Mazdaspeed 3 - Damond Motorsports PCV Plate & Dual Vented Oil Catch Can's Install

In this video we replace the stock PCV plate with the Damond Motorsports PCV plate, and install their dual vented oil catch can's to relieve as much crankcase pressure as possible. They have several different routing options on their website, and we decided to go with route 3. For the past year we have been trying to figure out why the BNR S4 turbo is smoking at WOT, and causing oil consumption. We carried out a compression and leak down test with good results to ensure the engine wasn't the problem. Finally, after several changes to the setup, we have reduced the smoking issue considerably, all thanks to the wonderful enthusiasts and performance companies in the community. We recommend dealing with crankcase pressure first. We think that installing an oil restrictor bolt in this particular turbo prolonged the smoking issue even after several crankcase ventilation mods. It seems that this turbo needs sufficient oil volume and pressure to prevent oil starvation, along with minimal crankcase pressure to allow the oil to drain out back into the block. Enjoy the video! Please like, share, and subscribe :)
*** Please note that we are still having some smoking issues mainly during mid to high rpm deceleration. We think the smoking issue may be due to too much oil pressure at the turbo. We will keep you guys updated on our findings as we continue to sort this out :)
Mods in this video:
1. DM PCV Plate w/ Dual Vented Cans
2. Cobb Accessport V2 (self tuned)
3. Bfg G-force Comp 2 All Seasons
4. Stratified Guardian Angel V3
5. Full Race Exhaust Manifold
6. Ngk One Step Colder Plugs
7. Corksport Intake Manifold
8. Jbr 88a Rear Motor Mount
9. Jbr 88a Trans Motor Mount
10. Jbr 80a Pass Motor Mount
11. Custom Radiator Ducting
12. Autotech HPFP Internals
13. Eibach Lowering Springs
14. Corksport Injector Seals
15. Oem Gunmetal Wheels
16. Jbr Egr Block Off Plate
17. Cpe Catless Downpipe
18. Cfm Oil Breather Cap
19. Jbr Raider's Air Damn
20. Koni Yellow Shocks
21. Gen 2 Valve Cover
22. Cobb 3 Port Ebcs
23. Fidanza Flywheel
24. Htp Full 3" Intake
25. Bnr S4 V2 Turbo
26. Jbr Piping Kit
27. Cobb Xle Bpv
28. Cnt Catback
29. Tr8 Fmic

[@JustinTheJMan]

This is awesome, I've been thinking about moving to a dual catch can setup using Damond parts and now I've got a reference video. I used your VVT video to do that job earlier this year. Thanks a bunch guys!

[@waynefrancis5843]

instaBlaster...

[@RedClutch22_]

Dude I wish you can work on my speed 3 you know you’re stuff keep up the good work 😄👍🏽

[@manofevil5866]

love seeing mazdaspeeds local to me subd now

[@sonarcreep3691]

Cool vid guys😎👍

[@WannabeTuners]

Thank bud:)

[@pingpong9656]

I'm pretty sure that design of green PCV valve is designed to point down, as in the original plate - it uses gravity assist to close during boost.

[@byteoncomputerservices8054]

Bear in mind that positive crankcase ventilation is actually more effective at actually 'pulling crankcase pressure' out of the crankcase than excessive venting to atmosphere. In the case of the DISI L3T it's actually better to retain a PCV system capable of flowing enough pressure for a modified engine than to vent to atmosphere, as direct injection and oil dilution issues change things considerably when it comes to crankcase ventilation in modern turbocharged application. You shouldn't need modifications to this degree, even on a Gen 1 with it's flawed design - They all seem a little like a Band Aid on a sore knee approach?

[@jessebudelman]

I’m still on the fence on the Damond PCs plate...I’m probably gonna get the gold one to match my sound symposer delete, and still need to instal my Damond oil catch can. I think you sold me on the plate thou...haha 🤙🏻😎 should hopefully help on my Focus ST.

[@WannabeTuners]

The PCV plate is mainly to add a second vented OCC to reduce crankcase pressure, although an oil breather cap is simpler and works great! I think I remember seeing one installed on an ST but I'm not sure if they are commonly used or not

[@jessebudelman]

Okay, you sold me on a second OCC...

[@78Akira78]

Hey bro watching all your videos. Just bought a speed 3 and could use a little help since I'm a noob. I live in Etobicoke. Are you in the GTA?

