Mo'Oil

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

 Paul_Royal@isserv9.idx.com, aka : PITA hisself sed:

'bout dem dam oil filterz.....

> So does anyone out there ...maybe our listers with the
> SAE... know about media QUALITY?  I'm only a little 
> concerned about more than a few of our merry band disecting 
> filters in the dark corners of our basements and garages in the 
>  wee hours of the morning ;-)....you guys are my heros.
> 
> Paul "PITA" Royal
> 90 90Q20v

Paul, I'm not answering with reference material on hand, so I must 
note that:  1)  I don't have the CR oil filter harticle on hand, and 
2)  I don't have my Amsoil literature on hand.  That noted...

I do not recall that CR tested anything but the most conventional 
filters.  I am 90%+++ sure that they didn't test an Amsoil filter.  
This did not surprise me, because it's not a big volume seller like 
Farm or Purolator.  But to me, since that's a filter I know about, it 
rendered their test invalid.  This is a weakness of CR for a group 
like this - they test mainstream, vanilla products which most people 
use - and ignore the highly specialized accessory products groups 
like this use.  Even the superior filters like the Audi factory ones 
were ignored.

This is a highly diplomatic way of saying their test means NOTHING to 
this group.

Second - **to the best of my recollection**, the Amsoil filters will 
remove particles down to somewhere between 6 and 10 microns.  I 
just can't remember the spec.  But combine that filtration spec with 
the thickness of the medium, which is a dense white fiber medium 
about 1/2" thick, and I consider that a definite advantage in medium 
quality.

I have also used Amsoil's bypass filters; these use a T off the oil 
pressure sending unit to send oil to a large (1.5 QT) filter which is 
mounted at a place of convenience, and the output of this filter is 
returned to the engine - requiring a hole to be made in rocker arm 
cover or some such.  (Actually, Amsoil recommended returnint it to 
the oil pan but nothing will make me start punching holes in my oil 
pan - I routed it back to the rocker arm cover in the car in 
question, making sure the flow was above a baffle and not dripping 
directly onto a valve...)

The bypass filter provides even FINER filtration, but works at much 
less than full flow.  Memory says that in most cars, it takes about 5 
hours of driving to get all the oil thru the bypass filter - of 
course, it's going thru the normal filter as well.

Unfortunately, I can't find a place for the bypass filters in my 
current 1990 200 or 83 280ZXT, so I have them on the shelf while I 
wait for installation-inspiration to strike.



.......................................................
Al Powell, Ph.D.                 Voice:  409/845-2807
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