is it OK to reuse an oil filter?

[cryptokid]

for the last 5 oil changes on my mother and sisters cars i have been opening up the filters to inspect for any engine metals or crud or clogging. every time they are all spotless and i cant find any sort of matereal blocking the filter element. the element actually normal except its darker than new, but brushing my finger between the pleats brings the filter element back to normal colour. this leads me to believe these engines are pretty efficent and have such little blowby that i probably dont need to change it as often.
they are both honda engines with 54000 and 60000 miles on each, the oil when changed is medium brown in colour. the cylinder heads have that oh so lovely honney colour to the metal, and no dark carbon. i was just thinking maybe i should change the filter every other oil change from now on.
i change the oil now @ 4000 miles with castrol gtx 10w30 and use a purolator purone PL14459 oil filter.

should i change the filter every other oil change?

also, is there a LONGER oil filter than the PL14459, but keeping the same external diameter? if so, i would definitly go 8K between filter changes, thanks.
the PL14459 specifications is:
3.375 inches long
3.25 inches wide
20x1.5mm thread size
8-11 psi bypass

[ February 08, 2003, 10:52 PM: Message edited by: cryptokid ]

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I know the Hondas can be a PITA to change the filter, but if you're going to the trouble of changing the oil, I would get the filter too. S/T of course.

If you hate to grab the filter, I'm sure others would recommend a by-pass filter option. JMO

 

[Ken2]

Crypto,

You can't see the small particles that the filter traps, even if they're on your fingernail. They just look like color in the oil.

How long will they keep these cars? A couple of years?...never change the filter. The next owner won't know why the engine has so much wear; they'll just badmouth that brand of car. Will they keep the cars for a long time?...Change the filter every oil change.


Ken

 

[Propflux01]

Besides, filters are cheap, and cheap insurance.....

 

[cryptokid]

well the honda manual recomends an oil change every 7500 miles, and a filter change every 15K!!
i cant possibly see changing the oil every 7500 miles using dyno oil,, but thats what it says. it also said using synthetic is optional.
the oil filters are a pita to get to, i have a special homemade ujoint wrench just for them so its not TOO bad anymore.
maybe the reason their so clean is the frequent oil changes, i guess ill keep going @ every 4K for oil and filter.
i was going to use walmart filters but sence i have been hearing stories on how their media can be somewhat brittle, i may continue to use the pue 1's. they both plan on keeping their cars for atleast 8-10 years.

 

[Patman]

I have the Purolator catalog and there isn't a longer filter than the 14459 that has the right bypass settings.

The Wix 51381 or K&N HP1005 is a fatter version of these Honda filters, although it's bypass settings don't match up either, they are 13-19, vs 8-11 for the stock size 51334 Wix. I'm not sure if that's something I'd feel safe doing.

[ February 09, 2003, 06:01 AM: Message edited by: Patman ]

 

[cryptokid]

honstly, i dont care about bypass settings very much.
gimme the longest one ye got pat
thanks.

btw, its gotta be just about stock width. my oil filter gasket is on the bleeding edge of the block.

 

[Patman]

Here goes, straight from the 2002 Purolator book:

14459 is 3.15x3.03, 12-15 bypass
20073 is 2.98x4.83, 8-10 bp
24458 is 3.15x4.01, 8-10 bp

Seems to me these longer ones would bypass quite often, making them a bad choice.

[ February 09, 2003, 07:15 AM: Message edited by: Patman ]

 

[S2000driver]

It's not only a PITA to change on their 4-cylinder front wheel drive engines, it's also nearly impossible to inspect the gasket seat for cleanliness

On my CR-V the oil filter will get changed only at 10,000 miles (50K, 60K, etc) and the synthetic oil will get changed every 5,000 miles (55, 60, 65, etc.)

My S2000 filter is easy to see and get to from above the car. I will change it every 5,000 miles with the oil. It's the love of the car and the ease of changing the filter that I will do it every oil change.