[@keonigaillard7804]

Where exactly did you tie in the hose from the valve cover in relation to your check valve location? Is it possible accomplish this type of setup with just 1 vented can (I've ordered the DM PCV plate, but only one vented can)? I'm a little confused about maintaining vacuum on the crankcase while running the vented can. BTW guys, really great videos. This is my favorite channel to watch for videos about modifying my gen 1 speed 3. Looking forward to your next video. Keep it up.

[@WannabeTuners]

Thanks man! Both the cans are vented. Can 1 goes from the pcv plate to intake manifold with a check valve right at the manifold, and pcv valve retained at the pcv plate. Can 2 goes from the pcv plate to the valve cover breather between the valve cover and turbo inlet. It is tee'd in to the valve cover breather. Both check valve vents on top of both cans vent to atmosphere.

[@keonigaillard7804]

@@WannabeTuners thanks! I think I'm going to run my catch can the way that Cork Sport suggests for now by running the PCV and valve cover breather tee'd together to the can, then to the TIP and cap off the manifold. I'll just save the breather for when I get another can. What are your thoughts on the way that JBR does their VTA? With the PCV and valve cover breather tee'd together to the can inlet, then simply just a breather vent on the outlet and caps on the manifold and TIP. I guess they run no vacuum on the PCV? Hmm..

[@MaestroBass]

The other thing you could've done was use Rotella T6 engine oil it's thicker and stops smoking pretty much immediately. I switched over and if I ever use 5w30 oil my turbo smoke like a chimney. But when using Rotella T6 smoke is gone

[@WannabeTuners]

Hey man thanks for the comment! I have been running Rotella T6 5w40 for years. It was suggested to try running 5w30 in hopes that it would drain out of the turbo a bit better. This didn't resolve the issue so I switched back to 5w40. What seemed to really help was ensuring that the entire PCV system was in good working condition, and upgraded to be able to keep crankcase pressure to a minimum when running a bigger journal bearing turbo :)

[@LandoLiftz]

How has the car been doing in that configuration? I’m thinking about doing it this way on my gen 1 as well. So you are going from pcv to can and from can to mani with a check valve? And then from plate to can and from can to the valve cover breather tee’d into it? Where is the other pcv fitting going to? EDIT: okay I see now lol. The vc breather tube is being used as vacuum from the top of the can to draw it out! Nice man I like that set up!

[@WannabeTuners]

I've since set it up differently, which is similar but a bit better. We have a picture of it on our instagram page :)

[@lx_-lzxxred5926]

Love the video man I had a question I’m running stock turbo with a damond pcv plate and a catch can routed from pcv to catch can to intake manifold and I get a lot of crankcase pressure from the valve cover going into my cobb intake any ideas what it might be it’s a little frustrating lol I was gonna order the damond kit to see if that might help any help will work at this point I appreciate it

[@lalocura1828]

From pcv to catch can to intake? It needs to go to ambient air with a one way check valve from the top of the catch can not into the intake...

[@mondospeedy3089]

I have a 2012 speed 3, no smoke, completely stock.

[@WannabeTuners]

Lol I never had smoking issues either on the the stock K04. I believe a lot of it has to do with the high oil pressure being fed to the turbos bearing system, along with having a high flowing downpipe/exhaust system, which in my mind creates a venturi effect during deceleration at mid to high rpm's. This on top of the high oil pressure being fed to the turbo will pull oil past the turbine seal where it'll burn.

[@mazdamunchies5638]

Would I be able to do that set up with a stock intake manifold?

[@WannabeTuners]

Yep the setup in this video will work with the stock intake manifold. Damond Motorsports have some nice clear diagrams of different routing options on their website :)

[@DONUTSKIE]

How is the routing for the hose?. Sealed can: one hose to the pcv and one going to the manifold with check valve... Vented Can: one hose going to valve cover nipple and one on the pcv?

[@WannabeTuners]

Do u have Instagram? We have a recent picture of the exact routing posted there :) @Wannabe_Tuners

[@foxxrider250r]

What brand is the first/other catch can that was already installed?

[@WannabeTuners]

@@foxxrider250r That was a JBR

[@gibboj]

HI the other thing you do to stop the smoking on tickover is to take out the ball in the std pcv valve , cut the pipe from the pcv valve to inlet manifold , block of the pipe to the inlet manifold [ bung up ] fit a pipe [ most be compatible with oil ] from the std pcv valve and route it heigh up on the bulkhead so most of the oil vapour will drain back through the open pcv valve then into some form of catch can , I made my own catch can and put a filter on top . might be worth putting some stainless steel kitchen pads down the hose to stop the oil cumming up in the first place . I put my s/steel pads in the std pvc valve mounting housing / block casting . all this stoped my mazda 6 mps from smoking when I found out wot the problem was in the first place

