Head job (hey doc, what do you see in there)

There seems to be fad in installing an oil-catch system on some cars nowadays. I even see it on some diesel-powered cars. Owners usually complain that they have excessive oil coming from the breather hose going to the intake manifold. The breather hose is connected to the valve cover and to the intake manifold. I used to see these on prepped-up engines. The theory is with the engine screaming at high rpms (revolutions per minute), pressure builds up and the oil in the valve train is sloshed around too much. The breather hose is there to relieve some of that pressure but along with it is oil making its way to the intake manifold. On a stock engine, minimal oil makes it to the intake manifold. But on prepped-up engines, the oil going to the intake manifold could be excessive. So an oil catch system is placed in between the valve cover and the intake manifold. The oil-catch system collects the oil but also allows the air pass to through freely. In some designs, the oil is allowed to drip back into the engine.

Now, if you notice that you have excess oil coming from your breather hose and you have a stock engine, then it is a sign that something maybe wrong. If you check your owner’s manual, it will state that after about 5,000 or 6,000 kilometers, you may lose a little bit of oil. Anything more than that may merit some concern. Some car owners are in denial that there may be something wrong.