Are filter changes neccessary?

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Here's a general rule. It's real general and can and will be altered for wherever you fall out of the norm.


Right now there's isn't too many people who exist in a service profile that CAN'T be handled with a 6 month OCI.

Under 10k per year:

More short trips ..more moisture ..more byproduct producing fuel enrichment ...more filter loading

6 months oil and filter ..and go as cheap as you please.

Over 10k a year (the more, the better):

Less warm up miles ..less moisture ..less filter loading per mile

6 months oil ...one year filter ..and go as expensive as you please.

None of this even approaches extended drains ..outside of most's imagination.

..and ..naturally, there will be those who find themselves in exceptional circumstances ..either real or imagined.


Good rule: How about the car that is driven twice a week 20 highway miles each way with a 2 hour wait period before returning home, totaling 80 miles per week? The oil is getting good and hot, but the car is not accumulating many miles. Would you leave that filter, lets say a Pure One or Mobil 1 filter in service for 2 years with the oil being changed out once/year?


That's why it's called a general rule ..very general

There you're basically taking a slice of a 12k/year daily driver. All events are well outside fuel enrichment. I doubt that there would be any liabilities due to moisture for either the oil or the filter and loading is a non-factor.

The biggest wear factor for that engine is the open valve that allows air into the cylinder. I think that the frequency of usage is enough to refresh the coating on the cylinder walls.

I don't think I forgot anything else (ponder

)

 

[hal]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: hal
for the price I see no reason not to change the filter when changing the oil.


How many miles do you do a year ..and what level of filter do you buy?


12,000 miles a year, approximately. i change the oil/filters twice a year. and i get wix filters for about 4 bucks a piece. money i don't mind spending at all.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Here's a general rule. It's real general and can and will be altered for wherever you fall out of the norm.


Right now there's isn't too many people who exist in a service profile that CAN'T be handled with a 6 month OCI.

Under 10k per year:

More short trips ..more moisture ..more byproduct producing fuel enrichment ...more filter loading

6 months oil and filter ..and go as cheap as you please.

Over 10k a year (the more, the better):

Less warm up miles ..less moisture ..less filter loading per mile

6 months oil ...one year filter ..and go as expensive as you please.

None of this even approaches extended drains ..outside of most's imagination.

..and ..naturally, there will be those who find themselves in exceptional circumstances ..either real or imagined.


Good rule: How about the car that is driven twice a week 20 highway miles each way with a 2 hour wait period before returning home, totaling 80 miles per week? The oil is getting good and hot, but the car is not accumulating many miles. Would you leave that filter, lets say a Pure One or Mobil 1 filter in service for 2 years with the oil being changed out once/year?


That's why it's called a general rule ..very general

There you're basically taking a slice of a 12k/year daily driver. All events are well outside fuel enrichment. I doubt that there would be any liabilities due to moisture for either the oil or the filter and loading is a non-factor.

The biggest wear factor for that engine is the open valve that allows air into the cylinder. I think that the frequency of usage is enough to refresh the coating on the cylinder walls.

I don't think I forgot anything else (ponder

)


I think you got it Gary, as always! I do add MMO to the gas in that vehicle, so my guess is there is some residue from it protecting the cyl. walls from flash rusting.

Thanks!

Frank D

 

[wannafbody]

I changed my oil today and removed the Amsoil EAO filter at 2 1/2 years and 13K miles. The filter element looked great-nothing visible to the eye. You could probably go 5 years with these filters. No metal on the drain plug but I did have stuff come out of the oil pan that I could see on the top side of my collection bin. I replaced with a K&N and will probably let it go quite a while as well.

 

[Tornado Red]

Originally Posted By: wannafbody
Is changing the filter everytime you change your oil necessary or is it simply marketing to sell more filters. Can a good quality filter be changed every 2 or 3 oil changes without ill effects?


If you are not replacing the filter, then you are not changing all the oil.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Even if you're replacing the filter, you're not getting all old oil out of the engine.

 

[ZZman]

I think almost any filter could go 10,000 miles in a relatively clean engine. But what if it is not? What if you have some other issue that is causing deposits or sludging in the motor?
I say for as cheap as filters are in the grand scheme of things why not change it.

**Plus I don't want a filter full of dirty oil messing up my nice new Syn oil right off the bat!

 

[Colt45ws]

I am about due for an oil change here. I am going to keep the same filter, just drain and fill with new oil. I am using a really good filter and keeping it over two OCIs cuts the price in half.

 

[Malo83]

TightWad are we!!!

 

[Spector]

As I have posted here several times in the past, a few years ago I did a personal test using Amsoil filters and Amsoil 10W30. Car was a Buick, 3/8L SC. Ran the oil change 12,000 miles with no fitler change and did a UOA and then ran another 12,000 miles but changed the filter at about 6000 miles. UOA performed and when comparing the two they were about identical.

Years before that I used to drop the filter drain the oil and reintall then change the filter every other time. No UOA back then but never had engine problems either.

IMO oil filters are pretty much useless in a well maintained/operating engine, and with todays oils and engines, every other change may even be overkill.

 

[labman]

If good oil filters were really important, the junkyards would be full of engines with orange cans hanging on them. Although I am continuing my Pennzoil, I will also use whatever filter I find cheap except Fram and maybe Purolator.

 

[Shagger]

You can pay me now or pay me later...

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Spector

...
IMO oil filters are pretty much useless in a well maintained/operating engine, and with todays oils and engines, every other change may even be overkill.


Specially with cartridge filter mounted on top of engine, you can remove to check filter condition and re-use if it was clean.

Honda has enough data to recommend changing oil filter on second oil change for most of its engines except S2000 and may be RDX.

 

[jigen]

For me, skipping a filter change has more to do with whether or not the filter is a big pain to get to than anything else.