Oil catch can

[Taximan1978]

Hi has anyone fitted a catch can to there car am just curious if you can fit one and will it work cheers

[brad1.8T]

Yes.  I have a Forge catch can with an Afrika plate.  Works well but needs emptying every 2000km.

[Taximan1978]

Thanks for the reply

[Mr Kop]

1.8 TSi Oil Catch Can

 

I have just fitted a Spulen catch can kit to my Superb 1.8TSi (2011). (Sorry, I know this is an Octavia related theme, but thought it might be helpful.)

 

There seems to be a lot of discussion on other forums (especially in the US) about whether catch cans are a gimmick or if they really do what the manufacturers claim. So I thought I'd try one out and give some feedback to anyone here in the UK who is interested.

 

The Spulen baffled catch can kit was supplied by UPS Mototrsport (Florida). The kit comprises: Africa plate (supersedes the OEM PCV valve) with stainless bolts, baffled catch can, 2x braided AN pipes, manifold inlet blank and various vacuum fittings and grub screws etc. (You need to re-use the gasket/seal from the OEM PCV valve).

 

The kit arrived in 2 working days via FedEx. It wasn't cheap, but also not the most expensive out there. Total cost was £282 plus £39 shipping (before anyone says that's a shed load of money for a simple can - read on!). However, you get a nice piece of kit (billeted aluminium) with braided AN-10 pipes (so no kinking or oil weeping) plus a can that is easily drained.

 

The main reason why I chose a catch can is that there is a significant amount of oil in both the air charge ducting (and presumably the intercooler too) and the feed pipe from the PCV valve (positive crankcase ventilation) back to the manifold - the pipes were dripping! I was also not keen to have the engine burn this oil and condensate that comes from the PCV (oil lowers the detonation threshold of the fuel/air mix).

 

The oil originates from the vapours out of the top of the crankcase due to 'blow by' around the piston rings - all cars engines do this, particularly turbos. The oil in the ducting etc is that which is not caught and condensed by the OEM PCV. The excess vapour and condensate are fed back in to the inlet manifold to be burned in the engine as well as in to the air duct just before the turbo. Because the TSi is a direct injection engine there is no fuel mixture being sprayed into the inlet manifold or onto the back of the inlet valves, which normally would help to keep them clean(injectors spray directly in to the combustion chamber). Eventually after 40K+ miles (depending on driving style etc) significant carbon builds up in the manifold and on the back of the valves  eventually causing misfires and other related engine problems. The solution is to manually de-coke your manifold, and particularly your valves, which isn't cheap and not really a DIY job unless you have good car mechanic skills. So you could be looking a bill of possibly £1000+ to get the work done (may be cheaper may be more, depending on where you get the work done).

 

I will post some updates on how the catch can kit performs and how often I have to empty the can etc. (I can't believe that this kit will be any less efficient than the OEM PCV set up at keeping oil out of the engine's ducting.) At least the feed pipe from the PCV to the inlet manifold has been deleted, so I only have to worry about the feed back to the air ducting just in front of the turbo.

 

Fitting time (DIY) was 2 hours - no real instructions came with the kit but there are plenty of You Tube videos to help out. Scratching-head-time deciding where to fit the can was another 2 hours! As the carbon filter was sitting where the can would normally be located in the US, I had to come up with a different solution, and still allow a container to be positioned under the can to catch the 'gloop' that would be caught be the can and drained off.

 

Watch this space!

[Erto]

Hi. 

 

Just wondering how you got on with your catch tank? I've just  been looking at the very same Spullen tank for my 1.8 tsi Superb 2011. 

 

I spent most of my afternoon cleaning carbon of my intake valves. I have been through 2 PCV valves so far and don't want to make removing the manifold a regular part of my maintenance.  Any way, wondering if it reduced the carbon build up on the intake side of you engine?

 

Cheers

[brad1.8T]

It doesn't eliminate it but is a lot better

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32755348408.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.1.61df6a4bHDC4la&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.13338.115306.0&scm_id=1007.13338.115306.0&scm-url=1007.13338.115306.0&pvid=86f15b37-8207-4f0a-96b7-5de2ba2e28ab

[Erto]

Thanks for the reply.

 

As much as I love the car I have decided to get rid of it.. Honestly I've spent so much time working elbows deep in it. If I had not been a mechanic in a past career I would have spent almost equal to the value of the car on it by now.  Just pulled my old CLK out of the barn, was to be a future resto project for when they are far and few between but I'm gona dust it off and get it back on the road. That supercharged engine is sweet as.

 

Peace out Skoda fans I'll see you in the scrap yards one day.

[promethian]

On 23/05/2019 at 06:01, brad1.8T said:

It doesn't eliminate it but is a lot better

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32755348408.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.1.61df6a4bHDC4la&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.13338.115306.0&scm_id=1007.13338.115306.0&scm-url=1007.13338.115306.0&pvid=86f15b37-8207-4f0a-96b7-5de2ba2e28ab

 That's the same one as I fitted to my 1.8 tsi.

Seems to be doing a good job so far, along with regular oil changes.

[JED]

They work  

Quote

 

 

[Awesam]

Has anyone got one fitted to their car which has Xenons?

 

Just trying to udnerstand why it wont it fit in the engine with Xenons.

[brad1.8T]

On 03/06/2019 at 19:45, Awesam said:

Has anyone got one fitted to their car which has Xenons?

 

Just trying to udnerstand why it wont it fit in the engine with Xenons.

What makes you think it won't fit a car with HIDs?

[Erto]

On 03/06/2019 at 10:45, Awesam said:

Has anyone got one fitted to their car which has Xenons?

 

Just trying to udnerstand why it wont it fit in the engine with Xenons.

 

Hi,

 

I really don't think that should make a difference. Just buy a kit for the engine code.. The catch cans them selves are pretty universal. Only the hoses, brackets and Africa plates that are engine specific, even then on the TSI engine I think they cross over a range of engine codes. No elec-trickery involved    

[Awesam]

7 hours ago, brad1.8T said:

What makes you think it won't fit a car with HIDs?

The one from Ali Express states "the non Xenon headlight version of the MK6 Golf. However, this kit Will NOT fit 2009 on Audi S3 with xenon headlights."

 

My car has the CCZA TSI engine so Im thinking the Afika plate should fit?