HYDE161
Go Kart Champion
Disclaimer: I am only providing my feedback to help people decide if they feel they would benefit from what I have installed in my own car.
After my Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit review, I came across a fellow club member who had installed the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit. With cars side by side I started to review the differences between both kits and the possible advantages that the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit had. The Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit served me well, I never had an issue with the PCV “Africa” plate, catch can, or mount. I did have some early generation silicone hoses that “sweat” the blow-by, specifically the hose from the PCV “Africa” plate to the catch can but Forge sent me replacements. I also had an early generation 90 degree swivel nipple on the top of the PCV “Africa” plate that leaked over time and again Forge sent me a replacement right away. The only other issue I had was that the latest generation rubber hose connection at the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler) would kink and possibly reduce any vacuum in the system. Over the past few years the kit served me well and collected some foul blow-by. After seeing the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit in person, I could tell this was an immediate upgrade for several reasons discussed below. Depending on where you source these catch can kits from the pricing is very similar but I feel you gain a few more advantages with the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit.
Options For Choosing A Catch Can Kit:
I have been fortunate enough to review various products which sometimes fall into the same category, thus allowing me to share my direct comparison of parts produced by various companies which may perform the same functions. Many people would rather spend their hard earned money on fast or show parts but being in my early 30’s I’m about preserving what I have worked so hard for. For me, a catch can offers a little piece of mind and adds some show parts to my engine bay. I will state this now, I DO NOT believe that catch can kits prevent carbon buildup on valves. I have had a carbon cleaning at 35,500 miles and if a catch can had any impact on the carbon build-up, it was negligible. I have had a catch can kit on my car since 5,000 miles and what I feel it prevents is blow-by entering the intake tract which could coat the intercooler hoses, intercooler, turbo and throttle body pipe with an oil/gasoline/water mixture called blow-by. Now, this can be argued, but my school of thought is that if I can keep any oil formation from coating my intercooler, this could technically keep air temps as low as possible as oil retains heat. However minimal the heat soak is from the effect of blow-by coating the intake tract, I’m still willing to run a catch can for this reason. When I first installed my intercooler at 5,000 miles I already found my intercooler hoses coated in blow-by. Ever since running the catch can I can honestly say that all intercooler hoses are bone dry at 40,000 miles today.
Blow-By Coated Intercooler Hoses at 5,000 Before Catch Can Addition:
Cylinder Scraped During Carbon Cleaning at 35,500 Miles:
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Description:
The 034Motorsport Transverse 2.0 TSI Catch Can Kit is here! We've put months of engineering and testing to create the most complete and effective catch can kit on the market. The 034Motorsport Transverse 2.0 TSI Catch Can Kit features a completely new proprietary catch can, as well as an internally-channeled valve cover breather assembly to provide optimal crankcase ventilation, while keeping oil and water vapor out of the intake tract. This kit is designed to prevent oil from depositing in the intake manifold and intake valves, resulting in drastically reduced carbon buildup and extended life of the intake manifold flapper assembly.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Features & My Comments:
Complete PCV System Replacement – If you have ever taken the OEM PCV system apart, it’s a complete failure
Prevents Crankcase Oil Deposits in Intake Manifold and on Intake Valves – While I would agree with the intake manifold, I DO NOT believe it prevents deposits on the intake valves.
Reduces Carbon Buildup - I will state this again, I DO NOT believe that catch can kits prevent carbon buildup on valves.
