I recently just switched to synthetic 0W40 in my truck. I am coming up on the halfway point and am going to change the filter. I have never just changed the filter, is it just as simple as loosen, then poke a hole in the bottom - drain and remove? Then top off with one or two litres of oil? I know this is a dumb question but I always want to do it right the first time.

 

I would just take off the old filter fill the new filter with oil and reinstall start the truck and warm the engine, shut off the engine and make sure it is topped off.

 

Here's a tip. You can punch a hole in the bottom if you want, or you can slip a 2 gallon ziplock bag over the filter before you drop it down to minimize spillage and messiness.

Make sure you pre-fill the new filter before installation, otherwise, your engine may just shut back down upon starting due to low oil pressure. (Don't ask how I know this... I just do!).

 

If you're going to knock a hole in the filter I would leave it tight, then loosen it after it drains.

 

For the experienced DIYer, I would agree BUT after reading many threads where the 1st timers could not get the filter loose, when I wrote my maintenance write-up on oil changes, I suggest that one breaks the seal loose before punching a hole. That way if they can't break it loose, it doesn't have a hole in it when they have to drive to the parts store to get a better filter wrench.

 

Are you just doing a filter swap or am I misreading this?

 

Curious.. what brand of oil are you using that comes in 0W40?..or you do mean 5w40? Is it rated for diesels?

 

Good point guzzle, If that happens take the same screwdriver and drive it right throught the filter and use it for a handle. Back yard engineering. Oh ya, oil filter wrench= big channel locks

 

mobil 1 full syn. makes a 0w40. It is the oil recommended for the freightliner sprinter with the 4 cyl. mercedies diesel i changed quite a few when we were visited by the olympics here in slc.

 

I usually use a piece of sandpaper to get a good grip on the filter. I'm using a re-useable SS mesh filter (20 mic) from PurePower.

 

I've never heard of these. What's involved in cleaning them? How long does it take, and do you have to let it sit or dry after the cleaning before re-installation? Did you do any before and after testing on the oil to see the difference?

Semper Fi.

 

Devildog F350-6, I actually got it for free as my father in law used to work for "X trucks" magazine (and Street Trucks and Truckin' before that) and it was used in my truck for a magazine article. I got to talk to the owner of the business, Kelly Tidwell. He's a real nice guy that comes along as a real straight shooter. Basically, he says that the standard 5-6 micron oil filter gets clogged up way before the normal 3-5000 mile oil change interval, and it spends that time with the bypass valve wide open. Effectively, your engine oil isn't getting filtered. His filter is a nice piece of work- stainless steel 20 micorn mesh, machined billet case, 2 rare earth magnets (1/8 x 1/2") that'll hold a pound of steel outside of he mesh, and his bypass doesn't open till I think 20 psi or something like that. I think it retails for about $250, but I plan on keeping this for a while. TO clean it, you take the complete casing off, the filter falls out, and you take the bypass of the bottom. It uses Viton o-rings to hold it together. I use a degreaser in hot tap water and swish it around real good, then I either blow it out with air, or set it in the oven at 150 degrees till it's dry. I don't sell them, but I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

C'mon. How many of us would believe that our lube oil filters spend most of their life in bypass mode?

Gotta' raise the B.S. flag on this. Not on you, Mongo, but on your info source.

Kelly Tidwell may be a nice guy, but he's got a real vested interest in telling us that our conventional filters aren't working.

Tell that to the engineers at Baldwin or Fleetguard.

Pop

 

I have to agree here. Next time try hacksawing your old filter open and see what the filter looks like on the inside. It won't be that dirty.

 

Well, sounds like about 150,000 miles till you reach the break even point over the FL-1995, and since I creeping up on the 220,000 mark I don't plan on keeping my truck that long. I do like the sand paper idea. I've tried using a strap wrench a few times over the years and they always seem to slip. This sounds like the trick I've been looking for.