History of Success - Baffled Oil Catch Can R&D: Production
The old idiom "history repeats itself" is often used to point out the failures of the past, but in the context of the Ford F-150, that history is one of success. In recent years, Ford has been successful in introducing innovative technologies and ideas to the F-150 while retaining its renowned capability. Ford did face some skepticism in 2011 when they introduced the F-150 coupled to a direct-injected and turbocharged 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine. But, 8 years later, the F-150 is still the best-selling truck in America and, as of 2017, the EcoBoost platform makes up 65% of all F-150's sold.
For the 2017 model year, Ford added even more innovation to the 3.5L EcoBoost in the form of dual-injection. Instead of just injecting fuel directly into the cylinder like its predecessor, the 2nd-generation 3.5L combines the power and efficiency of direct-injection with the smooth idle of port-injection. The added port injectors also have the benefit of washing the back of the intake valves to help prevent carbon buildup.
At Mishimoto, we also have a history of success, especially when it comes to protecting the EcoBoost line of engines from blow-by. That's why we wanted to develop a catch can to continue protecting the 2nd-generation 3.5L EcoBoost. You might think that the 2nd-gen 3.5L's port-injection removes the need for a catch can, but there's more to the effects of blow-by than just carbon buildup.
When we developed our 2011-2014 and 2015-2016 3.5L catch cans, we found that the engine was consuming over 100 ml of oil in 1,000 miles. That much oil in a new engine is enough cause knock, and as the EcoBoost ages, more and more blow-by will make its way past the rings. The 3.5L EcoBoost was designed to run on fuel, not blow-by, so keeping the blow-by out of the engine is just as important for the dual-injected 3.5L as it was for its predecessor. This is especially true for the Raptor or if you tow often, where the 3.5L is pushed closer to its limits.
To develop our 2017+ F-150/Raptor 3.5L EcoBoost catch can kit, we looked back at our 2015-2016 kit. Luckily, the firewall of the 2017+ F-150 hasn't changed since we developed our 2015-2016 catch can, so our bracket and cans still fit. But there was some work to be done on the lines. Three out of our four catch can lines would still fit the 2017+ 3.5L, but the fourth, and most important line, would not.
The line that holds the CCV pressure sensor changed with the 2017 revamp and we knew from our past projects that making any changes to this line could trip a CEL. Even the distance between the sensor and the engine can affect the sensor's reading. We carefully redesigned the catch can line to mimic the stock line as much as possible. We installed the kit on our volunteer Raptor and fired it up.
To our relief, the CEL stayed off and our volunteer Raptor drove away protected from blow-by. With that, our 2017+ Ford F-150/Raptor 3.5L EcoBoost catch can kit was complete and ready for pre-sale. That means now is your chance to protect your 2nd-gen 3.5L EcoBoost from dangerous blow-by and share in a history of success. Check out our website for more details and, as always, let us know what you think.