To Catch a Catch Can

[JEEPIDON]

I'm debating the seemingly minor effort of adding a catch can (really now... $150?), but I'm looking for some clarity on its merits vs. what may be a waste of money. Some also question the necessity considering the mention of direct injection.

I'll eventually start changing my oil on my own and I'd like to know how often you should check the can for debris.

Reading thru the threads, I've seen the pics of the gunk this thing traps & it looks kinda icky.

If you have one, and go to the dealer for for an oil change... what, if any, effect would this have on warranty?

I know there are detractors & proponents, but is this truly a waste of money?


There's an older thread on this from July of last year, but it hasn't gotten any traction since Jan 27.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/oil-catch-can.12198/page-2

Let me give you a straight answer, yes they do a lot of good. I know I've used them for years. My 2010 Challenger SRT has one, my 2016 Charger Hellcat has one, my 2008 Jeep JK Rubicon has one and my new 2018 Jeep JL Rubicon has one. They all catch oil which keeps the throttle body cleaner (even though blow by enters in the manifold) and gives you an idea how well or how hard you have been pushing your motor. All of mine has a petcock on the bottom of the can and a clear hose I installed so it's easy to drop the hose straight down and drain it at each oil change. If I push the Challenger and Hellcat hard I expect about a cup to 3,000 miles of use. The JK because of the 3.8 liter motor is about triple that but the JL pushes very little. About 2-3 ounces every 3,000 miles. However I know this is getting filtered out and not gobbing the inside up and not polluting either.

For the investment....you aren't going to recover enough directly to pay back for the can. In the long run anytime you can keep an excess of oil where it's not supposed to be is a good thing! Payback...who knows?

That's the story based on various experiences. I also have a 2013 RAM 2500 Cummins diesel but I have no can on that one and can offer no experience on a diesel.

Hope this helps, forget the rest of the sidetracking in this thread. It seems like people like to stray all over instead of keeping to the subject matter.

Charlie

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[melendez69]

Let me give you a straight answer, yes they do a lot of good. I know I've used them for years. My 2010 Challenger SRT has one, my 2016 Charger Hellcat has one, my 2008 Jeep JK Rubicon has one and my new 2018 Jeep JL Rubicon has one. They all catch oil which keeps the throttle body cleaner (even though blow by enters in the manifold) and gives you an idea how well or how hard you have been pushing your motor. All of mine has a petcock on the bottom of the can and a clear hose I installed so it's easy to drop the hose straight down and drain it at each oil change. If I push the Challenger and Hellcat hard I expect about a cup to 3,000 miles of use. The JK because of the 3.8 liter motor is about triple that but the JL pushes very little. About 2-3 ounces every 3,000 miles. However I know this is getting filtered out and not gobbing the inside up and not polluting either.

For the investment....you aren't going to recover enough directly to pay back for the can. In the long run anytime you can keep an excess of oil where it's not supposed to be is a good thing! Payback...who knows?

That's the story based on various experiences. I also have a 2013 RAM 2500 Cummins diesel but I have no can on that one and can offer no experience on a diesel.

Hope this helps, forget the rest of the sidetracking in this thread. It seems like people like to stray all over instead of keeping to the subject matter.

Charlie

This is certainly helpful and educational... and I installed the thing today. Very easy; I'll give it a check in 500 miles. Thank you for the input. I'm curious about the mpg improvement that some are stating... we'll see. I just want to try to keep as much gunk out of the engine as possible.

 

[Litfuse]

This is certainly helpful and educational... and I installed the thing today. Very easy; I'll give it a check in 500 miles. Thank you for the input. I'm curious about the mpg improvement that some are stating... we'll see. I just want to try to keep as much gunk out of the engine as possible.

Be sure to check your oil catch can more in the winter. They always fill up more in cold weather.

 

[NFRs2000NYC]

I think Kevin and Brittany are good people, and make cool videos. Having said that (and I've told them about this on some of their videos)....they NEED to say when they got an item for free, or at a discount, because it changes the way people value their reviews. If any of you watch Ronnie Dahl's videos for example, he CLEARLY says when he bought something with his own money and is not sponsored, or, if a product was given to him for free for testing purposes. Conflating the two creates the content in this thread, which is a bad thing. It would behoove them to say that they received something for testing purposes, like the metalcloak 6 pack shocks which are KNOWN to be ultra problematic, and for them to give honest unbiased reviews....otherwise, it becomes basically a mouthpiece for the company.

