2G milky brown oil in oil catch can?

[Allen2g]

more questions more questions .
So i went to empty out my catch can today and it was almost half way full after 4-5 days, is that normal?
Also the oil is a brown milky color.

I have it setup where i deleted the PCV valve with a straight barb fitting which routes to the can, the other fitting/breather to the can and then i get the vacuum source from the turbo intake pipe.

My oil cap started noticeably leaking after i installed this catch can setup, did not notice a really bad leak or a leak at all before the can was installed. Is this not an optimal setup? note: Daily driven eclipse 2g gst

thank you guys so much in advance!

 

[EC17PSE]

Catch cans do this due to moisture being trapped in the can, mine have always done this no matter what car its on, when its on the oil cap thats when you worry

 

[Allen2g]

!! THANK YOU. i was really worried thinking my hg was blown but as long as its normal for cans okok. My oil cap doesnt do it so im good aha.
Ive daily driven this the past week, after 5 days of installing the can it filled up to almost half, what are your thoughts on that?

 

[EC17PSE]

On my old fiesta i had carb and i did small journeys to work and because oil never got to temp and it trapped moisture in the engine i got milky cap but it was common, i ended up making a catch can and then thats where it kept collecting this instead of the cap for some reason,

The DSM gets this now in the can but i just clean it out

 

[curt-s]

the colour in the catch can is pretty normal
the amount in the can is more concerning.

refresh my memory, how large is the can and is it vented?

also did you notice or know if a previous owner has removed any baffles in the valve cover?

thats a lot of oil.. good thing to know is that the can appears to work. just think how much of that would be going through your compressor wheel or intake manifold. i wouldnt even think oil vapour or aerosolized oil could result in that much collected..

 

[rEclipserGST]

Amount is normal for daily driven. I bet your exhaust smokes a LOT less if at all now. Post a pic of your can for reference next chance you get. My cans are the size of soda cans.

You did a block off for the intake manifold? Make it as short as possible and secure. That is a pressurized spot.

Also, regarding your oil cap. Which oil cap are you using? I ended up buying a billet one off ebay. Thing is solid now.

 

[curt-s]

half a soda can sized (330mL/2=165mL) amount of oil every 5 days you are draining 4.6L of oil every 4.6 months provided the same driving habits. funny how the math worked out on that one..

anyway I do not see blowing out over 30 mL every day as normal under normal circumstances, in addition to anything that is burned. however his setup isnt quite normal.

I would collect a couple mL every week from both ports boosting 20psi and my compressor housing is clean and dry with a dipstick that stays put with a similar setup but my lines are different.
30-35mL per day definitely strikes me as excessive, and thats still with enough CC pressure to force oil past the cap seal.

if the baffles are in place and the pcv valve has been replaced with a barb fitting, it is possible any oil above the baffles is travelling unhindered down the line on acceleration and into your can. the stock pcv has a snorkel that extends into the vc area and doesnt allow oil covering the inner vc walls to go into the valve.

try plugging the rear one for a bit. youll have more cc pressure but that also means more will escape out the side port.. just not as much flow. or, if you can, put a pair of of 90s or a 45 angled upward to prevent draining down the tube.


otherwise I would be suspecting significant blowby but that doesnt mesh with the compression numbers unless the second gauge is as faulty as the first. Maybe you need a tie breaker reading.


With it warming up here, a smoke check is as inconclusive now as it was before. Smoke at 20C and above is a good indicator, not 0C. hell when i fart it is visible.

 

[stillrunning]

Condensation from an engine is very common.
One of the good reasons to not run too cold a thermostat is to allow the engine and oil to get hot enough to evaporate out moisture.
Excessive oil in your catch can be an indicator of excessive blow by or as was mentioned lack of valve cover baffling.
Being that you are in a relatively cool region I would wait until summer time to see if the moisture levels diminish some as the weather warms.

 

[SouthIndy_Talon]

100% due to condensation. Look at some of the catch cans in the subaru world, they actually run the heated engine coolant around the catch can to prevent this from happening. Although, it makes the installs much more complicated and some of them actually return the oil back to the oil pan.

 

[Allen2g]

i dont know if he removed the baffles of the VC or not, ill ask and see what he says.
As for the catch can size it is like, the size of a soda can. Its one of those Mishimoto catch can reps, baffled as well. Blocked off the hose that went into the manifold with a screw.
Its filling up quick, after driving a day i checked and it had a clear liquid, gas/water like. It smelt like gas but i tried lighting it on fire and it didnt light up so im guessing its just condensation .
I honestly dont think i have significant blow by, my dip stick has never once popped out.
Also my oil cap looks to be the oem one that has not been replaced for idk how long, ordered one off of ebay, one of those mobil ones which should come soon.

 

[Allen2g]

Amount is normal for daily driven. I bet your exhaust smokes a LOT less if at all now. Post a pic of your can for reference next chance you get. My cans are the size of soda cans.

You did a block off for the intake manifold? Make it as short as possible and secure. That is a pressurized spot.

Also, regarding your oil cap. Which oil cap are you using? I ended up buying a billet one off ebay. Thing is solid now.

Its still smoking, a lot less when warmed up.
My conclusion comes to a bad turbo seal. After sitting a night, cold start it does not smoke right away, not till like 2-5 minutes then it starts smoking white.
Its not coolant as it has no sweet smell what so ever. Thinking oil, read somewhere oil will burn white if through the exhaust and not the chamber.

