How do I know that my by-pass filter is clogged

[Rolly]

Hi,

We have just installed a Filtakleen filter in one of our heavy duty (earth moving) equipment's and this is the first time that a by-pass is to be installed (that is due to the ignorance of our people here in our country, what the heck is a by-pass filter) please tell me if I am correct.

At first if the bypass is designed for 30,000 miles it may clogged soon and its a good sign as contaminants trapped by the bypass, we may need to replace the cartridge 3 to 5 times before we can use the 30,000 interval.

SO what will be the best way to indicate that the bypass filter is already clogged and the cartridge needs to be replaced ?

 

[Mike_dup1]

Feel it up, if the filter is hot then its safe to assume oil is passing thru it. That would be my way of judging it. Of course if it is mounted in a location where it would get hot without the oil passing thru it, this would not be a good indicator.

 

[alexiskai]

You could also try installing a gauge of some sort on the inflow line to tell you whether there's oil moving through it. You might be able to put it on the return line - it wouldn't work on mine because the filter is pretty small and the flow is weak normally.

 

[Gary Allan]

I agree with the "feel it" method. The filter will be somewhere around 200 degrees (near enough) and you will have no doubt that oil is passing through it. It would be unlikely that any location outside of the engine (with the exception of the turbo/exhaust) would achieve that temperature. You'll be able to tell whether the unit is at the same temp as the surrounding components ....or yielding heat itself.

 

[greencrew]

Long before it clogs the flow rate will slow down, so instead of 10% of the old passing trough the by-pass filter you'll only get 5%. A small percent of oil will keep it hot to the touch, but it may not filter the oil fast enough and you'll notice the oil showing signs of dirt. Also, if you do an analysis I would expect you'll see signs that the filter is not doing it's job as well as it should.

ms, I'd say that if you changed that by-pass filter in your truck and did a particle count again your numbers would improve.

 

[msparks]

You might need to put an oil pressure guage on the out side of the line. Note the pressure when it's new, then when it's been on a long time.