Oil Filtering Effectiveness - Fram/Napa/Pure1/Mobil1/OilGuard

[Daless2]

Oil Filtering Effectiveness - Fram/Napa/Pure1/Mobil1/OilGuard

This write-up will detail some of my recent efforts to test Engine Oil Filter Efficiencies in my 1997 Jeep TJ, 4.0L.

Over the last year we?ve had some interesting discussions, and have shared some good information concerning various brands of oil filters. Much of this discussion has centered on cutting filters open and describing how they look and what each filter is made of inside.

While this information is good to know I am not sure how valuable it is. I say this because I can?t tell much about filtering effectiveness based on what material or how much material may or may not be stuffed into a filter can, nor I don?t know anyone who can.

When I hear the phrase Oil Filter I cannot help but think its primary function is to ?Filter Oil?. With that in mind I decided to see if I could test Actual Filtering Effectiveness.

I wanted something measurable, empirical and objective, and not subjective or opinion based .

In other words I wanted to know ?How much Stuff (That shouldn?t be there) is in my engines motor oil after being filtered by various name brand oil filters?

The filters I tested were:

Fram Extra Guard ($2.37)
Napa Gold ($7.85)
Pure One (Puralator) ($6.35)
Mobil1 ($11.50)
OilGuard Bypass System ($140.00)


Testing began in September, 2001 and finished up just after New Years 2002. It has taken this long to compile the reams of information, which was generated from 4 different labs, all using a similar testing method known as Atomic Emissions Spectrographic Analysis.

I intend to fully document these testing efforts over the next few days. This effort will detail the test results, test environment, methodology and procedures that were used.

I will post this information as I get each section written.

In the mean time, rather then wait any longer I will post the end results now.


Results: Oil Filter Efficiency Testing

This chart and data represents the total Solid Parts Per Million (ppm) of ?Stuff? in my engine motor oil (That shouldn?t be there) after being filter by various filters.

Please note: There will be a large amount of explanation to go with this data. If you will be a bit patient with me I will get explanations written up as quickly as possible.

Also note that this data represents Parts Per Million REGARDLESS of the size of the part!. (None of this ?I can filter down to 10 micro?s and you can?t, na, na, na, na, naaa stuff. This is ALL the stuff that shouldn?t be there floating around in my oil.)







As I think you can see, given my testing efforts there isn?t a very great difference in filtering efficiencies between any of the four major brands of oil filters. Mobil1 clearly is the best of the four, but certainly not by any great order of magnitude comparable to cost.

I will have more information to share on the OilGuard bypass filter later. If you would like to learn more about OilGuard Bypass Filters here is a link to their site.

http://www.oilguard.com/index.php



Who did the Testing

I own a consulting firm, and several of my clients are in the aerospace business. I approached a friend at one of these companies with what I wanted to do. He in turn volunteered to have his lab do this testing. He also contacted two university labs that they fund, and asked that they too perform the same analysis.

Collectively these three groups determined the methodology to be used would be Atomic Emissions Spectrographic Analysis.

Testing analysis by these three groups was performed for free.

I hired a fourth lab to perform the same tests, which I paid for with my after school cookie money.


What was Tested For

I wanted to know what was in the oil, after being filtered that ?normally should not be there? so I asked for the typical oil analysis breakdown you see in the chart/data above.

?Solid Particle Stuff that Shouldn?t Be In the Oil that was Tested For?

Iron
Aluminum
Chromium
Copper
Lead
Tin
Silver
Silicon
Carbon
Soot/Ash



I specifically asked that typical ?additive solids? be Excluded from the results.

(No one listened to this request, I had to remove the additive solids myself from the data.) (Please note, additive solids across the board, for all tests, all filters, remained almost perfectly constant, never varying by more then 0.4%.)

Additive Solids that Should be in the oil and have been excluded from these results.

Boron
Zinc
Phosphorous
Calcium
Magnesium
Barium


Water volume and fuel dilution levels where also tested. I will report those results later.


More Shortly

Frank

[TObject]

Frank, very cool! I've been thinking to do something like that for a long time, but never got to it, knowing how much time and efford a test like that requires.

I would like to know what equipement was used to do the spectrography analisys. And any information about the methods (like sample concentration and preparation, ionisation source, phase, and matrix). The later is probably proprietary information, so just to know the equipemnt would be interesting.

Have you had a chance to run a sample of fresh motor oil through these tests?

[Daless2]

Testing Procedure

Vehicle

I used my 97 Jeep TJ for the source of oil for this test.

My TJ is a 4.0L 6cyl having a Safari Snorkel, stock air box and K&N flat filter with a post-filter installed.

