n54

The pre-sale for this kit is now live! Click here to buy the Mishimoto N55 Catch Can Kit!

Nothing ruins a weekend drive through your favorite back roads more than an unexpected check engine light (CEL). That is, nothing except a flashing check engine light.  Having driven my fair share of Volkswagens, Audis, and more recently Subaru's, I've become quite accustomed to the warm, orange glow of a lit check engine light.  A solid CEL is something that no longer worries me; it's something that I, and most people who modify cars, have come to expect every now and then.  What does still haunt my dreams, however, is the flashing CEL. What's the difference? A solid CEL is usually a fault that's not life-threatening to the engine.  Small issues like loose fuel caps, small vacuum leaks, and dirty throttle bodies all cause a solid CEL. But what causes a flashing CEL is something much more dangerous: a major misfire.

The Orange Omen

The dreaded flashing check-engine light is a sign that something

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

After selecting a catch can location and fabricating a mounting bracket, we needed to fully install the can/bracket combo and begin putting together a set of CCV lines to complete our kit.

Catch Can Lid

Before doing so, the functional prototype of our catch can lid arrived for evaluation by our team. Check it out!

Mishimoto CNC-machined catch can lid

Mishimoto CNC-machined catch can lid

We added our internal baffle system as well as our 50-micron bronze filter. Here's a shot of the fully assembled can, ready for mock-up!

Mishimoto catch can assembled

Mishimoto catch can assembled

Now that we had both a prototype lid and a fabricated mounting bracket, we could install these components together and set up our lines properly.

Mishimoto catch can mock-up

Mishimoto catch can mock-up

Mishimoto catch can mock-up

Hose Routing and Mock-Up

We are now at

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

E90 Test vehicle engine bay

After evaluating the design of our first prototype and performing some additional research regarding customer needs, we were prepared to fabricate a second prototype. As noted toward the end of our last post, we would be relocating our catch can for easier servicing, and we would also be designing a new catch can lid to accommodate the larger ports for the N54 CCV system.

Catch Can Lid Prototyping

A teaser in our last post revealed the plans we had for our large-port catch can lid. Check out a few more shots of this 3D-printed unit below.

3D-printed prototype catch can lid

3D-printed prototype catch can lid

This lid uses exactly the same mounting bracket and system as our standard baffled catch can, which allows the can to swivel nearly 360 degrees and which provides some adjustment to its mounting. The ports are much

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

BMW 335i test vehicle

The BMW N54 is a fantastic engine that produces great power in stock form and responds very well to basic modifications such as exhaust and ECU tuning. However, if you do not stay on top of servicing your BMW, maintenance and repair bills can certainly cast a shadow on 135i or 335i ownership. One of the primary challenges is dealing with valve buildups caused by oil entering the intake tract. Because the N54 is a direct injection engine, it does not benefit from the valve cleaning properties that a port injection engine can offer. Massive buildup can result in a loss of power and can have a negative impact on vehicle driveability.

Installing an oil catch can will slow down the speed at which this buildup occurs. An oil catch can separates oil contaminants from the CCV system, thus preventing these contaminants from ending