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RX/Tracy Lewis Oil Catch Can Install 2011 Silverado

7K views 28 replies 9 participants last post by  2Baja 
#1 ·
So I ordered a RX/Tracy Lewis Universal Monster Oil Catch Can for my 2011 Silverado with the LC9 5.3. I opened the box today expecting some sort of installation instructions. The only instructions in the box are a little piece of white paper saying to go on Youtube for instructions. I go on there and the only videos are for the 2014+ trucks and the catch can they are installing only has two fittings, mine has three. Has anybody installed one of these cans on a 2007-2013 truck? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Heres a couple pictures of what they sent me. The catch can has three fittings on top, they sent a new aluminum oil filler cap with a fitting on it, and a bag full of various fittings.


 
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#3 ·
PM Tuner Boost on this forum and he will tell you everything you need to know to get that great catch can hooked up CORRECTLY. There's a lot of false, but well-meaning information around. He will put it to you straight.

And that's the truth.
 
#5 ·
Here's a quoted post he has in the "Cheap Catch Can Option" thread:

""

Re: Cheap Catch Can Option

Postby Tuner Boost » Jul 08 2016, 2:46pm
For a 2014 and up LT based GDI V8? V6? or 2013 and earlier LS based V8?

Routing needs to be as follows. From crankcase to inlet of can/separator. No checkvalve goes in this line. On lder LS based engines for the full sized GM truck this will be a barb on the top rear of the driverside valve cover. For a LT base GDI V8 it will be the valley cover barb coming up underneath the throttle body towards the driver front.

One outlet from can (if single outlet device then this is all you do) with checkvalve flowing away from can (2014 and up LT based have a checkvalve inside the PCV assy underneath the valley barb) to the vacuum barb where the stock line used to connect direct to rear of valve cover or valley barb. This provides the intake manifold vacuum for evacuation.

The second outlet from separator w/checkvalve flowing away from device will connect to a barb you install just upstream of the throttle body. This will provide evacuation suction when accelerating or at wide open throttle when there is no IM vacuum. Tis eliminates any crankcase pressure as well as keeps oil clean longer and extends engine life over the stock PCV system as when evacuation halts, the fuel and other contaminants will settle and mix with the engine oil.

Cleanside. This is on pre 2014 LS based engines is a line that runs from the inner front of the passenger side valve cover to the main air bridge assy. On a LT based GDI V8, it is a line running from the top front of each valve cover to each "wing" on the air box (the wings are sound dampner's and hurt air flow). You remove both sides from the air box wings and the valve covers and run a "bridge" hose between both valve covers (if installing a cleanside can or separator only), cap the passenger side hole in wing, and then the drivers side separator replaces the oil fill cap and then run hose from CSS to driverside wing connection. If adding a separate can device, then simply install it inline in the line from front top of driverside valve cover to the wing. This addresses all points of ingestion, and the dual outlets from the main separator is always pulling the damaging compounds from the crankcase and separating and trapping the fuel/water/sulfuric acid/abrasive soot/ash/carbon particles, etc.

Again, with todays GDI engines the engine oil becomes contaminated to the point of saturation very quickly. The pressures of much higher compression ratios and the extreme pressures the fuel is introduced at force far more of the un-burnt fuel and abrasive particulate matter than a port injection engine. ONLY run a good full synthetic engine oil and not the blends the dealer pushes. And look at changing every 5k miles instead of 10k if your keeping the vehicle for the long haul.

Hope this helps!""

His words.
 
#6 ·
It's very simple. Locate the PCV hose, and pop it off. Then mount catch can. Then route the new heater hose from the PCV outlet (crankcase) to the catch can inlet, secure with clamps. From the outlet of the can run another section of hose to the inlet of the PCV (intake). You're taking off a short hose, and replacing it with a longer version with a can in the middle. The process is the same for every year 5.3, but the PCV may be located elsewhere, but its the same concept.

Literally thousands of posts on installation if you run a search
 
#7 ·
Cmitchelld said:
What did that one cost?
$389 shipped

ferraiolo1 said:
Or you can call/email the company directly that you bought it from.
I did he's checking with Tracy

BigBlueLB756 said:
PM Tuner Boost on this forum and he will tell you everything you need to know to get that great catch can hooked up CORRECTLY. There's a lot of false, but well-meaning information around. He will put it to you straight.

And that's the truth.
I just PM'd him, Thank You for the advice

Oscyjack said:
It's very simple. Locate the PCV hose, and pop it off. Then mount catch can. Then route the new heater hose from the PCV outlet (crankcase) to the catch can inlet, secure with clamps. From the outlet of the can run another section of hose to the inlet of the PCV (intake). You're taking off a short hose, and replacing it with a longer version with a can in the middle. The process is the same for every year 5.3, but the PCV may be located elsewhere, but its the same concept.

