So I just emptied my catch can and...

[007jimmy]

So i just got around to emptying my catch cans and this time when i dumped them it seemed like the blowby was mixed with water. It didnt do this when the weather was warm, its only during the cold winter months i get this. Is the water or whatever it is normal due to the cold weather and the engine producing steam? Its been a while (months) since i last emptied the cans so this is not like its filling up quickly. I am just looking for a little clarification here.

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums...A-9A01-D948A3B2D254-6474-000009473CA7D4AC.mp4

 

[Black95TSIawd]

Are you on e85? If so, I believe thats normal.

 

[gofer]

You're emptying an oil catchcan on your lawn?

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-engine-fuel/366890-4g63t-pcv-system.html

In a perfect world, air and fuel would stay on top of the pistons, and oil would stay below them. But of course it's not a perfect world. Because of the high cylinder pressures, some of the expanding gases are forced past the piston rings and find their way into the lower crankcase. These gases (commonly referred to as blow-by) consist of fuel vapor, partially burnt hydrocarbons, water vapor, and other nasty by-products of the combustion process. If these gases are not vented from the crankcase, they will eventually be absorbed into the oil and cause damage to bearings and other internal parts of the engine.

Why can't I just recirculate the oil in my catch can back to the oil pan?

There's a very good reason why this is a bad idea on a street car.

That liquid that has collected in the can isn't just oil; it also contains all sorts of combustion by-products that have made it past the piston rings, as well as liquid water which condenses as the hot gases hit the relatively cool can. So now sitting in the bottom of the catch can is a mix of hydrocarbons (raw fuel and other nasty things), water, and oil. Do you really want this to be dumped back into your engine's clean oil supply?

 

[Rob10_99]

It's ok, that is just coffee.
Looks like that is mostly water, any water in your oil?

 

[rvaughn]

And... Enter OSHA with a massive fine... Please empty waste oil into an appropriate container and take it to an appropriate recycling / disposal facility, we only get one earth.

 

[007jimmy]

Lol guys this wasnt dumped just anywhere. It was in the backwoods and the The owner said it was fine as long as i dug a hole and recovered it up. Trust me i fully understand EPA regs. I just wanted to know if this was normal because I did not have any water in the can Doring the summer months so I didn't know if something was wrong or not. Wasnt looking to start shit so ill bottle the catch can contents for now on, its not a problem at all.

Oil is super clean even after 1500miles, but wasnt clean after the same amount with a improper PCV setup. Was not trying to offend you EPA fanatics and i will take this as a learning expirience guys and do the right thing next time. can i dispose of this blowby stuff like used oil or is there another way??
Thank you.

 

[gophishy10]

Looks like someone had diarrhea in your catch can.

If it only happens when it's cold out, I wonder if it's from condensation. If the blowby is hot going into the catch can and the air outside is cold, it could produce condensation and collect up over the months you haven't emptied them.

This reminds me to empty mine too.

 

[gofer]

Seeing water mixed in is normal especially in the cold winter months, don't let it worry you. As far as disposal goes, I empty my CC every time I do an oil change and just empty the contents into the same jug and turn it into the closest car parts store. Every time I do the guy at Auto Zone likes to tell me I've got a blown headgasket when he brings my container back...

 

[gophishy10]

Seeing water mixed in is normal especially in the cold winter months

Is this because the engine is hot and the air is cold causing condensation? Or is it something else?

 

[gofer]

Is this because the engine is hot and the air is cold causing condensation?

I'm no meteorologist or chemist but catch can's operate using gas law theories, or should I say catch can's that are engineered well do. Like Craig's (calan) catch can...

As your oil vapors push through the hoses leading to the catch can they have a relative pressure but then they enter the catch can, where pressure drops. When air pressure drops the oil vapors condense and form droplets similar to rainfall in a low pressure weather system. That's why there should be some type of baffling or mesh inside a catch can, it helps the oil vapors form into droplets.

You'll also get water in the catch can from the CC cooling after it's hot, condensation forms as it cools and mixes with the blow-by in there.

 

[gophishy10]

I'm no meteorologist or chemist but catch can's operate using gas law theories, or should I say catch can's that are engineered well do. Like Craig's (calan) catch can...

As your oil vapors push through the hoses leading to the catch can they have a relative pressure but then they enter the catch can, where pressure drops. When air pressure drops the oil vapors condense and form droplets similar to rainfall in a low pressure weather system. That's why there should be some type of baffling or mesh inside a catch can, it helps the oil vapors form into droplets.

You'll also get water in the catch can from the CC cooling after it's hot, condensation forms as it cools and mixes with the blow-by in there.

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[LTUDSM]

How much boost youre runnin? I had this happening in my previous dsm. I was running 28psi and was getting blowby I had this kinda "cottage cheese" stuff in my catch can. So i modified my Valve cover .Welded two 10an bungs and ran the SS lines to a catch can, fixed the problem, then i had really black oil in there......

 

[007jimmy]

Well with the 14b i had on, i was running ~22psi.. I didnt have much blowby in the can, i only noticed the sight tube was filling with what appeared to be water. Thats what was mostly in the can, probably about 90% water. During the summer months when i emptied it before, there was no water but the chocolate crap (not much) was still present. I read in another thread that the milky oil inside the can was "normal". I wasnt sure about the water so i brought this thread up to see if thats common, especially due to the cold weather and that this is my daily driver so it goes through many heat cycles everyday..

 

[dsmcurse]

Faciast, i poor my used oil down the kitchen sink

 

[NC_Dirt_Racer]

I wouldnt be worried uless it shows up in the engine block. Like mentioned above there are reason it happens.

And btw I drink my used oil too

 

[Archer Fabrications]

I get water in mine in canada 15* it's been lately. And it's normal. Jist empty it. It's condensation. I change my oil every 750 miles and it still does this when it's cold so no worries.