Mazdaspeed3 - Installing an Oil Catch Can

Courtesy: smokingAMD
Link: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=131262.0

These cars need an Oil Catch Can, plain and simple. There is no denying that. Take one good look at the intake tract and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I'm going to cover how to install an "Elite Engineering" catch can on my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3. Installing any brand oil catch can is essentially the same process, the only difference is the design of the can may require you to choose a different mounting location than what I did. However, for this particular brand of OCC, I believe this to be the best location, because it doesn't require you deal with routing the hoses clear of any moving parts, such as the radiator fan, or the serpentine belt.

Materials Needed (Reflects an Elite Engineering can equipped with 1/2" hose barbs):
-Additional OEM PCV valve - Mazda Part # L3K9-13-890 (The green end is 5/8", the orange end is 1/2")
-7 feet of 1/2" ID Heater Hose
-1.5 feet of 5/8" ID Heater Hose
-1/2" to 5/8" hose adapter
-8 hose clamps that will work with 1/2" and 5/8" hose
-M8x1.25 bolt with a couple of washers (split lock washer and standard flat)
-Midget hands (Dead serious)

First thing to do is jack the car up, support it with some jack stand, remove the lower splash shield and drivers front wheel. Sorry, no included pictures of this process. If you can't figure this out on your own YOU SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTING THIS.

Next up remove the fender liner on the drivers side and position it out of the way, like so.




With that done, you can now see where the catch can is going to mount to. It is the bottom hole in this picture. It is pre-threaded to a M8x1.25. (It may be 1.0, but I'm fairly confident in it being 1.25.)



Here we have the washer that came with the EE OCC, an M8 washer, an M8 lock washer, and an M8 bolt to mount the can to the frame rail. Note - Position them in this way.



Here they are oriented correctly.



Here is the can mounted onto the frame rail.



The amount of clearance between the return line hose barb to the intake manifold and my CPE CAI. It's pretty darn close, but it isn't an issue.



And here is the clearance of the inlet line hose barb from the factory PCV valve. You'll need to twist the hose barb a bit to gain some extra room that way the hose wont rub against the intake.



With the can properly mounted, it is now time to start running the lines. The first thing you need to do is to remove the hose from the existing PCV valve to the intake manifold. This part is EXTREMELY hard. If you have big bear hands, like myself, you will be cursing your genetics and throwing tools. There's no way around it. Having a REALLY small pair of channel lock pliers makes this task possible. It's still a pain, but it is possible.

Here's the hose removed from the intake manifold. This part is fairly easy.



This part here is the hard part. Removing the hose from the existing PCV valve. This is where the midget hands come in handy. I should probably mention at this point, you might want to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Just for safety's sake, because you are working RIGHT NEXT to the starter, if you dropped your pliers you might have a shocking experience. I didn't disconnect my battery, just because I'm lazy, but please, for your own safety, do so. I was lucky and didn't have any issues. The same might not be the case for you.

Trust me, there is a hose clamp on this guy. Its kind of hard to see though. I found it easier to push the clamp back towards the engine to get it off the hose versus pulling it further down the hose towards you. Once it was off of the hose, which seemed like an eternity, you can pull the hose off the existing PCV valve. It's going to take some force to get it off, but its not that bad. Wear gloves so you don't bust your knuckles on the back of the intake manifold like I did half a dozen times.



Here's what the offending hose that you'll come to hate looks like when you finally get it off.



And here the existing OEM PCV valve is with the hose gone, this is where you will run the inlet hose for the CC.



Now that you have used every curse word in the bad language dictionary, and thrown your pliers / channel locks across where you are working half a dozen times, it's time to setup the additional PCV valve the CC needs. Take 2" of 5/8" hose and clamp it onto the green part of the PCV valve. It will look like this when done.



Next up is to attach the additional PCV valve to the intake manifold. NOTE: The orange part needs to face straight down in order for the valve to function properly. Clamped onto the intake manifold, it will look like this.



With that out of the way, it is now time to connect the additional PCV valve to the return line barb on the OCC. With that you'll need a 4 foot section of 1/2" hose. Push it onto the PCV valve and clamp it up. Really not that hard.



Routing the hose. I just followed the factory hose to the oil cooler. Using 2 zip ties to secure the line to it.



And here is the hose connected to the return line on the CC.



Next up is setting up the section of hose that will go from the green section of the existing PCV valve to the inlet hose barb of the OCC. Since the Green part of the OEM PCV valve is 5/8" and the hose barbs on the Elite Engineering CC are 1/2" An adapter is required.

Use about a 1 foot section of 5/8" hose and connect it to the 5/8" to 1/2" hose adapter with a clamp. It will look like this when done.



Next up is attaching that bit of hose to the existing PCV valve. This part is almost as hard as getting the old hose off. Its a lot more manageable though. Especially using screw style hose clamps versus ones you have to squeeze.

Here is what it looks like when you get it on.



I promise you the hard parts are done with now. Now you just need to run a 1/2" hose from the adapter you just attached to the PCV valve to the CC. This section of hose will be about 3 feet long. Here's what it looks like when connected.



Secure the hose to the other hose with a zip tie by the slave cylinder as shown.



And once more closer to the location of the CC.



Final step, connect the hose to the CC. VOILA, you are done!



Only thing you have to do now is make sure everything is good and tight, and replace your fender liner, splash shield and put the wheel back on. Congratulations, you now have a properly installed oil catch can that will keep all sorts of nasty gunk out of your intake manifold and prolong engine life. I'd suggest checking it 2 weeks after installation to see how much stuff it has caught. You can make an estimate off of that on how often you would have to drain it. For some people it may be once a month, for some others, it maybe once an oil change. It all depends on your car.

Here's mine after 2 weeks. It was full, to say the least. Guess I'll be draining weekly.



After letting it sit overnight. Defined layers of gas, funk, and oil.