All of our cars see at least 12 highway miles every trip.

quote:

---

Originally posted by GROUCHO MARX:
I know the Hondas can be a PITA to change the filter, but if you're going to the trouble of changing the oil, I would get the filter too. S/T of course.

If you hate to grab the filter, I'm sure others would recommend a by-pass filter option. JMO

---

 

[Pablo]

The Honda recommendation to not change filters must of come from Honda research - I hope!

That said; NOT changing the oil filter with the oil just doesn't make sense. Not only is there some trapped stuff on the filter (we can debate how much, what size) but also there is a big percentage of dirty used up oil in there - I know filters are going small on some newer cars, but the oil in a filter can be 10+% of the oil capacity.........

 

[Spector]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken2:
Crypto,
The next owner won't know why the engine has so much wear; they'll just badmouth that brand of car. Ken

---

The assumption is that by not changing the filter you will create more wear. That's only true (and not proven by anyone in any study) if the filter were truly full, in bypass and the oil was full of contaminants of the size that could actually cause wear. The probability of this happening, IMO, is the same as finding a snowball in HELL. It ain';t going to happen. Try changing your filter every other time and I will bet that you will see no differnce in anything, even the oil analysis will be the same.

I have been going 12,000 miles between changes on one car with a filter at 6000 (again filter looks great inside same as the poster) and I am now going to a 10,000 mile change with the same filter to see if there is a difference, guess I should do 12,000 to compare oil analysis results, may do that

[ February 09, 2003, 11:30 AM: Message edited by: Spector ]

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by thrace:
It is strange that the bypass is 8-11 for the stock size 51334 Wix.
For recommended Purolator 14459 12-15 bypass.
For Super Tech ST2808 11-17.

Why does the recommended bypass differ or is the difference not significant?

---

I think it might be because the different filters have different flow ratings. Because the Wix flows more, they felt comfortable with the lower bypass setting, figuring it still wouldn't kick into bypass mode as often as those other restrictive filters with the higher psi settings.

 

[Ken2]

quote:

---

Originally posted by thrace:
It is strange that the bypass is 8-11 for the stock size 51334 Wix.
For recommended Purolator 14459 12-15 bypass.
For Super Tech ST2808 11-17.

Why does the recommended bypass differ or is the difference not significant?

---

Another possible answer is that the filter maker wants to reduce the number of filters needed in their inventory. I've used a lot of WIX industrial filters, and I generally trust WIX, but I don't like this one aspect of their business.


Ken

 

[S2000driver]

I'm with spector.

Unless you know you are putting a high flow demand on your filter (constant high RPM) you should be able to leave the same filter on for the second oil change with no worries.

If you do so, say yearly, it would be a good idea to choose to time the filter change before winter for the best flow during cold weather startups with the least amount of bypass.

[ February 09, 2003, 05:37 PM: Message edited by: S2000driver ]

 

[Roger]

Patman, how does one get a Purolator book?

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roger:
Patman, how does one get a Purolator book?

---

I emailed them a few times to ask for some technical specs, and then just asked the guy if he could mail me the catalog and a few weeks later it arrived, via Purolator courier of course.

 

[unDummy]

Cutting a filter apart shows nothing. Only oil analysis can prove filtration efficiency. If you cut a filter apart and see something, you have serious problems brewing.
Filters are too cheap to reuse. I don't know why anyone would expect a $5 filter to last forever.
Plus, why mix old/new oil. Do an oil change properly and change it all out.
Notice that even the extended oil change interval people still change their filters regularly.

 

[zam]

Most filters less than $5. I don't use fram. Wix or Napa Gold or Walmart. They are so stinking cheap just change it. Oh, I know honda civics are a pain cause I have one. But just do it anyway.

 

[thrace]

It is strange that the bypass is 8-11 for the stock size 51334 Wix.
For recommended Purolator 14459 12-15 bypass.
For Super Tech ST2808 11-17.

Why does the recommended bypass differ or is the difference not significant?

 

[Greg]

i have a honda civic and the filter is no problem to change at all... i use a wix 51344

[ February 10, 2003, 04:10 PM: Message edited by: Greg ]