Literally thousands of posts on installation if you run a search
I searched hard, I really did. Everything that had detailed information and pictures was for the old style can with two fittings. All the ones I found for the three fitting style can all involved turbo setups.
 
#10 ·
Cmitchelld said:
I think I'm just going to put a fuel filter drained into a bottle. 5$
Not worth the trouble. You're dealing with oil laden vapor, not fuel.
 
#11 ·
Oscyjack said:
It's very simple. Locate the PCV hose, and pop it off. Then mount catch can. Then route the new heater hose from the PCV outlet (crankcase) to the catch can inlet, secure with clamps. From the outlet of the can run another section of hose to the inlet of the PCV (intake). You're taking off a short hose, and replacing it with a longer version with a can in the middle. The process is the same for every year 5.3, but the PCV may be located elsewhere, but its the same concept.

Literally thousands of posts on installation if you run a search
I searched hard, I really did. Everything that had detailed information and pictures was for the old style can with two fittings. All the ones I found for the three fitting style can all involved turbo setups.[/quote]

You may have the wrong can. Should only have 1 inlet and 1 outlet. Could be wrong though. $380 is nuts. Nice piece, but that's a lot of money. I still recommend the CP HE can, best performance per dollar which is what i'm all about haha
 
#13 ·
Might have to return it. There are 3 options that work very well. The RX, the elite engineering, and the CP HE. The latter was my personal choice for many reasons (and it's $170)
 
#15 ·
"Specially Designed for:

Naturally Aspirated High Output (Heavily Modified)

High-Output Applications with Over 15 lbs of Boost

Winter Months with Temperatures below 45°F

All Types of Forced Induction Vehicles"

Might be better off returning it and getting an elite for less than half the price of the one you bought.
 
#16 ·
Or the non forced induction version, or the CP
 
#17 ·
Here are the instructions for a NA ls based V8 2013 and prior full sized truck:

The LS based GM trucks you can mount the can on either the brake booster stud as the 2014 and up, or to the alternator/power steering bracket. Both use the Long L bracket for this. Some also choose to mount in the location a second battery would be.



You will look on the driver side of the intake manifold app. 1/2 way back towards the top of the intake manifold there should be a black hard plastic line that attaches to the rear of the drivers side valve cover. This is how the stock PCV system dirty, or foul side evacuates from the crankcase into the intake manifold. You can remove that hard line completely or cut it in the middle and slip hose over the cut ends. The center of the can with no checkvalve goes directly to the barb on the rear of the driverside valve cover. One outlet from the can with checkvalve flowing away from the can will connect to the barb on the intake manifold (or the portion of hard line left connected to it if you cut the line).




The second outer fitting on the can w/checkvalve flowing away from the can will run to a barb (included in kit) that you install into the air bridge just in front of the throttle body. That completes the dirty, or foul side f the system.

For the cleanside, we move to the passenger side valve cover. On the front inside of the valve cover is a barb that comes out 90* and has a tube/line that runs from it to the main air bridge assy. You remove this line and cap the valve cover barb with the included 516" cap and then replace the stock oil fill cap with the billet clean side separator. You then run a hose from the barb on it to the main intake air bridge where the original line connected when stock.




This now covers the complete installation. The 2 outlets on the can and checkvalves will automatically default to the strongest suction source available providing full time evacuation suction and the cleanside unit will trap oil from back-flowing into the throttle body.

Those wanting a inexpensive alternative, search for the "cheap catchcan" on here. A air/water filter from a air compressor will hardly prevent the issues caused by the ingestion. The fuel savings alone pays for a proper system over time (in fleet applications on average in 5.7 months).

You cannot buy a more effective system than what the OP got.

OP, let me know if I can be of more assistance.
 
#19 ·
Hi 80zfreak,Here is some pics of my install with the help of Tuner Boost.
.The clean side separator hose was changed to a longer one because it sometime the hose would kink .Show us your pics after.I was also supposed to drill a hole into intake tube but it was winter at the time and i thought the plastic would crack.
 
#20 ·
Oscyjack said:
Might have to return it. There are 3 options that work very well. The RX, the elite engineering, and the CP HE. The latter was my personal choice for many reasons (and it's $170)
Well, to be fair, his does have the clean side along with the catch can. But he still could have had a Elite Engineering E2 can and clean side for about $100 less. Elite E2 can is $190 with shipping and if one opts for the clean side, it adds $99 to the price. So a complete E2 can clean side setup is $289 shipped.