There were 60,000 miles on my TJ when I started this effort.

Engine has been fed a regular diet of Mobil 1 oil and Fram Extra Guard filters every 3,000 miles since the first oil change. The only repair work I have done to the engine was to replace the rear main seal (leak) at about 39,000. At the time there was no evidence of any sludge build up in the lower half of the engine.


Capturing Replenishing Oil:

Back in early June I changed the oil and filter in my Jeep at 60,000 miles. The crankcase had dirty (Mobil1) oil that I drained into a new, clean container and saved it. (I did not drain the Fram Filter into this same container.)

This used oil would be used to replenish, or top off, my crankcase later when I began the filter efficiency testing and needed more oil to compensate for installing a new filter and for oil samples I would take.


Creating the Test Environment

As stated above, I changed the Mobil 1 oil and Fram filter at 60,000 miles with new stuff.

I then drove my Jeep to 63,000 miles, the point where I would normally perform another oil and filter change. Now had the environment that I would use to capture the test oil by filter.


Fram Extra Guard Test

At 63,001 miles I removed the dirty Fram Extra Guard filter that had been in use for the previous 3K miles, and replaced it with a new Fram Extra Guard filter.

I then topped the crankcase oil level off with the 3,000-mile old oil that I had saved. (This was necessary to insure I was not introducing clean oil that would skew not only this test but also future filter tests that were coming down the pike.)

I ran my Jeep for approximately 500 miles (63,512) and then took four oil samples that would be sent out to the four labs.

Using a vacuum pump and hose I pulled four ounces of hot motor oil through the dipstick tube.

One-ounce samples were put in small bottles labeled with just a number so I could feel confident that a complete blind test would be performed. I kept notes in the form of a table which would let me identify each oil sample (by number) to the filter being tested, yet ensure no one else would know this information. (What can I say, I may not be too scientific but I am a control freak!)

I set these four samples aside in four boxes so as to wait for the remaining oil samples capture after using the other filters.


Napa Gold Test

After taking the oil samples for the Fram Extra Guard Filter at 63,512 miles I removed the Fram filter and replaced it with a new Napa Gold oil filter. I then topped off the crankcase with my 3,000-mile old dirty oil.

The Jeep was driven for approximately 500 miles and at 64,009 miles I took four (hot) oil samples via the vacuum pump down the dip stick tube method. Once again labeling the sample four sample bottles only with a number.

These samples were also set aside, one in each of the four boxes to be shipped out to the labs at a later date


Pure One Test

Continuing using the same approach, I removed only the Napa Gold filter and replaced it with a Puralator Pure One filter (@ 64,009 miles). Topping off the crankcase oil level at the same time.

My Jeep was driven for another 500 miles and at 64,528 miles four additional hot oil samples where drawn so as to test the effectiveness of the Pure One filter. The samples were labeled and set aside in the boxes to be shipped later.


Mobil 1 Test

I removed the Pure One oil filter at 64,528 miles and replaced it with a Mobil 1 Oil Filter, then topped the crankcase off once again with the 3K-mile dirty oil. At 65,039 miles I took the last of the stand-alone filter tests.


OilGuard

At this point I had four samples of each of the four name brand filters that I could send out to the four labs for testing, and I had a pretty good control environment. (As controlled as I could make it any way.)

I elected to install and test an OilGuard Bypass Filter System, which I had in my shop shelf for a while to see how it would perform.

I do not in any way wish to be an advertisement for OilGuard but I do need to explain a bit about this system.

OilGuard filters are ?Depth, Bypass Filters?. They take a very small percentage of the oil flowing through your engine (about 5%) and force it, under low flow and low pressure through a filter medium, which is quite thick (Depth).

This system is incredibly easy to install. You pull the oil pressure sending unit from the block, install a T-fitting, replace the sending unit and attach a hose which goes to the filter. The oil that is filtered flows back into the engine via a tapped fitting in the valve cover or a fitting that replaces the oil pan drain plug.

At 65,039 miles, after taking the oil sample for the Mobil 1 oil filter I installed the Oil Guard bypass filtering system and drove my Jeep for another 500-miles to 65, 544 on the odometer and took the last of my oil samples. These were then labeled and packaged up. Each of the four labs received 5 1-ounce oil samples for analysis.

It was at this time that I decided to ask for the additional analysis for fuel dilution and oil content.


Summary of Oil Sample Gathering.

I want to review to make sure I have clearly shared how I did this.

Each test was done using pretty much the same oil, however this oil became older or ?more used? with each filter test.

