Available Options In Place of AC Delco PF932F

[GoremanX]

I'm installing a remote oil filter kit on my freshly-built Pontiac 400. It hasn't been started yet so this will be the break-in filter. The filter that was included in the kit is an AC Delco PF932F, which seems decent enough. I've been looking for alternatives, but the cross-reference lists a bunch of filters that seem to no longer exist. About the only readily-available ones I've found are the AC Delco Gold variant of the same filter (PF932), Wix 51794, Moroso 22461 and Baldwin LF226 (B7).

So what are other options for oil filters for this application, and are there any that include a bypass valve? I realize I probably won't need a bypass valve with that much area on the filter media, but I'd rather be safe than sorry since the built-in bypass valve on the engine gets removed in a remote filter application. Also, since the filter will be mounted much higher than the sump, something with an anti-drainback valve would be nice to ensure the hoses don't empty themselves when the engine is turned off.

While the above-mentioned filters have a gasket ID of about 3.1", this system can accommodate pretty much ANY filter with a 13/16-16 thread and a gasket ID of at least 2.5". The possible length can be all the way up to 8" and possibly more. That's a pretty wide latitude for choice.

 

[ZeeOSix]

So what are other options for oil filters for this application, and are there any that include a bypass valve? I realize I probably won't need a bypass valve with that much area on the filter media, but I'd rather be safe than sorry since the built-in bypass valve on the engine gets removed in a remote filter application.

You definitely want a bypass valve in the oil filter if the part of the kit installation is to remove the filter bypass valve in the engine.

The filter that was included in the kit is an AC Delco PF932F

Does that filter have a bypass valve?

 

[GoremanX]

Does that filter have a bypass valve?

No it does not, which is one of the reasons why I'm looking for an alternative. I get that the inherent size of the filter means it's unlikely to ever NEED a bypass valve, and that's how most people in the Pontiac V8 community see it but it still bugs me that the provided one (and most alternatives) don't seem to have one. The prevailing view by most Pontiac V8 enthusiasts is "bypass valve = evil because it lets unfiltered oil through", but I'd much rather have unfiltered oil than oil starvation.

I've been eyeing some LLY Duramax filters and other alternatives, since they seem to have a bypass valve and ADBV. But it's so difficult to find specs on oil filters these days...

 

[GoremanX]

For example, one of the filters I came across that might work is the Donaldson Blue DBL0832. Very similar dimensions in every way. But does it have a bypass valve? ADBV? I don't know, and I'm struggling to find those answers

 

[ZeeOSix]

No it does not, which is one of the reasons why I'm looking for an alternative. I get that the inherent size of the filter means it's unlikely to ever NEED a bypass valve, and that's how most people in the Pontiac V8 community see it but it still bugs me that the provided one (and most alternatives) don't seem to have one. The prevailing view by most Pontiac V8 enthusiasts is "bypass valve = evil because it lets unfiltered oil through", but I'd much rather have unfiltered oil than oil starvation.

If the engine revs are keep down until the oil gets pretty warm, then it might be OK. But if there is no filter bypass valve anywhere in the system and if the dP across the filter gets too high, then it's possible the filter media and/or the center tube could be damaged. If that happens, it's possible debris could be swept into the engine. So the filter bypass valve is also there to prevent damage to the filter if the dP across it gets too high. If you fired up the cold engine and went wild with the revs before the oil thinned down, without a filter bypass valve in the system the dP across the filter could be pretty high.