engine oil bypass on high milage?

[Mutant]

Hello!

I've been bitten by the oil bug shortly after I found this site. I 'upgraded' to a newer car last summer and have been slowly shifting over to a different maintainence schedule. I've cleaned up some engine noise (lifters I think) and a bit of shifting shudder with some applications of newly found Auto-Rx and Fuel Power.

My car is a 95 Buick Lesabre (GM V6 3800) with around 172K and has had the basic regular 3K dino oil changes. It seems to run fine and plan on getting an oil analysis after the current Auto-Rx rinse to check for any problems I may be missing. I plan to run this car till it is dead and would like to move to extended oil changes with a synthetic. What are opinions on adding a engine oil bypass on a car with high milage? I was looking at the Amsoil BMK-13 Dual Remote for convenience and as something I could do myself under the shade tree.

I imagine it can only help and not hurt.

Thanks!
Wade

 

[olympic]

I installed a BMK-13 on one of my vehicles(01 Montana 3.4L) with roughly the same mileage as yours. Everything is working fine mechanically and my extended drains are going well. You might consider doing a "rinse cycle" with your synthetic of choice before installing the bypass though to make sure all the auto-rx and dino oil are out.

 

[msparks]

quote:

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Originally posted by olympic:
You might consider doing a "rinse cycle" with your synthetic of choice before installing the bypass though to make sure all the auto-rx and dino oil are out.

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Yes I agree, a shortened full synthetic rinse would make sense.

I would like to say, anytime is a good time to take advantage of by-pass filtration. If you can slow the wear process down your engine will run better for longer.

Secondly cleaner oil will perform better and you will get better seal between ring/piston/cylinder walls. Therefore your engine will use less oil and you will have reduced emmissions.

Also with the BMK unit you can transfer it to a new car if you choose. The system is pretty bullet proof and all you will probably have to do is to get the proper adapter plate and maybe change all the hoses. Fittings and mount should last forever!!1

Good luck with it.

 

[LateArrivalforLSU]

quote:

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I was looking at the Amsoil BMK-13 Dual Remote for convenience and as something I could do myself under the shade tree. [Smile] I imagine it can only help and not hurt.

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You would be very wise to add a bypass filter to your car. The Amsoil is a very good setup and if you have fairly decent mechanical skills the install shouldn't be a problem.

Oh and by the way,

!!

 

[Gary Allan]

The Amsoil unit is a fine piece. For extended drains on synthetic oil I think that it's the most sensible choice. If you do about 17k a year (in State College you're close to nothing) a one year OCI may be possible. You've got to weigh the economics of it.

Before you purchase your bypass unit (from any vendor) I would first determine what oil you are going to use for this long stretch. Get yourself a sample pump so you don't have to remove the filter or drain the oil to send a sample in. Blackstone sells a nice one for $25 (delivered) and Amsoil offers one as well. The only reason I say this is that I wouldn't want you to either leave a quart or more of unsuitable oil in the engine ..or swap out a relatively expensive filter to purge the oil from your engine.

Search the UOA section using your engine size in the search field. It may take a few minutes, but see what others have used with apparent success. You may be pressed to find a UOA over 5k-7k in mileage since many fall into a 6 month pattern (or so it seems) and don't put that much mileage on in a year.

It may help for others contributing to this thread if they knew your typical service duty (average trip length, seasonal cycles, etc.). You've got a true 4 season climate in State College with a decent winter so that may alter your oil selection a bit on some products.

Keep in mind that the life of your engine is mainly in the genes (the design). You can enhance that natural predisposition with a bypass filter. In your case you're looking at how it also enhances the life of the oil for continued use.

 

[Razl]

I think it makes a lot of sense:

1) Wear is greatly reduced from day 1

2) Extended OCI (dino & synthetic)

3) It's fun and fairly easy to do

4) ROI is short if you rack up the miles

5) It's easily transferable to a new vehicle

This was one of my proudest purchases

 

[aldive]

Its a win win deal.

 

[Mutant]

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

I figure I will log somewhere conservatively in the neighborhood of 18k-20k miles this year. My work commute is short, less than 10mi round trip. I travel to Pittsburgh at least once weekly at about 280 mi round trip. Through the summer I am a competitve bagpiper and will be making several trips around 300-500 mi round trip. I am finishing up the rinse phase of my first Auto-Rx application and figure it will be summer before I will be ready for the bypass system but wanted to get my ducks in a row. I will grab an oil sampler and run an oil analysis in the next month just to be sure I don't have something amiss - good idea!

I'm not the greatest mechanically but I can wrench around my Harley abit without needing a tow to the mechanic to put it all back together.

The BMK-13 looks like a fairly easy install and I think it will be fun. I think I saw an install on a '88 Olds that had a similar setup in the engine compartment. I hadn't thought about the possiblity of reusing the unit on another vehicle.

Regards,

Wade

 

[mjo]

The automatic tranny filter is a pain and messy to change on the Buick. The 3.8 is a solid & very reliable engine I've heard they last a very long time even without a bypass filter - well beyond 200k. What I'm suggesting is that I would put one on the automatic transmission first as this would be the part of the drivetrain that won't last as long IMHO. From looking up your car at www.pureoil.com, your engine oil filter uses the M18x1.5-S thread - in case you want a sandwich adapter. There's lots of room under the hood - it shouldn't be hard to find a good spot. Buying a bypass filter is an investment that you can move to your next car where you only need to replace the rubber hoses.

I would really encourage using rubber silicon as the thread sealant. Apply this to all your male fittings and your setup should last leak-free for a while. The best rubber silicone is the solvent-less type that can be had at a Saturn dealership for $20.