The oil used to test the Fram filter was aprox 3,500 miles old when the sample was taken. The oil sample taken for the Mobil 1 filter was more then 5,000 miles old when taken.

Every time a new filter was put on, the engine oil level was topped off with ?dirty? 3,000-mile old oil.

This was and is the best I am capable of doing in controlling this environment.

I will be the first to say it isn?t perfect, yet given the results I am not sure this caused any significant negative effects. You are certainly welcome to come to your own conclusions on this.

More in a little bit, if not tomorrow.

Frank

[Daless2]

Understanding the Lab Results

The data and chart I posted up front contains the average of all the data reported from all four labs.

While generally I do not like averages at all, in this case I did not feel the average results would be skewed or hide any pertinent information.

Why??..All data elements (ppm by type), from all four labs never varied more then 0.02% from the highest to the lowest reading. That?s good enough for me. I?m convinced!


Fuel Dilution Results

All five oil samples, coming from all five filter environments came in with the same results.

Fuel dilution of the oil, measured as a percent of volume was less then 0.08%.

I found this to be particularly interesting considering the oil age was over 5,500 miles and well within the SAE requirement of less then 0.2%. (Hmmm?maybe I change my oil too frequently. Hmmmm??I don?t know.)


Water Content

Water content was reported as a percentage of volume coming in as follows:

Fram = 0.09%
Napa Gold = 0.09%
Pure One = 0.10%
Mobil 1 = 0.12%
Oil Guard = Nil (to small to measure)

All water content measurement are within SAE standards. It does not surprise me that as the oil aged (more miles) the water content would rise as this is a bi-product of cumbustion.

What is surprising is how well the OilGuard filter absorbed the 0.12% water content in the oil, reducing it to ?to small to measure?. I suspect the cotton filter element in the OilGuard filter does indeed wick the water out.


Some Thoughts

I am fairly confident in the testing results as they have come back from the labs.

Four independent labs (three of which are run by real honest to God rocket scientists) coming back with results that didn?t vary by more then 2/100 of one percent has convinced me of that.

I do however have some questions about how valuable all this filtering is. ????

My instinct tell me that ?Stuff? that should not be in my engine?s oil will form a slurry that can?t be good for the engine in the long run.

But I have no way of knowing this for sure.

To farther support the ?value question? in my brain I pull at my own experiences in getting 286,000 miles out of a Toyota Mini Van using nothing but Mobil 1 and, for the most part, Fram filters. When this engine was torn down to examine, almost everything was within spec.

I am farther stuck on the fact that the VW Beatle was run for years with only a ?screen? as a filter, and that 10?s of millions of them ran for very very long period of time.


That said.

I plan to continue to run the OilGuard Bypass filter, however I will be replacing it with another version that is better sized to fit my 4.0L engine. The unit I installed was EPS-20 which is sized for a Power Stroke Diesel, and that is where this unit will go.

I have already ordered a model EPS-10 that is sized for crankcases of 10 quart or smaller. I will put this one on my Jeep.

I plan to continue to use only Mobil 1 oil, and the rather cost effective Fram filters that I have always had good luck with.

I plan to change my oil and filter change interval from 3,000 miles to 5,000 miles based on my filter efficiency tests and the fuel/water levels found in the oil at 5,500 miles.

And lastly I plan to replace the OilGuard Bypass Filter element every 10,000 miles with a replacement unit. This will cost $11 dollars per filter.

I Do NOT plan to get involved with oil testing to determine if I can extend my oil change interval any farther then the 5,000 mile period. Much of the marketing efforts for the various brands of auxiliary by-pass filtering stress the cost effectiveness of much longer extended change intervals. While these claims may very well be true, I just don?t feel comfortable with the concept, nor am I looking for more work to do in taking and sending out oil samples to determine when I should change my oil.

I?m happy just getting the extra filtering efficiency out of this system, and feel comfortable taking it to 5,000 miles between changes given the fuel dilution and water content levels that came back from all four labs.

Guess I?ll have to see what the long-term effects are of this decision.



I have a few pictures I will put up tomorrow of the OilGuard bypass filtering system I installed.

If anyone has any questions on this effort I would be happy to try and answer them, however I am not all knowing, nor an expert on this topic. Please feel free to add your own comments, suggestions and thoughts.

Frank

[TJRON]

That is some great filtering system!
Good work Frank. I just sprung for my first Mobil 1 (large one) after reading all the forum opinions. I'm glad it's better than the others.
Do you have any idea what would be considered acceptable amounts of contaminants, in otherwords, isignificant? I realize $150 is not that much money but the only way I would do it is if it would save me money in the long run. Like not changing the oil hardly ever, just changing the filter. I know a lot of diesel guys go this route. They just send a sample to Blackstone Lab (I think) for analyse every blue moon to see how the oil is holding up.
Thanks,
Ron

[Daless2]

Hi Folks,

When I posted the first volume of information concerning my efforts to objectively determine the filtering effectiveness of various engine oil filters on my Jeep I was holding back some information.

