Do you prefill/prime your oil filter ??????

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
On everything, I pre-fill the filter, and allow several minutes to let the filter media soak up most of the oil.

Then I dump in just enough more oil, so that it doesn't spill out when installing it... and enjoy that quiet first start.
This is what I do.

 

[KrisZ]

Nope.

 

[StanMI]

Thanks for all the replies !!!! I really appreciate it !!

I think in the future, if I can, I will, if it doesn't make sense, I won't !!

In this case it didn't make sense. I can't imagine what Ford was thinking when it designed the filter location for this engine. What a pain !!

Thanks again for all the info.

 

[TiredTrucker]

I generally pre-fill my filters. All of them are vertical mounted. Just seemed like a simple thing that didn't really take much time. I have no idea if it is all that critical to do so or not. Never wasted a lot of time thinking about it. Probably more habit than motivation.

 

[sciphi]

Can't pre-fill either filter due to location/orientation. Never had an issue.

 

[Joel_MD]

I definitely pre-fill the huge filter on my Cummins. It's easy to do since it's oriented vertically. It holds about a quart.

On my Saab the filter is oriented horizontally. I can fill it about halfway with oil and rotate it in my hands as I install so it doesn't spill.

My Volvo has a cartridge-type filter that mounts at the top of the engine. No pre-filling on that one.

 

[ls1mike]

I will admit, at the cost of sounding OCD, I do.

Not related to the oil filter, but I had to fill the replacement fuel filters on my Jetta.

 

[EricF]

I always prefill a filter just because I believe in the old mechanics myth about not having oil pressure for 2 seconds.

But I actually fill it for another reason..

I like to have the filter media pre-soaked with oil so there's no shock of going dry to wet and potentially damaging the filter media.
So if a filter mounts upside down (i.e. toyota), you can't fill the filter with oil, so what I do is fill it up and spin the filter slowly so the media gets wet with oil then spin it on the filter mount.
But on my Ranger with the FL-1A, I stuff almost a quart of oil in it then spin it on. I figure it can only help.
And..the time it takes to do that lets the oil finish dripping from the oil pan.

 

[Lyman]

I always fill the filter on my ranger. Did the same on other vehicles too if able.

 

[Olas]

Where possible I always pre fill, but filter location and orientation usually decide for me

 

[Silverado12]

I was a mechanic in the USCG, and was taught to prefill oil filters FWIW.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: Joel_MD
I definitely pre-fill the huge filter on my Cummins. It's easy to do since it's oriented vertically. It holds about a quart.



Definitely on my Detroit 60. Two oil filters and between them they hold almost a gallon of oil.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Having trained with a Royal canadian AF mech we always prefill what we can. Just a feel good procedure.

All the newer fleet trucks we own have tiny little filters now. If your vehicle has an old school oil cooler with 3/8 lines that drain when you remove the filter there's going to be a delay no matter what you do anyway.

Our engines still easily outlast the truck...

 

[Trav]

I pre fill when its possible especially large filters. If its vertical it gets filled if horizontal it usually doesn't.

 

[Kruse]

It's been about 10 or so years ago, but I remember seeing a publication from Caterpillar that said not to prefill the oil filter. The reason was that people were introducing dirty oil into the filter and it was causing problems. I had also seen in a publication that Cummins had rejected a few warranty claims because the silver seal on an oil jug had been poured into a filter and had caused an engine failure. In both of these cases, it was obviously the fault of the person who was changing oil.
I prefill whenever I can. I just replaced the engine in my kid's car with a new one. On the first oil change, it did a lot of complaining for a second or two until there was oil pressure on the gauge.

 

[MalfunctionProne]

My 1993 S-10 Blazer 4.3 has a Remote Oil Filter location, right behind the driver side headlight. "Righty tighty, lefty loosy" and I have to look at it every time. I *could* put some oil in there, (the oil filter,) but I usually put some MMO in there.