Video: The Importance Of Using A Catch Can System

Positive crankcase pressure is one of the many unavoidable side effects produced by the normal operation of a piston engine. As the piston travels up and down within the cylinder, a small amount of combustion gases are able to make their way past the piston rings and into your crankcase, this is called blow-by.

There are several ways to combat positive crankcase pressure and its associated effects, including; a dry sump oiling system, vacuum pump, and a scavenging exhaust tube. We will be focusing on the two most common and cost effective streetcar solutions, an open and closed catch can system. Both accomplish the same goal of preventing most of the water, oil, and fuel vapors from being reintroduced into the engine through the crankcase ventilation (CV) system. The difference between the two will be covered in greater detail later in this article, but it has to do with what is done with the air after removing the heavier water, fuel and oil particles from the air column.

Left: A closed system catch can. Used when recirculating back into the intake manifold. Right: An open system catch can with two inlets. Notice the vent filter on top of the catch can.

For your average commuter car, blow-by isn’t much of an issue unless the piston rings have worn to the point of considerable compression loss or a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve is clogged. On the other hand, for a performance engine making more power than stock or a built motor with loose clearances, that mixture of diluted vapors can become quite an efficiency killer and even damaging if left unchecked, especially if the motor is boosted.

Real Street Performance posted a great video to their YouTube channel going over the function of a catch can and why you should be using one.


Factory CV System

Most factory crankcase ventilation systems work by pulling fresh air into the crankcase from the intake tube using the CV port and recycling the blow-by vapors into the intake manifold, via the PCV valve. The PCV valve is designed to only open when the air pressure in the intake manifold is lower than in the crankcase, creating a vacuum to pull the vapors into the manifold and back to the combustion chamber again.

Diagram Source: Radium Engineering

For a performance engine where more severe blow-by is more common, that mixture of air, fuel, water, and oil vapors that are recirculated will coat the inside walls of everything downstream of the inlet port on the intake and eventually clog PCV valves and cake up engine components. Depending on the type of engine, this can include several important components, such as; the throttle body, intake valves of direct injection engines, the turbocharger compressor wheel, and the internal fins of an intercooler on boosted cars, reducing its efficiency. In addition, these vapors also create a universal problem of mixing with the gasoline injected into the combustion chamber and reducing its knock resistance; possibly pulling ignition timing on ECU controlled vehicles and reducing power.

Closed Catch Can System (Emissions Friendly)

A closed catch can system is the most popular solution for streetcars, because it still recirculates the air back into the system after removing the unwanted vapors from the air and retains the factory PCV system. This allows the car to still comply with emission standards, while still working effectively on most engines with bolt-on power adders. The downside to using this setup is that the PCV valve acts as a bottleneck on higher horsepower and high boost applications and won’t be able to vent the air quickly enough, allowing positive crankcase pressure to build. Depending on the application, a second catch can may be required to work effectively.

Diagram Source: Radium Engineering

Open Catch Can System (Vent To Atmosphere)

An open catch can system is popular on cars with built motors and high boost because the PCV valve is deleted to allow for a greater volume of air to pass through the system. Because the PCV valve is removed, positive manifold pressure can no longer be blocked from entering the crankcase like on the factory system or a closed catch can. This means that the vent ports are routed into the catch can, like normal; but after the oil, water, and fuel are captured, the air is vented directly to the atmosphere through a filter and the inlet ports on the manifold and intake are capped off.

This setup can produce a strong fuel-like smell in the cabin and outside of the vehicle when not moving, and will not pass any visual emissions inspection. If you are producing enough power to require an open catch can system, it is highly recommended to take full advantage of the PCV delete and use -10AN hose and fittings to guarantee adequate ventilation of the system.

Diagram Source: Radium Engineering

Positive crankcase pressure and its related effects can wreak havoc on a modified performance engine. A catch can system is a cost effective solution to preventing higher crankcase pressure associated with increased power, building up due to lack of ventilation. Additionally it will prevent components from being coated in a film of oil and sludge.

Article Sources

About the author

Kyle Kitchen

Born and raised in Southern California, Kyle has been a gearhead ever since seeing his first Mitsubishi Evo VIII in 2003. He is almost entirely self taught mechanically, and as an inexperienced enthusiast always worked on his own vehicles, regardless of the difficulty, just to learn how to do it himself. Prior to becoming a freelance writer for the company, Kyle started his automotive performance career with Power Automedia as a shop technician, where he gleaned intimate knowledge of LS platforms and drag racing builds; then later joining the editorial team as the Staff Writer for EngineLabs And Turnology. Today, Kyle is an experienced EFI calibrator; hot rod builder; and motorsports technician living in the San Jose area. Kyle is a track junkie with lots of seat time. You can usually find him racing his Mitsubishi Evo X in local time attack and road race events.
Read My Articles

Horsepower delivered to your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from EngineLabs, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
EngineLabs NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

EngineLabs

EngineLabs

We'll send you raw engine tech articles, news, features, and videos every week from EngineLabs.

EngineLabs

EngineLabs NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

EngineLabs

EngineLabs

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


LSX Mag
Late Model LS Vehicles
Dragzine
Drag Racing
StreetMuscle
Muscle Car & Hot Rods

EngineLabs

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • LSX Mag Late Model LS Vehicles
  • Dragzine Drag Racing
  • Street Muscle Mag Muscle Car & Hot Rods

EngineLabs

EngineLabs

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

EngineLabs

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading