Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods Oil filter

Posted by Rara,
"And finally back on topic - The "tests" on the different oil filters are all a bit misleading, because all of the tests are done at different specifications, like the ~14gpm for the K&N and the 3gpm for the motorcraft filter are tested at unknown pressures, if the Motorcraft filter gets 3gpm @ 2psi, and the K&N gets 14gpm at100 psi"

Rara, The K&N oil filter test pressure was 8psi (flow 14 GPM) per their tech rep. The Purlolator (who makes Motorcraft supposedly) tech rep could only tell me that the "Pure One" filter was "tested to manufacturers specs" which I later learned was 3 GPM (psi??) It was NOT TESTED any higher. This is what caused my concern (in view of oil related failures of ?? etio).

Indeed, 3 GPM may be enough for the Duratec (I never found out Duratec oil pump specs but the Yamaha SHO V6 pump is rated to 10 GPM, so ours may be 8-10?). Or Motorcraft may flow 50 GPM but they DID NOT TEST TO MAKE SURE. I doubt it flows as well thogh - recall the oil filter dissection study that discussed the VERY DENSE pleat packing in Pure-one/motorcraft design, they even commented it MAY be a bit flow restrictive. Some of this was discussed at SHOtimes FAQ and they had significant concerns in the about the Motorcraft for this reason. That is what got me thinking. I do not think this matters on 99% of Ford "low reving" applications but on an SVT Duratec spinning 7K RPM with marginal oil capacity??? K&N also has (or so they say) the strongest case in the industry with a 550psi burst strength. Now we also have Demon's oil analysis data showing a better outcome than Motorcraft with same car, same oil, same driver but even more miles. I would say that is a fair pile of evidence in favor of K&N. Until somebody has "better" data favoring something else, I think its worth $10 a pop for the piece of mind. Of course I only drive 10-12K a year and go through about 3 filters so that adds up to an extra $20 year.

As far as the K&N air filter, well it does flow better. 2 persons have dynoed with open K&N and gained 5 HP over stock. I gained 12 HP over stock with an even bigger K&N + 75mm MAF meter. Yes you have to be careful about overoiling to avoid cleaning the MAF sensor frequently. Yes, it was shown in one study to filter slightly less particles than paper, BUT several oil analysis studies have shown that the oil stays just as clean - so this is probably irrelavent. Cost is similar for both perhaps less for reusable K&N in the long run - especially if you change frquently to avoid the big power loss you get with a dirty filter. And FYI, K&N is the factory air filter for the Cobra R, and Viper ACR.

K&N air filter is slightly less efficient at removing dirt than high quality paper. If you want filtering efficiency, your best bet is two stage oiled foam (amsoil, monster). You lose a little flow (vs oiled gause), but gain alot of filtering efficiency. In 60000 miles with oiled foam, I cleaned my throttle plate twice, and both times, I hardly removed anything. BTW, this is not only me talking out of my ass, someone actually did the tests for filtering efficiency. BTW, if you dump your oil every 3000 miles, there is no reason you should care one way or the other.

As for the K&N oil filter, I have no reason to doubt demonsvts results. I run pure one here in Canada, because the speed shops gouge on the K&N (about 20$ canadian....)

Two ford employees?? Well at least one that everyone knows about (rara)
No reply to his K&N voiding warranty??

So what dealer do you actually work at in MI. that way no one gets screwed from you for having a aftermarket air filter

I stand corrected, the k&n does not void warranties with direct replacement, but what I should of said is that the effects of the k&n on the maf (be it over oiling or just dirt) does void warranties. Some dealers may wave this in order to keep the customer satisfied for their lack of knowledge. Nothing I stated about the cleaning was made up. It all came from a k&n cleaning recharging kit. Maybe its out dated since I haven't used them in a while. To Dan nixon: viper acr and mustang cobra r are considered "factory" race cars there for its a race application. As for the oil filter issue I have nothing else to offer, I do hope the k&n is better but will never use it.

Thats great that we resolved The K&N air filter question..but since K&N Oil Filters are really hard to come by where I live I use Penzoil Oil Filters and I am thinking of going back to the FL-8205's. The Penzoil are like $3-4CDN and are readily available and cheap should I switch to something else? And is the Motorcraft actually a PUREONE filter and how much is it?

US made Motorcraft ONLY!

Canadian Motorcraft filters are made by WIX

and livinsvt: get over it (and yourself) You were proven wrong on EVERY account, but fail to acknowledge most. Oh well; to each their own I suppose...
Like I stated from the beginning; I'm NOT modding your car or selling anything, just enlightening others with the results and data I have found.

Dan,
My whole point is that the flow tests were not known to be consistant between brands (ie pressures not the same on all flow tests), the #'s I threw out were exagerrated to make the point clearer. Nothing more.

livinsvt, what dealer do you work for? I also live in Novi. I would assume it would be either Holzer or MacDonald.
On the K&N air filter thing, the only thing that will get a warranty voided is customer misuse (ie overoiling) and even then, its no big deal, the MAF sensor is good as new after a quick steam cleaning (fyi, DIY'ers can use brake cleaner, or anyhting that will leave absolutely ZERO residue on the sensor wires)

Not wishing to throw a wrench in the works here but consider this 1)Most engines that have failed have been SVT V6s 2)Your oil pressure /filter flow info is not taking into account the oil coolers on SVT's 3)This type of cooler does give a restriction to flow/pressure Vs oil/air type 4)Never hear of many non SVT's with oil pressure probs...just food for thought...

Terry,

Question? Does all of the oil go through the cooler?

I believe many oil filters can go into what is known as "bypass" meaning the oil does not pass through the filter media.

So I've gotta know, is all oil pumped through the oil cooler, or can some bypass the cooler.

You can probably guess question "B", what can be done to improve flow through the oil cooling system?

TB

The cooler has a 'pop off' by-pass as the filters ,BUT in normal operation,yes all the oil goes through the cooler plates SOOOO....those of you who had an engine blow...did they put a new cooler on? as the plate type coolers tend to retain debris???.The plate type cooler does help for oil warmup but if you are considering a better than stoc upgrade look at the 'Laminova' re Mocal or 'Think Automotive'