Oil Catch Can (OCC) on 2017 G80 5.0L

[mcginnpm]

I recently completed installation of an ADD W1 Oil Catch Can (OCC) on my 2017 G80 5.0L and finally got around to taking some pictures of it (see attached photos).

I went for a cleaner installation using 3/8" steel tubing vice using rubber tubing. I also wanted to make it easy to swap back to OEM configuration. As you can see in the photos, all that is required to do the swap is remove two bolts and two hose clamps. The whole set-up then comes out in one piece, after which I simply re-connect the OEM PCV hose to the PCV valve.

For a mounting bracket, I bought a steel "L" corner bracket at Lowe's, bent up one leg of the "L" in a bench vice, drilled two holes for the OCC bracket, and trimmed off the excess metal with a hack saw. I bought a bolt and attached the mounting bracket to the unused bolt hole on the valve cover.

For the connectors, I bought two 3/8" threaded nut adapter fittings and two 3/8"x3/8" threaded adapter union fittings at Lowe's. You could also buy 3/8"x3/8" threaded flare x MIP adapter fittings, but the thread on the adapter going into the OCC body is male NPT whereas the hole in the OCC body itself is female NPS, so you'd have to re-tap the threading in the OCC body to female NPT standards. I just used the union fittings (which have NPS threading on both ends) with teflon tape and it worked out fine.

I also bought a 3/8" hose clamp to secure the tubing and help to stabilize the OCC.

For the tubing, I bought a PA-620 and a PA-630 3/8" steel fuel line at AutoZone which comes pre-flared. If you know how to flare steel tube and have the tools to do it, you can just buy stock 3/8" steel tubing and flare it yourself. I also got a tubing bender (free loaner at AutoZone).

I'm thinking of painting the whole contraction up in flat black, but I'll leave that for a later project.

If you've done any research on GDI engines, you know that they have issues with carbon buildup on the intake valves. The buildup comes from the "baking on" of oil vapors and mist that are routed from the PCV system back into the intake plenum. Since fuel is now injected directly into each cylinder, there is no "washing" of the intake valves from the detergents found in most fuels these days or fuel additives that you put in your fuel tank. The OCC helps to capture much of that oil before it can get to the intake plenum. I've only put about 100 miles on my OCC and it's already got about a 1/2mm layer of oil in the bottom of the can so, if I'm doing my math correctly, it has already captured about 1.3ml of oil.

 

[jemanner]

Been doing a lot or research in regard to the intake valve deposits on DI engines. There are some eye-opening photos out there. It appears manufacturers went with DI for better performance and fuel economy, and now owners are suffering from the unanticipated (or ignored by the builders) long-term problems. However, some engines are worse than others. One particularly affected mill is the VW/Audi 2.0 TFSI. Possibly a catch can will help, but does the EGR system also add to this issue? I have seen no comparative/controlled reporting of results. Toyota's new 2GR-FKS V-6 incorporates a combination of port and direct injection, which should solve the problem. Ironically, in Germany the Audi 2.0 TFSI is fitted with dual injection, but not on the vehicles sold in the U.S. The only present solution pulling the intake manifold and walnut-shell blasting the intake valves/ports, an expensive procedure. Other solutions, such as additives, have been essentially ineffective. Once the deposits are on the valves, it does not come off easily. This said, am seriously considering purchasing a G80, and will definitely add a Catch Can. And finally, have any Genesis owners encountered the problem? Please chime in!

 

[mcginnpm]

Recall that EGR is "exhaust gas recirculation". Any oil mist or oil vapor that made it to the cylinder via the PCV side of the equation was probably burned when the spark plug ignited the fuel-air mixture. I'm sure that there is other "nastiness" that ends up back on the intake side of the equation via EGR, but I doubt that another OCC in that circuit would do anything for those issues.

I think that the OEM's opted not to put OCC's in their vehicles because most car owners are worse than lazy and would never check and empty the OCC on a regular basis. Can you imaging what would happen when the oil in a full OCC starts getting sucked wholesale into the intakes? Besides, the carbon deposits on the intake valves will guarantee business for the dealers or other service providers 20,000 to 40,000 miles down the road when the intake valves need to be cleaned.

I too have found in my research that this issue with GDI engines varies from model to model. I've read that true synthetic oils (such as Amsoil) help due to a lower NOACK volatility (i.e., the oil vaporizes at a higher temperature), thus less vapor is passing through the PCV system. I'll be tracking how much oil my OCC intercepts and I'll try to remember to post the results from time to time. I was quite surprised to see that I had over 1ml of oil in the can after only 100 miles.

 

[mcginnpm]

I got around to painting it up this weekend. See the attached photo. Post #1 has the "before" photos.