I have a CP HE setup on my 2015 2500HD 6.0L, and a Elite E2 on my 2006 Cadillac CTS 3.6L. If you saw the amount of oil that flows thru the 3.6L PCV, you would understand why I got the larger capacity E2 for it. Nothing discussed on the threads in this forum seems to come close to the oil problem of the 3.6L. Mine captures 1-1.5 oz of oil every 100 miles on average from the 3.6L PCV line.
 
#23 ·
The equivalent Elite can would be the E2-X system, and then add the cleanside for a comparable price. When looking at comparisons one most look at what is included. The Tracy Lewis signature series from Jeg's, etc. includes over $100 of AN fittings standard, and the 2 billet checkvalves (all extra in most others) as well as a high quality 1/4 turn checkvalve for draining (compare at $15-20 at a hardware store, etc.) and the cleanside is standard as well, so a good value if you actually compare. That and there is no more effective system on the market at even over $1000.

You need to utilize 2 of the special checkvalves to have the correct system, and if you do not add the secondary evacuation suction side to the area just upstream of the TB, you are only evacuating during idle, cruise and deceleration. No evacuation takes place during acceleration or wide open throttle otherwise, and this is when the contaminates entering as blow-by settle and mix with the engine oil. This is also when a standard system will allow pressure to build in the crankcase, and that is never good.

Most that know me on here know I am always accurate and also have assisted in helping others make their own effective home-made units.

Especially when you are talking a GDI engine like the 3.6L GM V6. When you use a separator, no matter how effective and do not make provisions for the secondary evacuation suction source, oil ingests into the intake air charge through the clean side line on the drivers side valve cover into the main intake air assy, and this still causes coking and the knock retard one is trying to prevent.

The system the OP has will result in a 1-3 MPG improvement in highway fuel economy as the oil is stopped and knock retard causing detonation is reduced as well as in app 1/2 the cases, excessive oil consumption issues are reversed or corrected completely if they are caused by build-up on the piston rings and ring grooves. The only proper way to address all points of ingestion into the intake air charge, the dual checkvalve system with cleanside must be used or you can catch all of this "gunk" in a dirty side unit and still have the same issues this ingestion causes.

Very few ever take the time to fully understand all that is involved in proper crankcase evacuation, and all that the PCV system does to keep an engine alive and as wear free as possible for the long run. Only one function is pollution control related, all the rest is to remove the contaminants that cause most engine wear before they can settle and mix with the engine oil. And the PCV system has 2 critical parts, the clean or fresh side where incoming MAF metered fresh air enters one portion of the crankcase to make up for and flush the foul or dirty side contaminates out of the opposite portion of the crankcase. Most PCV systems only use intake manifold vacuum for this evacuation suction, but this disappears when accelerating or running WOT as the cam lobe overlap allows reversion pulses to travel back up the intake runners canceling any usable vacuum. These pulses do not travels past the throttle body until well over 8,000 RPM so the area just in front of the TB mouth will provide sufficient suction to continue evacuation when accelerating.

One other thing to be aware of if running a 3.6L GM V6, until the 2014 model year when the LFX version of the 3.6 change from the black plastic valve covers to the cast aluminum units, the PCV fixed orifice barb located in the passenger side valve cover had far too restrictive of sized holes and this was not sufficient to allow the CFM of flow needed to properly evacuate the crankcase. This results in pressure on the crankcase at all times except idle and deceleration. It is critical that this be removed from the valve cover and the top hole drilled to 1/8" and the 2 bottom holes to 5/64" each. Here is what most look like at 40-50k miles:




If anyone has any tech related questions on any of this, please ask.

Also, to see the value of the AN fittings alone,

here is the same on Summits site:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-209006-bl

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-481606-bl

Add these 3 each to the drain ball valve and the $30 worth of billet checkvalves and you can easily see why they are the price they are.
 
#24 ·
Agree on the 3.6 PCV mod. Did that to mine shortly after buying the car. I didn't want a drain valve on my can, so that would be a feature that wouldn't be a selling point but a detriment. Don't like paying for stuff I don't want. GM already does that to me in spades.
 
#25 ·
Jeez That's a significant amount of oil.

True on the cleanside, didn't look that closely. Any of those three options I would use without hesitation. But as with everything I buy, it's about performance per dollar. Of course, people have different ideas about what they are looking for, so my formula doesn't always coincide with other drivers :)
 
#26 ·
Tracy, that new setup looks excellent by the way. Well done with the changes!
 
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