Hello,

I've scoured the internet, and I have not managed to find anybody that makes either a bypass oil filter kit, or a coolant filter kit.

Has anybody found either one or adapted an existing design?

Thanks.

 

Harvard Filtration makes a good one for oil but it's aimed at larger vehicles. I did a lot of research into this about 20 years ago and there are others but I can't recall their brand. It's an excellent addition, but I never pulled the trigger. Now that I change oil every 10k and the filter every 5k, my need (want) for the bypass has diminished. Good luck.

 

Why on earth would you want such a thing on a light duty truck with a gas 6.2?

 

Good oil every 5000mi.
Quality oil filter and air filter.
Maybe service tranny and transfer case and diffs. at 50,000 mi.
plugs and coolant at 75,000 mi.
Pretty easy. It ain't no 6.0!

 

do a search here..

a guy drove his 6.2L for 418,000 miles, STOCK, normal maintenance.
it failed just a few weeks ago...

 

Franz Filter for the oil.......and a little FYI............

IMHO, here is part of the BS marketing that has been occurring for several years now.....to start with...
1. No automotive oil filter can filter at greater than 10 microns, anything more than that, oil flow is significantly reduced and the engine is starved. Hydraulic systems use filters rated at 5 microns, but they are never spec'd for automotive use.
2. OEM filters typically filter at around 15-20 microns
3. The oems spec that (in almost every case) the minimum filtering will be at 20 microns.
4. The check-valves (anti-drain & relief) inside the filter must be capable of withstanding the demands but it is also well known/recognized/accepted that the greater filtration the shorter is the duration that the filter will function without the bypass opening....this begins occurring as soon as 90 day duration.

You can pay anything you want for an oil filter, as long as the drain back & relief valves are good quality and the filtration is no greater than spec, it really doesn't matter if it cost $3 or $30...it’s all the same.

and yes, WIX, MC, NAPA Gold are all very good quality filters.

I have to laugh, back in the 1950's the franz "family" drove a new caddy 300,000 miles w/o an oil change!
While the additives do decrease over time, what the "anti-tp experts" don't know is that Franz has a recommended tp filter change frequency- depending on mileage, usually about every other month, given the 1qt of new oil added to the system, there are more than enough refreshed additives.....and they don't use TP rolls anymore (though I still am going through the case I bought 20 years ago)!

Yes, the Franz filter will take the "extreme heat of oil" and No the Franz filter doesn't breakdown and deposit inside the engine (the design was changed in 1987 to completely eliminate even a remote possibility....and yes every Kenworth diesel truck has a paper- towel bypass filter on it from the factory! just a bigger version to the tp filter! They do work, They are extremely effective And even remove water from the oil which is the #1 impactors to creating acid inside the oil pan! An important thing for engines driven rarely or short distances!

With regards to "Coolant Filters"

Here are my thoughts...

Both Gano and Tefba filters are very effective but they also by design have the real issue of causing potential problems....

We know from test conducted by Prestone, conventional coolant has a life of 13 + years (at that mark they stopped the test) and it's contaminants that kill the coolant and damage components. With that said, here's the possible issue I have with inline filters. As they collect contaminants, they slowly restrict the flow and there have been a couple of instances where these restrictions have caused severe overheating (yes caused by owner failure to clean the filter).

IMHO,

1. Nothing substitutes a periodic flush of the radiator

2. When I drain the coolant, I place a doubled up paper towel over the funnel which filters to less than 3 microns (much better then any of the inline filters)- in terms of contaminants, the coolant is now as clean as when it came out of the original bottle. Provided it meets all the other test I do, it is reinstalled in the vehicle.

3. I have installed a magnesium anode in all overflows (same electrolysis protection used per code for all underground tanks)- Zinc anodes are available as well (JC Whitney, etc.) specifically for automotive applications and sell for about $6- they attract all the nasty stuff that destroys radiators, pumps, hoses etc and they become the sacrificial lamb- and keeps the ph of the fluid neutral. The inside of my cooling system and related components is spotless- literally!

4. I check the ph (using a swimming pool kit) - and check the alcohol content using a conventional coolant bulb type test device ($10 at any parts store)

the results.....

