[flycaster]

I'm not looking to start any arguments with the following question, just looking to increase my understanding of this issue. Many, many on this forum have stated that a catch can is the way to go to reduce adverse effects due to accumulation of intercooler gunk that may be one of the causes of blow piston heads. Furthermore, they say that the catch can is a very easy install and can't do any harm. So, if these claims are true and of an apparent big benefit to the car, why hasn't GM/Cadillac given any hint that this is a good approach to solving the piston problem?

 

[clempot911]

Two things come to mind: Cost, and additional maintenance.
You could argue that they can engineer some sort of automatic purge system for the can, and I would think it's cheaper for them to add one than replace engines so :hmm:

What I don't understand is, what's different with the ATS (or any other modern engine with this problem)? Turbo intercooled cars have been around for a very long time, I never heard of gunk accumulating in the intercooler and suddenly being ingested by the engine and causing hydro-lock of a cylinder. Granted that my other cars had a horizontal intercooler, but I'd say that type is the exception to how intercoolers are normally mounted.

 

[oemtech]

Check the internet for GDI powered cars. Intake valve coking or carbon deposits are fairly common in GDI engines. The BMW and Mini Cooper are a couple I know of. Do a search for "walnut blasting intake valves" and see what you get.

I think I read somewhere the the CT6 has built in CC or some sort.

 

[CTSCHICK]

Maybe it had something to do with emission reason's since the catch can setup that came with the Z28 was listed as for off road use only.
Looks like the new 3.6 and 3.0 Turbo will be coming with something similar.
Two-stage PCV system – This revolutionary system maintains low oil consumption. If features a pre-separator between the block and the engine’s rear cover and a high-efficiency separator in the center of the block’s “V.

http://media.cadillac.com/media/us/en/cadillac/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2015/mar/0320-cadillac/0320-cadillac-36l.html

 

[SkyNet]

How about just a drain plug for the intercooler?

 

[EmeryZ28]

GM provides a catch can on the 1LE SS camaro's, but those are for select buyers who should know what to do with it. The average ATS owner, would not know to drain the catch can. so after the dealer service is over there is a good chance that them or whatever shop they had do the oil changes, would overlook the CC. thats my opinion.

 

[DavidATS]

I can possibly see some benefits for reduced carbon build up on the back sides of the intake valves but even then, some engines have a lot more problems than others and I haven't seen enough evidence that it is an issue on the 2.0T or 3.6 to decide to try to "fix" it. Most of the forum for the 2.0T VW/Audi FSI engines from 2006-2008.5 which had a lot of problems with this found that the catch can didn't do much as much of the problem was coming from the oil from the valve stems. Catch can couldn't stop this issue.

As for the gunk building up in the intercooler and being sucked into the engine and destroying the pistons I can't see it. Intercooler would need a large amount of liquid in it to be sucked up the tube and enough liquid to go to an individual cylinder to break it. Try pulling liquid out of bucket with your shop vac if the hose isn't completely under the liquid level. If this is what is happening, given enough time, wouldn't all intercoolers get enough liquid in them to make this happen? I can't see where else this liquid is going but into the engine and over time I would expect to see a failure rate over 95%. If some engines failed at 10k miles because of this, I would think virtually all would fail by 100k miles. Then it's back to why is this engine so unique compared to every other intercooled turbo. I still think there was a manufacturing or "tune" issue that causes the piston failures.

 

[flycaster]

Hope your thoughts about the piston issue being due to a manufacturing or tune issue are right. For, if so, then the new "tune" with colder plugs can go a long way to reducing this problem. Furthermore, if it is a manufacturing problem, then it will probably only happen to an unlucky few who got the bad pistons. Obviously, if it was a gross manufaturing problem, they we would have seen far more blown pistons, no?

 

[mikesul]

When my factory I-C was removed there was nothing in it, liquid or otherwise. This was after two years of driving in S FL. I put in a fmic and had the stock I-C removed.

 

[DavidATS]

When my factory I-C was removed there was nothing in it, liquid or otherwise. This was after two years of driving in S FL. I put in a fmic and had the stock I-C removed.

Has anyone actually found liquid in an ATS intercooler? I would prefer to hear from actual owners of the cars, not "my friend" or "a car someone worked on" or "I heard". Not saying it doesn't exist just don't remember seeing actual pictures of it or first hand knowledge of it.

Even if true, in a volume that would hydro lock the engine, essentially filling up the void at the top of the cylinder and destroying the piston.

 

[myATS]

I took off my charge pipe inspected the throttle body and piping and found no trace of gunk or liquid either. My car did run bad with the diablo tune though, which I no longer have. What tuner are you using?

When my factory I-C was removed there was nothing in it, liquid or otherwise. This was after two years of driving in S FL. I put in a fmic and had the stock I-C removed.

 

[EmeryZ28]

someone posted a picture of an intercooler that looked like it was filmed with foam and water but have no idea who it was and if it was even if it was from an ATS

 

[DavidATS]

someone posted a picture of an intercooler that looked like it was filmed with foam and water but have no idea who it was and if it was even if it was from an ATS

Wasn't this from the guy selling the catch can?

This - http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-ats-performance-forum/613529-2-0t-bad-pistons-roll-call-17.html#post14111449

Post #245 - I asked who took the picture and if it was from an ATS and got no reply. I thought it was strange that after selling hundreds of systems, and posting this picture, he still needed to get an ATS in their shop to figure out the whistle problem.

Regardless, I would be less skeptical if the information didn't come from the person selling the solution and as with any issue, more than a couple of pictures would help.