[@WannabeTuners]

Thanks for the comment! Would you say that the main thing that helped with the smoking was removing the internal ball from the PCV valve? I imagine this reduces flow restriction significantly, but am worried that it may pull too much oil through

[@gibboj]

HI WT the main thing I found is blanking of the inlet manifold pipe to the pcv valve , on tickover the pcv is open ,drawing oil / blowby from the pcv housing straight into the inlet manifold [ no# 2 inlet tracks is worst effected , due to the pipe right infront of the tracks ] on boost the ball in the pcv valve is blow closed and shuts off any oil through the pipe into the manifold due to the boost pressure . I only found out this when I removed my manifold for a part rebuild and there was egg cup full of oil in it [ no signs of any oil from the turbo in the intercooler/ pipe work / turbo , the ko4 is a real strong turbo up to 305 bhp and fitted to loads of car`s with no issues, but a restriction bolt is a good idea imo . you might get away now, with just blanking the pipe of from the pcv to the inlet manifold at both end`s because you now have a vent pipe from the housing going to the catch can ,but it might be a bit to low [ it might syphon to much oil into the catch can ] that's why mine is raised heigh on the bulkhead , so some slight oil in the pipe will return into the pcv housing through the drilled pcv valve

[@WannabeTuners]

@@gibboj The only issue I have with blocking off the intake manifold from the equation is that it will no longer pull a strong vacuum on the crankcase at part throttle. I'm just wondering if removing the ball from the pcv valve will pull too much vacuum on the crankcase, in turn pulling too much oil into the catch can

[@gibboj]

WT I think the main issue here is that we don't want any form of oil / crank case vapour / oil + air mixture going into the inlet manifold , you will not lose any vacuum as you are not pulling vacuum on boost ,you don't want to be sucking the shit up in the first place [ JUST NICE CLEAN AIR ] tickover is just the same as there are air gap`s on the side of the throttle body , juging by your set up it looks like your pipe is going into the catch can then being sucked into the inlet manifold . that tells me oil into the catch can then oil into the manifold !

[@WannabeTuners]

@@gibboj What do u mean by tickover? At part throttle, the intake manifold pulls a strong vacuum on the crankcase which is regulated by the pcv valve. We place an oil catch can in between the pcv valve and intake manifold to prevent excessive oil from being drawn into the intake manifold and gunking up the intake valves. We also install a one way check valve at the intake manifold that only opens under vacuum. This prevents the oil catch can from being pressurized under boost, and the pcv valve from being exposed to boost pressure, as they are known to leak boost into the crankcase. By blocking off the intake manifold vacuum source, there is virtually no vacuum on the crankcase at part throttle which may prevent oil from draining correctly from the turbo. The idea is to keep this strong vacuum source at part throttle while using a catch can to minimize gunky intake valves. Running a dual vented catch can setup with or without an oil breather cap is what we run. If u have instagram check out our page where we have a picture posted of out current pcv setup :)

[@pitbulltrainingandmotorcyc1658]

I have speed 6 I know your car has since gone boom I hope you got her runing again I’m looking at putting this on my car but I’ve been told that the car needs vacuum for the pcv to work and I’m wondering how it has vacuum at all with a vented catch can ...?

[@WannabeTuners]

It has vacuum because the vent on top of the can is a one way check valve that only opens when the can becomes pressurized. It instantly closes as soon as vacuum is present.

[@va7kpt]

How clean do the valves look and how long has it been since they were cleaned?

[@WannabeTuners]

The last time we cleaned the valves was May 2017 when we made a video on it. They currently look pretty good with EGR and OCC mods although there is a slight glaze over them, but the huge chunks of carbon that are normally seen are not present. Imo even with a good OCC, the intake valves will still accumulate oil vapors over time, but not to the degree of not having EGR and OCC mods. Their sort of like an engine air filter. They constantly have air rushing past them with no form of cleansing. Eventually stuff builds up :)

[@WannabeTuners]

@klbar2005 That's interesting!

