putting oil in the filter at oil change?

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: 6starprez
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: gregk24
You will hear both sides on this one. I always pre-fill my oil filters before installing, you will have oil pressure that much sooner so its worth it IMO.


Me too, if the design of the filter allows. Some cars have an inverted filter (like the 300E) and it can't be done.


The filter on my Subaru is inverted (threads down) and I do it without making a mess.
That inverted, above drill FB25 Subaru filter is empty every day - so no need to prefill at OCI

I DO pour oil into the mains drill on this engine - as its looking up at me, crying out.

Otherwise, as THIS subject like many this week has been discussed ad nauseam; a proper Mechanical Engineering response:
In prefilling, you having just created a lump of oil between the pump and the mains gallery, with a light duty engine and filter, is NOT going to help and MAY well hurt as it may inhibit prime and pumping; it will accelerate a "wad" of oil along the main drill, to eventually (in Msec) hammer-out from the compressed air cavity residing beforethe oil slug, and the air bubble after the oil slug. Just think massive water hammer.

I do understand the need to prefill med duty truck canisters.

The safe thing is a partial prefill - say half or third. Another misunderstanding: ADBV is not influenced by orientation, but more at the vertical position in latitude
above the sump but under the top minor galleries. It (The ADBV) will still operate as a proper check valve

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: RJS1971
Should I fill the filter up when I change my oil?


Yes.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

No

 

[Climb14er]

Never have done it... never have had any problems.

Do whatever makes you feel good.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Filling my filter with oil cannot possibly put my engine at any greater harm from dirt than filling the rest of my engine through the large, open oil fill cap. I've honestly never done an oil change in a dust storm, or after building a sand castle, failing to wash my hands, and I honestly have never seen dirty oil come out of a fresh sealed container of oil.

I will also bet any amount of money that the oil coming out of the "clean side" of the filter I am replacing is at least several times dirtier than what is coming out of a fresh jug of new oil, so I think my engine will learn to live somehow, being contaminated with new fresh oil.

Secondly, I'm not buying this oil lump thing. I'm betting that dry filter media is at least 100 times more likely to be damaged by a slug of pressurized oil than any of the metal parts in my engine.

Several engine and filter manufacturers direct the filter to have oil added to it before installation, and I've not seen an engine suffer as a result of doing so.

 

[SLCraig]

I always pre-fill mine.
I want the oil pressure sooner than later... That is my thoughts. Have done it ever since I've been doing my own maintenance.

 

[SnowDrifter]

I prefill mine. Then pull the injector fuse, crank it for 5 or so seconds, pop it back in, start the car. Boom no dry start.


You could calculate the time difference between prefilling and not. Just need to know the volume of oil your filter holds and the flow rate of your oil pump at ~1200RPM or so. Even if it's only a second, why would I want my engine running without oil for any length of time?

 

[sir1900]

I used to prefill the filter, but don't anymore. I just oil the gasket and threads, then spin 'er on.

It makes virtually no difference whether you prefill or not.

 

[demarpaint]

If the filter is positioned in a way that I can prefill it, then I prefill it. I don't see any downside at all to prefilling a spin on oil filter.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite

Otherwise, as THIS subject like many this week has been discussed ad nauseam; a proper Mechanical Engineering response:
In prefilling, you having just created a lump of oil between the pump and the mains gallery, with a light duty engine and filter, is NOT going to help and MAY well hurt as it may inhibit prime and pumping; it will accelerate a "wad" of oil along the main drill, to eventually (in Msec) hammer-out from the compressed air cavity residing beforethe oil slug, and the air bubble after the oil slug. Just think massive water hammer.


And what, pray tell, is that water hammer going to hammer? The most fragile thing in the chain is the filter media. Water hammer in tiny passages through solid metal might result in, oh, a very little bit of resonance?

 

[rrounds]

I only prefill my filters that are 1 qt. or larger in size and that hang base up.

ROD

 

[ThirdeYe]

I used to pre-fill filters, but I don't do it anymore. I've noticed no real difference either way.

 

[sprite1741]

It doesn't make any difference. My side mount filter on my 2.2 can't, and has never been pre-filled. The engine is still going after 29 years. Oil the gasket and install.

 

[Bud_One]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
I used to pre-fill filters, but I don't do it anymore. I've noticed no real difference either way.

+1

 

[goodtimes]

I am surprised by responses that it is worse to prefill, some of them are silly,like the oil from the bottle isn't filtered. The dry bearing knocking sound before the can fills isn't hard to hear or understand. It knocks shorter with oil in the filter, longer without oil in the filter. If people think 20 micron filtering is good, look at the grains in 600 grit sandpaper, those are about 15 microns. Sand some metal with that and look at the scratches. 30 micron grit is worse and terrible.
In about 1962 my dad and I both went to frantz filters for the same reasons as now. My first car. The engines last without, but it's more of a perfectionist thing. My grandfather bought his last new car in 1958 when he turned 65 and retired. He ordered the Chevrolet with a 6 cylinder and skipped the oil filter and radio option. Heater was it. No oil filter changed in his life, and he never replaced or repaired an engine either. You get most of the the dirt out when you change the oil method, which is still a good method IMO, for perfectionists at least. That's why I still change my synthetic oil at 5k with a full flow filter.

 

[GreeCguy]

Now that I recollect, it seems to me a while back, there was a fellow in these parts that rinsed his filters with gasoline before filling them with oil to install. He even posted pictures of the gasoline rinse, (poured in a clean coffee can) that showed metal filings and shavings that had come out of the new filter.

Maybe some older Bitogers remember this - I've never done it, but I do remember the post.

 

[crazyoildude]

i prefill my filters on my engines but when we rebuild our engines we dont of course we crank them a lot before we start them

 

[justalubetech]

I sometimes prefill filters, mainly because some engines make horrific clattering for a few seconds until the pressure is up with a new dry filter ... doubt it's really necessary though since it's only a "dry" start once every few thousand miles.

 

[Skitter302]

I've never thought about this... Then again, I can't. All the vehicles I maintenance have Ford small blocks. thus the filter has to go in sideways. And you have to reach around the front axle to remove/install the filter.

 

[Team_FAST]

On a Ford 7.3l Powerstroke diesel, the filter holds TWO QUARTS of oil....you bet I prefill it!

This is true for all the big diesel trucks.