oil filter mumbo jumbo...

[six t six mike]

Here is some info I found on oil filters dont know if its true or not but its interesting reading....



"Always the talk about oil: oil types, brands, weights, viscosities, etc. But often the most important part of the lubrication is overlooked. The heart of this would be the oil filter.
Engine oil filters have one purpose in life: to filter out the particles that enter the oil so that they don't act as abrasives when the oil recirculates. The filter is a cellulose (paper) or synthetic media that is usually contained in a steel can. Many filters have an anti-drainback valve to prevent dirty oil from backwashing back into the oil pan. They also have a pressure relief or bypass valve that will allow oil to bypass the filter element in the event that it becomes too plugged to pass enough oil. This prevents engine oil starvation and the possibility of destroying the element, possibly causing pieces of it and the junk it filtered to enter the engine.
More useless information:
The media the comprises a filter is made out of one of the following:
Synthetics – the best

Fiberglass – decent but not the best, mainly because the media is held together with glues and therefore decreases flows

Cellulose – cheapest, swells and distorts over time and flow.

Filter Parts Breakdown:
1. The Base, which contains the engine filter seal, mounting threads (outlet hole), and the interior oil filter one-way (anti-drain back) valve.
2. The Can, which encloses the rest of the filter assembly and is roll mounted to the base.
3. The Filter, which contains the medium that removes foreign particles from the oil and is mounted on a sturdy frame.
4. The By-Pass Valve, which is rated for a certain amount of pressure so that it lets oil by-pass the filter when pressure exceeds OEM limits.
5. The Spring, which generally functions to ensure that the filter assembly fits snugly into the base and gasket .

The question comes down to which filter to buy:

Who makes the best? Who makes who? Which filter should I use?

A breakdown on the maker of filters is listed below:

Honeywell - makes Fram (In Canada the Quaker State filters are Fram filters / In the USA, QS is Purolator), Pennzoil, Quaker State

Honeywell is not even an automotive based company. Their primary sales consist of air conditioning filters, insulation, etc. Cars are not their business. They always rate the poorest in filter reviews. Even their best filter (Extra-tough guard) is only decent. They have very cheap internal parts, but people buy them. I will give them credit, they have a great marketing strategy. Bright cute colors and a sure-grip™ top will sell anything.

Arvin Meritor - makes Purolator Premium Plus, PureONE, Ford OEM, V-1 & SureFlow (Superflow?)

Better then Honeywell, Arvin Meritor dabbles quite a bit in automotive parts. Filters are not their only gig; they also produce steering/suspension parts, etc. They produce a low – medium line filter. Nothing fancy….

Dana - makes Wix and Napa Gold/Silver, AC Delco DuraGuards for Canada

Even a better manufacturer of filters…some (Wix, Napa Gold line, some Delcos, etc.) come with synthetic valves & media. They are considered a medium line filter. Dana makes some great products, nothing cheap here.

Baldwin (Parent of Hastings) - Baldwin, Hastings, Amsoil, Casite, etc.

Baldwin has pretty big range of quality. Their bottom of the line is the Hastings filter which is a decent filter and extends up to their top of the line Amsoil filter. You get what you pay for here.

Champion Labs - Mobil 1, K&N, Supertech, AC Delco DuraGuards (two different types) for USA, Bosch Premium, STP, Ultraguard Gold, Deutch & Luberfiner

Here we have the biggest range and the largest manufacturer of filters. Champion Labs is responsible for making many OEM filters. Ford has used Champion Labs and so has Chrysler and GM. Champion Labs make some of the best filters like the Mobil 1 & K&N. The cheapest, the Supertech, actually betters out the FRAM in density and length of media believe it or not. But then, Champion is also responsible for some junk like the STP and Bosch. So if you are going cheap, grab the Supertech over the FRAM or basic Purolator.

Cummins - owns Fleetguard filters (primary supplier of trucks)

Mann - a top quality German filter maker. Comes on BMWs, Porsche, Audi, some Volvos.


Summary: There are some filters I may have overlooked, but this largely covers 95% of all the oil filters made. In a nutshell you have:

Best filters: AC Delco, Baldwin, Amsoil, Mobil 1, K&N, .

Medium: AC Delco, Napa, Wix, PureOne(?)

Crap filters: Fram, Bosch, Penzzoil & Quaker (made by Fram)


What good is good oil when you have junk filtration? I don’t want to bore you with flow rates, media densities, etc. But what are a few of bucks difference? You are better off running good oil and a good filter 7500 miles then running junk for 3000. A base line FRAM stops filtration at around 2500-3000 hard miles anyway. "

[jimr]

I use Canton Mecca on my VW motor. Expensive, but the best in my opinion.

