Radium Catch Can Install DIY

kevin stauferland|January 5, 2025

SAE Toyota Journal About the Importance of PCV Systems in Modern Engines Summarized by Dezoris:

What does the PCV System Actually Do?

The PCV system is designed to recycle engine blow by gasses back into the intake for emissions purposes.

However to do so it requires a variable PCV valve because the amount of blow by gas coming out of the engine down the PCV hose is not always equal to the amount of vacuum at the intake manifold.

So the PCV valve is opened and closed based on the amount of vacuum at the intake manifold and the amount of blow by gasses being vented. This helps to equalize the vacuum and gas pressure to insure smoother engine operation. The air to fuel ration and the tuning for that system takes into account PCV vacuum and air flow.

1. Full Throttle and high RPM = Lower Intake Manifold Vacuum, High Engine Blow By.
In this condition the PCV Valve is forced full open. If there is too much blow by then the breather hose will also be used to vent into the intake hose. This will only occur under high load situations.

2. Lower Throttle, Cruising = Moderate Intake Manifold Pressure, Lower Blow By.
In this condition PCV Valve is half open

3. Idle or De-Acceleration = High Intake Manifold Pressure, very low blow by.
In this condition the PCV valve is virtually closed.

Side Effects and how to Test for Issues:

PCV valve and PCV Hose:

PCV Valve is engine specific to engine tuning, if you use the wrong valve or it becomes clogged the air/fuel ratio computation tends to run rich. Rough Idle, stalling or performance issues could also occur.

Testing for blockage or faulty PCV Valve:

First you want to plug in your OBDII scanner and monitor engine RPM.
Once the car is fully warmed up or your coolant reaches 170 Degrees or higher, clamp off your PCV tube from the PCV valve to the intake manifold. Once blocked engine RPM should drop 50-100RPM.
If it does not you may have a damaged PCV hose or bad PCV valve or the system is clogged.

In this case you may see issues with rough idle or some drivability issues. The PCV line is under vacuum, not the breather hose.
A plugged PCV line will cause higher oil consumption in the crank case.

Breather Hose:
Its primary design is to vent excess blow by that the PCV valve and hose can't pass. Usually only under high load.
If the breather hose is clogged or blocked it will cause higher pressure inside the crank case which can cause higher oil consumption and or more unburned fuel which can contaminate the oil. However a leak in the breather hose wont generally cause any issues.

Used Oil Analysis:
Sending out used oil will help to show if there is a higher level of fuel in the oil which could also track back to a faulty PCV system.

Oil in Intake Tube:
Usually is caused by a faulty PCV valve stuck open restricted PCV hose which will cause more oil in the breather line.

Installation Preparation

Purpose: To prevent oil, oil mist and moisture flow back into the intake manifold and intake valve train.

Long Term: Prevents oil build up on valve train and intake manifold that will bake on and cause massive carbon deposits, which can cause performance and efficiency issues prevalent on direct injected engines. (Large discussion about the issue in direct injected Audi's http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...up-Megathread?)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Time to Install: 1 Hour if you are not making a bracket 3 Hours if you are making a bracket 12 hours if you use narcotics

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Parts Needed:

HOSES:
2 Feet of 1/2" ID PCV Tubing (Gates Safety Stripe II - Fuel Line/PCV/EEC Hose Part # 2700 6)
2 Feet of 11/32" ID PCV Tubing Goodyear PCV (65119)

OTHER PARTS:
QTY 2: 11/32 - 3/4" Hose clamps of your choice
QTY 1: Radium Universal Catch Can
QTY 1: 0.5" OD Barb
QTY 1: 0.425" OD Barb OR 90 Degree 2 Piece 0.425" (Both Barbs are slightly larger than the hose.)
QTY 1: Aluminum Strip (Cut down to 10" length)(Home Depot) (Crown Bolt 1 in. x 48 in. Aluminum 1/8 in. Thick Flat | Model Number: 44660)

QTY 2: Pan Head Screws to secure bracket to aluminum
QTY 2: Pan Head Fastening Nuts QTY 1: Loctite 6-ml Threadlocker 242 (Blue)

Tools List:

Flat Head Screw Driver
Phillips Head Screw Driver
Needle Nose Pliers
3mm Allen Key for Radium Screws 10mm Socket with Extensions
Bench Grinder (if you cut your own bracket)
Sheet metal Sheers, Bolt cutter, Band Saw, Jig Saw (Whatever you have to cut Bracket)
Vise to help bend your aluminum
Pliers (To tighten Barbs)
Vise grips (To bend aluminum to shape)
Spray paint, or vinyl (or nothing if you want your bracket silver)

I chose the Radium can for a few reasons.

I used to own a Lotus and Radium was one of those companies who put quality over quantity.
I already had the can from my previous car and knew it worked.
I want an OEM looking piece that will last the life of the vehicle.
Most importantly, there was engineering behind it, design, flow testing race testing and more. It's not a generic product.

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