Has anyone installed a oil catch can in a 2019 Tacoma.

What happens if it overflows? Are you suddenly sucking a bunch of oily liquid into the intake?

 

For warranty - It depends on the dealer, some dealers could void your warranty so if you are not sure, best to talk to your dealer or do it after your warranty is up.

For emissions - I don't think it would effect emissions as it will not increase your emissions at all, if anything it could be argued it would decrease them as the air going into your engine is cleaner, and there is less oil the taco has to try to burn off.

For reference I had my oil separator on when my truck was being served and the mechanic said cool, you put a catch on. Now that may not be the experience for everyone so TALK TO YOUR DEALER FIRST.

Good thought

 

If you are the type of person that can't maintain it then you should not install one. Some people are not comfortable under the hood and that's ok. Thats why most manufacturers that use them put the maintenance free ones on because most people won't empty them.

 

It depends on if your modification caused the failure that needs to be repaired or not. It doesn't just completely void a warranty. See: Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act

That being said, you'd also need to fight with Toyota over it if they were so inclined.

 

Yup. Another reason to not get one.

 

Unless you have some type of failure that causes it to fill up before your normally scheduled check. I've seen what liquid does when it fills a combustion chamber.

 

Obviously you have to empty it sometimes.

What I'm really after though is this:
Are we changing the carefully engineered system in such a way that such that it might create a hazard in certain circumstances?

For example. Let's say that the theory about climbing hills is true. Youre out wheeling, going up and down hills, and unbeknownst to you, that last hill was steep enough to fill the can with oil. But you don't know it because nothing came out the tail pipe and there is no indication of full.

The next hill comes up, you tilt it a little to the side, and the vacuum in the can sucks the oil out of that can and feeds it into the intake, all at once. No bueno. Instead of burning oil gradually and making some smoke, you've potentially bent a rod.

That's the kind of thing that makes me nervous about these kinds of modifications.

 

Yeah that last part is the kicker. There's a good article floating around somewhere about a lawyer with a mini Cooper that tried to use Magnuson Moss. Even with his buddies working pro Bono, BMW fought it so hard that it was absolutely not worth the trouble.

 

Ok I love you all and the constructive dialog is good for us all to learn. I'll address your concerns Woodrown and then I'm off to start watching the 5th season of Peaky Blinders on Netflix.

You are 1/2 right, It's oil and water is what makes that yucky goo. There could be also unburnt gases that slip by the pistons, enter the crankcase and then do to the oil separator; however, you are ok with that crap going into your engine, I would prefer to take it out and provide cleaner air to my engine. Just different opinions, but both views are valid. We both just make different conclusions.

You are partially right, you are not catching solids, you are catching oil vapours, letting them condense to a liquid and then should be dumping them. You are right with the modifications so to follow your rule you should not modify your suspension by raising your truck, no big wheels, no engine mods at all, please don't modify your stereo as its connected to the CAN bus. If we want to play fair, really none of us should touch our trucks until after the warranty period is up to be safe. Running boards, some lights and stickers only please. I do see your point. I give you credit for seeing the benefit to cleaner air, it can't hurt.

I doubt this can happen, the oil separator catches mist and you should be checking it often. As a mechanic there is no failure that I could think of that could cause oil to squirt out of the valvecover so fast that it would fill a separator that fast. If there is a reasonable example I would like to know as I enjoy learning. I would gladly entertain that conversation in a constructive way. Different vehicles produce different amounts. Like I mentioned if you are not capable of checking it often don't put yourself in that position. Even if it did fill - I would never want to test this but you would be surprised at how much flow can be poured down an engine before it stops running. When people fog engines for the winter they spray stuff down the intake until it won't run, but they won't hydrolock.

This is not a set it and forget it mod, if you are not capable of managing it, don't do it, it's just not worth it.