1. Contaminant production is eliminated by 90%+ as a result of the neutral ph maintenance

2. Contaminants that are produced are contained outside of the system flow, in the overflow at the anode. At this point I have less contaminant in my system than if I used an inline filter because we have eliminated 90% of the production and contained the residual.

3. With the paper towel, I can actually see the residual system contaminants (which you can typically count) and by most accounts visually know if a potential problem exist by the type and color of the products. The coolant is as clean as if I had opened a fresh container.

4. The system is clean and performance level known.

My personal results...

My father (an ol salt flats racer & aerospace engineer) starting this in the 1950's and typically the conventional coolant lasts 10-20 years in the vehicle before requiring replacement. Prestone did a test for longitivity on coolant long before the extended requirement came to be.....at 13 years they stopped the test because there was no degradation.

I cannot remember repairing a radiator or heat exchanger or water pump during my 50+ years on this earth on any of my family's vehicles- (I take that back, I replaced 2 water pumps on my 1990 F150 when due to a pulley tension/alignment problem it ate two bearings/seals, my fault as I didn't check it the 1st time, but at 80,000 miles I was not too surprised to see a leak from the water pump bearing).
We typically keep our vehicles for 10+ years. Our list of vehicles includes...

1959 221 CID V8 Ranchero (1965 to 1971)
1932 Flathead V8 Ford Coupe (1960 to present)
1965 Mustang (1965 to present)
1969 F100 (1972 to 1984)
1984 F150 (1984 to 2006) (400K+ miles w2 rebuilds)
1979 Honda (1982 to 1990)
1987 Toyota Celica GT (1987 to 1997)
1990 F150 (1990 to 2006)
1997 Cougar Sport (1990 to present)
2006 Mark LT (2006 to present)
2006 F150 4x4 (2006 to present)

IMHO, basic chemistry makes “gadgets” like inline filters just that, “gadgets”!

 

Well, I figure additional filtration can't hurt.

If you have a bypass filter that filters 5-10% of the oil (or coolant) every hour, while the normal higher flow oil filter still works, that's a good thing, in my book.

I can't see why that would be limited to just diesel engines, which produce soot.

Additional filtration to my mind is a minimally complex item to add for the benefits.

Guess a deeper oil pan would work too.

 

It's not a question of hurting, but helping, or not?

Extra filtration can hurt. Not the engine, but your wallet. It costs more to initially buy, and more to maintain in terms of extra filter costs and extra oil costs.

The underlying question is this:
is it of benefit to use bypass filtration?

BP filters do not make something last longer.
I'll repeat that for those of you in total disbelief ...
BYPASS FILTRATION DOES NOT MAKE A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT LAST LONGER.

What makes equipment last a long time is a clean oil sump/fluid. That can be achieved in two ways:
- filter out contamination
- flush out contamination
Both of these, when done properly, are two roads to the same destination. Getting contamination out of the sump is the goal; how it's achieved is up to you.

BP filters are fantastic tools, IF you understand both their benefits and limitations. They do a great job of EXTENDING oil service life. But they don't make equipment any longer lasting. Having a healthy sump is NOT exclusive to a BP system; it can be achieved by other means.

There are plenty of examples for both traditional systems and BP systems, that have gone over 1 million miles on the vehicle. Some used BP filter and synthetic fluids, others just used decent normal filters and conventional oils.

What really controls wear is the additive package of the lubricant. As long as that is not depleted or overwhelmed, then the filtration is only along for the ride. The number one contributing factor in terms of wear control is the TBC (tribochemical barrier) that develops on metal surfaces after an OCI. (read SAE Ford/Conoco study 2007-01-4133)

What makes a piece of equipment last is an understanding and commitment to a well managed maintenance program.


And yes, I am painfully aware of the infamous GM filter study (881825)which "proved" better filtration makes for less wear. But I'll bet most of you never actually have read that study, or understand how silly it really is; there is no applicability of that study to the real world; none whatsoever. And if you'd like to discuss it, I'll be happy to lay waste to the mythology that resides inside that "study". There is no relevance of this study to the vehicles in your garage.


My point is that as long as a low level of contamination is managed in the sump, BP filtration is a fiscal savings tool and nothing more. And if you cannot make it pay for itself, it's a total waste of cash with no payback.


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