How much do you fill your oil filter?

[i_hate_autofraud]

Originally Posted By: ZZman
Does anyone know if oil change places fill them at all?


Oil change places and dealers NEVER do! Takes too much time! Sad eh?


In my case I've been prefilling the oil filter for years, after I decided to add up all the dry starts! ouch!

When you add oil to a new filter (that will be installed nearly straight up) it takes a while to sink thru
all the filter media and the level will drop, so I top it up several times until it's within 1/2" of the top,
figure it'll take 15 minutes to saturate the media inside the filter.

 

[Donald]

On diesel, I fill it all the way, wait, fill, wait.

 

[Kira]

Base up applications are easy to do.

In other cases you can fill the filter or housing and pop it into the freezer for 2 hours.

It'll spin on cleanly. Wait overnight for the oil to reach ambient temperature.

Add the rest of the oil and you're done!

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud

In my case I've been prefilling the oil filter for years, after I decided to add up all the dry starts! ouch!


And yet it makes 0 difference to the longevity of the engine....

 

[Merkava_4]

I don't fill it. I think that's a silly practice.

 

[ragtoplvr]

On my kohler riding mower engine and my motorcycle the factory manual advises to prefill the filters, so I do. The other vehicles mount sideways, so not an option.

The mower has a tiny oil pump and would take too long to fill. My neighbor has blown his lower hour engine already, mine keeps on going.

Rod

 

[bdcardinal]

I don't prefill. I have thought about it since I can on both my Mustang and my mom's Fusion.

When I worked at Sears we only prefilled diesel filters. When you are dispensing oil from a bulk tank it is kind of hard to fill a filter.

 

[johnachak]

+1 to the fill, swirl and refill. If the filter is horizontal, I just fill till the media is soaked then install.

 

[LoneRanger]

Both my oil change jobs the Soob and the Guzzi... the oil filter mounts level. I fill their filters to the top then let it sit briefly so the filter media can soak in the oil, then top it off and spin it on !! Gasket lubed of course.

 

[BHopkins]

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
I have never filled my filter with oil on any of the cars I have owned in the almost 30 yrs I have been driving.


Jeff


Almost 45 years without never prefilling an oil filter, and never had an engine fail.


Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud

In my case I've been prefilling the oil filter for years, after I decided to add up all the dry starts! ouch!


And yet it makes 0 difference to the longevity of the engine....


That is the point of the link that I saw in another discussion on this very subject. It explains that those who prefill oil filters apparently lack a clear understanding of oil flow at startup in an engine. I hope someone finds it and posts it here.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I add oil to the filter until it reaches a point to where I can tip the filter a little above horizontal without running out. With the media soaked, I think the filter is probably 60% of capacity. Don't know if pre-filling has any advantage over just screwing the filter on. Been doing it so long I can't stop. That's how it is will old flatulent flatulators.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: ZZman
Does anyone know if oil change places fill them at all?


A quickie lube will never go that extra mile that we do on our own vehicles. They probably just slap it on dry.

 

[aquariuscsm]

The two times I didn't prefill the filter on the Mustang it knocked pretty bad for a few seconds at initial startup. So yes,I always prefill until I can't squeeze another drop in.

 

[LoneRanger]

Pre-filling gives me a warm fuzzy.

Whether it makes a difference or not.

 

[redbone3]

My 2014 Passat has a cartridge filter, and I can't think of any method to fill it beforehand. My '95 Miata has a sideways filter that is hard enough to change dry.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Base up applications are easy to do.

In other cases you can fill the filter or housing and pop it into the freezer for 2 hours.

It'll spin on cleanly. Wait overnight for the oil to reach ambient temperature.

Add the rest of the oil and you're done!


Not sure if kidding...

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: khittner
I've never filled my oil filters in the several decades I've been changing my own oil in multiple vehicles well over 200K miles. Doing so is an OCD/BITOG thing.


I never used to fill the filters, but now I do. Civic filter gets filled and sloshed around. Excess gets dumped back in the jug.

Cartridge filter gets the media wet, then installed. Probably makes no difference over the life of an engine.

 

[KrisZ]

Zero for me. Ever since my kids were born my OCD took a real dive lol.

 

[Kira]

Virtus_Probi: Yes, I was kidding and I don't know why.

It seems that filling a filter results is some quieting at the very least.

I'm going to fill my filter's canister 'cause it's "base up".

 

[Rolla07]

Fill it to top, wait for filter to absorb the oil (minute or two) and refill it to top and install it.