I have a 2006 m35 with 96000 miles on it and I recently changed my oil and my pcv valve and when drained I only got 3.5 quarts out of it and my car is not smoking a puff any ideas.

You need to gather/provide more info before you get to the catch can.
1. You drained 3.5 quarts, but how many quarts did you add in afterwards?
2. Before you drained the oil, did you check the dipstick level?
3. How long had it been since the last oil change/top up?
4. Was the car levelled the same way during draining and filling?

I had the oil changed at the dealer last time and never checked the dipstick and it was changed 2800 miles ago and I decided this time to change it cause 500 miles ago I poured 5 ounces of sea foam in the crankcase and I wanted to see if it cleaned up the engine at all. And the car was on my driveway when I changed so pretty level
I tried a high mileage synthetic this time and a puroilater boss filter and poured 5 quarts in

I also did install a new pcv valve and a baffled oil catch can I’ll take pictures to post after I get off work I figure after I put 500 miles on the new oil change I’ll inspect the contents of the can

I’m new to having a m35 bought it with 70000 miles November of 2017 the only thing left is the transmission and rear end

Now that you have an idea how much oil is in it, you can better compare the quantities next time you drain it.
If you do an oil change in 1,000 miles and only drain 4 quarts, then you can establish that you're consuming 1 quart every 1,000 miles etc.

However, you should learn to use the dipstick. Don't just blindly pour in a whole jug of oil. What if the 3.5 quarts was actually at full level and you needed to pour in only 3.5 quarts?
What if it was actually very low and you still need to add another quart?
Only the dipstick can tell you that information; and although I hear the V6 dipstick is tricky to use, it's better than nothing.

Thank you I appreciate it

Sorry to drag this post a bit askew, but I've read that an oil catch can isn't really needed on newer cars unless they have a GDI engine. Supposedly, there is little chance of carbon build up in our engines because the injectors spray gasoline directly into the valves and the engine burns it, keeping the valves relatively clean. My car has little to no oil loss between changes so I'm thinking I don't need a catch can. I just make sure I get a new PCV valve every two years (20k miles). Am I correct or should I still consider adding a catch can?

Larz wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 22, 2019 8:35 am

Sorry to drag this post a bit askew, but I've read that an oil catch can isn't really needed on newer cars unless they have a GDI engine. Supposedly, there is little chance of carbon build up in our engines because the injectors spray gasoline directly into the valves and the engine burns it, keeping the valves relatively clean. My car has little to no oil loss between changes so I'm thinking I don't need a catch can. I just make sure I get a new PCV valve every two years (20k miles). Am I correct or should I still consider adding a catch can?

Over in the Y51 area, one of our posters with an M56 does collect enough oil for it to be a concern.

I installed a oil catch can on my y50 and i get a good amount of oil every 1000 miles. My oil catch can isn't that big so I can't estimate how much oil gets caught. And when i go on a long trip it catches enough that I have to drain the catch can. I have changed out the filter several times since it works just like any other filter. So I can say for my driving it really benefits my ride.

What I didn't know is that I should change out my PCV valve every 20k miles. Is this a good practice to do going forward?

midnightclub619 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 22, 2019 2:40 pm

What I didn't know is that I should change out my PCV valve every 20k miles. Is this a good practice to do going forward?

I am not sure how often the PCV needs to be changed. I don't think I saw it in my maintenance schedule. However, since the PCV is responsible for removing blow by (exhaust gases, , moisture, emissions, oil, etc that is not burned in engine combustion), and it sends it back into the chamber to be burned. If it gets clogged, it can cause an increase in pressure in the crankcase which can harm seals and gaskets. The most popular lifespan I have seen is 50k miles. So, being anal, I get mine changed every 20-30k miles. The best part is ... they are very inexpensive! It's always recommended to use ONLY OEM replacements - no parts store brands. The dealer charges me about $35 but I buy mine at Infinitipartsonline for less than $20 and take it to the dealer with my own oil when it's time to change it. Here are some videos about PCVs:

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@Larz - thanks for the info. appreciate it. I'm about preventive work vs repair work whenever I can. This sounds like a inexpensive preventative fix so I'm 100% down for this. I'll be ordering a few spares to cover me for the next few several thousand miles.

I change my PCV every 25-30kmi. They typically still rattle then but I do it for good measure.

so here comes an uneducated question: for a M37 VQ engine, how many of these are there? One per side?

Mjkkb2 wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:55 am

so here comes an uneducated question: for a M37 VQ engine, how many of these are there? One per side?

Good question. Technically, the single PCV valve is located on the PASSENGER SIDE valve cover because the VQ engines were designed to let out the pressure via this side. If you take a close look there is no PCV on the right valve cover because very few vapors flow through there. However, some people have installed a second catch can. There is no harm in doing this just more cost to help your engine last longer, which is fine by me.

Mjkkb2 wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:55 am

so here comes an uneducated question: for a M37 VQ engine, how many of these are there? One per side?

As designed from the factory, the M37 has 2 PCV valves, while the M35 has 1 PCV valve (as Carguy mentioned before me) and that is for both the VQ35DE and VQ35HR.