Just realized my $400 catch can was a total waste

Installed it on my 3.5L EcoBoost hoping to keep the valves cleaner, but after a year of checking it, it barely collected anything. Has anyone else found these to be pointless on the newer engines?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollym291mo ago

My buddy's 2.7L EcoBoost had the same result, maybe a teaspoon of oil in 15,000 miles. The PCV system on these newer motors is just way better than the old ones they were designed for. Makes you wonder if the whole thing is just solving a problem that got fixed five years ago.

anna7611mo ago

Honestly, that part about the PCV system being way better now makes total sense. I read a whole forum thread where a guy did a teardown on a high mileage 3.5 and found the valves were actually pretty clean. He said the newer oil formulations and the way the engine runs just doesn't let the gunk build up like the old ones. It really seems like a solution for an older problem that doesn't exist anymore, at least not on these motors. Makes that catch can look like a shiny paperweight.

alexc931mo ago

Man, that's a bummer to hear. I mean, did you ever get any real proof it was needed before you bought it? I fell for the same hype on my last truck and felt pretty dumb after. It seems like a lot of us just assumed the old engine problems were still there, but the tech really did move on. Makes you feel like the whole thing is just marketing to people who worry about their cars.