Yet another spectacular review by Former_Boosted_IS:

Anyone that ever removed a single pipe on the intake track of this car has inevitably found oil literally dripping from the pipes. It is really an un-nerving thing to see oil literally caked all over the pipes that lead to your engine. I remember when I was changing my intercooler for the first time, I was very concerned this oil could damage my new investment. I guess there are a couple of questions that immediately came to my mind and the first was... why does this happen on the N54? Well it is obvious the N54 suffers from blow-by pretty bad. What is blow-by? I found a great explanation that I will quote:

Let's look at your engine for a moment. Every engine during the normal combustion process has blow-by. Engine blow-by is excess combustion gases that leak by the piston rings and escape into the engine crankcase. During each compression or power stroke of a normal engine cycle, a very small amount of gases leak by the piston rings. This happens because the piston rings do not create a perfect seal. This blow-by of gases is very small, but the higher the RPM and the more pistons, the more the blow-by starts to create pressure in the crank.

This pressure needs to be released, and is done so by crank case vents. Because manufactures have to keep environmental issues in mind, these gases can’t just be vented to atmosphere. So the OEM’s vent these gases back to the intake system to be re-burned. This all sounds good, but Blow by is nasty stuff!

Engine blow-by contains gases and oil from the crankcase. The gases aren’t really a problem, but the oil is. This oily mess coats everything in its path as it makes it way back to the combustion chamber. This nasty oil mess gets into the turbo, then boost tubes, then intercooler, into the intake manifold, and finally back into the engine. As the oil creeps in between couplers and boost tubes, it can cause the connection pop off under boost. This oil then gets into the intercooler coating all the cooling fins. This greatly affects the ability of the intercooler to cool, and the efficiency of it will drop! This will cause a huge loss in power and can cause detonation. The last place this oily mess sees before the combustion chamber is the intake valves. Because of the temp differences and the oil impacting them, the oil will start to build up and form sludge. This adds up over time, and can cause many other problems, and hurt performance.
Simply put blow-by is nasty stuff that will inevitably ruin a lot of parts on your car you don't protect yourself. I was not willing to ruin a $1000 intercooler, so I needed a way to catch this oil. The most common way to catch this oil is with an oil catch can. For about 2 years Riss Racing really had the only N54 specific oil catch can, so that is what I have been using. It looked great when I got it and performed well, but unfortunately it has deteriorated over time. The problem is the Riss Racing Oil Catch Can is now known to be a cheap ebay can that is heavily prone to leaking. I finally got sick of looking a glazed over, oil covered catch can and decided to replace it. Thus the search began...

I like the simplicity of a metal filtrate style can because it will work well regardless of the temperature of the oil. They are easy to care for and if built well are trouble free. My search led me to the BSH Competition Oil Catch Can. The BSH product is light years ahead of the Riss Catch Can I had and boasts strong upsides. The BSH Competition Oil Catch Can features the following:
  • BSH N54 Specific 3" Catch Can
  • BSH Billet Aluminum PCV Inlet Adapter
  • BSH Billet Aluminum PCV Outlet Adapter
  • BSH Billet Aluminum Dipstick
  • Push Lock Hose
  • All Hardware Needed For Installation
  • Emissions Compliant

With this information, I decided to order the BSH Competition Oil Catch Can and rid myself of this problem once and for all.

Experience with BSH Speedshop

This was my first experience with BSH Speedshop, so I wanted to find out a little about them. BSH is a full 10,800 square foot facility where they design, develop, manufacture, and distribute their products. BSH is a full high tech shop with multiple CNC machining equipment including milling, turning, tube bending, and cutting equipment. This matters a lot to me because BSH is not just a "pusher" of someone else's product. BSH builds their own parts/kits and holds themselves to a very high standard.

During the ordering process, I was fortunate to talk with Phillip from BSH. In the short time we spoke, I got an overwhelming feeling that he was a race inspired enthusiast. Phillip made is very proud that BSH designs and manufactures their kits in-house. The advantage is they are in direct control of every item that leaves their shop. Phillip was a pleasure to deal with and made my first experience with BSH absolutely superb.

Shortly after ordering the BSH Competition Oil Catch Can, I received tracking info allowing me to plan for the installation. The kit came well packaged and protected.

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The items in the box were protected well with bubble wrap, plastic wrapping, and peanuts.

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You can see each item in the box is individually packaged for easy organization in the install process.

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The CNC Billet Aluminum PCV inlet/out adapters are beautiful items. These are not cheap leaky plastic connectors like I had on my Riss kit. These items really speak volumes to the quality that BSH provides. You can also see the heat resistant double gaskets on each adapter.

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Notice the locking design on the BSH Billet Aluminum PCV outlet adapter. This is important because the oil will be present on the PCV outlet and BSH went the extra step to insure it will remain secure.

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The BSH Catch Can itself is well built and has a beautiful black wrinkle coating.

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A closer look at the BSH Catch Can shows the internal aluminum metal baffling system. This is not a can with a package of steel wool stuffed in it. This catch can is specifically designed to catch oil vapors without sacrificing the crankcase flow.