 

[rogerlange]

Looks very professional , You should make up a kit with the required components, Size it for a direct installation on the 5.0 motor. I know that i for sure would purchase one of the kits, and so would a lot of other 5.0 l owners.
Roger

 

[mcginnpm]

Ahhh...if only I had the time to do that. I'd be a millionaire, right?

Here's a parts list for items that I purchased from Lowe's and AutoZone. Similar items from other vendors would do the trick. I used the hose clamps that came with the ADD W1 OCC. I've also added some shots of the whole contraption before it was installed which give a better idea of how I bent and trimmed up the bracket and did the tubing bends.

From Lowe’s
Item# - Description
645735 - BrassCraft 3/8-in Threaded Nut Adapter Fitting x 2
645719 - BrassCraft 3/8-in x 3/8-in Threaded Adapter Union Fitting x 2 (used teflon tape on threads)
64776 - Stanley-National Hardware 6-in Zinc Corner Brace (bent it in a bench vice, drilled 2 holes to mount the OCC, trimmed off excess material with hacksaw)
139489 - Hillman Group 2-Pack 1.42-in L Steel Clamps (used 1 of the 2 clamps)
138935 - Hillman Group 2-Count 6-mm-1.0 x 25-mm Hex Washer-Head Zinc-Plated Hardened Metric Body Bolts (used 1 of the 2 bolts, had to cut about 5mm off the bolt to fit the hole on the valve cover)

From AutoZone
Item# - Description
216465 - AGS Poly Armour Brake Tubing PAX-630 (bent as needed with the tube bender, be sure to put the nut adaptor fittings on before bending the tubing)
216457 - AGS Poly Armour Brake Tubing PAX-620 (bent as needed with the tube bender)
391367 - OEM Tube Bender (free loaner tool from AutoZone)
Ask if you can get a 2" scrap of 3/8" ID rubber fuel line hose, as that's all you'll need to hook up to the PCV valve

The trickiest part is bending the tubing. I "mapped out" my bends with coat hanger wire prior to bending the tubing.

 

[mcginnpm]

I just got back today from a trip to Georgia and have put about 1,600 miles on my G80 since I installed the oil catch can (OCC). As you can see in the attached photo, I've intercepted just a little more than 30 ml of oil, or about 1 ml per 50 miles.

I've gotta say I'm glad that stuff isn't ending up baked onto my intake valves.

I'm gonna check the OCC again in another 1,500 miles to see how much oil I get. I'll post my results when I do. The OCC looks like it can safely hold about 120 ml, so, if the capture rate stays the same, I'll feel pretty safe establishing a "drain interval" at every 6,000 miles.

 

[mcginnpm]

I did another drain today after a total of 2500 miles on the OCC and I've captured a total of about 60 ml of oil, or an average of about 1 ml per 40 miles of driving.

Most of my recent driving has been short distance, stop and go, whereas the first 1000 or so miles were primarily on the interstate. It looks like the capture rate is around 1 ml per 50-55 miles on the interstate and 1 ml per 30-35 miles in town.

If this rates keeps up, I should have about 190 ml of oil by the time I get to my first oil change at 7500 miles.

 

[Larry Reimer]

I only use Shell V-Power Nitro+ in my car, which I have found in earlier GDI Cars, takes care of the issue without a Catch Can

 

[celltech]

Have you considered adding any internal baffling or steel mesh to help catch more oil? I just ordered what looks to be a generic, hence cheaper, of the same OCC to see what I get. But I think I may add something inside to prevent vapors from just flowing through...

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[mcginnpm]

I only use Shell V-Power Nitro+ in my car, which I have found in earlier GDI Cars, takes care of the issue without a Catch Can

I'd be interested to know how any fuel additive can help with keeping intake valves clean, seeing as gas is directly injected (thus the term GDI) into the cylinder. You no longer get the "washing" effect from fuel that is injected onto the intake valves using the older form of fuel injection, or fuel that is atomized in those old carburetors. I've read that some engine manufacturers are looking at going to a mix of GDI and "classic" fuel injection to try and solve the intake valve fouling issue.

- - - Updated - - -

Have you considered adding any internal baffling or steel mesh to help catch more oil? I just ordered what looks to be a generic, hence cheaper, of the same OCC to see what I get. But I think I may add something inside to prevent vapors from just flowing through...

I added steel mesh to mine when I installed it. I've considered also adding some baffling, but when I've checked the line running from the OCC to the intake (by running a Q-tip up in it), I've found it to be completely dry, whereas the line going into the OCC is coated with oil, so I figure I'm catching the lion's share of the oil coming from the PCV side in the OCC.

 

[pmcjr]

Has your dealer seen this yet? What is their reaction?

 

[mcginnpm]

Has your dealer seen this yet? What is their reaction?

As you can see from my posts above, I've made this very simple to remove and re-install. All I have to do is remove 2 bolts and loosen 2 hose clamps and the entire OCC comes out as one unit. I used the OEM PCV hose as part of my installation, so all I have to do is reconnect that hose to the PCV valve and, voila, the car is back in OEM configuration.

