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  1. Bye-Bye Blow-By - Catch Can R&D, Part 1: Stock Evaluation

    Bye-Bye Blow-By - Catch Can R&D, Part 1: Stock Evaluation

    We have begun developing a catch can system for the 2015+ Ford F150 EcoBoost! This project, although small (in components), could have a significant impact on the F150 EcoBoost market. Why? There are not many direct-fit options, and there are a lot of these trucks out there. Oil blow-by can be pretty serious, especially on turbo applications, and this truck is twin turbocharged! Nonetheless, many gearheads tend to question the merits of using a catch can. So before we go any further, let's briefly explain what a catch can actually does and why it's so beneficial!

    Port vs. Direct Injection

    With port-injected engines, the fuel injectors are inside the intake manifold and produce the fuel stream that mixes with the air. This mixture is shot into the combustion chamber,

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  2. Blow-by 101: What is Blow-by and How to Keep it from Ruining Your Engine

    Blow-by 101: What is Blow-by and How to Keep it from Ruining Your Engine

    Introducing Blow-by and the PCV System

    Internal combustion engines are essentially controlled bombs; air and fuel combust to drive pistons and crankshafts.  One byproduct of this violence is power, but there are darker horses to contend with.  During combustion, high pressure on the top side of the piston pushes combustion gasses, as well as droplets of oil and fuel, past the piston rings and into the crankcase. This mixture is known as "blow-by."

    IMG_7482
    Many modern vehicles use complex PCV systems to vent blow-by from the crankcase.

    To keep the crankcase from becoming pressurized, causing issues with oil sealing and robbing the engine of power, blow-by is pulled from the crankcase via the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system and routed back into the intake. 

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