New oil filter every other oil change?..

[Foch]

Just wondering...what are your thoughts on replacing the oil filter every other oil change? Vehicles in question are a Saab 9-5 and a Toyota 4Runner; both high mileage vehicles, well broken-in, 5000 oci's with synthetic oil, and OEM filters.

I don't know if I'm just getting lazy, but it's just so much easier doing a just a drain and fill.

Wondering is there's any real world difference.

Thanks...

 

[rszappa1]

Why???? You are putting in fresh oil and a filter full of old....I always do both evertime.....

 

[hate2work]

Not sure if it still is, but this is what Honda used to recommend on their vehicles. Seemed to work fine.

 

[Nayov]

My Sentra calls for oil changes at 7,500 miles and filters at 15,000 miles. No way in "Heck." I do both at 5K, using synthetic of course. I am considering oil changes at each 3K and filters at 6K.

 

[demarpaint]

I was taught old school, drain the oil change the filter. No point in leaving up to 20% of dirty oil to mix in with the new oil. Some claim the filter works better when it is loaded up. While that might still be true I'm thinking that up to 20% of dirty oil will negate any benefit. Draining the filter is an option, but there is always the possibility of a leak, and if you took it off to drain it you might as well change it. JMO

 

[1999nick]

If you are doing 5,000 mile OCI's with synthetic oil, a filter change every other oil change would mean a filter change every 10,000 miles.

I use synthetic oil; have since M1 first came out back in the 1970's. Always changed the oil and filter once a year, which usually, before I retired back in 2001, amounted to 18,000 to 20,000 miles. Of course, I added make-up oil as needed, usually 2 or 3 quarts. Never had any kind of problem with any of my engines.

I usually used 1 filter for the entire OCI; a couple of times, I did change out the filter at 12,000 to 14,000 miles. When I retired, I began to drive 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year, and I went back to regular conventional oil; just couldn't see wasting synthetic on a 6,000 mile OCI.

Now, I am driving about 10,000 miles a year, and have gone back to synthetic, using M1 High Mileage 10W30 in my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder. The present fill has 8800 miles on it, and I'll change it in December, when it should have 10,000 miles on it.

So, IMHO, your 5,000 mile OCI with a filter change every other oil change should be great. Don't forget that filters filter with greater efficiency as they are used, up to the time they are totally clogged. I have never cut open a filter that appeared to be anywhere near clogged. Your engine will probably enjoy better filtering in that second 5,000 miles than in the first 5,000.

Just my opinion derived from my 57 years of driving and car maintenance experience.

 

[edwardh1]

filters are so small it makes no difference. I change every other time

every other, used to be the way, then in 80s it changed without any scientific tests to back up the change

 

[bepperb]

Honda still does recommend every other. I still do mine every, but I could see myself skipping in the middle of winter. But for me that would be 15,000 miles which is a stretch except on a high media area filter. 10,000 is in the realm of any filter I have cut open. In my apps, Purolator will have the most surface area, so if your open to different brands that's probably what I would go with. Even the Classics (their cheapest) have more area than most premium filters.

 

[saberz]

There are people who do just that, and Honda themselves recommends the filter every other oil change. The filters typically can last between 7500 and 10k miles. I have never done it myself as a filter for $2-3 is cheap insurance.

 

[1999nick]

Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Why???? You are putting in fresh oil and a filter full of old....I always do both evertime.....


Don't forget that he is changing out synthetic oil at 5,000 miles. This oil still has probably 10,000 miles of life left in it. It is not very dirty, unless he has a sludger. Plus, his oil filter is just beginning to hit its stride. Unless he has an engine that has special requirements, he'll be just fine changing out the filter at 10,000 miles.

 

[labman]

Yes, it is well known as dirt builds up, efficiency goes up, but flow goes down. Does it eventually get to where the bypass opens more and more?

We expect the filter to take out wear particles big enough to do any damage. We change the oil to remove fuel, coolant, moisture,sheared down oil and VII's, and replenish depleted additives.

So leave the filter on once it reaches better efficiency or replace it because it is clogged?

Maybe once River Rat accumulates enough data on new filters, we need to start gathering flow data on old filters.

Or not worry about it because of all the indications oil filters don't do much.

 

[demarpaint]

What bugs me is leaving almost a qt of dirty oil to mix in with the new fresh oil. My FL-1A filter holds a lot of oil, I'm still thinking that nearly 1 qt of dirty oil will far outweigh any added efficiency the used filter might have gained. It's a tough sell to anyone who is going to try and convince me. I might possibly buy into it being a wash, but I doubt that too. Now if you drain all the old oil out of the filter that might be another story. Again just an opinion based on 35+ years.

OTOH if you are running an extended drain oil for lets say 12000 miles and are using a Mobil 1 extended drain filter, no point in changing it midway.

 

[Johnny]

I too am very old fashioned about this. I also put on a clean pair of underware after every shower.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
I too am very old fashioned about this. I also put on a clean pair of underware after every shower.


LOL another good way of looking at it!

 

[HyperJinx]

No way.... but thats just me. There is no way to tell what is going on in the filter. Most filters are not hi tech gadgets and could fail without advanced notice. I dont plan to run any filter past 5k. Anytime I have looked inside a filter, I always wondered how they lasted as long as they do.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
I too am very old fashioned about this. I also put on a clean pair of underware after every shower.


Haha, I was thinking of that exact same analogy to post!

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: rszappa1
Why???? You are putting in fresh oil and a filter full of old....I always do both evertime.....


I fully agree. Change it all everytime.

 

[outshined]

Filters are cheap, engines aren't.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: HyperJinx
No way.... but thats just me. There is no way to tell what is going on in the filter. Most filters are not hi tech gadgets and could fail without advanced notice. I dont plan to run any filter past 5k. Anytime I have looked inside a filter, I always wondered how they lasted as long as they do.


Exactly! Also who knows what the oil remaining in the filter is contaminated with. Maybe fuel, condensation, anti-freeze, bad media. I don't run used oil analysis and if I did I wouldn't do it every time. Not worth it!

 

[1999nick]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
I too am very old fashioned about this. I also put on a clean pair of underware after every shower.


But, how many days between showers?