My G80 will never go to the dealer with the OCC installed, and I've never mentioned it to them. I've read stories that an OCC is OK as far as warranties go, and I've read stories where car manufactures have claimed that the OCC voided the warranty. I'll err to the conservative side.

 

[celltech]

Ok...time to report on my OCC. I ordered a black one but all they had was blue and red, so I went with red to match the intake banding. It was an e-bay special that I think is the cheaper, non-branded version of the one the OP installed. I didn't really feel like bending metal tubing and went with the cheap rubber fuel hose method. The bracket is made with some cheap aluminum bar that I had from a previous project. I bent it with nothing more than 2 crescent wrenches. The little piece of foam between the bracket and OCC keeps it from vibrating around. There are 2 bolts holding down the cover over the ignition wires. I "borrowed" one of them to secure the can. It's an odd metric size and I still need to find a replacement to put back on the cover, but even with only 1 remaining it seems pretty secure.

I installed it about 1000 miles ago and just opened it to see what I had caught. I was both amazed and disgusted. Glad I caught this from going on the backside of my intake valves!!! So I can recommend this as a great weekend project that may extend the life of your motor and save you from an expensive cleaning on down the road.

 

[BJCaspianBlack]

Stupid Question. What is the warranty concerning this problem? I have been told, by dealers, it is a non issue up to 100,000 miles? I will believe it, however, when I see it, but still. So many manufactures are going to the GDI design that I have to wonder what the warranty will really be. With so many vehicles out there something has to give! Manufactures will pay a high price in sales if their engines start to fail at 75k miles of so. There is a problem, there must be a solution?

 

[celltech]

Good question...and I have no idea. They may blame your "cheap gas" or lack of proper oil changes. This mod may fix nothing as these engines may not buildup carbon like Audis do They may have some intake valve overlap to allow some gas mist to pass around the back side. But it's cheap and fun enough to try if you like cars. I would rather not pass that oil through my intake...

 

[Mark_888]

Stupid Question. What is the warranty concerning this problem? I have been told, by dealers, it is a non issue up to 100,000 miles? I will believe it, however, when I see it, but still. So many manufactures are going to the GDI design that I have to wonder what the warranty will really be. With so many vehicles out there something has to give! Manufactures will pay a high price in sales if their engines start to fail at 75k miles of so. There is a problem, there must be a solution?

The carbon buildup will not likely cause an engine to fail, just not operate in an optimum mode. So they will probably just say that it is "normal" and not fix it under warranty.

Meanwhile, Toyota has a V6 (D-4S ) out that operates in dual mode (DGI and FI) to resolve this problem. The FI works in certain situations when the engine determines it is a good time to clean the engine (based on engine temp and RPM).
http://wardsauto.com/technology/toyota-advances-d4s-self-cleaning-feature-tacoma
The above article is a little old, and I believe the D-4S is also used on several other Toyota models also.

 

[jemanner]

Toyota has a V6 (D-4S ) out that operates in dual mode (DGI and FI) to resolve this problem. The FI works in certain situations when the engine determines it is a good time to clean the engine (based on engine temp and RPM).
http://wardsauto.com/technology/toyota-advances-d4s-self-cleaning-feature-tacoma
The above article is a little old, and I believe the D-4S is also used on several other Toyota models also.

Yes, the D4S system is appearing in other Toyota models, such as the Highlander. I would suspect it will be across the model line soon. Hopefully the dual injection will alleviate intake valve deposits. However, the prime reason for the dual injection is to meet future emissions standards. There are conflicting professional opinions if it will solve the intake valve deposit issue, i.e. that it only runs in the port injection mode on certain occasions. We can only hope. Ironically, Audi/VW, where intake valve deposits are a big issue, use dual injection in Europe, but not yet in the United States, and this is definitely as a result of the tighter emissions requirements abroad. At the corporate level it is all about profit. So if they can get you out of warranty before the expensive valve deposit cleaning is necessary, and not increase production costs, they are happy. I joke it would be a good time to invest in the companies which manufacture the media (walnut shells) blasters necessary to properly clean the intake valves. I feel sorry for those who have the intake ports situated whereas one must pull the head(s).

 

[mcginnpm]

Here's a 10,000 mile report on my OCC.

It looks like 200ml of oil have been captured thus far, or an average of 1ml every 50 miles.

I don't how much that's helping to stop oil from "baking" on the back side of the intake valves, but I'm quite frankly happy that this stuff wasn't re-introduced into the intake via the PCV. I wish that I had a bore scope to take a peek. Perhaps someday I'll pull the heads and take a look.

 

[jemanner]

I wish that I had a bore scope to take a peek. Perhaps someday I'll pull the heads and take a look.

I wonder if one could use one of those very inexpensive bore scopes which attach to a cell phone?