 

[Goin2drt]

I think Kevin and Brittany are good people, and make cool videos. Having said that (and I've told them about this on some of their videos)....they NEED to say when they got an item for free, or at a discount, because it changes the way people value their reviews. If any of you watch Ronnie Dahl's videos for example, he CLEARLY says when he bought something with his own money and is not sponsored, or, if a product was given to him for free for testing purposes. Conflating the two creates the content in this thread, which is a bad thing. It would behoove them to say that they received something for testing purposes, like the metalcloak 6 pack shocks which are KNOWN to be ultra problematic, and for them to give honest unbiased reviews....otherwise, it becomes basically a mouthpiece for the company.

Yep and boy has the catch can caught on fire here in this forum. Holy cow you would think it is a major deal and a major deficiency in the JL. Hard to believe it is such an important component that Jeep just left off.

 

[SteadyC]

Yep and boy has the catch can caught on fire here in this forum. Holy cow you would think it is a major deal and a major deficiency in the JL. Hard to believe it is such an important component that Jeep just left off.

It's not so surprising. Car makers, not just Jeep, take the cheap road in everything they do, to keep costs down and maximize revenue. Just because they leave things off, or use cheap alternatives, doesn't mean there aren't better options or worthwhile additions. If airbags weren't required, they'd probably leave them out.

I did find it interesting that Kevin pointed out in their video, that this part should be stock on modern cars (PCV vehicles). The most interesting part (to me) he said, is the reduction of pollution due to reduced oil burning. Thus far, I have driven my Jeep normally, and had oil in my can to empty, so there does seem to be applicability of this part.

 

[Litfuse]

There is no way a manufacture would put a catch can on a vehicle. It is something that you have to maintain. You have to monitor and empty it. If it is neglected, it can cause issues. Think about that warranty nightmare.

 

[BrntWS6]

I agree no manufacturer would put a cc on a vehicle. People don't even know how to check their oil let alone drain a cc.

 

[SteadyC]

After I saw Kevin's and Brittney's video, I did some research, and thought this was a good article.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/positive-crankcase-ventilation-system1.htm

That link should go to page 2 of 3 articles, after explaining the PCV system (page 1), then why oil vapors returning are bad, and that oil separators (catch can in this scenario) are available.

 

[NFRs2000NYC]

Yep and boy has the catch can caught on fire here in this forum. Holy cow you would think it is a major deal and a major deficiency in the JL. Hard to believe it is such an important component that Jeep just left off.

They didnt "just leave it off." The Jeep isn't unique in that sense. Blowby occurs on any modern vehicle, and it's nothing to worry about. Do catch cans work by collecting the atomized oil? Yes. Do they hurt the vehicle? No. Are they necessary? No. It is not an important component, but it could be a useful one. For $100 bucks, it might be worth getting for some people, but is it necessary? Definitely not. As for a major deficiency as far as the JL goes, I would be MUCH more concerned about the dual battery system, the 48v battery on the turbo models, and the FAD disconnect axle tube casting.

 

[Litfuse]

I am not worried about a cc in my 3.6 wrangler. If I had the 2.0, I would strongly consider a cc.

 

[Jebiruph]

Here's a pic looking into an intake manifold that show's the oily film build up from years of use. I'm sure it doesn't help performance.

Here's what wiped off on a paper towel. Why shouldn't I try to minimize this with a catch can?

 

[Litfuse]

Here's a pic looking into an intake manifold that show's the oily film build up from years of use. I'm sure it doesn't help performance.

Here's what wiped off on a paper towel. Why shouldn't I try to minimize this with a catch can?

That’s nothing. No issues there.

 

[Jebiruph]

That’s nothing. No issues there.

It is something, but agree it's not an "issue". But neither is $150 for a catch can. This manifold has variable length runners and tumble flaps, so there are internal mechanisms that can be detrimentally impacted by a thin layer of sludge. I admittedly am not familiar enough with the 3.6 intake manifold to know if there is a negative impact from sludge other than affecting air flow.

 

[VolCntry73]

Here's a pic looking into an intake manifold that show's the oily film build up from years of use. I'm sure it doesn't help performance.

Here's what wiped off on a paper towel. Why shouldn't I try to minimize this with a catch can?

I'm curious...what did this come out of? What was the mileage? It appears in GREAT shape externally from "years" of use.

Just wondering.

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