I have installed and used oil catch cans on several vehicles w great results. Mainly for boosted engines, but work well for the NA motors I’ve had too.
I know there are naysayers and some even can make up how it’s bad. #rollingeyes
On my Mustangs that I have tracked even Ford makes a catch can kit for them...so if bad, why would a manufacturer offer them?
Only reason not having one factory installed is need of extra maintenance. Depending on motor and use the can needs to be dumped anywhere from 2000 miles to 7500 miles.
Most of my cars and trucks I’ve been able to just dump at the oil change.
I’ve installed one on my ecoBoost Transit and in only 1000 miles (993 miles to be exact) I had one full ounce of oil in it.
My biggest thing is this is one ounce of oil I keep from building up on the back of my van.
I'm seeing a lot of catch cans with filtered breathers on the top and no hose going back to the engine. Is this legal? If so, will that setup work on our EB Transits?
Also, I like that the JLT cans are customized for the Transit so it's "plug and play" and I like that it's made in the USA, but do they work any better than the generic Chinese made cans that sell for 1/5 the price?
After doing a bit of research, I think my eco-boost engine would benefit from a passenger side catch can, but since I'm not positive it would I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I built my own using a pint canning jar, two brass 1/2" hose barb X 3/8" MIP fittings from Home Depot and a home-made aluminum tube large enough to hold a stainless steel scrub pad for the filter.
FWIW, I saw a JLT video comparing a JLT catch can to a copycat catch can that didn't have a filter. The JLT catch can with the filter completely filled up with oil before it started passing oil back to the engine. The copycat catch can without a filter on the PCV side started passing oil back to the engine almost immediately thereby catching almost no oil. The copycat can did have a diffuser screen about halfway down in the bottom part of the can, but since there was no filter between the input and output sides of the can, the oil was not separated and just went back in to the engine.
I installed my catch can using 1/2" ID fuel hose (from NAPA) and a holder I made for the jar to sit in using scrap aluminum I had on hand. Total cost: $16.12. I don't drive a lot (10,400 miles in 3 years) so it may be a while before I can tell if the catch can is working.
The 3.7l engine does not build up the same kind of crankcase pressure as the ecoboost, so it is more important on the ecoboost. (And diesel as it is also turbocharged)
I wouldnt worry too much about the 3.7l engine. There are tons of them out there with many miles on them with no issues.
That Brillo like metal shaving filter looks like the inside of a industrial diesel engine Breather Filter, Which causes most of the oil to drip back into the Valve Cover and into the Crankcase.
It looks like JLT catch can rebranded slightly to an oil separator company and they offer an extension can that screws onto the latest 3.0 versions. This increases capacity from 3.0oz to 6.0oz. I'm trying to figure out if there is enough clearance for the extension on the Transit though. Can anyone who has the JLT installed comment on how much clearance there is below the can? Seems like there might not be another 3".
Just a "Heads Up" for anyone who might build their own mason jar catch can. You should secure the ring that holds the lid to the jar so it doesn't come unscrewed. I screwed the ring down hand tight, but in less than 200 miles of driving, the ring came unscrewed, which turned on the "check engine light" and set 2 codes. So today I put a dab of regular household caulk on the ring and lid. I don't know if that will keep the ring from turning or not, but I didn't want to use anything permanent like JB-Weld because I will want to empty the jar at some time in the future. If the caulk doesn't hold, I may drill a small hole thru the ring and lid and put a small screw thru both.
OK, I have the JT catch can installed and its accumulating about 1 oz of oil every 2,500 miles. Better in the can than sucked thru the intake! Query - would pouring the oil from the catch can back into the engine cause any issues?
I am attaching a link to an exceptional discussion of valve deposits, the EGR system, and oil catch cans. He presents some very interesting results of the Society of Automotive Engineers (at 2:58 minutes in) which quantified the impact of EGR on valve deposits. Worth watching:
My 2019 3.5 Eco Transit is still under warranty (picked it up new in 03/20). Would adding a catch can void it? I don't really want to wait 2 more years to try to prevent the valve issues. Or... should I bite the bullet, and purchase the JTL?
I really don't see how a catch can would void the warranty, but if you're worried, it's super easy to install and remove, just keep your OEM PCV house. The connectors are actually made to be easily removed and installed.
JTL oil separator (catch can) installed. Having never looked a a PCV valve before, I noticed that the valve has a little “play” in it. It wasn’t anything that could be screwed in tighter. Is this normal or could the valve have a crack in it?
I don't believe they offer one. They tested it, and determined the driver side is much cleaner due to the engine design and airflow from the crankcase.
@PNW_Camper There is about 1/2” below the removable portion of the can; just enough to get your hand underneath and unscrew it. I doubt the larger can would fit in that position.
I can't find the reference at the moment, but I recall that on the ecoboost the passenger side catches blowby when you are under vacuum (which is most of your miles), and only under high boost does blowby show up on the driver side.
It's not zero, but it's very little from what I understand. A driver side can will catch moisture, but not much oil. I think it was JTL themselves that said they built a setup with both sides, and decided not to sell a driver side version because it would basically be a waste of customers money.
Crankcase is normally fresh air in on one valve cover and dirty air out on the other.
V engine.
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