TB etc, for any kind of grease/oil and nothing exists on mine. I'm sure its a worthwhile investment, but I haven't had any issues with my set up.

 

[Casper]

Is the BT Catch Can fairly easy to install and do you have to do any reprogramming to the engine afterwards?

Dirt simple, no reprogramming.

 

[Hemi450hp]

The harder you drive your truck, the more oil it will produce. I have swapped throttle bodies for customers with 60k miles and the back of their TB was so covered in oil that you couldn't even see the blade.

As for the older explorer, back then the EPS didn't force manufacturers to dump that oil back into the motor. You most likely have a hose that just drips the oil onto the street.

 

[junior81]

The bt catch can has been one of my best investments. I drove my truck hard at the river this weekend and I opened it up this morning and it was 1/4 full. You'd figure all that would have been on my throttle body.

 

[california]

get the catch can i have nothing bad to say about this works perfectly for me each and every time \\

 

[audio1der]

FWIW from all my reading it seems if you're at sea level you may see more benefits from a catch can. I work our truck fairly hard and I see only a portion of the nastiness/oil collected as many members at sea level do.
That being said, I wouldn't own one of these trucks w/o a can.

 

[Diminus]

i live up in labrador just curious if cleaning this out is quick and easy, it has gone past -50 degrees celsius here with wind chill and aluminum and cold weather sucks for us guys up north haha gotta do everything with gloves on. also has anyone had trouble with these rigs in cold weather? thinking about getting one.

 

[12TrueSport]

Easy install. Took about 15 minutes including polishing the can. Thanks to RF member HEMI Joe for a killer deal!!! Here are a couple of pics for reference. I'll be updating this post after a week or so of hard sea-level driving.

EDIT: Added a picture of results after 7 days of "spirited" driving.

 

[DublDee]

^ Well put.
I REALLY struggled with the can as I'd never heard of this before buying our truck last year. Even went so far as trying to find out if there were seals or something else the "crap" was supposed to lubricate, cool, etc. I found nothing.
Now I dump about an ounce of nasty, petroleum-based crap out of my can for every 1,000km we drive.
Ours is the family vehicle and is used to tow our 32' travel trailer so it does work hard and we need it to last.
I think this is an important mod but that is a decision for every owner based on how they use their RAM, how long they plan on keeping it, if they don't mind an additional maintenance step and if they prefer to do prevetative maintenance or believe everything the factory did when building it is all it needs.

Where did you get yours? I plan on keeping my truck for a long time, so obviously need to do this sooner, rather than later.