Oil Filter affect on UOAs ?

[Corvette Owner]

Has anyone seen any affect on their used oil analysis due to using a different oil filter?

I changed from a DELCO premium UPF-44 to a WIX on my 1998 Corvette due to oil flow concerns. Blackstone Labs told me that they rarely see any difference in used oil analysis due different oil filters.

 

[Petrou]

ya they are more correct as they see this all the time. if the motor is wearing well then no worries if its wearing horribly they will tell you

 

[widman]

In theory the better filter will leave less residuals for the analysis, and this is why in hydraulic systems that have to be super clean the sample valves are before the filter.
In reality there are so many variables in a car engine, contamination, cleaning of residuals by a better oil, etc. that any of the major brands will probably give readings within a similar range. Analysis is just a sample at a given point in time.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
In theory the better filter will leave less residuals for the analysis, and this is why in hydraulic systems that have to be super clean the sample valves are before the filter.


Those are typically "kidney loop" filter setups where they aren't really part of the process like a full flow is. They may be using a shared common sump with several like machines.

Either way, the stuff out of the filter can be way different than the stuff going into it.

Quote:
In reality there are so many variables in a car engine, contamination, cleaning of residuals by a better oil, etc. that any of the major brands will probably give readings within a similar range. Analysis is just a sample at a given point in time.


Agreed. In our setups you're in a continuum ..one pass pretty much looks like the next ..upstream very much like downstream ...the (alleged) dirty oil looking like the cleaned oil.