pfarber said:
Most ppl have no understanding of how even a regular plain ol oil filter works.. then throw in 'by-pass' and toilet paper filter... watch them try to be intellegent by making offhanded and somewhat witty remarks.
First: you still NEED a regular filter. You cannot run a bypass only filer. Your oil pump's volume and pressure would rupture the by-pass filter, come out the overflow, or simply bypass the by-pass due to a relief valve lifting.
Second: the VAST MAJORITY or oil filters are toilet paper.. also know as cellulose (ie wood pulp). Next time you change the oil filter crack it open... TA-DA!!!! PAPER! Unless you have a specialty filter... they are all TP filters.
Third: Unless you have a fleet or diesels to maintain the savings of a by-pass filter due to reduced oil changes is minimal. One study over 3 years at INL (6 diesel Tahoes) saved less than $500 per ($2100 for by-pass vehicles vs $2500 for non-by-pass filtered) vehicle over 3 years. Those where security vehicles that had 3000 mile scheduled maintenance. The jist is that you can extend the complete oil change to every 12000 miles, instead of every 3000. This was confirmed by oil analysis to let them know when it was time to change. BUT you have to change the by-pass filter every 3000, and add a quart to make up for the loss.
SO TECHNICALLY you can save money and decrease the wear on an engine with a by-pass filter. BUT on a single vehicle driven less than 12,000mi a year you will save what, $25/yr. You will use less oil (only 9 qts per year vs 18 qts if you do 3 full oil changes)
1st: we are discussing adding a bypass filter to the engine, in no way are we talking about modifying the original oil filter.
2nd: while most filters do use paper media, it is actually designed for that application and the fibers are tensioned and aligned for that purpose, TP is not.
Also TP has lots of loose fibers and lint in it, do you really think that oil filters can have that same loose tolerances.
3rd: The main reason that we would put a bypass filter on the trucks would be to reduce engine wear, getting particles >5micron out of the oil would end most engine part wear.
Most of what we do to the trucks doesnt pay for itself very quickly if at all over the limited time that we operate them ( I am an exception in that i use my truck as a daily driver). Most of our modifications are for peace of mind.
I would rather waste $170 on a bypass system for my truck that i (may/ may not) need, than have my turbo bearings get wiped out by some particulates in the oil, since i would cost ~$400 to have rebuilt assuming that the housing was salvagible.
