Catch cans, yay or nay?

Good evening everyone, I have a 2021 SR5 Tacoma, 32k miles
Had a quick question, I have been hearing a lot about catch cans and how essential they are to preserving your engine and positions from build up i.e. blow by (by product if oil, mist, and dirt/grime). So, I am not familiar with these what so ever, I’ve watched plenty of videos with people swearing by them, specifically videos on Tacomas, my question is if anyone here has experience with them, are they really as important as people say, or is it just another gimmick. If they are good investment in prolonging the life/engine of my taco, I would love to get one if anyone has some recommendations of trusted and proven brands.

Thanks community!

 

I have one on my 2005 GTO, 2019 Avalon, 2020 Explorer ST and my 2022 Tacoma. You would not believe how much oil and blow back they keep from going down your intake on these modern engines. I use JLT catch cans. Simple installation.

 

It’s a judgment call. If you believe your hydrocarbon fueled engine will be damaged by burning a tiny amount of hydrocarbons that aren’t gasoline and want a shiny clean intake, a can might be for you.

I see them as additional maintenance that provides no measurable benefit to my vehicle while also introducing potential issues, so I don’t run one.

 

If done right there isn't really any harm in them as yes they will keep your intake cleaners but my view is that they're usually more of an accessory in naturally aspirated engines because as pointed out most of the material being recirculated is combustable along with PCV systems have been on vehicles longer than i've been alive so sure the crankcase fumes could lower octane and dirty your intake and such but if it was excessive they would have an oil separator build into the system like other Toyota engines have.

If you have a direct injection only engine then I would say there is a larger case for one.

In summary, i'm not against them by no means and if I were given a decent quality one as a gift I would install it for sure but, I don't feel they're needed as they also account for the PCV in the design and manufacturing of the engine. I feel using an oil with a lower NOACK value would be cheaper and easier with no risk of even the best catch can with the best install like the can contents freezing in the winter.

Look on the bright side of no catch can, it's a free top end lubricant aha.

 

Do you offroad much on very steep hillclimbs (or any other terrain that might pitch your truck uphill and/or toward the driverside? If yes, a catch can can potentially save you from catastrophic engine failure from it ingesting oil through the PCV system and hydrolocking from the oil. (search for "Tacoma 3.5L smoking on inclines", both here and on YouTube)

If no, then the need for it is much less (basically what the two posters above me said).

 

Catch cans are not necessary for normal operation of the vehicle. There are millions of vehicles with hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer, and none have a catch can. If catch cans were really necessary, they would be standard equipment from the factory. Having a catch can won't hurt anything, but it's another "maintenance item" that the vast majority of consumers don't want to deal with.

 

They are controversial, yes. I’m not going to get sucked into that debate.

I installed a J&L can on my 23 Tacoma. The main reason was to capture the condensation that accumulates is the winter months. Anyone that has used one can see the benefits VERY quickly.

You will see these becoming VERY popular on the new 24 Tacomas very soon.

 

Mine is a trail rig so I installed a catch can to avoid oil ingestion like 4x4junkie mentioned. Installed a JLT P/N 3104D-B four years ago:



Beware of catch cans advertising fine filters like this one here with a 50-micron filter:



The catch can isn't intended to be a filter. All it takes is some steel wool or aluminum honeycomb grille to slow down the vapors and cause the oil to fall out of the suspension. A fine filter can blow seals just like a clogged PCV valve:

 

If I did hard trails I'd suggest it, but with D4S and very few instances of carbon issues, there's very little reason to run one.

On the new turbo models I'd be super tempted to run it. Toyota and 4 cylinders have a track record of ring land issues due to carbon.

Valves will be squeaky clean but tons of blowby due to lands. And blow by makes more issues with pcv deposits so it just makes things worse on its own.

 

Someone mentioned "we be surprised by the amount of oil". I doubt it unless I noticed there was detectable amount of oil consumption between changes. An oz of oil looks like alot in a catch can but when the motor holds 160oz of oil and that 1 oz accumulates over 5K mi it's nothing, less than 1 percent and the engine easily burns that during normal use over that OC interval. If you're getting more then that it's ether the way your driving the truck (extreme angles) or there's other problems.

It's a feel good mod for 99.8 percent of owners that operate a normally aspirated engine. I know I'll get flamed for that statement but the vast majority of high mileage tacomas and toyotas in general not counting all the other engines on the road that never had a catch can and aren't suffering from oil consumption through the pcv until they start wearing out. At that point a catch can is addressing a symptom and not the root cause, another words a Band-Aid. Not knocking catch cans, they have their uses and applications but few stock engines have a justifiable use for one unless your driving conditions are vastly different then the factory intended like extreme angles when wheeling otherwise it's just making you feel better.