Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Catch Can.. is this a problem?

[garylmoore]

I installed a Peak Diesel catch can on my 240,000 mile 2001 Dodge 4x4 Cummins about 6 weeks ago, driven the truck over a thousand highway miles and have not caught enough blow by to drip out of the unit.

The old trick of starting the truck and turning the oil fill cap upside down over the fill hole does not move it a bit, so I know I do not have much blow buy, but I would think I would have something.

I installed the catch can under the coolant reservoir in front of the right tire. I come out of the vent with a short piece of rubber hose connected to pvc running under the top radiator hose to the alternator where I attach 3\4 radiator hose. The pvc is installed at a slight downward angle, the hose to the catch can sloping heavily from the alternator to the can.

I removed the vent unit on the block, inspected it and blew thru it. There was no built up of oil inside it. I removed the fitting on the bottom of the catch can where I could see the steel turnings inside. I blew thru the hose attached to the pvc with the catch can open and and could hear air flow going thru the system. There was no back pressure at all, there are no sharp bends in the lines, the only bend being the 90 degree pvc fitting out of the vent.

So, am I worried about nothing here or should there be oil in that catch can? thanks... Gary

 

[Signal73]

I know you are trying to get your monies worth out of your new purchase, but not having a visible about of blow by is a great problem to have! (Unless you have no oil in your truck )

 

[GAmes]

Keep driving. I expect you might see some oil around the 400,000 mile mark.

 

[GAmes]

Wow, I just looked it up. All I spent for my catch bottle was the price of a couple zip ties.

 

[garylmoore]

I realize it is a good thing, but I expected something to be in there.
Thanks for the posts..Gary

 

[AH64ID]

Sounds like your motor is in good shape, I wouldn’t sweat it.

Until you start having to add oil between changes you probably won’t catch much.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Mine catches virtually NOTHING.

 

[garylmoore]

I was spotting the driveway and thought I had a problem with blow by. It turns out I have a leak from SOMEWHERE near the area that I had the hose routed. I still have not figured it out.

 

[9DodgeFan]

Hi guys, not sure if it's better to start a new post, or comment on this existing one even though it's a little older... anyway, I've had my 2002 Ram Cummins for around a year now, and it has 196K miles . I checked the puke bottle when I did an oil change the other day, and all that came out was a little liquid (which I dumped into the dirty oil because I was expecting oil to come out - still learning about these things). So my question is, does that sound normal for catch can contents? I wondered if maybe the filter was plugged because I also noticed some dirty oil on the intake side of the turbo when I removed the air intake hose. I've done some reading (here and other places), and it sounds like these could be related. I did not notice any play in the turbo when I checked for that. Also, the exhaust seems to have been smoking more (but seems mostly white to me) for a few months. Based on what I've read, I'm a bit concerned about driving it due to the risk of an oil-fueled runaway. Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[garylmoore]

I was spotting the driveway and thought I had a problem with blow by. It turns out I have a leak from SOMEWHERE near the area that I had the hose routed. I still have not figured it out.

Yeah.. I found that leak. The plastic brackets that hold the transmission cooler lines collapsed, the lines rubbed on the seam between the engine oil pan and the block. That action cut two slots in the cooler lines. The two Lines I replaced ended up at $370 from the dealer + 4.5 gallons of ATF (at $30 a gallon). I serviced the transmission at the same time.

You may want to look at your cooler line brackets ..

 

[garylmoore]

Hi guys, not sure if it's better to start a new post, or comment on this existing one even though it's a little older... anyway, I've had my 2002 Ram Cummins for around a year now, and it has 196K miles . I checked the puke bottle when I did an oil change the other day, and all that came out was a little liquid (which I dumped into the dirty oil because I was expecting oil to come out - still learning about these things). So my question is, does that sound normal for catch can contents?

I haven't gotten a single drip out of mine and I am at 246,000 Miles. I ended up blowing canned air thru my line to make sure it was not blocked.

 

[9DodgeFan]

I haven't gotten a single drip out of mine and I am at 246,000 Miles. I ended up blowing canned air thru my line to make sure it was not blocked.

Good to know, thanks! Any ideas about the oil on the intake side of the turbo? I'll admit my knowledge of turbos is still rather basic; like I previously stated, there doesn't seem to be play (in any direction) from what I can tell, but I suppose it's still possible that oil could be leaking through a seal inside the turbo somehow?

 

[garylmoore]

You would be better off starting a new post on the turbo subject.
As long as you have an unrestricted line to your can, the vent is not plugged and the lines to the can are not undersized, I would not see how it could be related to the turbo. Where is the can located?
It did not look like oil coming out of your catch can? What did it look like?

 

[9DodgeFan]

You would be better off starting a new post on the turbo subject.
As long as you have an unrestricted line to your can, the vent is not plugged and the lines to the can are not undersized, I would not see how it could be related to the turbo. Where is the can located?
It did not look like oil coming out of your catch can? What did it look like?

As far as I know, everything related to the catch can is original. The hose was not restricted, but I'll have to remove the filter and check that. Basically what came out of the can was a small amount of liquid that appeared to have a light yellow color. The can has 4 holes in the sides closer to the top, so maybe the liquid got in from outside the bottle?

 

[Topzide]

@9DodgeFan, That fluid you're describing sound like condensation. Oil will get that color with moisture, so with oil vapor and heating and cooling could draw moist air into bottle and cause that type of mix. What @garylmoore is describing about trans lines seems to be a common issue. Some have made hydraulic lines as replacements for the factory lines. I'm using hydraulic lines on my remote oil filter/bypass setup. Like having the extra protection of those lines! Get it fixed so that you can enjoy truck without worry!

 

[9DodgeFan]

@9DodgeFan, That fluid you're describing sound like condensation. Oil will get that color with moisture, so with oil vapor and heating and cooling could draw moist air into bottle and cause that type of mix. What @garylmoore is describing about trans lines seems to be a common issue. Some have made hydraulic lines as replacements for the factory lines. I'm using hydraulic lines on my remote oil filter/bypass setup. Like having the extra protection of those lines! Get it fixed so that you can enjoy truck without worry!

That makes sense about the moisture, thank you. I guess I'm not understanding how the trans lines relate to what I'm experiencing; sorry, as I'm finding there's still a lot I need to learn about these machines!

 

[Topzide]

Trans lines may have cracks or cuts and dripping oil from them and not the catch can. Just need to check those lines for issues. These trucks are pretty bullet proof with maintenance. Yes, things do crop up, but any vehicle can have issues. Plenty of support on here for most issues and ways to fix them.

 

[garylmoore]

That makes sense about the moisture, thank you. I guess I'm not understanding how the trans lines relate to what I'm experiencing; sorry, as I'm finding there's still a lot I need to learn about these machines!

Sorry to confuse you. In an earlier post, I had mentionedI was dripping and could not find the leak. It was the transmission cooler lines leaking.
That had nothing to do with the subject of your catch can.

 

[9DodgeFan]

Sorry to confuse you. In an earlier post, I had mentionedI was dripping and could not find the leak. It was the transmission cooler lines leaking.
That had nothing to do with the subject of your catch can.

Gotcha, no problem, I appreciate the replies!