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How do you check oil in a car? Well, with a dipstick and BSH used the same concept for our oil catch can. It is a great feature and a beautiful billet aluminum item with the BSH logo etched on the top.

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Here is a close-up of the drain plug on the BSH can.

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Finally, you will notice that BSH uses "push lock" hose. This means it is meant to fit secure and leak free.

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I did want to give you a comparison of the Riss Racing Oil Catch Can and the BSH Competition Oil Catch Can.

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The Riss Catch Can looked great when I got it, but now you can see the coat of oil all over the entire thing. Basically it appears every seal that could fail did. The fill tube is bent and deformed. Conversely, the BSH can is a welded one piece canister. The build quality is superb and the finish is OEM.

BSH really put created a quality product here and I am very impressed with every aspect of the kit.

Installation

You take full responsibility for the entire installation process of the BSH Competition Oil Catch Can. This is simply a documentation of the install process I used.

You will need the following items for the install:
  • 3/8" Socket Driver
  • 3/8" Socket Extension
  • 8mm Socket
  • 10mm Socket
  • 5mm Allen Head
  • Flat-head screwdriver
  • Box Cutter Blade

I think there must be 10 DIYs on how to remove the microfiber filter cover, cowl, and ECU covers so I will defer to those. After removing the above items, you will need to remove the engine cover. It is held on by (4) 5mm Allen head bolts.

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Notice the passenger side bolt is recessed a bit, so you will need the extension to remove this bolt.

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With the engine cover removed, you have full access to the PCV inlet/outlet for the installation of the BSH OCC.

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I had the Riss Racing OCC on my car prior, so here is what the connectors looked like connected to the PCV inlet/outlet. Notice the cheap plastic fittings.

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The first item of order here is to remove the inlet and outlet PCV connectors. The driver's side connector has a wire harness that needs to removed first. The actual PCV connector is held on by a clip on the side toward the nose of the car and the side toward the rear of the car. Use a flat head screw driver to carefully pop this connector out.

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The passenger side PCV connector has a square securing clip. You will need to insert a flat head screw driver to release these pops and remove the connector.

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Here are the connectors removed from the car. Passenger side below.

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Driver's side below.

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Now it is time to assemble the BSH Billet Aluminum fittings on the PCV inlet and outlet connectors. The threaded BSH adapter goes on the passenger side connector. Insert it into the PCV connector and then install the brass elbow into the connector. I used blue threadlocker to insure a secure connection.

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Insert the push lock hose onto the brass fitting and secure using the included clamp. You can cut the hose later, but this saves you from trying to secure the clamp in tight quarters.

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Next insert the driver's side BSH adapter into the PCV connector. This has a locking tab to insure the connection remains secure. The locking tab will slide over the lip on the PCV outlet connector and is secured with the Allen screw.

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Now, lets get the BSH catch can and bracket assembled. Use the included screws and washers to secure the bracket to the catch can.

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We need the can installed so we can measure and cut the hose, so that is our next order of business. The BSH OCC is mounted to the bolt near the positive terminal under the hood. This nut/bolt simply holds the heat shield down, so it should be easy to identify. Mount the can/bracket as you want and lock it down.

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Now you can measure the length of hose needed and cut it using a razor blade or box cutter. There is enough hose for some slack and it is better to leave more hose then come up short. I put the engine cover on, so I could simulate the exact setup before marking and cutting the hose. After you mark and cut the hose, insert each hose into the PCV inlet & outlet fittings. It is push lock, so there are no clamps needed. Next insert the PCV inlet/outlet back into their mounting locations and re-attach the wire to the driver's side connecter.

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Connect the hose to the catch can.

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Finally, place the engine cover back on the engine and route the hose over the side of the cover.

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Button everything back up in the opposite order. One thing to note, when you are inserting the passenger side rear bolt on the engine cover you should use tape to hold the bolt to the Allen head socket so you don't drop it. If you do, it is belly pan removal time that will add 30 minutes to the job.

Results

This is about to be the shortest results section I ever wrote. My BSH Competition Oil Catch Can is now collecting oil! LOL. The truth is this is a well engineered and designed aluminum mesh baffling can that should collect oil well and protect our entire post turbo track from accumulation of oil residue and that is cheap insurance.

Conclusion

The customer service from BSH was off the charts. Phillip was a pleasure to order from and I believe will become a source of more great products for our community. They were fast in their shipping and quick to supply me with tracking information. The products were well packaged and protected.

BSH really hit one out of the park with this kit. The fittings are all top notch CNC billet aluminum parts. The catch can is a well built can with an aluminum metal filtrate system that will not sacrifice flow for oil separating ability. The black wrinkle coated can is beautiful and obviously very functional. The billet dip stick is innovative and a great way to determine when it is time to empty the can. Finally all gaskets are heat resistant to protect us from the leaks many of us have dealt with on prior products.

Honestly, I am glad to finally have an oil catch can that I can trust. I have insurance for my intercooler, charge pipe, intake manifold and engine components from oil build-up and in my opinion this is a must for the N54.