About catch cans and fuel filters... but were too afraid to ask

Everything you wanted to know

WORDS BY JOSH NEEDS

GEAR Catch cans and fuel filters

Turbo-diesel engines can get pretty dirty. See, they run hot and suck in a lot of air and this means crap can build up in places we don’t want it to, making the engine work harder. Sure, there are detergents in diesel and additives to help things run cleaner, but a catch can and fuel filter are stitch-in-time accessories that can save a lot of headaches down the track.

We got Jeremy from Direction-Plus in to the garage recently to install a catch can and fuel filter onto our Amarok, and so we asked exactly why we need catch cans and fuel filters on our fourbys.

We got under the bonnet of our Amarok and had a chat with Jeremy from Direction-Plus about catch cans and fuel filters. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a catch can? Well, on the surface, it’s just a cylinder that seems to be able to turn air into oil, as if by magic. See, a catch can is actually an air-oil separator.

On the inside of the Provent Catch Cans supplied by Direction-Plus, there’s superfine steel wool that helps to filter out oil and carbon deposits. If it didn’t, this stuff would end up becoming a sticky mess on things like valves and injectors…

Using a catch can is a modern diesel engine problem and a by-product of ever-tightening pollution regulations. Indeed, the introduction of the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system that allows an amount of exhaust gas to be sent back into the intake manifold to be burned off (reducing emissions) but this can result in oil (caused from blow-by which increased in ‘tuned’ engines) and crap being deposited into the intake manifold, inlet valves and more. This can cause a scungy layer of build-up, severely reducing the performance of your engine. Think running a race with a blocked nose.

While, those who are mechanically minded, are able to have a go at pulling their engine apart and cleaning it out themselves, Jeremy reckons a mechanic is your best bet if you’ve got to clean out the gunk. It’s a messy, laborious job. And a catch can can absolutely help reduce the impact of this muck in the first place.

While he was in the garage, we also got Jeremy to install a pre-fuel filter onto our Amarok. The main question we hear about fuel filters is, whether you need a pre- or post-fuel filter. When we asked Jeremy, he said he leans towards pre-filters because he’s looking to target the removal of water from the fuel rather than particles. According to Jeremy, filtering out this water as quick as possible stops it from mixing with the diesel and emulsifying and, Jeremy said, if it makes it to the factory fuel filter than the water droplets will become even finer and thus harder to filter out.

To learn more about catch cans and fuel filters, get yourself a comfy chair, some popcorn and watch the video below. Enjoy.

GEAR Catch cans and fuel filters

Turbo-diesel engines can get pretty dirty. See, they run hot and suck in a lot of air and this means crap can build up in places we don’t want it to, making the engine work harder. Sure, there are detergents in diesel and additives to help things run cleaner, but a catch can and fuel filter are stitch-in-time accessories that can save a lot of headaches down the track.

We got Jeremy from Direction-Plus in to the garage recently to install a catch can and fuel filter onto our Amarok, and so we asked exactly why we need catch cans and fuel filters on our fourbys.

We got under the bonnet of our Amarok and had a chat with Jeremy from Direction-Plus about catch cans and fuel filters. Here’s everything you need to know.

Everything you wanted to know

About catch cans and fuel filters... but were too afraid to ask

WORDS BY JOSH NEEDS

What is a catch can? Well, on the surface, it’s just a cylinder that seems to be able to turn air into oil, as if by magic. See, a catch can is actually an air-oil separator.

On the inside of the Provent Catch Cans supplied by Direction-Plus, there’s superfine steel wool that helps to filter out oil and carbon deposits. If it didn’t, this stuff would end up becoming a sticky mess on things like valves and injectors…

Using a catch can is a modern diesel engine problem and a by-product of ever-tightening pollution regulations. Indeed, the introduction of the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system that allows an amount of exhaust gas to be sent back into the intake manifold to be burned off (reducing emissions) but this can result in oil (caused from blow-by which increased in ‘tuned’ engines) and crap being deposited into the intake manifold, inlet valves and more. This can cause a scungy layer of build-up, severely reducing the performance of your engine. Think running a race with a blocked nose.

While, those who are mechanically minded, are able to have a go at pulling their engine apart and cleaning it out themselves, Jeremy reckons a mechanic is your best bet if you’ve got to clean out the gunk. It’s a messy, laborious job. And a catch can can absolutely help reduce the impact of this muck in the first place.

While he was in the garage, we also got Jeremy to install a pre-fuel filter onto our Amarok. The main question we hear about fuel filters is, whether you need a pre- or post-fuel filter. When we asked Jeremy, he said he leans towards pre-filters because he’s looking to target the removal of water from the fuel rather than particles. According to Jeremy, filtering out this water as quick as possible stops it from mixing with the diesel and emulsifying and, Jeremy said, if it makes it to the factory fuel filter than the water droplets will become even finer and thus harder to filter out.

To learn more about catch cans and fuel filters, get yourself a comfy chair, some popcorn and watch the video below. Enjoy.

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