Oil Catch Can - Needless or Valuable?

[Donny Carlson]

Fordnut, I post this mainly for your input because I heard you have one on your 5.3. I probably should have started this in the Garage, but since it relates to non-Marauders... uh, I started it here.

Anyhow, Oil Catch Cans on the PCV system are all the rage on the Challenger boards, and several vendors offer them, including what would be my choice, Moroso. The question is... are they worth it? The Moroso with braided hoses and fittings is nearly $200, granted you can get it cheaper with rubber hoses, but might as well dress it up while you're at it. I've been told that catch cans aren't needed unless you run a supercharger, then I read that it can't hurt, that it does have a benefit in keeping gunk out of the intake. And that Mopars have a particular tendancy for blow by. So, I'd like to hear opinions on the mod, especially from owners who have one, or had one.

[FordNut]

They do help keep oil out of the intake, even NA. Catch cans aren't particularly effective, so most of the SC people who use them go with a trap similar to an air compressor filter. Even those let a good bit of oil/vapors go past and into the intake. What I chose is a PCV trap mads specifically for the job. It is really intended for turbo diesel trucks, which have a lot of blow-by. It is made by Racor.

[magindat]

I've bought em, modified em and built my own. Complete waste of time in practical daily driving in my opinion.

If you;re tuning to extremes and oil vapor is going to mess up the octane, then maybe. Otherwise, it's a waste.

OTOH, me likey blingy. If you do it, do it for the bling and then the tiny tiny benefit is a bonus.

Thinking....
It may just be that the Dodge tuning in closed loop can see a difference in emission through 02 sensors and slightly adjust timing. Less oil vapor may indirectly lead to more HP if this is the case. I can't imagine it would be much if even detectable or repeatable.