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Catch Can?

Probity

2.5L Hybrid
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I’m sure somebody out there has slapped a catch can on their Maverick Hybrid. The question individuals have to ask and answer is, do I really need it?

Modern PCV systems, direct injection and multiport fuel injection and combo DI/MPFI engines, catch cans, air-oil separators, etc are a huge interweb rabbit hole you can go down and it’ll suck the life out of you. I’ve no issue with the physics of what catch cans are intended to do and how they do it, I do have an issue with the most basic question – are they needed based on what and how you drive?

I looked hard at it (should I add a catch can?) before buying my 1st turbocharged DI engine in an F150 some years ago, and came to 2 big conclusions – (1) yes they would help prevent long term carbon build-up/throttle body fouling and (2) with the way I drove and the miles I’d likely put on my ride before trading it for something else, no I didn’t need to add a catch can. So I didn’t.

Other posters have noted why people put catch cans mainly on both turbo and non-turbo DI engines vs. on naturally aspirated engines (like the 2.5L Atkinson cycle MPFI Maverick Hybrid engines).

If/when I buy a Maverick Hybrid, I can ‘hypothetically’ think of cases where I’d consider putting a catch can on. None of them apply to me so no plans ever to put one on, but here we go – IF:
  • I planned on it being a ‘forever’ vehicle (keep it literally ‘till the wheels fall off), many hundreds of thousands of miles.
  • I lived in a really cold climate, 95% of my usage was on trips ~10 miles or less and I rarely if ever got the engine up to full operating temp.
  • I used crappy spec oil and my oil change intervals were very long.
  • I exclusively used non-Top Tier gas in it and never used gas additives like Techron etc.
If my driving habits were as noted above, I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point before 100k miles the engine idled and ran like crap. My 1st guess would be a really fouled up throttle body but intake manifold/valves might well also be gummed up.

Having said that - I HAVE installed a catch can on a port fuel injected vehicle I have and for good reason. It’s not a car – it’s a Kawasaki Mule 4010. It’s got a glorified zero-turn 620cc engine in it and doesn’t really have a PCV system on it (it doesn’t ‘breathe’ like modern auto engines do – no PCV valve). The engine is meant to be run like a typical WOT 3600 rpm lawnmower engine but I rarely get it or keep it at WOT, it’s a lot of stop & go use in my yard and rarely gets to full operating temp for long periods of time. They have a history of early like throttle body fouling from crankcase vapor crap because people typically don’t run the engines the way they were intended to be run.
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Snox801

2.0L EcoBoost
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Correct. I had the Atkinson Direct Injection in my 2015 Prius. I installed the catch can for this reason. Unless someone here has heard differently about the Maverick hybrid engine, I don't plan on installing the catch can system in my truck.
Let me try this, it’s not about direct injection as much as it is about forced induction. If you are not forced you will have very little blow by. This no need for a catch can. For the OP forced injection builds pressure and pushes past the rings. This pressurizes the crankcase. That pressure then is vented through the pcv which pushes oil up through it to the intake. On DI engines it causes coking on the back side of valves.
So without it being forced induction even if it is DI it’s not gonna be needed or worth while to do a catch can.

edit! I should say some Na engines are an exception. Say a 5.2 vodoo but most have no need for a catch can.
 
 







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