[@jonathanfarias4399]

I was having the same problem with a smoking we tried so much none of it got rid of it totally it wasn't until I pulled the Pistons out and seeing that there was little cracks on the ring Landings After the new Pistons all the smoke and totally went away I ended up putting the old turbo back in and I still got no smoke

[@WannabeTuners]

Yah man these engines are very common for cracked ringlands which increase crankcase pressure quite a bit due to increased blowby:)

[@jonathanfarias4399]

@@WannabeTuners yeah I didn't know that until I look like an idiot everywhere I drive would be a pile of Blue Smoke so one day I decided to just completely dismantle my engine I was surprised to see the all of them were cracked I was not on a stock tune I was using the one that comes with the accessport now what a completely built Manley engine I am as happy as hell with no catch can and no smoke at 23 PSI on stock Turbo pushing the limits of the stock Turbo Now my new problem is for the first 10 minutes I start the car when I take off I go super lean all the way down to 16.1 when I try to take off from a dead stop and then everytime I shift gears between 1000 and 2000 RPMs we got to talk to my tuner

[@sov3nged]

Do you know if this also applies to the cst4? I recently upgraded to the cst4 due to my old ko4 smoking and now ive noticed that my cst4 i am getting blue smoke during accelation.

[@WannabeTuners]

I would double check with Corksport, but we found that running a Turbosmart oil pressure regulator with the stock restrictor bolt completely resolved our smoking turbo issue with the BNR S4. We will cover that in future video where we talk about and review the cars current setup :)

[@sov3nged]

@@WannabeTuners awesome thank you for the reply. I have the vta add on for my catch can on the way along with a oil breather cap so im hoping thatll help.

[@WannabeTuners]

@@sov3nged Imo all that is required to relieve crankcase pressure is the oil breather cap and Gen 2 valve cover, and just run a sealed oil catch can with an inline check valve to keep the valves cleaner for longer. The main issue with the turbos smoking is too much oil pressure being fed to them. But just double check to see what Corksport thinks ;) You can DM us on Instagram @wannabe_tuners if you'd like 👍

[@XxSniperFiendxX]

Dude I have the same problem I just gotta install them now got everything I need today

[@billgriffiths6748]

Do you have the bnrs4 v1 or v2? I never had a problem with smoke until i cracked a ring on the stock block.

[@WannabeTuners]

I have the V2. Yeah a cracked ringland will cause a lot more blow by. Do you know how many cylinders had cracked ringlands?

[@billgriffiths6748]

@@WannabeTuners not sure my did the compression and leakdown cylinder 2 and 3 low.... my corksport motor came in today.

[@WannabeTuners]

@@billgriffiths6748 Awesome man! That's gonna be sweet :)

[@X11CHASE]

Bill Griffiths holy shit man you shit make videos of your CorkSport motor, I want one of those

[@keonigaillard7804]

@@billgriffiths6748 What are your impressions of the Cork Sport motor? Stage 1 or 2? I'm debating with myself on getting one of their stage 1 builds for a quick turnaround time or just taking the time to have my block built and save some money.

[@elmerguevara4019]

Did it solve the smoking issue? I missed the follow up video.

[@WannabeTuners]

Not entirely but reducing crankcase pressure definitely helps. I currently run an oil breather cap and two Damond Motorsports vented catch cans with PCV plate. One from PCV valve to vented can to check valve to intake manifold, and one from last 2 ports on PCV plate to both inlet ports on vented can. Valve cover still connected to turbo inlet for additional vacuum under boost. What really helped with the smoke was shown in this video : kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYSod6qsgqdkitk

[@btshader]

i had the same issue that just got worse, started smoking now under idle as well... i suspect ringland failure (atleast on my engine)

[@WannabeTuners]

I would carry out a compression and leak down test just to be sure :) I was relieved when my engine checked out good lol

[@btshader]

@@WannabeTuners let me know of this setup works, keen to see the results.. my compression numbers dropped about 30 psi across the board the last couple of months so build will have to come sooner than later

[@chrisc3235]

Bennie Troskie just read the post on mazdaspeed forum. I read entire post a little while back. It worked, but it’s important to note that journal type turbos are best run without restrictor banjo bolts. It’s important to ensure your turbo has enough oil and that it’s able to drain back with minimal resistance.

[@WannabeTuners]

@@btshader Yeah man the low compression is most likely the cause for the smoking. If your compression has been getting worse and the ringlands are damaged, I would imagine you're also getting more blowby causing more crankcase pressure, which will flow up the turbos oil drain tube, pressurize the cartridge, and push oil into the exhaust past the turbine piston ring seal.

[@WannabeTuners]

@@chrisc3235 I still have some smoke every now and then at WOT, but it's minimal as compared to before. I think that using a restrictor bolt to reduce the volume of oil to the turbo causes some irreversible wear, and may actually cause the turbos shaft to tilt ever so slightly causing the seal to allow oil to push past. The stock banjo bolt seems to deliver enough oil to keep the shaft straight, and the seal sealed lol. This is just speculation though:) But like you said, it needs to drain out, and crankcase pressure prevents easy drainage.