Ensures Proper Crankcase Ventilation - Agreed
Eliminates Potential Boost Leak at PCV Assembly - Agreed
Retains Factory Engine Cover – Nice to have but I love showing off the 034 Motorsport Catch Can PCV Plate
100% Bolt-In Installation – Agreed, super simple install, everything fit and bolted down flawlessly.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Unboxing:
Being that I get packages delivered to my house every day (some may say my goal is to spend all my money like Brewster’s Millions but I’m not getting the 300 million no matter how much I spend), I have come to appreciate proper packaging. To me this shows a sign of respect to the customer when a company ensures that parts will arrive protected and separated. As with the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit everything was individually wrapped in thick plastic bags. The parts were packaged so that the anodized surfaces would not be damaged. Kudos to 034 Motorsport for their packaging. Inside you’ll find the contents listed below.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Contents & My Comments:
CNC-Machined Billet Aluminum 034Motorsport Valve Cover Breather Assembly (Black Anodized) – Gorgeous, thick, real quality piece
034Motorsport Modular Catch Can Assembly (Black Anodized) – This thing is so beefy and extremely high quality
-10 AN Catch Can Inlet/Outlet Hoses – Love the screw on fittings, makes it so much easier to service the system, the braided hoses blow rubber or silicone hoses away.
No-Drill Mounting Bracket – This was probably my favorite piece, it’s mounted using one of the motor mount holes and will not budge.
Intake Manifold Plug & Boost Tap – Very nice boost tap assembly, offers a single boost tap but quality boost tap barb.
Installation Hardware – Very straightforward, PCV plate bolts, catch can bolt for motor mount, anodized and inscribed hose retainer clamps.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit vs. Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit:
Ok time to get down to the direct comparison. I’ll provide this comparison in a list format, breaking down each component and comparing them.
PCV Plate & Hardware: Both PCV plates are anodized and inscribed with company logo but the plates are completely different in terms of their PCV blow-by collection design. Forge offers a thinner, lower profile PCV “Africa” plate, reuses the OEM PCV plate bolts and has a 90 degree swivel nipple out of the top of the plate. 034 Motorsport offers a much thicker, taller profile PCV plate, includes new PCV plate bolts and has two AN fittings out the front of the plate. Aside from the cosmetic changes on the top of the PCV plates, the underside is where it gets really interesting. The Forge PCV “Africa” plate remains flat on the underside of the plate aside from the seashell style splash pocket in the lower corner. The underside of the 90 degree swivel nipple has a beveled hole where the blow-by can escape and be routed through the rubber hose to the catch can. The PCV vapors, after filtered through the catch can, get routed from the catch can back to the rubber hose connection at the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler). The 034 Motorsport PCV plate is engineered entirely different. The plate has two recessed chambers; the one on the left vents crankcase fumes and pressure through a baffled opening which shields raw oil from being flung out by the spinning cams. This should mean that less oil should leave the crank case and only the PCV vapors are routed through the first hose to the catch can. The vortex design inside the catch can throws the heavier solids to the outside of the can where they run down and collect or drain back to the oil pan (in the case of the optional drain back option). After the catch can, the PCV vapors flow back through the second hose and enter the second chamber of the PCV plate where they are routed to the OEM PCV breather hose and ultimately back to the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler). The result should be reduced crank case ventilation (the main purpose of venting the block), and cleaner exhausted air without the blow-by mixture of oil, gasoline or water. The main difference I see is that the Forge PCV “Africa” plate may allow more raw oil through the beveled hole where the 034 Motorsport PCV plate’s baffled design may greatly reduces this from happening.
Catch Can: The Forge catch can is a lightweight, powder coated can with glass window to check the blow-by collection level. At the bottom of the can there is a bolt and washer which can be removed to drain the tank. It’s a very straightforward catch can tank and I can’t speak to the internal baffle design. The 034 Motorsport catch can is a heavyweight, anodized and inscribed can but doesn’t have a glass window or method to check the blow-by collection level. Depending on if the PCV plate design is more effective and could possibly collect more blow-by, I will have to drain the can in a month to see how much was collected and set an appropriate maintenance routine for draining the can. Luckily, the can detaches must faster with easier access so it’s really not a burden at all.
