>Will, I have a 'rude' question for you: Do you change your underpants
>after a shower or bath? ;-) -- That's the question we used to ask people
>who were buying oil for an oil change but not a filter when I was in the
>auto parts (spares) biz.
>
>It is the same idea, if you change your oil, but not your filter, it is
>just like putting on dirty drawers after a bath. Filters aren't that
>expensive in comparison to that bearing job down the road.
>
>Here's to clean oil, filters and underwear!
>Tom
Tom and fellow fiends:
Let me give you my logic for this and then you can correct me where I'm
wrong. I've thought of what you're saying and my reaction is this: My
changing the oil at 3000 miles is principally to avoid the use of oil that
contains *soluble* byproducts (hydrocarbons). The paper filter won't trap
such byproducts; it will trap only insoluble particulates and then only down
to a certain size (yup; the sort of stuff that scores bearing surfaces).
I've figured that the filter would continue to efficiently trap insoulble
materials for the full 5000 miles and in the mean time I would have
effectively diluted the system with fresh oil. When the hot oil is drained
from the system, containing its suspended insoluble matter, I imagined that
at the least I was 'diluting' the remaining nasties with the fresh oil and
that the filter (now having experienced 'only' 3000 miles of use) was still
able to perform for another 2-3000 miles. Again, I change the filter each
year, with an accumulated ~5000 miles on it.
I guess my question is (separate from the desire to sell filters), how long
do the manufactures and/or experienced mechanics believe the modern name
brand (in my case, Fram) spin on oil filter will work up to spec?
Will Zehring
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