by Gabrielle DeSantis

There are a significant number of vehicles with halted production due to chip shortages or other reasoning. One of the suffering models of 2021 has been the highly-anticipated Ford Bronco. Since the announcement of the Bronco returning in 2020, the Bronco has been in extremely high demand. Part of the reason for the stop in production for specifically Broncos is the hardtop roofs. Ford is making roof replacements for all the hardtops purchased, instead of making them for new units. That’s just one contributing factor to why a new Ford Bronco fetched $126,000 at auction.

Why are there such a limited number of Broncos?

There are a few reasons Broncos have such a limited supply, but one sticks out more than the rest. The previously mentioned hardtop roof replacements. Since Ford began replacing the hardtops on already-sold Broncos, reservations for the 2022 model year and beyond have been pushed back. In fact, regular people without unlimited funding will likely be unable to purchase a Bronco for a few years, according to MotorTrend. During the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference, Ford CEO Jim Farley said filling Bronco reservations will take some time. The chip shortage is predicted to prevent inventory from returning to normal until at least 2022.

While 2022 doesn’t seem all that far away, it is compared to the number of reservations made for the Bronco. The SUV has 190,000 reservations and is basically sold out completely for two entire years. Buying a new Bronco will be nothing short of impossible for quite some time unless you have the kind of money someone did at Mecum’s car auction.

Someone paid $126,000 for a Ford Bronco

Mecum’s car auction takes place in Dallas, Texas saw a Ford Bronco sell for $126,000. The vehicle starts at only $63,000 brand new, which is exactly half the selling price. Taking into account that dealers have been marking up sticker prices by tens of thousands may ease some pain. Though, tens of thousands is still a lot less than completely doubling the retail price of the vehicle. Regardless of how completely crazy it is to buy a Bronco at this price, it seems like it will be the only way to get a new Bronco for a while. Sure, used ones will come around eventually from the past few years of production; but few are available and those owners will know just as well to markup their prices. A new Bronco is going to be the unicorn of the car industry over the next year or two.

Similarly, MotorTrend reported the exact same First Edition Bronco but in a different color was sold on eBay for $150,000. The demand for the newly redesigned Bronco’s comeback has been tremendous since before it became available. As long as demand continues, prices will not change. Unfortunately for casual buyers, they will have no chance to get a new one. Dealerships are marking up anything rare by a tremendous amount of money. That’s why we don’t recommend trying to get a new Ford Bronco for a while. If the chip shortage ends and demand for the vehicle dies down during the next 1-2 years, it is perfectly plausible that Broncos will become more available and affordable rather quickly. Until then, we’ll probably see more new Ford Broncos fetch $126,000 at auction.

RELATED: 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor Markups Have Appeared

The post New Ford Bronco Fetches $126,000 at Auction appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Your car’s engine has a very intricate way of taking care of itself. For example, when oil blowby occurs, the engine is set up to recirculate the oil through the engine again, however, that can lead to power loss over time unless you install an oil catch can. But what is a catch can and is it illegal to install one in your car?

What is oil blow-by?

In order to understand what an oil catch can is, you first need to know what oil blow-by is. In a typical four-stroke engine, there is an intake stroke, which lets the air-fuel mixture into the cylinder; the compression stroke, which compresses that air/fuel mixture; the power stroke, which is when the spark (from the plugs) ignites the mixture and forced the piston back into the cylinder; and the exhaust stroke, which is when the exhaust gas is pushed out of the cylinder.

During the compression stroke, an immense amount of pressure is built up so much that a small amount of air can escape from around the piston rings. This is called “blow-by,” and the higher the RPM your engine spins the more blow-by it will have. Fortunately, every engine has a PCV system that vents the crankcase – and the blow-by – and routes it back into the engine’s combustions chambers to safely burn them up.

Why would anyone want to use an oil catch can?

Every PCV system works the same way – there is a PCV breather valve that sits atop the engine valve cover, which vents the blow-by through a hose and into the intake manifold to route it back into the engine. It’s a simple and effective way to get that oil and fuel mixture out of the engine, but the constant re-cycling and re-burning can eventually lead to oil and carbon buildup on the engine’s valves.

This is especially true if your car has a “direct-injected” engine since these types of engines spray fuel directly into the combustion chamber. The solution is to use an oil catch can, which is a canister that has a filter and baffles in it along with two hoses to connect to the valve cover and the intake manifold.

When oil blow-by occurs, the mixture is sent into the oil catch can, which filters it and circulates the air back into the combustion chamber. The end result is that your engine will have cleaner valves and combustion chambers over time.

Is hooking up an oil catch can to your engine illegal?

While smog laws can vary by state, it is typically illegal to install an oil catch in your car’s engine bay, according to SmogTips.com. Although a catch can could help your car’s engine run well for a long time, modifying the PCV system is illegal since it’s part of the engine’s emissions system. If a technician were to see an oil catch can installed on your car while performing an emissions test, they may fail you on the spot.

However, if you’re able to legally install an oil catch in your state (check your local laws), then your car can benefit from not having that nasty oil and fuel mixture recirculated back into it. The only tough part is having to locate it somewhere convenient in the engine bay and remembering to empty it out from time to time, reports Road and Track.

But if you don’t want to have worry about any of that, then stick with the stock PCV system. After all, it’s your engine’s way of taking care of itself.

RELATED: The 10 Ways Your Car Could Catch Fire

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