Catch Can Mount: This was probably the difference I really enjoyed. Forge includes a very basic and thin L bracket which bolts down to a pre-existing OEM bolt hole in the body. From there a horizontal bolt slides through the top of the L bracket and into the backside of the catch can. When fully assembled, you could easily move the catch can around as the L bracket flexed. Very rarely, the L bracket bolt would loosen and the catch can would tilt and start vibrating against the headlight housing while the car was on. As I regularly empty my catch can, it became cumbersome to get my hand behind the catch can to access the horizontal bolt, unscrew the work gear clamps, pry off the sticky rubber hoses from the catch can nipples and service the system. The 034 Motorsport Mount is a beefy, anodized mount which separates from the catch can via two top located allen screws. The mount reuses the OEM motor mount front bolt location with included replacement allen key bolt. I simply removed the OEM motor mount bolt (front bolt), placed the catch can mount in front of the motor mount and used the included allen key bolt to tighten it to the chassis. There is now ZERO flex and the can will be much easier to remove via the two top located allen screws.
Hoses & Fittings: Forge offers rubber hoses (do not “sweat” blow-by like the generation 1 silicone hoses) and worm gear clamps. One hose connects from the 90 degree swivel nipple on the top of the PCV “Africa” plate and runs to the inlet nipple on the catch can. The second rubber hose runs from the catch can outlet nipple to the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler). The one gripe I had about these rubber hoses was that where the hose connects to the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler), it would kink due to the original shape of the hose no matter how you routed the hose around the intake tube. No matter what I did there was a kink in the hose which I felt could affect the vacuum effect needed to draw the PCV vapors through the catch can system. The 034 Motorsport hoses are a piece of work, the braided hoses with AN fittings are solid and are not easily flexible, leading me to believe they will never constrict or kink. 034 Motorsport also includes an anodized and inscribed hose retainer clamp to keep the braided hoses together. When servicing the catch can, unscrewing the AN fittings will be a breeze compared to unscrewing the work gear clamps.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Installation:
Overall it is a straightforward installation, install the PCV plate, install the catch can and mount and route the hoses. If you are swapping catch can kits it will be a direct one for one replacement. If you have never removed the OEM PCV system before, please follow my instructions in Post #2 of my Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit review. As another reference, it may be easier to follow the 034Motorsport MkV/MkVI 2.0 TSI Catch Can Kit Installation Guide. The one added step I took this time around was to order 22ple VM1 Signature Rim and Metal Coat from Detailer’s Domain. I have found that this hardening sealant works extremely well to protect anodized surfaces. With the Forge Catch Can Kit, the PCV “Africa” plate had some minor stains on it from the oil which leaked out from the faulty generation 1 90 degree swivel nipple. This time around I applied the 22ple VM1 Signature Rim and Metal Coat to the anodized catch can, anodized catch can mount and the anodized PCV plate for the ultimate protection. Application is easy, wear latex gloves, put a few drops on a lint-free makeup pad, wipe over the surfaces, allow to dry for 10 minutes, wipe off excess with clean microfiber cloth, buff with another clean microfiber cloth, allow to dry/set/harden for 12-24 hours and toss the microfiber cloths away (they will harden after 12-24 hours and are useless).
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Required Tools:
T30 Torx Driver
T27 Torx Driver
Various Allen Drivers
16mm & 17mm Sockets
-10AN Wrench or 1” Hex Wrench
Oil Drain Pan (only for installing oil drain kit.)
Overall Results and Recommendations:
The install was a breeze for anyone who has replaced air hoses on a car before with simple hand tools. I fired the engine up and checked for any possible catch can / hose vibration and rubbing against other components. I listened for leaks or whistles but the 034 Motorsport Catch Can and hoses were firmly secured without any movement or air leaks. The car sounded the same at idle on the outside and inside of the car. There weren’t any sound or performance differences when in neutral or while driving (as to be expected) and boost was holding strong. The 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit IMO looks much better than the Forge Catch Can Kit. The anodized surfaces, AN fittings and braided hoses scream motorsport. IMO it is well worth the price for the quality, instructions, amazing customer service and of course the removal of blow-by from the PCV vapors. Only time will tell how the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit holds up or even how much blow-by it will collect. I will be sure to circle back with an update on my servicing and blow-by collection.