I'm not preaching to buy one or this or that, just answering your questions intelligently.
Thanks

 

I like this post and it is very intelligent and thought out. You are right about the fill up over angles, %100, I never thought of that. I would think that the amount the can holds, even if 1/2 was dumped into the engine it might survive, but I would not want to be the guinea pig. Good on you for thinking of that. What I can say is most vehicles can run anywhere from 1000miles to when you change your oil for the can to fill. They don't fill up that fast. I have had them on quite a few vehicles. Its fun to see the difference in production between vehicles.

I appreciate your comment and I think it would be good practice that if you are off roading then empty before you go and you will be OK.

Empty before off roading should be a best practice!!! I owe that to you

 

Yeaah, my situation was entirely hypothetical. But worries me is that it demonstrates the possibility of a can filling up unexpectedly and causing serious engine damage. If a can doesn't account for that possibility then it seems like dreadfully bad engineering to me.

 

I have had a few motorcycles and haven't seen any catch-cans. It is vented into the air-box to be burned.

 

Spark plug coated with oil. I’m the third person from Alabama to have this happen in a 3rd gen.

 

Any idea how it gets there? Through the PCV?

 

That’s the thought.

 

All six plugs or just back cylinders? Maybe oil pooling in a back corner of head and past valve guides?

Edit: looks the pcv valve is on the back driverside valve cover? I could see a can helping here. Bet on steep angles oil pools and the valve sucks it up and sprays it back into engine. Still curious if some of all cylinders..

 

Just empty it before you go off roading if you are concerned, it does not fill fast, and it can't fill unexpectedly. I think that really is an impossibility. Its not bad engineering, if the taco lays down on its side you better shut the engine off because it's not going to be pretty with or without a catch can. I would not say that's bad engineering, its just the design of 90% of the engines out there. The only technology I know of to deal with high G forces and angles in automobiles is a dry sump oil system, the taco does not have that anyway. If you find you can't sleep at night because you are worried or its bothering you then don't get one. Not worth stressing over.

They are actually more common than you think, see post #182 Sir

The only ways would be through the PCV into the intake and then the cylinders, or through valve guide seals that have failed. Unless someone else has something else? If its multiple cylinders I would lean towards the PCV as the chance of all the valve guide seals failing at the same time is remote. Just a thought out loud - if you had a catch can you would have noticed an increase in what it catches if you are familiar with your average collection amount. You could then search for the problem if your collection amount changes.

Also to add, if the can fills and you forget to empty for some reason, it would not just start pumping liquid in to hydrolock your engine, as you approach the full mark its efficiency would be reduced and you would get a more and more dense filled vapour. The can would not pump out all the fluid or that would mean it would always be empty. I doubt you would see liquid and if you did it would only be for a second then back to vapour. Kind of like a pot of water boiling and spitting over. You might wind up fogging your engine......... But I never tried it so this is just thinking out loud. Once again. If you are not comfortable don't use one.

 

Comments in red.

All that being said, there is no point to sticking a catch can on these trucks. The engine will likely need an overhaul before you really see any benefit to a catch can and then the clock is reset.

 

If you’ve ever rebuilt an engine with 200k + miles and had to clean the intake manifold, you’d sign up for a $50 mod that adds 20 seconds of maintenance to each oil change.

My 2016 has about 27k with the catch can and I’ve collected 7oz of oil, gas and water from it. Never even close to full, but when you’re towing/revving this motor, you’re definitely smothering your intake with crap. Zero regrets with install, I plan on keeping this truck

 

One good hot run down the highway and all the condensation in the crankcase oil from short trips is vaporized and burned off. Atmospheric air contains lots of moisture and the engine is burning that the whole time it is running. So burning a little water vapour is not harmful.

The port injectors are washing the valves off with gasoline so no worries there. The catch can might stop oil residue from building up on the inside of the intake manifold but who cares. Most people will trade it in or sell it decades before the engine quits.

Or the truck gets side swiped and written off. That’s why I don’t super overdo these maintenance items. You just have a wrecked truck with $1000’s of fresh belts, oils, hoses and fluids sitting in it.