Disappointed in Trasko filter

[briarhopper]

I have a 1997 Ford F150, 4.2.engine. I put a Trasko on so I wouldn't hsve to fool with hoses. I can't tell any difference in it than a regular filter. I am using Schaeffer Supreme 7000 10w30 oil. I put in a Trasko filter when I changed the oil, then I changed the trasko filter "only" again at 2,000 miles because the oil was getting dark brown. 1,700 mile later I changed the filter again. Now my oil is starting to turn a little black.
I have changed my oil at 4,000 miles the last 3 times with Schaeffer oil. The first 2 I used a regular filter. The last time I used a Trasko.
I am disappointed in Trasko. According to them I should be able to go 5,000 miles the first time.
I read on here someplace where someone changed a Trasko over to toilet paper. I don't have a lathe. A roll of toliet paper is to long.
Any ideas what to do.

 

[JavaMan]

Well, I guess you could drop back, punt and go back to a regular filter.

 

[Steve S]

To check if the filter is working you will have to use an oil anaylsis with a particle count.

 

[TXU Guy]

What did the Trasko elements look like when you changed them out? Did you cut them apart to see if the crud was evenly distributed?

Did you find anything on the screens?

 

[briarhopper]

I didn't see anything on the screen. I didn't cut them apart.I know I should have. I don't see how any kind of crud could go through a Trasko filter.
My oil shouldn't have gotten black. The Trasko didn't make any difference at all as far as the color of the oil is concerned. I have put on three filters in 4,000 miles.
It is to late now. I should have seen Ralph and got a Motor Guard.

 

[deepsquat]

your oil will still turn a darker color..regaurdless of the bypass filter..it is an action of the oil..means that the detergents are cleaning the engine...if you want an oil that wil stay golden yellow..try crisco... other then that i don't know what will

 

[RJCorazza]

Deepsquat is correct about oil normally turning dark, except that some brands turn darker faster than others, presumably due to differing additives. My F150 4.2L has Amsoil 5w30 HDD and after 2 years the oil is still a light brown.
The UAO with particle count is the only way to asess how your filter is actually working (IMHO).

I have (5) Motorguards from Ralph that I am very happy with. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to filtration, though I do not subscribe to his beliefs about determining oil quality without laboratory testing (again... IMHO).

 

[slalom44]

Soot can be sub-micronic, so using a Trasko will not prevent the oil from turning dark. However it should take a little longer to get dark because it is removing the larger particles.

I'm using cut-up TP rolls, and it is not easy to cut a roll down to size. I'm making a rough cut using a hacksaw, then planing the surface flat to size using a belt sander. But you have to make sure that this surface faces upstream in case some sandpaper grit gets embedded in the roll.

 

[Schultz]

I don't have a diesel but my trasko with TP works very well on my 98 Taurus. It takes over twice as long before the oil turns the same color. My next experiment with it is to use a roll of 1µm micro glass filter media. Only another 600 miles before my 5,000 mi filter change. By the way at 4,400 mi my oil is an amber color. With a Pure 1 or Motorcraft it would be black at 3,000 mi. I haven't made the experimental roll yet but if it isn't too difficult I could make FEW extras for others to try. The only thing I would like to see in return is an oil analysis, preferably an analysis with standard trasko filter or TP and then one with the microglass. Any takers?

Sorry I got off on a tangent, I didn't really want to high-jack this thread.

If your looking to get rid of your Trasko I may be interested in buying it off you, that is if it will fit my 2002 Windstar. Send me a PM if you want to sell it
Tim

 

[keith]

I took some UOA's with a Trasko, they might still be on the site here but they were a few years ago. The oil still turns dark, but I got very low wear metals in the UOA.

Got fed up with the cost of their filters and switched over to TP. Just unroll it until the diameter is what you need. Mark the height needed and cut it down to size with a large sharp knife. The cut edge is a little rough but it works fine.

 

[briarhopper]

Keith,I will try your idea with the sharp knife and see what happens. There is no way I can go 10,000 miles like Trasko says I should.

 

[keith]

quote:

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Originally posted by briarhopper:
Keith,I will try your idea with the sharp knife and see what happens. There is no way I can go 10,000 miles like Trasko says I should.

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When I first used the Trasko, I was also disappointed that the oil turned black. A couple of UOA's showed that it was doing a good job and I stopped worrying.

It's difficult to get a clean cut on the toilet paper when cutting it down to size. One day I'll think up a better way.

 

[LarryL]

I wonder how they cut the toilet paper for packaging? There must be a simple way to do it.

 

[Louie's gone fishing]

Does the Trasko work as a bypass filter and when installed you have no full flow filtering except a screen?

 

[GeaugaFletcher]

Most BITOGers seem to say that the color of oil gives little (or maybe no) indication of its condition - other than used vs. new.

 

[Gary Allan]

The oil color doesn't mean a whole lot. Maybe you could go by the clarity ..I dunno. Most of my engines (none have bypass filters at the moment) remain translucent for the entire OCI. All of them adopt a tint to them.


I think the cheap trick to trimming regular TP down to size would be a decent spindle type thing and a sharp depth blade. You may be able to just leave the TP roll on a normal TP tube dispenser (it's loose) and tear away the excess as you hold a razor blade to it. I'm sure that you've had this happen by accident with some rolled material before. Now you just need to do it on purpose. You use the excess to pull the roll in its rotation, leaving the long end still attached to the spool. As you get deeper ..the razor blade may not have enough depth ..so you may need to use one of those angled utility knife blades and hold it with a visegrip. The real trick is to not apply too much pull that you tear the excess. The razor, if sharp enough, should slice the stuff easily.

 

[JavaMan]

At one time I was interested in ordering a Trasko Filter. I never found the unit I needed in stock. I gave up and decided using a Fram XG.