I had seen threads about PCV Catch Cans and read them, I tried to understand the purpose and need of them and if it was worth my time and money to get one. After some reading and research I decided that it was not something I needed and that some people may feel they do but not me, so I moved on to other things.

Then a few months later I installed the Vararam Snake Charmer CAI and while doing so I decided to clean the MAF, the accordion hose, and the TB as well as I could. After removing the MAF and the accordion hose I was shocked and confused as to why the accordion hose was so nasty with black, oily, gummy residue. It was also in the TB, the butterfly and inside the intake. I was thinking this cannot be good and has to impact performance and other things. So I spoke to a friend of mine that happens to be a NASCAR driver and he explained what it was, where it came from and how to resolve it. It was then that I realized the importance of the PCV Catch Can.

Without the catch can the PCV allows the oil and vapors from the engine to be sent through the intake to be burned for emissions, hence the oil residue in the Accordion Hose, TB and intake.

Needless to say I have ordered my PCV Catch Can and I also used the Seafoam Intake Cleaner with the hook. I was told that short of removing the intake and cleaning it, it is the next best thing. If you use this, do it outside and depending on how dirty your intake is determines what results you get after you let it sit for 5 minutes then restart it. I followed the directions and after I let it sit and then started the car, OMG at the smoke! It was like a old diesel truck going up hill with an oversized load. Smoke was everywhere. I could have sent smoke signals to the space station. I was told that means it was real dirty and that it cleaned it, I will tell you later if I examine it.

Once I install the catch can, I may remove all those parts including the intake and clean them like they should be. I also ordered the Power Coupler to get rid of the accordion hose which was and still is nasty after intensive cleaning. I think the heat and fumes and the oil from the PCV vapors eat away at the rubber, not sure but the only way to get it like new would be to buy a new one.

I just wanted to share my story of what I did and what I found. Long story short, You spend all this money on a Cold Air Intake and or a K&N filter and do all this stuff to get clean cool air to the engine when the whole time you have a hose pumping hot, oily air right into the middle or it. Seems to me to defeat the purpose unless you address the PCV routing and modify it to cool or clean that air also.

Just my 2 cents

GhostC6

 

The PCV (not PVC) or Positive Crankcase Ventilation system works as designed for normal use. If you have that much oil in the intake manifold then you have something wrong or you are running real high RPM under high loads all the time and the piston rings are allowing a LOT of blowby.

 

Thank you for the correction, I have edited the thread correcting my mistake.

Also I am a little OCD on keeping things clean so what it normal to most it awful to me. It was normal for the 9 years of driving without anyone ever cleaning it. You and I have to keep in mind that 9 years and about 75,000 miles blows a lot of oil and vapor into the intake. But I am going to end that or reduce it very soon. To bad it cannot be stopped completely but from what I have discovered the vacuum from the intake is a vital part of the proper operation of the crankcase ventilation. If it was not I would cap the intake line and run the output line into a catch can with a crankcase filter. But from what I have seen that will not work properly so an efficient catch can is the best remedy.

 

I see you just joined the forum. Did you buy the '05 C6 new? If you bought it used then how can you know how hard the car was run? Hard driving will force blowby into the intake.

 

After reading this and owing to the fact that I have quite a few more miles than 75K on my 05 and no catch can, I disassembled those parts and found no residue what ever. I drive reasonably hard and often. Have you checked that pcv?

 

When I installed a Halltech air intake on my 08 LS3, I opened the throttle body blade and noticed an oil slick on the floor of my intake manifold. The oil gets in the intake when vacuum is at its highest. This occurs when you are in the upper rpm range and decelerating. The oil vapor continues its path through the intake manifold and into the combustion chamber. Once in the C.C. it then gets burned up and out through the exhaust. The problem with oil vapor in the combustion chamber is that it may degrade the octane in the fuel and cause the ECM to pull back timing. The other issue is the buildup of carbon deposits on the piston and valves.

Since I installed an Elite Engineering catch can, my intake manifold oil slick has dried up. The E.E. catch can works! Make sure you get a good quality catch can because there are POS's out there.

 

Mike, thank you and I know what you mean. I think the point of my thread was not clear or it was simply hijacked, not sure which.

The point of my thread is that when I first looked into a "Catch Can" I dismissed it. But after I looked more into things and learned more about the air intake and stuff, and saw first hand the crap that gets pumped into the engine for emissions sake, I realized I was wrong for dismissing the need and purpose for the "Catch Can."

I installed an aftermarket CAI to help it breath better and to perform better. Then I learned that with the cooler and higher volume of air I gave it, the PCV in stock configuration is still pumping hot, oily vapors into the intake. I wish I could cap or do away with the PCV going into the intake but from what I have read, the vacuum from the intake is necessary for the PCV to properly function, so, if it has to be there, the best I can do and others is to try to reduce the amount of hot, dirty and oily vapors that is introduced back into the intake. Thus the need and importance of the "Catch Can" I had first dismissed as unnecessary.