Oil Filter Relocation for convenience and performance

[ZeeOSix]

Back to remote filtration....

I'm thinking that the only way to do more filtration capacity and still have acceptable oil pressure delay would be electric prelube.

This would turn the ports-in-series function of the sandwich adapter into a net positive. Put a check valve on the inlet of the sandwich adapter and push oil through it with an electric oil circulation pump.

Earlier I proposed using a sandwich adapter (for an oil cooler feed) to send oil to a remote head and keep the stock spin-on. I also proposed a "bypass" that would attempt to prevent oil pressure delay by cutting out the remote filter head under some conditions.

What I realize now is that it's not a bypass that's need, it's prelube with an electric pump. Here's what that plumbing would look like.

Sandwich adapter outlet--> check valve (low cracking pressure~2psi)--> run tee--> remote filter head---> Sandwich adapter inlet.

The electric pump circuit would look like:
oil pan drain plug tee-->electric oil circulation pump--> check valve--> enter remote filter loop at run tee

A schematic of this system might help understand the flow circuits better. If I understand this setup, you'd be pumping oil out of the sump with the pre-lube pump and sending it to the remote filter, and that oil would dump back to the oiling system after the normal spin-on mounted on the engine? Would the pre-lube pump be able to over come the necessary pressure needed to give adequate flow through the remote filter? If there is back pressure on the check valve from the engine oil pump, then the pre-lube pump would need to over come that and the flow resistance of remote circuit.

 

[MountainManDan]

Interesting ~ I've Run a few Remote Oil Filter - Re-locators , always seems to much easier to do Oil Change
Being even Out side Engine Bay & in Wheel well did Run Cooler to Point I had an Insulation Sleeve for Filter in Winter
As Thermal Block to Wind Chill Factors . .

 

[Donald]

Forget about a remote oil filter as it's more hoses and connections to leak or fail.

It just won't matter in the real world. Get the largest filter with the right specs that will fit in the normal oil filter location.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Forget about a remote oil filter as it's more hoses and connections to leak or fail.

Another thing to be careful about with a remove filter setup is the added dP of the remote circuit, especially with cold oil in very cold climates. If the remote hose length is too long and/or too small of hose ID is used, the added dP can put the oil pump into relief much sooner and that can cut back the oil flow to the engine significantly.

 

[Donald]

I added a bypass filter to my pickup and it uses a pancake adapter screwed to the original adapter to get the oil going to the bypass and then pushed the oil all the way to the oil fill cap to return it. So long lengths of hose for oil. One goes through a hole in the frame. I did not like the possibility of abrasion so I cut a few inches of fuel line hose and sliced it lengthwise and put it over the oil hose to prevent chaffing.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I added a bypass filter to my pickup and it uses a pancake adapter screwed to the original adapter to get the oil going to the bypass and then pushed the oil all the way to the oil fill cap to return it. So long lengths of hose for oil. One goes through a hole in the frame. I did not like the possibility of abrasion so I cut a few inches of fuel line hose and sliced it lengthwise and put it over the oil hose to prevent chaffing.

What hose ID are the hoses, and how long is the total hose run to and from the engine?

 

[Donald]

What hose ID are the hoses, and how long is the total hose run to and from the engine?

I would say 1/4" or 3/8" ID. 2.5 feet to filter and 5 or 6 feet filter to oil fill cap (or 710 cap if a blonde).

Remember my full flow filter was not really relocated, its just 1/2" lower as it's screwed to the pancake adapter.

So the oil hoses just provide oil flow for the bypass filter. So a high flow is not needed.

 

[onemig]

Back to remote filtration....

I'm thinking that the only way to do more filtration capacity and still have acceptable oil pressure delay would be electric prelube.

This would turn the ports-in-series function of the sandwich adapter into a net positive. Put a check valve on the inlet of the sandwich adapter and push oil through it with an electric oil circulation pump.

Earlier I proposed using a sandwich adapter (for an oil cooler feed) to send oil to a remote head and keep the stock spin-on. I also proposed a "bypass" that would attempt to prevent oil pressure delay by cutting out the remote filter head under some conditions.

What I realize now is that it's not a bypass that's need, it's prelube with an electric pump. Here's what that plumbing would look like.

Sandwich adapter outlet--> check valve (low cracking pressure~2psi)--> run tee--> remote filter head---> Sandwich adapter inlet.


The electric pump circuit would look like:
oil pan drain plug tee-->electric oil circulation pump--> check valve--> enter remote filter loop at run tee

View attachment 266567



This is still complex, expensive, and perhaps invites reliability problems by having your engine's lifeblood oil circulating in external plumbing. But this setup would indeed achieve the goal of adding significantly more filtration capacity while completely eliminating oil pressure delay concerns.

If you could package the plumbing reliably, you could perhaps have a system that was more reliable than OEM. It would definitely be more durable, since the electric prelube eliminates dry starts entirely.

There’s a member here who had a setup just this on his Honda S2000. I think his username is slalom.

 

[Dborch41]

Back to remote filtration....

I'm thinking that the only way to do more filtration capacity and still have acceptable oil pressure delay would be electric prelube.

I was thinking of something similar but a little simpler (as if that ship hasn't already sailed), namely an oil pressure accumulator. These offer nearly instantaneous oil pressure on startup or anytime there's a brief interruption of oil flow, and best of all they are completely autonomous once initially set up. They have the side benefit of adding a little more oil capacity.

At this point I'd imagine we're starting to run out of room under the hood.

 

[jimmyjamesndt]

A critical piece of data I’m missing though is whether the thermostatic oil adapter sends ALL oil to the loop or just SOME of it.

It sends all the oil through the port, unless you modify the thermostat not to close all the way.

 

[Donald]

I think it's hard to justify relocating the oil filter unless you are doing a bypass filter. I doubt any engine's lifespan is effected by using an OEM filter.

I have a bypass oil filter but even so I worry about chaffing of the oil lines.

 

[Hohn]

I think it's hard to justify relocating the oil filter unless you are doing a bypass filter. I doubt any engine's lifespan is effected by using an OEM filter.

I have a bypass oil filter but even so I worry about chaffing of the oil lines.

I’d agree with that for the most part, but I’d say that it’s not necessary to have bypass filtration but certainly at least some level of finer filtration.

Oil is certainly cleaner after two passes through even the identical filter media (beta ratio squared), but without going higher efficiency on the additional filtration, it seems like it’s firmly in the “why bother” territory unless your OEM filter location is truly terrible and merely relocating is value added.

I mostly work on Hondas and Toyotas and other “imports” and everything I’ve touched in recent years has had very good filter access. Merely relocating it would be a waste of effort and money.


In my mind, I’m trying to scale down some of the beneficial aspects of the sophisticated oil systems on a large industrial engines that allow them to live a very long life at high loads using cheap Rotella.