 

[ThunderChild]

Normal color/consistency for the catch can, it's a larger amount than I'd like to see, but being that you're only running the single can, not all that surprising.
Without the pcv, you have no other venting or flow reversal as a stock/dual sealed can system would have, so there's only one path for the oil to go, and it's taking the path that assists it with vacuum draw from the turbo inlet.
If you're still smoking, move onto valve seals or turbo, which requires removing the turbine housing and/or exhaust manifold.
I still believe you have oil being drawn into the exhaust stream, not being burned in the chamber, my bet is still on exhaust valve seals. If they're warming up and have worn seal lips or are cracked, they'll expand and allow oil to flow through, especially after the head gets more oil into from running.
The turbo should do the opposite if it's seals we're worn (I'd think) and stop smoking as they expanded, improving seal. Unless they're totally gone, in which case it'd smoke whether cold or hot.

Try running the car when dark and shine a bright light through the smoke, if it's oil you will see a blue hue/tint to it, much harder to see in daylight.

 

[rEclipserGST]

half a soda can sized (330mL/2=165mL) amount of oil every 5 days you are draining 4.6L of oil every 4.6 months provided the same driving habits. funny how the math worked out on that one..

anyway I do not see blowing out over 30 mL every day as normal under normal circumstances, in addition to anything that is burned. however his setup isnt quite normal.

I would collect a couple mL every week from both ports boosting 20psi and my compressor housing is clean and dry with a dipstick that stays put with a similar setup but my lines are different.
30-35mL per day definitely strikes me as excessive, and thats still with enough CC pressure to force oil past the cap seal.

if the baffles are in place and the pcv valve has been replaced with a barb fitting, it is possible any oil above the baffles is travelling unhindered down the line on acceleration and into your can. the stock pcv has a snorkel that extends into the vc area and doesnt allow oil covering the inner vc walls to go into the valve.

try plugging the rear one for a bit. youll have more cc pressure but that also means more will escape out the side port.. just not as much flow. or, if you can, put a pair of of 90s or a 45 angled upward to prevent draining down the tube.


otherwise I would be suspecting significant blowby but that doesnt mesh with the compression numbers unless the second gauge is as faulty as the first. Maybe you need a tie breaker reading.


With it warming up here, a smoke check is as inconclusive now as it was before. Smoke at 20C and above is a good indicator, not 0C. hell when i fart it is visible.

Did you calculate that as 100% oil in that fancy math equation?

I'll say it again, EXTREMELY NORMAL especially with you running ONE CAN. Your can is the same size as mine. I am running two of those. Factory pcv AND a check valve.

 

[curt-s]

Pretty basic math. I will let you calculate how long it would take to collect 4.6L with the can at the previously given rate but with 50% total non-oil condensate volume (which would be nigh impossible).


Allen, theres been many a discussion on volume and substance. Here is one such example.

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/look-what-i-just-emptied-out-of-my-catch-can.409650/

 

[Allen2g]

Normal color/consistency for the catch can, it's a larger amount than I'd like to see, but being that you're only running the single can, not all that surprising.
Without the pcv, you have no other venting or flow reversal as a stock/dual sealed can system would have, so there's only one path for the oil to go, and it's taking the path that assists it with vacuum draw from the turbo inlet.
If you're still smoking, move onto valve seals or turbo, which requires removing the turbine housing and/or exhaust manifold.
I still believe you have oil being drawn into the exhaust stream, not being burned in the chamber, my bet is still on exhaust valve seals. If they're warming up and have worn seal lips or are cracked, they'll expand and allow oil to flow through, especially after the head gets more oil into from running.
The turbo should do the opposite if it's seals we're worn (I'd think) and stop smoking as they expanded, improving seal. Unless they're totally gone, in which case it'd smoke whether cold or hot.

Try running the car when dark and shine a bright light through the smoke, if it's oil you will see a blue hue/tint to it, much harder to see in daylight.

Yes, replacing the turbo as soon as my exhaust manifold studs come in cause one broke, so might as well just replace all of them .
Ill most likely end up replacing the stem seals as well, maybe pull the whole head off for a new HG as well.
this smoke gives me all the reasons to replace these ahaha, hassle but worth in the long run

 

[motomattx]

When you pour out the can, how much of it is water? I do get about half water when its cold out at night and I put it away, the cold condenses on the warm engine and when you run it the next time it burns it off and it ends up in the can from vaporization.

 

[Allen2g]

When you pour out the can, how much of it is water? I do get about half water when its cold out at night and I put it away, the cold condenses on the warm engine and when you run it the next time it burns it off and it ends up in the can from vaporization.

Hmm, tbh it was mostly water. Ill put it in a clear cup next time i empty it and take a pic of it^^

 

[Allen2g]

update, emptied it just today and theres actually not that much anymore as the weather becomes hotter. So thinking its just condensation.
Also smells like gas which i first got concerned about but i thought about it but its just the gas vapors and all that that makes it smell like that?
Doesnt get lit upwhen i try lighting it .
tyty!

 

[96_gst_eclipse]

I need help with my 96 gst, I can't figure out why it stutters when I step on it or go past 50 mph

 

[EC17PSE]

I need help with my 96 gst, I can't figure out why it stutters when I step on it or go past 50 mph

Please dont thread jack,

Go to the newbie section and make a new post with the details, also if you have not done already fill out your mods list in your profile,
And before asking in a thread do some searching to see if anything you done or common issues you can self check,

We have hundreads of stuttering posts so help yourself first by learning some basics and we can also assist you further if you get stuck,

 

[curt-s]

definitely a different colour and mixture now than the first picture. amazing how much water condenses in there.