Correct Eric,
In an oil filter, the oil flows into the filter through the little holes
around the perimeter of the base and up the inside surface of the filter
cannister. The oil then goes through the filter media where solids down to
the micron range are captured. The oil exits to the engine through the large
hole in the center of the filter base.
As filter media captures dirt it becomes clogged. This creates a situation
where the pressure on the outside of the filter media becomes higher than
the pressure on the inside. Once that differential reaches 5 p.s.i. (if
memory serves) the bypass opens and lets the dirty oil flow directly to the
engine. The theory here is that dirty oil is better than no oil.
As to using a racing filter, built with out a bypass all the time; you have
to consider that doing so would probably void any warranty claim since you
were using a product that didn't "meet or exceed factory specs." On a street
car that goes three to five thousand miles between changes, I would still go
with a filter with a bypass, just in case of something unexpected happened
inside the engine. Using them on a race car normally isn't a problem. The
designers of these racing filters know that in a lot of cases, the oil
filter is changed several times during the course of a race weekend, after
practice, after qualifying etc. In these cases, with fresh parts and fresh
oil a filter rarely has time to clog.
Larry
>From: "Linnhoff, Eric" <elinnhoff@smmc.saint-lukes.org>
>Reply-To: "Linnhoff, Eric" <elinnhoff@smmc.saint-lukes.org>
>To: "'autox'" <autox@autox.team.net>
>Subject: RE: Fram Oil Filters
>Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 14:18:36 -0600
>
>Okay, here's a question for all y'all. Why wouldn't you/we/I want our
>street car's oil filter to have no bypass and run "full flow" all the time?
>Especially if you're that meticulous (as I am and suspect the rest of you
>to
>be as well) about your car maintainance schedule? I suspect, but am not
>positive, the reason for the bypass to be when the filter gets totally
>clogged with crud that oil will still flow through the system. Right?
>
>Educate me a bit on the bypass sytem of an oil filter. Please.
>
>Eric Linnhoff in KC
>1998 Dodge Neon R/T
>#69 STS #13 TLS
>eric10mm@qni.com
>ICQ#101282513
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From past experience, the Fram competition filters are made with a much
>heavier cannister thickness and base plate. They leave out the bypass valve
>so the filter is always on full flow. It is my understanding that there is
>more filter media in these filters.
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