Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Cdn, you do realize that is essentially just an advertisement for NTZ, written by an NTZ employee, correct? If there had been other filters, such as in-line or other brands of bypass filters, it may give more sway. But AFAIAC, that article is 100% ad. No comparisons, no measurement of at what point the contamination caused a failure, just "Buy NTZ because it keeps the oil clean!"
I do appreciate the effort in finding the article, but as someone else stated, a majority of what ends up in the fluid is magnetic, and that's likely why you see nearly all OEMs skip the filter and stick one or more magnets in the pan. The metal sludge will cause more wear and havoc to the steels and valves than the detritus from the clutch packs.
Of course I realize that it was co-authored by the president (at the time) of NTZ (along with a Ford engineer). I also realize that the date of that SAE paper was quite a while ago. Having said this:
- I am not a shill for NTF (the current Co.); use whatever quality filter you care to (if you subscribe to the practice of using a bypass filter);
- I also put in a snip re an alternative filter arrangement by AMSoil;
- The point, here, is to super-filter the oil using a bypass arrangement... and you can get any make you like... but the one indicated is 2 microns of filtration;
- A bypass filter is not full-flow, of course, but the magnets in the pan (though good) are much less to be able to pick out debris (it seems to me);
- The steel pistons in the aluminum valve body bores (which we all want to protect from premature wear) probably become more worn with steel debris versus clutch wear debris (likely non-metallic) - but still, superclean fluid to the 2 micron value obviously gives longer life before a hydraulic abnormality occurs. That is why I like a bypass filter.
YMMV... do what you feel you need to. Me I like this arrangement.