After my Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit review, I came across a fellow club member who had installed the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit. With cars side by side I started to review the differences between both kits and the possible advantages that the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit had. The Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit served me well, I never had an issue with the PCV “Africa” plate, catch can, or mount. I did have some early generation silicone hoses that “sweat” the blow-by, specifically the hose from the PCV “Africa” plate to the catch can but Forge sent me replacements. I also had an early generation 90 degree swivel nipple on the top of the PCV “Africa” plate that leaked over time and again Forge sent me a replacement right away. The only other issue I had was that the latest generation rubber hose connection at the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler) would kink and possibly reduce any vacuum in the system. Over the past few years the kit served me well and collected some foul blow-by. After seeing the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit in person, I could tell this was an immediate upgrade for several reasons discussed below. Depending on where you source these catch can kits from the pricing is very similar but I feel you gain a few more advantages with the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit.
Options For Choosing A Catch Can Kit:
I have been fortunate enough to review various products which sometimes fall into the same category, thus allowing me to share my direct comparison of parts produced by various companies which may perform the same functions. Many people would rather spend their hard earned money on fast or show parts but being in my early 30’s I’m about preserving what I have worked so hard for. For me, a catch can offers a little piece of mind and adds some show parts to my engine bay. I will state this now, I DO NOT believe that catch can kits prevent carbon buildup on valves. I have had a carbon cleaning at 35,500 miles and if a catch can had any impact on the carbon build-up, it was negligible. I have had a catch can kit on my car since 5,000 miles and what I feel it prevents is blow-by entering the intake tract which could coat the intercooler hoses, intercooler, turbo and throttle body pipe with an oil/gasoline/water mixture called blow-by. Now, this can be argued, but my school of thought is that if I can keep any oil formation from coating my intercooler, this could technically keep air temps as low as possible as oil retains heat. However minimal the heat soak is from the effect of blow-by coating the intake tract, I’m still willing to run a catch can for this reason. When I first installed my intercooler at 5,000 miles I already found my intercooler hoses coated in blow-by. Ever since running the catch can I can honestly say that all intercooler hoses are bone dry at 40,000 miles today.
Blow-By Coated Intercooler Hoses at 5,000 Before Catch Can Addition:
Cylinder Scraped During Carbon Cleaning at 35,500 Miles:
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Description:
The 034Motorsport Transverse 2.0 TSI Catch Can Kit is here! We've put months of engineering and testing to create the most complete and effective catch can kit on the market. The 034Motorsport Transverse 2.0 TSI Catch Can Kit features a completely new proprietary catch can, as well as an internally-channeled valve cover breather assembly to provide optimal crankcase ventilation, while keeping oil and water vapor out of the intake tract. This kit is designed to prevent oil from depositing in the intake manifold and intake valves, resulting in drastically reduced carbon buildup and extended life of the intake manifold flapper assembly.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Features & My Comments:
Complete PCV System Replacement – If you have ever taken the OEM PCV system apart, it’s a complete failure
Prevents Crankcase Oil Deposits in Intake Manifold and on Intake Valves – While I would agree with the intake manifold, I DO NOT believe it prevents deposits on the intake valves.
Reduces Carbon Buildup - I will state this again, I DO NOT believe that catch can kits prevent carbon buildup on valves.
Ensures Proper Crankcase Ventilation - Agreed
Eliminates Potential Boost Leak at PCV Assembly - Agreed
Retains Factory Engine Cover – Nice to have but I love showing off the 034 Motorsport Catch Can PCV Plate
100% Bolt-In Installation – Agreed, super simple install, everything fit and bolted down flawlessly.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Unboxing:
Being that I get packages delivered to my house every day (some may say my goal is to spend all my money like Brewster’s Millions but I’m not getting the 300 million no matter how much I spend), I have come to appreciate proper packaging. To me this shows a sign of respect to the customer when a company ensures that parts will arrive protected and separated. As with the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit everything was individually wrapped in thick plastic bags. The parts were packaged so that the anodized surfaces would not be damaged. Kudos to 034 Motorsport for their packaging. Inside you’ll find the contents listed below.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Contents & My Comments:
CNC-Machined Billet Aluminum 034Motorsport Valve Cover Breather Assembly (Black Anodized) – Gorgeous, thick, real quality piece
034Motorsport Modular Catch Can Assembly (Black Anodized) – This thing is so beefy and extremely high quality
-10 AN Catch Can Inlet/Outlet Hoses – Love the screw on fittings, makes it so much easier to service the system, the braided hoses blow rubber or silicone hoses away.
