Subject: Re: oil filters - pep boys
From: edh@wheeler.unr.edu (Ed Hackett)
Date: Sept 1, 1995
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles

In article <41vcpe$9e5@twiddle.eng.umd.edu> knee@Glue.umd.edu (Robert S. Fourney) writes:
|>Why should I give the Honda crooks money and encourage them?  If anybody
|>knows if Emgo is any good, I'd appreciate knowing.  I've used them before
|>with no noticable problems when inspecting them at removal.  They look as
|>solid as the fram and Honda filters.  (Note, element type, not screw on,
|>I _can_ see the filter, not just a can).  I bought a box of Honda filters
|>(same size fits all my bikes) a while ago and just ran out this year.  I"ve
|>been making do with fram's until I get some info on Emgo.  Anybody know anything
|>about them?

Bob,

I know of two BMW engines that were destroyed by Emgo filters.
The glue used to hold them together melted under high oil
temperatures, the filters fell apart, and the glue then
hardend in the oil passages when the bikes cooled.  The next
time they were started the oil passages were blocked with glue
and the engine was destroyed.

If you want to use after market, stay with Fram.



 Ed Hackett   edh@maxey.dri.edu           The Desert Research Institute 
 DoD #0200  WMTC  BMWRA  DIOC             Reno, Nevada   (702) 673-7380   
 KotLS  KotLE  DotD #0003            I'm not really a chemist, I'm just one of
 BMW K100RS, Moto Morini Camel       them motorsickle sonsabitches.  __=o&o>__

From: Kalalahti Matti k124476@ee.tut.fi>
Subject: Oil filter test results!
To: toyota-l@cyberspace.cyberauto.com (Toyota mailing list),
        toyota-mods@cyberspace.cyberauto.com (Toyota-Mods mailing list),
        supras@cyberspace.cyberauto.com (supras),
        mr2-interest@cyberspace.cyberauto.com (mr2)
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 1995 00:57:49 +0300 (EET DST)
Sender: owner-toyota-mods@CyberAuto.Com

The Finnish car magazine "Tuulilasi" compared oil filters in its latest
issue. The filters tested were all for Toyota Corolla with A-series engine.

Results in short:

Champion	C138		Very good
Clean		DO 851		Very good (with size reservations)
Biltema		502077		Good (with size reservations)
Purolator	Micronic	Good
Teho		OK 174		Good (with reservations)
Fram		PH 4967		Satisfactory
Motorcraft	EFL391		Satisfactory
Mann		W68/80		Passable
M-Filter	MH 3347		Passable
Toyota		90915-10001	Inferior
Vic		C-110		Inferior

"Clean" filter was was wider than others, and "Biltema" longer.


What did they test?

1) Filtration

Filters were tested with a test equipment conforming to standard ISO 4572.
The test oil was recirculated through the filter, and dirt was continuously
added to it. The test dirt consisted of particles smaller than 200 micrometers.
I've picked the figures below from the graphs on the magazine. 15 mg of
dirt was added to each liter of oil passed through the system. Oil flow
rate was 25 liters per minute.

After 5 minutes, % of each particle size [micrometers] filtered:
		40	30	20	10

Champion	98	91	64	19
Clean		99	91	66	16
Biltema		99	91	62	16
Purolator	97	86	60	11
Teho		96	89	61	17
Fram		98	87	55	9
Motorcraft	99	90	61	12
Mann		98	88	56	10
M-Filter	96	85	50	10
Toyota		88	77	31	0
Vic		87	71	39	4

After 10 minutes, % of each particle size [micrometers] filtered:
		40	30	20	10

Champion	97	90	63	18
Clean		97	91	62	13
Biltema		95	88	56	11
Purolator	97	82	52	9
Teho		98	86	56	15
Fram		97	85	51	5
Motorcraft	97	92	62	16
Mann		96	83	50	7
M-Filter	94	80	47	9
Toyota		81	60	25	1
Vic		81	68	39	4


time until blocked (bypass valve opens):

Champion	16-18 min
Clean		21-23 min
Biltema		29-33 min
Purolator	22-26 min
Teho		16-18 min
Fram		22-26 min
Motorcraft	13-15 min
Mann		25-27 min
M-Filter	19-27 min
Toyota		16-23 min
Vic		20-20 min



2) Anti-drainback valve operation

All except Vic held the oil. 

You can test this yourself, if you want. Find a bolt that fits on the
thread in the filter, fill the filter with oil, and with the bolt
screwed in, turn the filter to its side, like it is on the engine
block. Does it leak?

3) Bypass valve operation

Some filters leaked slightly through the bypass valve early before
the filter elements were blocked, but at worst only 22ml/min.
Compare that to the 25000ml/min total flow in the test, and you
see that it is totally insignificant.


