catch can

[gtinewbie99]

hi new to forum,just got a mk4 gti with a catch can fitted and wondered what happens if it hasn't been emptied for ages ? where does the stuff go that usually goes into the can? cheers

[rockmonkey69]

Back into the engine and/or the intake depending how it's plumbed.
If its vented to atmosphere then worse case scenario is it hinders engine breathing and flows back into the engine. If its vented back into the turbo intake then it's likely to go into the turbo intake as well.

Both are bad, just empty it

[Wazzzer]

To be fair it would take a hell of a long time to fill it up unless the engine is a heavy breather...

[gtinewbie99]

cheers for replies ,i emptied it earlier after reading a bit about them,it seemed to be full,don't think previous owner cared that much about it

[Tezmax]

To be fair it would take a hell of a long time to fill it up unless the engine is a heavy breather...

How long is a "hell of a long time"? Because i empty mine about every 6 months and find it about half full!

Is that 40 Park Drive a day breathing or normal?

[Wazzzer]

6 months is a long time for me, I tend to empty it every few weeks when I check oil/water/air levels

[gtinewbie99]

going by the puddle and time it took to empty ,if it wasn't full it must have been close to it.what do you mean by heavy breather?

[northeast_gti-t]

going by the puddle and time it took to empty ,if it wasn't full it must have been close to it.what do you mean by heavy breather?

its a term for engine breathing ie its clearance between piston ring and cylinder bore as the piston motion moves up and down if there is excessive wear then you get a term called piston blow-by thats combustion gases beig expelled into the engine crankcase so if you remove your oil filler cap when the engine is running you will notice ie not much smoke or alot of smoke which almost certainly means your engine could have alot of piston ring/bore wear caused by lack of regular oil changes,short journeys diluting your oil and lessening its lubricating properties or use of inferior engine oils 

[gtinewbie99]

the guy said he did lots of small trips to work and not much else,said it wasn't even a ten minute drive to his work then car sat all day then drove it home where it sat all night,would you suggest an oil change?

[Tezmax]

the guy said he did lots of small trips to work and not much else,said it wasn't even a ten minute drive to his work then car sat all day then drove it home where it sat all night,would you suggest an oil change?

Its always good practice when buying a second hand car, just for your own piece of mind.

Vw Platinum 15w 40 is ok for your 18t