[@jonah9165]

Is it bad to have a sealed can setup ? I'm on a k04 with some light mods running 20psi - recently noticed Damond Motorsports explaining how this is not a good setup for tuned application (including stock turbo on higher boost)

[@jonah9165]

I have the corksport setup which is routed like this www.google.com/search?q=corksport+oil+catch+can+speed+3&rlz=1C5CHFA_enZA797ZA797&sxsrf=ALeKk037x-00uXv7uBkn3TNSiQav3CQ2bg:1603309544146&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQ09--ucbsAhVxg-AKHd7iAoIQ_AUoAnoECBAQBA&biw=1680&bih=948#imgrc=an0DsVNEAdw6VM could I just add a vented breather cap and call it a day or ?

[@WannabeTuners]

Great question! The best thing to do in my opinion, is to run the CS OCC in a sealed configuration (PCV valve > catch can > one way check valve > intake manifold). Then just run a Gen 2 valve cover and SP63 oil breather cap. After going through so many setups, I can honestly say that simple is better in this case :)

[@jonah9165]

​@@WannabeTuners Thanks so much for the suggestion ! I drive a genpu so already covered on the valve cover. Where would you place the check valve along the hose ? I would assume just before the intake manifold (I'm a total noob so just making sure before I do something stupid haha)

[@WannabeTuners]

@@jonah9165 I would buy the one way check valve from Damond Motorsports as theirs are really good. It gets installed between the OCC and intake manifold with the arrow on the check valve facing the intake manifold. Just double check with Corksport's online installation instructions for sealed catch can routing setup so you don't get the ports mixed up ;)

[@jonah9165]

@@WannabeTuners "We noticed that by adding the PCV check valve to the oil catch can, the OCC worked less effectively because when the check valve closes (the car is under boost) the catch can is no longer able to do the same job of “catching” the vapors. When your car is under boost is the time the catch can should be working the hardest to prevent those contaminates from entering your engine. Instead it is just sitting there waiting for the PCV valve to open back up." Corksport said this on their blog which just confuses the heck out of me

[@marcotruitt19]

Come down to Michigan and help me work on my car🤧

[@juliolopez7893]

Hey guys! So I’m currently having the same issue with my speed 3, I have the BNR s3 and with easy driving theres no oil consumption but while hard driving i’m noticing a decent amount of oil consumption and smoking. Which also leads to me to believe that its the main case to why the cars feel weaker at WOT. Should I focus on getting an OCC and venting the crank case or??? Please help, thanks!

[@WannabeTuners]

Hey man I would start with a Gen 2 valve cover and Speed Perf6rmanc3 oil breather cap. It's simpler than a vented oil catch can in my opinion and more effective at venting crankcase pressure. Also, if you haven't already, to keep the intake track clean, installing a Damond Motorsports sealed oil catch can, and doing an EGR delete or secondary EGR delete are a great investment. If u still see smoke and oil consumption, then a compression test should be carried out ;)

[@juliolopez7893]

Sweet, thanks for the advice. I’m definitely going to start digging into the 2nd gen valve cover with the breather valve, luckily I already had done the egr delete so I’m good there. I just wasn’t sure if I should get a catch can or not because I heard its a great investment and that it fixes the issue that I have which is that I get 2.0+ knock and WOT. Also should I change the restrictor bolt on my bnr s3 or keep it? P.S. love the videos! looking forward to your build as I’m going to build an engine later on as well. Thanks once again!

[@WannabeTuners]

@@juliolopez7893 Thanks a lot man! An OCC is a great investment. From what I've read, a carboned up intake track can indeed cause knock. Cleaning the intake valves and having the EGR deleted, followed by installing an OCC will reduce this carbon buildup. If you're getting consistent knock at WOT, this is obviously not good. I'd start with running a higher octane fuel first to see if that helps, but definitely clean the intake valves and install an OCC :) Is this restrictor bolt one provided from BNR?

[@juliolopez7893]

Wannabe Tuners pardon the late reply but to answer your question, yes I never swapped the restrictor bolt on the bnr its the one that is provided. Should I swap it out? I have a lot of oil consumption with smoking while the car undergoing boost. The knocks go over 2.0 while at open throttle high RPM and it something that happens every now and then it doesn’t happen every time at WOT. Been going through the forums and haven’t found any answers lol

[@WannabeTuners]

@@juliolopez7893 I personally found that the car would smoke more and consume more oil with the restrictor bolt installed. Ironically I notice less smoke with the stock banjo bolt. Definitely try running a higher octane and keep monitoring knock.