How does a filter remove sludge?

[jason07-1zzfe]

In reference to Maxlife oil filter. It says it removes more sludge than other filters. Has a nifty bar chart of sludge removal vs. filter type with the Maxlife bar twice as tall as the regular filter.

You could have a 100% efficient filter and it is not going to "remove" any sludge unless it is somehow liberated from the engine by some other action. But they do not mention efficiency, only sludge removal.

 

[TooSlick]

Total solids and/or oxidation/nitration ARE suspended sludge particles caused by the reaction of partially burned fuel particles, moisture and the host oil....A more efficient FF filter will do a better job of controlling the TS level and the thickening it causes.

The problem comes when the detergents/dispersants in the oil are depleted and this stuff precipitates out of suspension and settles on engine parts.

Most of these particles are < 20 microns in size and aren't visible to the naked eye....

 

[jason07-1zzfe]

I guess it is semantics as I don't consider it "sludge" until it is on engine parts. Those would be sludge precursors to me. Secondly they stated that it "removes sludge" not "prevents sludge", which is what I would say a filter does, doing what you describe.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Jason,
Don't confuse marketing with reality. Although Valvoline has put out some very good motor oil under the Maxlife product line I believe it is simply dumbed down niche marketing for the product line. I don't even read the charts on most filteration products anymore since this seems to be an unregulated market and a paradise for the marketing departments with out the legal hassles of standardized testing.

 

[TooSlick]

Oil oxidation results in the constant generation of sludge particles from the time the oil is first put in. The main reason why oils thicken/darken over time is that these particles are suspended and dispersed in the oil.

Insoluble polymeric materials have a very high molecular weight and a significant percentage of them can be filtered out by FF filters. If you put some used oil in a centrifuge and spin it, this stuff will collect at the bottom of the tube.

Bypass filters remove almost all these suspended insolubles; hence the viscosity of the oil can remain stable for tens of thousands of miles. It's no accident that companies selling extended drain lubricants, also sell high efficiency oil filtration systems....The two go hand in hand.

 

[Mr Nice]

What is the max miles I can go on an oil filter ?? Fuel Filter ??

 

[moribundman]

quote:

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What is the max miles I can go on an oil filter ?? Fuel Filter ??

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... without what happening?

Some oil filters are rated for 30k km or 2 years, or longer.

The fuel filter in my A4 is still working fine after 10 years and 138k miles. In some other A4s the filter gets clogged at half that mileage. I guess it depends mostly on who clean the gas is.

 

[Mr Nice]

The reason why I ask....some new cars have 'life time' fuel filters that are located in the gas tank. And are not the traditional inline fuel filter.

 

[obbop]

In my never ever humble opionating....

"life time" to the greedsters running corporate America is the interval between one quarterly profit report and the next..... unless a bonus payment occurs first..... too often a bonus unrelated to performance and for an amount the typical worker will not see even after a life time of working, saving, scrimping....... after the time spent overseas having volunteered to protect the elite's infrastructure so those elites can continue to amass HUGE monetary amounts.

You betcha'.