Reflections Detail

I was a bit shocked at the amount of fluids that it caught! Here in Utah we have a fairly dry RH (humidity). Roger and I put this can it about one month ago and I'll bet there have been a 1000miles driven in that time. Here in a few weeks I'll be doing a lot of driving and hope to report back again. To think this crap is being "burnt up" back in the engine is concerning. I'm guessing it caught about 4oz? That bottle is 16oz

Cheers,
Greg

papa tiger

All have said the same for theirs when they drain them. Nasty stuff just put it in a old oil jug marked used oil for Walmart recycle guys. Extra effort pays. Lol.

brettd4x4

Send it to Blackstone and see whats in there

19KFX4

Here's a stupid question. Do i really need a Catch can? i live in south east Alabama, never had an issue with oil or don't believe the condensation problem either, but who know's i work on my truck, but i'm not a tech by any means.

jgiddy

which motor do you have?

Theocoog

Not a stupid question at all. You do NOT "need" a catch can. Personally, if I had no issues with my truck, I wouldn't mess with it. You'll hear differently on here and other sites, from catch can fans and fear mongers who post pictures of damaged pistons and other engine components to scare you into thinking you need one. Some of those photos that have been posted on here don't even come from Fords, much less F-150 Ecoboosts, but they are doing a good job of selling the catch cans.

The catch cans DO work as advertised, collecting moisture and what not from the PCV system, but contrary to the fear mongers, they are not necessary or they would have been included from the factory as part of the many millions of dollars that Ford spent on engineering the Ecoboost. There are over 500,000 3.5L Ecoboost-powered F-150s on the road, plus who knows how many smaller Ecoboosts running around globally. You think a company like Ford would stake its future on a engine technology and overlook a supposed "flaw" like the one the catch can is supposed to fix? Something that would add probably less than $15 in parts to the cost of the engine if it were necessary?

Finally, think about this. The catch cans that require you drill into the plumbing of the PCV and air intake system will void your warranty. If they didn't, the sellers of these cans wouldn't be so quick to also sell you plug kits to cover your tracks if you have to take the truck in for warranty work. An aftermarket CAI may or may not void your warranty, an aftermarket exhaust may or may not void your warranty, even a tune may not void your warranty. But go drilling into the PCV system and see what happens.

Tothemax

No. From what I have read 99.9% dont need one either.

Z7What

There not needed but certainly help. Ford isn't going to spend the money on this item cause the side effects of it wouldn't happen until after your warranty is up so they don't care what happens after that.

For less than $200 it's good insurance if you ask me. Oil in fuel lowers octane ratings which can be very harmful to the tuned guys that are pushing the limit of the fuel there tuned for.

I put one on my truck about 1000-1500 miles ago, truck had 15K in the clock before I added it and last I checked it didn't have but 3-4 drops of oil in it.

Wayne

jgiddy

There is alot of baseless content in this post. Do some research please..

engineermike

For starters, I believe the “ugly gunk” to be mostly a mixture of oil (mist in the crankcase pulled or pushed out) and water (normal combustion byproduct leaked past rings), with a smaller amount of fuel and other trace compounds.

Let’s break down some numbers. The OP captured about 4 oz of liquid in 1000 miles. In that same 1000 miles, the engine consumed about 7500 oz of liquid fuel. Most of the catch can “gunk” is combustible and will burn along the fuel. Your engine will also consume about 1800 oz of atmospheric moisture in that time. Therefore, the “ugly gunk” only consitutes about 0.04% of the total water and hydrocarbon liquids ingested by the engine. During that same time, the engine processed about 130,000 oz of air. The same math reveals that the “ugly gunk” is only about 0.003% of the total mass consumed by the engine, about 30 ppm, or 6 drops in a bucket. Those are pretty low numbers.

Just keep in mind that most, if not all, of the road vehicles manufactured in the last 30+ years pull PCV products into the inlet air stream. The F-150 is not unique in that regard. The OEM’s needed to process vapors from the crankcase somehow and figured the best place to send them is the incinerator.