Run a Catch Can and not much will get into the catalytic converters to cause blockage or erosion. -IMO all cars/trucks should be running a catch can, cleaner intake manifolds and valve trains = better fuel mileage and happier combustion all the way out to the tail pipe.
Looks like there's some do's and don't to keep in mind. You could make your own easily enough, and it looks like one with a large paper filter will do the best job catching the oil vapor.
You may have other thoughts and opinions on this what’s best oil thread but this guy definitely isn’t an idiot. He is a tribologist and has developed some very good oils for race teams and has done some very special wear testing for perfect circle piston rings. Basically his whole life has been testing and formulating oils for different purposes. Rotella he has said many times is a great detergent oil and he’s used for carbon clean out ect but not permanent in an engine not designed for it. He also has explained that zinc isn’t needed for flat tappet cams ect anymore because they have other additives that can take its place. He’s been doing some engine cleaning tests with the valavoline restore and protect also.
I have a hard time believing that piston damage was caused by the wrong oil. Just about every one of our 6 mowers have 15w40 in the for hundreds of hours and they look great when I pull them apart. That piston looks like it got severally overheated. I'll try again and see if it'll let me watch it.
The guys channel is the motor oil geek on YouTube and he has some pretty good videos and explanations on oil stuff
My internet connection isn't very good so watching videos can be hard. I also don't have a very high opinion of most YouTubers. I can however see how you would have issues running diesel oil in a gasser but in a lawn mower it works just fine.
I understand about a lot of the YouTubers but definitely not all in the same group, good and bad like everything else.
I do believe this was a partial reason for gm’s newer dexos oil grades and a piston design change in the 2.0t gm cars.
Pretty sure it’s for cleaning but in a gas engine that runs hot like a turbo one the calcium collects on ring groves ect creating hot spots that cause the fuel to pre ignite under the high pressure. The explosion by the ring land cracks the piston.
The higher zinc may simply be dues to the higher calcium, since the detergent supposedly competes with anti wear additives such that, an increase of one requires an increase of the other to work properly.
A catch can will extend the life of an engine because it prevents carbon build up on the exhaust side valves and piston tops. They also help with a cleaner exhaust because the engine is not burring off the oil that collects in the intake manifold and intercooler which throws off the fuel ratio and the sensors that read it.....O2 sensors. All the CC does is create a void or "can-trap" for the vaporized crank case and head vapors to collect in, before returning that air flow to the intake system via its vacuum. On a modern car the intake system is highly monitored with sensors. The engine wont run or run like crap if deleting or letting the crank and head breathers go to open air and not into the intake system. Catch Cans mainly solve the carbon build up issues that EVAP system created in the 70s and are still in play today. There is no added or lose of lubrication to the valve train when running a CC. If you ever saw what is in a CC after 3000 miles you would not want it returning to the oil system or going into the combustion chamber.
Only thing is catch cans freeze in northern mn don’t they? I was always told they don’t work well in cold which is half my year it’s -20 right now and will be -35 at night next weekend