No-Drill Mounting Bracket – This was probably my favorite piece, it’s mounted using one of the motor mount holes and will not budge.
Intake Manifold Plug & Boost Tap – Very nice boost tap assembly, offers a single boost tap but quality boost tap barb.
Installation Hardware – Very straightforward, PCV plate bolts, catch can bolt for motor mount, anodized and inscribed hose retainer clamps.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit vs. Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit:
Ok time to get down to the direct comparison. I’ll provide this comparison in a list format, breaking down each component and comparing them.
PCV Plate & Hardware: Both PCV plates are anodized and inscribed with company logo but the plates are completely different in terms of their PCV blow-by collection design. Forge offers a thinner, lower profile PCV “Africa” plate, reuses the OEM PCV plate bolts and has a 90 degree swivel nipple out of the top of the plate. 034 Motorsport offers a much thicker, taller profile PCV plate, includes new PCV plate bolts and has two AN fittings out the front of the plate. Aside from the cosmetic changes on the top of the PCV plates, the underside is where it gets really interesting. The Forge PCV “Africa” plate remains flat on the underside of the plate aside from the seashell style splash pocket in the lower corner. The underside of the 90 degree swivel nipple has a beveled hole where the blow-by can escape and be routed through the rubber hose to the catch can. The PCV vapors, after filtered through the catch can, get routed from the catch can back to the rubber hose connection at the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler). The 034 Motorsport PCV plate is engineered entirely different. The plate has two recessed chambers; the one on the left vents crankcase fumes and pressure through a baffled opening which shields raw oil from being flung out by the spinning cams. This should mean that less oil should leave the crank case and only the PCV vapors are routed through the first hose to the catch can. The vortex design inside the catch can throws the heavier solids to the outside of the can where they run down and collect or drain back to the oil pan (in the case of the optional drain back option). After the catch can, the PCV vapors flow back through the second hose and enter the second chamber of the PCV plate where they are routed to the OEM PCV breather hose and ultimately back to the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler). The result should be reduced crank case ventilation (the main purpose of venting the block), and cleaner exhausted air without the blow-by mixture of oil, gasoline or water. The main difference I see is that the Forge PCV “Africa” plate may allow more raw oil through the beveled hole where the 034 Motorsport PCV plate’s baffled design may greatly reduces this from happening.
Catch Can: The Forge catch can is a lightweight, powder coated can with glass window to check the blow-by collection level. At the bottom of the can there is a bolt and washer which can be removed to drain the tank. It’s a very straightforward catch can tank and I can’t speak to the internal baffle design. The 034 Motorsport catch can is a heavyweight, anodized and inscribed can but doesn’t have a glass window or method to check the blow-by collection level. Depending on if the PCV plate design is more effective and could possibly collect more blow-by, I will have to drain the can in a month to see how much was collected and set an appropriate maintenance routine for draining the can. Luckily, the can detaches must faster with easier access so it’s really not a burden at all.