[Dean N]

i use a systems 1 on mine, it seems to wrok ok... kind of scary sometimes to see what is flowing through the motor.

thank you for the information... i always just buy a fram but after reading this i will buy something else instead.

need to do one for oil too

ty

[Jason Foster]

I use Mobil1. good read though.

[scottsain]

i use the shawn geers on my race engines.  any word on those?

[Glenn]

I use Canton Mecca on my VW motor. Expensive, but the best in my opinion.

Great minds...

[VWGLENN]

  Glad you put Fram at the bottom of the list, used to be a great brand and today crap coming from Mexico and the price is still the same, want the Best for your German Car, go with Mann !!  Just my 2 Cents, VWGlenn........

[Street Survival]

i use the shawn geers on my race engines.  any word on those?

Yeah, what about those Geers?  And JayCee makes that type also.  They use "washable" stainless steel fabric for a filter and no bypass at all.  Anyone have an opinion on these?

[The Inspector]

Yeah, what about those Geers?  And JayCee makes that type also.  They use "washable" stainless steel fabric for a filter and no bypass at all.  Anyone have an opinion on these?

  These filters are made by "UltraFilter", Shawn and Jack just have their names engraved on them.

  We use an external ajdustable bypass,..... have had these filters blow out the "exposed " O-Ring seal......... @ 70 psi oil pressure

Went to a System One Filter and have not had any issues as the O-ring seals are "Enclosed" in the Body of the filter housing. ....Exact same filter medium.

[Eaallred]

I believe a filter MUST have a pressure bypass in them to work properly. As stated above, oil starvation can result, but if you think about it, if you also 'force' oil through the element and it's plugging up with contaminants, that junk will start pushing through as well. The big mis-conception to the bypass is people think that if the bypass is rated at 30psi, then the oil bypasses the filter when oil pressure is 30psi or higher. This is wrong. It is when the pressure on one side of the filter element is 30psi higher than the other side of the filter element. For this reason, and that there isn't as much filter surface area, or the filtration level as a synthetic filter element, I avoid the cool looking billet filters.  They look cool as hell, but function-wise, i'm not buying it. Also, those that run those filters, has an ultrasonic cleaner at home to properly clean the elelement? If not, you're just putting a dirty filter back into the system.

I'd rather buy a filter at the store, and throw the old one away. The filter I use is avaliable at my local FLAPS, has 400 square inches of synthetic filter media surface area that filters down to 10 microns, and is under $10. It's tough to get better bang for the buck than that IMHO.

[turbotype1]

Eric,

  What brand do you use...I also like the idea of disposing of the old one

Pete

[Eaallred]

I run the Purolator "Pure One". No cardboard construction, all silicone instead of rubber, etc. Probably the nicest "spin on, disposable" filter avaliable.

[Glenn]

Canton Mecca do not have a bypass and they say the filter will never clog. it's rated for extended service of 20,000 miles.

[Eaallred]

they say the filter will never clog.

If a filter will "never" clog, then it isn't doing much good at filtering. (think about it).

[Glenn]

If a filter will "never" clog, then it isn't doing much good at filtering. (think about it).

Or there's enough surface area to not cause a severe restriction.

Call Canton Mecca, the techs are really nice and know their stuff.

[Paul Guard]

If the bypass opens because the paper is clogged, your engine is already toast.  The true function of the bypass is to save the paper element from tearing during cold startups, or when a higher volume of oil is being pumped through the filter than the paper can pass.

On cold startup, the surge of oil through the bypass often contains contaminants that failed to embed in the paper.  This is why something like a System One is superior to a paper element filter ... the System One's "safety valve" (which looks like a bypass valve) virutally never opens.

A cheap paper element filter may boast a low micron rating, but the notion that it is a full flow filter is wishful thinking.

[Donny B.]

How about Oberg?

[maui]

I bin using O-Berg for over 20yrs with super results.

[stoneloco808]

I still have and use the same System 1 oil filter I bought from the creator himself, Jon Karcey, back in 1988.  So far I only replaced the o-ring a few times.  Although I should replace the filter/screen element.  Over the years I have bought a few more System 1 oil filters and a Geers Engineering oil filter for future engine builds.

[HotrodVW]

I run a WIX filter.  KISS...........Keep it simple stupid. 

Read up on this.  It's a good article on the different off the shelf filters out there. 
http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/old_filters.shtml