Do you fill your filter before installing it?

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I have met a few people that always fill their oil filter before putting it on the vehicle. Something about starving the engine of oil when you start it for the first time with the new filter. Can someone explain this to me please?

I have never done it and have never experienced any problems either. No excessive wear in UOAs, no funny noises, nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, on my motorcycle, the oil filter goes on side ways so I don't know how you would keep the oil in the filter when you tip it on its side and screw it on. Seems very hard to do even if I tried to.

I was just curious as to what the general consensus on here would be.
 
I used to when I first started changing my own oil, but it made a mess every time I did it (even thought he filters on our SUburban and Explorer are vertical). So I stopped a while back and have experienced no problems.
 
On car size filters it is pretty much a moot point. Now on Large diesels, it does have merit, but those filters a 1 gallon plus, and sometimes they have more than one of those suckers.
 
Not worth the mess when you are on your back. On LARGE engines with bypass and so much room i'd say its a better idea than on personal vehicles. I also tend to change the oil warm or hot, so not everything has gone away from the moving parts. I'd be more inclined to do the pre-fill on something that's been sitting, along with cranking it with no spark and stuff.

1980s fords with turbo have a feature if you crank at WOT it will not put in fuel, to make sure the turbo has oil pressure on start after service.
 
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.
 
Long discussion about this not long ago. I don't know about other oils, but Pennzoil YB has solids in the bottom of the bottle, perhaps additives that continue to dissolve as depleted. They would collect on the outside of the filter. Perhaps they are contaminates. Either way, I am not putting them on the inside of filter where they can get pumped to the bearings.

I went through a period of doing it, but decided it doesn't make sense.
 
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.


This is what I do^
 
Originally Posted By: GMZ
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.


This is what I do^


Same here.
 
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Originally Posted By: GMZ
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.


This is what I do^


Same here.


Ditto that^
 
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.
This is what I do, then I refill the filter and let it sit with oil in it while I do the change and take the old filter off. When it's time for the new filter I pour whats left in the filter (not soaked up by the media) back into the jug of oil. Put the filter on and proceed to fill up the engine. I get the normal quick "low-oil" light as I would get with any other start. When I don't fill the filter the "low oil" light is on for a few seconds... I'm sure it's not making a big difference but why not...
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.
This is what I do, then I refill the filter and let it sit with oil in it while I do the change and take the old filter off. When it's time for the new filter I pour whats left in the filter (not soaked up by the media) back into the jug of oil. Put the filter on and proceed to fill up the engine.

That seems kind of anal. How is the filter on your car mounted?
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: FZ1
Pour some oil into the filter and wait a minute or two for the media to soak it up.
This is what I do, then I refill the filter and let it sit with oil in it while I do the change and take the old filter off. When it's time for the new filter I pour whats left in the filter (not soaked up by the media) back into the jug of oil. Put the filter on and proceed to fill up the engine.

That seems kind of anal. How is the filter on your car mounted?


I go to where I was adding more several times as it soaked in to fill the outer shell. I them poured a little out of the center tube and quickly installed it in its 1 o-clock position. Then I had an attack of common sense, and now just oil the gasket and install it.
 
I spill enough taking the old filter off.

I can only imagine how much I would spill if I filled the new one.

I do oil the gasket and the threads.
 
I don't prefill. Never been a fan of putting potential contaminants on the downstream side of a filter. Pouring in the center hole (where darn near everyone does it) is essentially doing just that. I suppose you could fill on the upstream side and wait the excrutiating amount of time to have the oil gravity flow to the inside, filling a little bit at a time, but ...

I've not seen any conclusive evidence in UOAs that show one system "better" than the other. Even if there were a micro-infintesimal difference in wear showing an advantage for pre-filling, it wouldn't amount to squat over the lifecycle of the typical person's engine, which is likely to outlast their desire (or ability) to own it anyway.

I fully support any person in doing what he/she sees fit to do in the privacy of their own garage, but not for one second do I think pre-filling a filter will make the engine last "longer" for "normal" use, nor does the lack of pre-filling make it seize any measureable amount of time eariler. There are some large sump systems that can certainly benefit from pre-filling, and even have pre-lube systems on them. But for the typical Joe with a car or light truck, I see it as a waste of time, and the real risk of contamination outweighs the perceived benefits.

C A U T I O N: OPINION AND TAUNTING TO FOLLOW
People that prefill also have a high propensity to use PAOs for 3k mile OCIs, because they "want their baby to last forever"!
28.gif
(Just kidding. Sort of ...)
 
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