Water in intake

Whenever the EGR valve opens, there is exhaust flowing into the manifold. Exhaust features carbon dioxide and water prominently. I was able to pour some water out of my EGR pipe when I took it off.

Of course up there in the EGR pipe it's pretty much clean water, freshly condensed from vapor. To make the milky crap, it has to end up down in the lower manifold and mix with the other stuff.

 

I've noticed that in my oil catch can, especially during the colder months, that I trap a lot more fluid and it is milkier. I've assumed that this is due to the vapors that are pulled from the crankcase being more likely to condense in the catch can and hose due to them being colder. So I wouldn't be too worried about this, especially if this is seasonal.

Another source of water can be gas containing ethanol. From what I understand, ethanol tends to absorb water so it creates more water vapor in the exhaust and blow-by gasses.

 

You don't need to look very hard to explain water in exhaust. The whole business of running an engine is combining hydrocarbons (gasoline) with oxygen, so the H and C separate, they both combine with O, and you get CO₂ and H₂O. The engine is a water factory. Other amounts that might absorb into ethanol, etc., are icing on the cake.

 

Falling ambient temperatures may have contributed.

 

I have 2 OCC in series. The first catches mostly oil, the second mostly water. I drain them both, spring and fall, in conjunction with six monthly oil changes. Fall drain I get maybe 1/4 cup from first can, hardly anything from second. Spring drain is about the same from first can, second can can have have more than first can. Again, mostly water.

 

What useful purpose do you feel the second one serves? As long as it doesn't get cool enough to condense, water vapor going into the manifold from normal PCV flow does no great harm that we hear about.

 

Second can’s content is still far from spring water, about 25% hydrocarbons of some sort.

 

PCV valve left as is, PCV hose cut at middle and twin Moroso 85474 spliced in. They are pricey though. The second one I “had”, so what the heck.