Kv6 oil catch tank, yes or no ?

[Outlaw 41]

This is a spin off thread originally posted by gazcaz which i think should be put to bed for good and take it out of the grey area where it now resides. I havent been on this forum long but it seems as if there are atleast 3/4 new members joining every day and the first information they are given is "check your plenum drains , zip tie your bonnet release cable" etc but what about catch tanks for those with a Kv6 ? I know that this has been talked about in other posts and i apologise for bringing it up again but if we could sort this out for once and for all i think would be good. So do we need to fit them and is everything going to go wrong if we dont ?All your views and collective knowledge is more than appreciated , thanks.

[stocktake]

It is my opinion that unfortunately it will always be a personal choice due to lack of definitive facts and actual experiences.

In theory all that should be in the inlet manifold is air, nothing more.
However, maintenance, type of journeys and design all have an effect on this.

I have never seen a KV6 that did not have oil in the air inlet to the throttle assy. Then again, how many people have exchanged/cleaned the metal gauze in the top of the rocker covers? This will have an impact. How many people ensure the small breathers on the cam covers are open and not blocked? This has an impact. The condition of the engine in general and blowback will have a bearing.

Then there is the split opinion on whether the cup and cone joints on the butterflies once having been contaminated with the oil ingress need to be continued to be "lubricated" to avoid wear as they dry out. Or have they never been contaminated should you protect them from such? Due to the inaccessibility of these it is impossible to say and unless somebody wants to open up a perfectly good manifold (Circa £500) to asses the condition it is likely to remain that way.

There are two points where the catch tanks could be fitted, again different driving styles and journeys donate which collects more fluid. some fit tanks to one or the other or both!

Me? Fitted two, sometimes one collected, sometimes none, sometimes both. Took them off. Try to keep the breathing system in good condition.

[Outlaw 41]

Originally Posted by stocktake

It is my opinion that unfortunately it will always be a personal choice due to lack of definitive facts and actual experiences.

In theory all that should be in the inlet manifold is air, nothing more.
However, maintenance, type of journeys and design all have an effect on this.

I have never seen a KV6 that did not have oil in the air inlet to the throttle assy. Then again, how many people have exchanged/cleaned the metal gauze in the top of the rocker covers? This will have an impact. How many people ensure the small breathers on the cam covers are open and not blocked? This has an impact. The condition of the engine in general and blowback will have a bearing.

Then there is the split opinion on whether the cup and cone joints on the butterflies once having been contaminated with the oil ingress need to be continued to be "lubricated" to avoid wear as they dry out. Or have they never been contaminated should you protect them from such? Due to the inaccessibility of these it is impossible to say and unless somebody wants to open up a perfectly good manifold (Circa £500) to asses the condition it is likely to remain that way.

There are two points where the catch tanks could be fitted, again different driving styles and journeys donate which collects more fluid. some fit tanks to one or the other or both!

Me? Fitted two, sometimes one collected, sometimes none, sometimes both. Took them off. Try to keep the breathing system in good condition.

Just hitting the thanks button wasnt enough. You may have been the only reply so far but after reading and digesting , yours is the only reply i need. My ZT has only done 37.000 miles and i intend never to part with her and tomorrow ile be checking the cam breathers . Thanks again