Oil filters clogging?

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I think you visual inspection is meaningless in the real world.

Doing a uoa and looking at insolubles level is more telling of if the filter is doing it's job.

Any good filter is capable of 5K mi. normally.
 
Just sent in an oil sample to Blackstone on the 10w40 Maxlife from the F150 at 3000 miles. If they say I can run it longer I will. When I change it I will open up the filter. This one is the extra long, but a Wix. I will be sure to post the UOA at this site (hopefully next week).

Thanks.
 
My OEM Toyota/Denso oil filter on my Toyota V-8 engine has 10,018 miles and has an excellent oil analysis. The filter is not clogged nor bypassing solids.


Ken
 
Not sure how to tell if a filter is clogged, but I have recorded an occular estimate of how much of a sample of the filter media appears black when held up to a bright light. I assume black means the filter is clogged in that area. I am listing Motorcraft filter numbers, but sometimes used Purolator or NAPA silver. Here are some results:

Aerostar 3.0 V6 with Motorcraft FL1A:

800 miles (Valvoline Durablend): 5% clogged
3000 miles (Durablend and Maxlife mix): 95% clogged

Motorhome with 460 V8 and Motorcraft FL1A:

3800 miles (Valvoline Durablend): 95% clogged.
shocked.gif


F150 with 300 cid straight six and FL1A:

1700 miles (Valvoline Durablend): 10% clogged.
1000 miles (Valvoline Maxlife): 35% clogged.

F150, 300 I6, Maxlife and longer FL299 filter:

1800 miles: 35% clogged.

Conclusions:

1) Each vehicle needs a bigger filter. I just changed oil on the Aerostar and installed an FL1A which is the same length but 1/2-inch wider. The pickup is already running the 1.5-inch longer FL299 and showing the same clogging at 1800 miles as the FL1A did at 1000 miles. Motorhome to get the longer FL299 also.

2) Maxlife must have a whole lot more detergents than Durablend because with the same filter size, the Maxlife clogged 35% at 1000 miles whereas Durablend clogged only 10% at 1700 miles. And I do believe there are a lot of deposits in this F150's 108,000 mile engine as at 65,000 the oil pickup was half sludged.

3) Results may be skewed by the fact that some filters were removed cold and some removed hot. I am thinking the cold filter media may not drain as well as the hot.

Anyway, just wondering what BITOG folks think and what other's do about this. When you run extended drains, I would think you need to change filters midway, right?

[ March 27, 2004, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: TallPaul ]
 
Tall Paul. My gut reaction is that your method of estimating blockage is unduly harsh, but I don't have any simple freebie alternative ways to evaluate blockage.

Some pressure taps on the engine, or an adaptor between the engine and filter to meausure the pressure drop through the filter would be one of the better ways. That would tell you pressure drop under all real world operating conditions for your engine.

Actually, with all the obcessing about bypass valves opening during start up several people have expressed, I'm surprised no one here has done that yet.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Ken2:
My OEM Toyota/Denso oil filter on my Toyota V-8 engine has 10,018 miles and has an excellent oil analysis. The filter is not clogged nor bypassing solids.


Ken


Is that the funky fibrous media, or the folded paper one, with the cardboard endcaps?
 
quote:

Originally posted by haley10:
I think you visual inspection is meaningless in the real world.

Doing a uoa and looking at insolubles level is more telling of if the filter is doing it's job.

Any good filter is capable of 5K mi. normally.


UOA is back and posted on this site. Insolubles were a piddling 0.4%. Filter must be working fine.
 
Just remember that on the oil analisis they are shoing the contamination by particles under 5 to 8 microns (depending on lab and equipment), while the filters are taking out some particles over 10 microns and more effecient over 20 or so.
You could have them do a particle coult to see how much of different sizes was there, but to compare filters you'd have to have the same input sizes and amounts.
 
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