What's a filter's lifespan?

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A year ago my Dad switched over to Mobil 1 in his Accord, mostly on my insistance that he could lengthen his drain intervals to once-a-year. He puts about 6k miles/yr on the car, & says that over the past year/6k he's added about 2 qts of fresh Mobil 1. My feeling is that he doesn't need to change the oil 'cuz he's replacing so much of it (I think it's got a 4 qt capacity), but that he probably should change the filter. The problem is, he would never take it someplace just for a filter change, & he has zero interest in doing it himself.

I read thru a bunch of previous posts, but couldn't find anything on a filter's lifespan. There was a comment about media becoming brittle on motorcycle filters, & a question about the effects of time versus mileage on a filter's life, but I didn't see anything really specific. He goes to a quick-lube (Oil Can Henry's), & doesn't know what the filter is. Since he has them put in Mobil 1, I'm sure he can ask for a Mobil 1 filter. Could he run a Mobil 1 filter for 2 yrs if he's only putting 6k miles/yr on it?
 
I wouldn't leave an oil filter on my car for more than a year, no matter how good a filter it is. A car that gets a lot of starts, cold running, short trips, etc. is going to harder on a filter anyway.

I use Mobil 1 in my mother's car, and I change it and the filter every year in November. At the change last month, she'd put 2,712 miles on her car since I'd changed the oil last November.
 
One thing I think you have to keep in mind is, although the oil isn't flowing though the filter for the whole year the filter media is setting in the oil all the time. After the oil becomes contaminated even a small amount it could have a degrading effect on the filter media. I do the one year oil filter change on my Mother-in-Law's car because she only drives between 2500 to 3000 miles a year. On my personal vehicles I change the filters every 6 months and change the oil once a year. I drive each of our vehicles about 6000 miles annually.
 
I would just bite the bullet and change the whole works. You could go longer on the filter, but a year in my opinion is a practical limit.
 
25000 + miles or 1 year on a F150 4.9L/300 6 cyl, using Pennzoil branded oil filter ( fram we think) and SJ Pennzoil 5w-30 "pureBase" oil, no oil no filter change, 1 qt added for makeup.
spaz.gif
 
Well I have read that startups put a toll on the filter by creating a "surge" of pressure to it... so maybe it isn't a good idea to have the same filter on for a year. Also, although it is good that he is adding fresh oil in it every so often, the fact that he has burned off a quart or 2 of oil puts the rest of the oil in there to do the rest of the work. That is like having 1 quart of oil in a car that takes 6 quarts... after 3,000 miles that single quart is going to look like hell.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Terry:
25000 + miles or 1 year on a F150 4.9L/300 6 cyl, using Pennzoil branded oil filter ( fram we think) and SJ Pennzoil 5w-30 "pureBase" oil, no oil no filter change, 1 qt added for makeup.
spaz.gif


Who did this? Sounds like asking for trouble if you ask me. Wonder what the oil analysis on this would look like?
 
The guy who owns and sells LC/FP; Odis Beaver.

I think the analysis is under Lube Control/Fuel Power testing on this site. He still hasn't changed the oil but he may have the filter.

The truck has over 100,000 miles on it so it must be working OK. He drives still everyday.

[ December 06, 2002, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: Terry ]
 
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