Make your own conclusions. Before this I thought Toyota filters
would be the best one could get (even though I've used Teho myself
because it's 5 times cheaper).


-- 
Matti Kalalahti         | Toyota Carina Coupe GT-T TwinCam Turbo '82
k124476@ee.tut.fi       | RWD * IRS * 3T-GTEU * 195+-15hp@4200-6700rpm
A Huge Evergrowing WWW Home Page * http://proffa.cc.tut.fi/~k124476/

From: John De Armond
Subject: Re: RFI - Gulf Coast Filters
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 04:09:48 EDT
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

Dbaleria wrote:
 
> Anyone out there using the Gulf Coast Extended Oil Drain filter system
> that use a roll of paper towel as the element?  It does not replace the
> factory, rather is in addition to i.) They claim substantial benefits.
> I have not priced them (not on their web site:  www.gulfcoastfilers.com
> ), but they claim they pay for themselves in 30,000 miles, all branches
> of the military use them, and that they remove particles down to 1
> micron.  I have not seen any test reports on them.  Thanks in advance.

*Sigh*  This scam seems to makes its way around every 8-10 years. 
Guess it's time again.

A few things to think about.

First off, the notion that some guy working in his dingy-lit
basement is going to come up with a revolutionary new product that
the "big guys" missed is, while romantic, simply a myth.  With a
tiny few exceptions, this just ain't gonna happen.  Think about it
for a moment.  If a roll of toilet paper or paper towels or whatever
is such a good but cheap oil filter, why do you suppose that not a
single one of the many filter makers has not just stuck such a roll
inside a metal filter can and upped their profits?  After all, these
guys spend millions to figure out the cheapest way to make a filter
that works.

Get a handful of toilet paper or paper towels.  Find a beam of
direct sunlight.  Scrunch and grind the wad of towels in the beam of
light.  Observe all the crap that comes floating out and contemplate
how good that might be for your engine.

consider that the pulp used for paper towels is among the cheapest
going.  Nothing in particular is done to remove grit, abrasives or
other contaminants.  A little built-in grit won't hurt your hands or
your tushie a bit but think what it will do to your engine.

If you ever get a chance to do so, look at an X-ray of a roll of
paper towels.  Observe all the flecks of metal and rock in the
paper.  Most of this is trash that makes its way into the pulp via
the recycling stream.

How small a particle a filter can catch is only part of the issue
and not even a very large one at that.  Particles below a certain
size have no effect on the engine because they are smaller than the
minimum oil film thickness.  Far more important is how effectively
the filter traps trash without excessive pressure drop, how much
crud it can hold before either blocking or blowing out and its
resistance to blowing out.  Another major issue is how the filter
handles water.  Think of what toilet paper or paper towels do when
they get wet.  Moisture gets in the oil from condensation and from
running the engine without fully warming the oil.

Truth be known, the oil filter is only a small, albeit important
part of engine life.  Witness the durability of the VW bug engine
which has no filter at all.  Much more important is the operating
conditions.  Making sure the oil is properly warmed on each trip is
the best thing one can do to extend engine life.  The overwhelming
proportion of the total wear on an engine occurs in the first few
seconds of operation. When the oil is not allowed to properly warm,
it never gets to the proper viscosity and it never loses its water
load.  Water + oil + combustion byproducts = acid + sludge.

Notice I said nothing about oil change intervals.  This 3K mile
change interval that the oil companies and quickchange joints have
promoted is THE con of the 90s.  Rather than get in a pissing match
with others who will want to argue figures, I'll just describe my
practice which is based on significant research using oil analysis
as well as experience.  I change the oil and filter in my gas engine
vehicles no more often than every 10k miles.  My oil analysis data
indicates that this is a conservative number for my driving style. 
I have no diesel vehicles and so can't comment on that.  In my
"fleet", a 75 Datsun 280Z sportscar with 360k miles, a 14 ft Chevy
step van with a little over 200k on its small block, a 68 Fury with
about 100k on the clock, a BMW 635CSi with 100k on the clock and a
Toyota Camry with 150k on the clock.  None burn any oil, though the
step van and the Fury do leak from the main seals.  I should also
note that I buy whatever is the cheapest properly rated oil
available. This is usually the Wal-mart house brand, though
sometimes Valvoline will have a sale running.  I freely mix brands
of oil.  Shame on me :-)

What is really interesting is to cut open a 10k mile oil filter and
back flush the element to observe what has been caught.  An engine
that has been properly warmed most every time leaves almost nothing
in the filter.  Typically a very few very fine metal particles from
normal wear.

John