evills7

Can anyone here tell me why I should put a catch can on my Z. Is it really necessary?

AzDave47

If you drive HPDE's or (maybe) run the 1/4 mile or spend a fair amount of time at full throttle above 5,000 rpm, then yes. If not, it is not needed for the occasional run high in the rev range.

In my last HPDE, about 90 miles of track time, my catch can collected 4 ounces of oil that would have gone into the intake and cylinders. Since I run a blend of 91 octane (normal stuff here) and 100 octane to get the mix above 93 so the engine will run full, I don't need oil defeating the HP gains of 93 over 91.

evills7

Thanks for the info. I will not be road racing the Z but will drag race it once in a while at the track.

JwT

I bought my Z used with miles (67k) on it so I don't abuse the car at all, just basic drives and long trips. I did the head replacement, headers and computer tune because of the mileage and because the spark plugs seemed to stay wet with oil. All the exhaust valves on the drivers side were shot, so I think it was very close to failure.

So after the swap, maybe a thousand miles I check the new plugs and while they were really dry, there was still just a bit of oil on the threads. Just on a whim I pull the intake tube at the throttle body to check the air filter and oil starts dripping from the tube. It looked to be a few ounces but what a pain in the rear to clean. Talking to the vendor I bought my heads from they stated the LS7 pulls a lot of oil vapor into the intake. That oil causes plugs to foul and cylinders to detonate.

This is just my opinion and there are quite a few folks here that think every Z06 needs a catch can. I picked up the EE version and empty it every 1k or so(about two ounces). So......maybe it's cheap insurance to keep the oil out of the combustion chamber. Just my 2 cents.

adamgl

I would run one. I had more oil in my fast intake than I would like when I did my heads. So I put a catch can on. You'll be glad you did when you go to drain the can during your normal oil change.

2StrikeHtr

Do it. I put one on and I also get a few oz. out of it every 1000mi or so.
Seems that oil is better off sitting in the catch can than blowing into
the intake.

Carnac

I agree with all the above - not a required item, but why let extra oil down the intake.

I use one from Elite Engineering (EE) and found it to be excellent.

Jim

Chonger

I have a H/C setup and there is a substantial amount of oil that gets sucked up. I was shocked how much oil it caught when I emptied it for the first time.

I say why not add one. It will only prevent a possible problem.

Rupert pupkin

I'm planning on doing this once I get the car back from the shop. I don't do any hpde or run the car at the track, but I do a lot of spirited driving. It's a good preventive maintenance for the unseen issues that could arise. I have it on my cam only G8. You can never be too sure.


Looks like a pretty simple install..

http://www.billetprototypes.com/LS7_...n_Install.html

Chonger

Good decision. I myself don't do any road racing and never had an issue or the need for a catch can until I did my H/C upgrade.

I added the catch can only after I saw some oil consumption and sure enough the lost oil was being sucked into the intake.

I would say a must have for a H/C car.