Catch cans in cold weather

daviddnguyen08

daviddnguyen08

Greenie N00B Member
Yeah...I know. It's just about to be summer. But I've been wanting to install an occ for awhile now. Ultimately decided to install that and another can to run a dual setup with the Damond PCV plate once i finally gather the remaining parts to go big turbo. This is my daily, and i only have a power goal of 400hp w/ meth until im ready to start building the block. The only thing stopping me from catch cans is what I read about how the contents in the can freeze in cold climates. I live in VA, so in the winter months, I've seen temperatures go down to the single digits. I've also read of people using catch cans in about the same, if not colder, climates with no issues so long as you empty the can frequently so it doesn't become backed up in the event of freezing. However, unfreezing the contents to empty every week sounds like a PITA but if that's what needs to be done, I'll get used to it. Anybody have any other solutions?

Also, my tuner is at about the same power level I want to be at. He isn't running any cans but told me that an EGR delete (which I'm doing regardless) and a valve cover breather cap is enough to relieve crank case pressure. I asked him, well what about the blow by? And he said if I'm getting excess blow by which my engine can't burn off, I have bigger problems such as bad rings or ringlands.

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If you run the car hard or for a long trip then empty the can it shouldn't be frozen due to the hot gasses/ engine bay. My vacuum can fills 3 times as fast as the wot can.
 
I never had OCC to freeze in Chicago or Denver weather. My is installed next to the battery. May be it was after sitting in the cold overnight, but who cares, driving the car for like 30 minutes will unfreeze it for sure.
What was my issue with cold weather is how fast OCC was accumulating the water from vapors, especially while cruising on highways. My old small one required emptying every 200-300 miles. Eventually I made my own from a 3" pipe and just pull the drain every 1000 miles.

Also, the point to have crankcase vented actively is to get rid of blow by gasses, which otherwise will be absorbed into the oil.
 
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I'm also in VA and have never had any problems with catch can contents freezing. I empty mine every 2500 miles.
 
Most of the time when people have freeze issues with cans it's not the can that freezes. Often cans get installed with too much hose which can dip below the the PCV plate and back up to the can. Condensation along with water gunk can build up in the low point and freeze blocking flow, which is bad.

My closed can is lower than the PCV plate with a straight hose, no dips. My vented can is higher than the PCV plate and is also straight.
Make sure there aren't any dips in your hoses. That said, my car sits in a toasty garage when the temps dip really low. Have daily beater.
 
Raider's post is the best " im worried about my catch can freezing" solution. You can also put a bypass valve for the warmer weather so you don't heat the can when you don't want to. This is what i will be doing with my build.
 
If the hose freezes, heating the can won't help. Also if the car sits two days in very cold temp without staring engine , won't help. Some will disconnect the hose from the can and let the hose hang low, not environmentally friendly but works.
 
freezing catch can and lines is one of big reasons i have not gotten a catch can myself. at -22F at night during winter, just about everything will freeze fast at that temp. Some guys have hooked up small heating pads to cans to help thaw them out before driving,and like stated above by Gandalf, water in the lines also becomes a big problem.
 
I know this is an old thread but I'm considering the product below. connect the positive to a switched positive so that you can turn the key with the engine off and it would warm the catch can up before starting the engine. I may install their oil pan heater as well for those cold winter mornings then unplug it in the non winter months. They sell various 12V models with varying sizes and power ratings. You could also wire another switch in line with the power switch to turn it off once it gets up to temperature so its not running constantly. And if you were really feeling handy, wire in a thermostat to keep it above a set temperature.

https://wolverineheater.com/collect...el-filter-heater-12-volts?variant=35118711954
 
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My can definitely froze this past winter. Not the lines, but the captured water vapor in the can. Talk about a struggle bus when I tried to drain it.
 
SharksInSpace said:
My can definitely froze this past winter. Not the lines, but the captured water vapor in the can. Talk about a struggle bus when I tried to drain it.
Click to expand...

what state are you in? how cold was it? How long did the car sit for before starting? was it windy? We had a pretty crazy storm here in NJ this past winter where it was 30+ mph winds with an air temp in the single digits.
 
I'm in WI. It was cold. I daily drive the car year round. I blasted the can with a heat gun and squeezed on the lines to force it to drain.
 
Mine lines AND catch can froze in the sub zero temps New Years Eve in Philadelphia after a 300 mile drive up. I didn't empty the can. Needless to say, I'll never make that mistake again. lol
 
is it safe to say that catch cans need to be emptied more in the winter?

colder temperatures = decrease in cylinder seal = more blow by?
 
Any moisture in the air condenses on contact with any surface that is cooler than that air, just like a cold beverage sweats on the outside because the warmer air outside hits the container which is cooled by the drink inside it. The same physics apply when hot engine air touch the surfaces of your freezing cold hoses and catch can. While the air is still warm, the water inside won’t freeze. But as soon as you let your car sit and the temps inside that system drop, you get ice where the water used to be collecting.


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