No more K&N oil filters foe me!!

[Thorzdad]

Very interesting thread. Please excuse my ignorance if I'm missing something obvious, though...

At least in every car I've ever owned, the oil filter has been mounted in a downward-facing, vertical (or near-vertical) orientation. How, exactly, does oil drain-back into the pan from such an orientation once the car is shut-off?

I can understand the possibility of drain-back (and the need to blow-test the filter) if the filter is mounted in an upward-facing or horizontal position. But, in over 30 years of car ownership, I've not encountered such a filter position. Maybe I've been lucky?

Like I said, maybe I'm missing something about how the filter system works. If so, I'd very much appreciate the correction.

 

[wannafbody]

Some GM 4WD pickups have a horizontal filter. The GM 2.5L had a upside down filter mounted on the top rear of the engine.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

I thought the latest K&N filters were exactly the same as the Mobil 1 filters other than the exterior paint and nut. Is this not true?

 

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted By: wannafbody
Some GM 4WD pickups have a horizontal filter. The GM 2.5L had a upside down filter mounted on the top rear of the engine.

Ah. I hadn't realized that. Fwiw, I had a mid-90's GMC Sonoma 4x4 that had the filter mounted (vertically) out on an extension line from the engine. You accessed it through a trap-door on the front skid guard. I always thought that was pretty cool.

 

[BGK]

Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay
I thought the latest K&N filters were exactly the same as the Mobil 1 filters other than the exterior paint and nut. Is this not true?

Probably true-but that paint and nut are worth all the money!

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted By: BGK
Originally Posted By: Art_Vandelay
I thought the latest K&N filters were exactly the same as the Mobil 1 filters other than the exterior paint and nut. Is this not true?

Probably true-but that paint and nut are worth all the money!


No, it's not true. Both are made by Champion labs, and share "skeletal" structure. The M1 and the K&N have different elements. The M1 emphasizes fine filtration while the K&N emphasizes flow. I've actually wasted, er spent, the money cutting both open in virgin condition, and you can see a color and texture difference between the two elements. Otherwise, however, very similar.

 

[greenaccord02]

That's good to know - I'd always heard that they were the same. Your money wasn't wasted IMO.

 

[afoulk]

this is a common problem on the new jeep wranglers with the 3.8's. Dry start up is almost a given with a Mobil 1, K&N, or Bosch filter, and even the occasional Wix. Guys that have them seem to have the best luck with Purolator, Fram, and Motorcraft. It looks like these and the toyota's above might use the same filters as well, cause if I step my filter up to a bigger one, any of the Fram 3600 filters will fit. I'm currently running a Motorcraft FL400s and havn't had any ADBV problems. Theres some talk that the cheaper ADBV's (forget what they are made of), such as what the cheap Frams use seal better than the higher end filters that use the silicon ones.

 

[tropic]

Originally Posted By: lexus114
This is the second time I used a K&N filter with the overnight start up bearing noise,like the drain back valves are not working.The first time it happened,I chalked it up to a defective filter.then I tried one again and the same thing happened,this one was even an oversize filter!! So I changed it out for a good ole white purolator,problem solved. No more of those [censored] K&N`s for me!!

I threw out a P1 in favor of a K&N due to startup clatter. Looks like any assembly plant can send a dud or two to retail.