Catch Can Mount: This was probably the difference I really enjoyed. Forge includes a very basic and thin L bracket which bolts down to a pre-existing OEM bolt hole in the body. From there a horizontal bolt slides through the top of the L bracket and into the backside of the catch can. When fully assembled, you could easily move the catch can around as the L bracket flexed. Very rarely, the L bracket bolt would loosen and the catch can would tilt and start vibrating against the headlight housing while the car was on. As I regularly empty my catch can, it became cumbersome to get my hand behind the catch can to access the horizontal bolt, unscrew the work gear clamps, pry off the sticky rubber hoses from the catch can nipples and service the system. The 034 Motorsport Mount is a beefy, anodized mount which separates from the catch can via two top located allen screws. The mount reuses the OEM motor mount front bolt location with included replacement allen key bolt. I simply removed the OEM motor mount bolt (front bolt), placed the catch can mount in front of the motor mount and used the included allen key bolt to tighten it to the chassis. There is now ZERO flex and the can will be much easier to remove via the two top located allen screws.
Hoses & Fittings: Forge offers rubber hoses (do not “sweat” blow-by like the generation 1 silicone hoses) and worm gear clamps. One hose connects from the 90 degree swivel nipple on the top of the PCV “Africa” plate and runs to the inlet nipple on the catch can. The second rubber hose runs from the catch can outlet nipple to the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler). The one gripe I had about these rubber hoses was that where the hose connects to the turbo inlet (nipple off of the intake pipe right above the turbo coupler), it would kink due to the original shape of the hose no matter how you routed the hose around the intake tube. No matter what I did there was a kink in the hose which I felt could affect the vacuum effect needed to draw the PCV vapors through the catch can system. The 034 Motorsport hoses are a piece of work, the braided hoses with AN fittings are solid and are not easily flexible, leading me to believe they will never constrict or kink. 034 Motorsport also includes an anodized and inscribed hose retainer clamp to keep the braided hoses together. When servicing the catch can, unscrewing the AN fittings will be a breeze compared to unscrewing the work gear clamps.
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Installation:
Overall it is a straightforward installation, install the PCV plate, install the catch can and mount and route the hoses. If you are swapping catch can kits it will be a direct one for one replacement. If you have never removed the OEM PCV system before, please follow my instructions in Post #2 of my Forge Motorsport Catch Can Kit review. As another reference, it may be easier to follow the 034Motorsport MkV/MkVI 2.0 TSI Catch Can Kit Installation Guide. The one added step I took this time around was to order 22ple VM1 Signature Rim and Metal Coat from Detailer’s Domain. I have found that this hardening sealant works extremely well to protect anodized surfaces. With the Forge Catch Can Kit, the PCV “Africa” plate had some minor stains on it from the oil which leaked out from the faulty generation 1 90 degree swivel nipple. This time around I applied the 22ple VM1 Signature Rim and Metal Coat to the anodized catch can, anodized catch can mount and the anodized PCV plate for the ultimate protection. Application is easy, wear latex gloves, put a few drops on a lint-free makeup pad, wipe over the surfaces, allow to dry for 10 minutes, wipe off excess with clean microfiber cloth, buff with another clean microfiber cloth, allow to dry/set/harden for 12-24 hours and toss the microfiber cloths away (they will harden after 12-24 hours and are useless).
034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit Required Tools:
T30 Torx Driver
T27 Torx Driver
Various Allen Drivers
16mm & 17mm Sockets
-10AN Wrench or 1” Hex Wrench
Oil Drain Pan (only for installing oil drain kit.)
Overall Results and Recommendations:
The install was a breeze for anyone who has replaced air hoses on a car before with simple hand tools. I fired the engine up and checked for any possible catch can / hose vibration and rubbing against other components. I listened for leaks or whistles but the 034 Motorsport Catch Can and hoses were firmly secured without any movement or air leaks. The car sounded the same at idle on the outside and inside of the car. There weren’t any sound or performance differences when in neutral or while driving (as to be expected) and boost was holding strong. The 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit IMO looks much better than the Forge Catch Can Kit. The anodized surfaces, AN fittings and braided hoses scream motorsport. IMO it is well worth the price for the quality, instructions, amazing customer service and of course the removal of blow-by from the PCV vapors. Only time will tell how the 034 Motorsport Catch Can Kit holds up or even how much blow-by it will collect. I will be sure to circle back with an update on my servicing and blow-by collection.
for peoples quick reference