The reason I held it back is because I did not know I had it!

Several of the comments put up on this post and my conversations with Blaine made me realize I had more to share.

I have all the data necessary to know how ?Dirty? the oil was BEFORE each filter Test, and I already know how ?Dirty? the oil was after the filter test.

I believe this information provides additional information that will help you in determining and evaluating a filters performance in a before and after view, compared against ?itself?.


If you look at the original data I posted you can see that the oil analysis and filter testing was sequential, meaning I started with Fram, then Napa Gold, then Pure One, Mobil1 and the add on Oil Guard By-pass filter. I did this, in this order on purpose.

I ?expected? (or was conditioned to think) that as I moved from the less expensive filters to the more expensive filters that the more expensive filters they would do a ?Better Job? at removing ?stuff? that shouldn?t be in the oil.

This turned out to be a false assumption on my part, or at lease not true all the time.


That said here is the data.

The first chart tells the story. In an effort to be totally transparent, I am following this up with all the data and how the data was calculated and viewed.



Parts Per Million ?Change? by Filter

This chart illustrates the performance of each filter as compared to itself, and then collectively how each filter performed in comparison to the other filters performance.

What you are looking at answer one very simple question. ?After each Filter Test, was the oil More or Less dirty??

The GREEN BARS indicate the oil was Less Dirty at the end of the test then what it was at the start. For example, look at the GREEN Napa Gold Filter in this chart. You will see ?-1.59%? (Please note this is a negative percent). This means the oil at the end of the test was 1.59% cleaner then it was at the start of the test.

Another example is the PureOne filter. It shows a RED BAR with the label ?8.19%?. This means the oil at the end of the filter test was 8.19% More Dirty then at the start of the test.

Here?s the chart.





More Data

At the start of this post I put up the data I had representing the oil analysis data I had from the end of each test. What was missing from this data was the condition of the ?Replenishing Oil? and the 3,000-mile old oil in the crankcase at the start of my first test for the Fram filter.

Here is all the oil analysis data I have as measured from the labs. Once again this data represents Parts Per Million of ?Stuff? in the oil that shouldn?t be there.





Start of Test Oil Quality

At first glance one might thing that the oil quality at the start of a filter test is the same as the oil quality at the end of the previous test, but this just IS NOT the case.

It is not the case because each test required 5 oz of oil to be removed to go to the labs and the oil filter to be removed (with it?s oil) to prepare for the next test. Each filter contains 15 oz of oil.

So?.. moving from one test to the next meant ?replenishing 20 oz of oil with the ?replenishing oil? to prepare for the next test.

Given we know how ?dirty? the ?replenishing oil is, AND we know how much ?replenishing oil? we added, we can calculate (within a very very reasonable degree of accuracy) how much ?Stuff? that shouldn?t be in the oil, was in the crankcase at the start of the test.

Let me take you through this and give you all the data and numbers, but first the ?facts?.



Facts

Here is the only information I can state with 100% certainty, accuracy and comfort to be ?Facts?


1 quart = 32 oz.

My Jeep?s 4.0 L engine (w/filter) holds 6 quarts of oil.

6 quarts of oil = 192 oz.

I drew 5 oz of engine oil out prior to each filter test. This oil was analyzed.

I took the oil filter out after each test and replaced the filter with a new one. I then had to replenish this oil with 15 oz. of ?replenishment oil?

A total of 20 oz. (5 oz. + 15 oz.) of ?replenishing oil? was added to all filter tests at the start of the test. (Accept the Oil Guard which had 21 oz added and will be explained in detail later.)


End of facts.



Calculating Oil Quality at the Start of Each Test

In the interest of being totally ?transparent? it is important that I explain that the Oil Quality at the Start if each test WAS NOT analyzed, but rather calculated.

These calculations ARE considered by the Lab as ?Objective Data?, however this is not considered ?Empirical Data?. Only the actual oil analysis, performed in the labs is considered Empirical Data.

That said, for what we are doing I believe, as do the labs, that this calculation is correct and accurately reflect the PPM count of ?stuff? that was in the oil at the start of each filter test.


The crankcase holds 192 oz. of oil.

At the start of each test, 172 oz (192 oz MINUS the 20 oz removed = 172 oz) of oil from the previous test was in the crankcase. We know what the PPM count was for this 172 oz of oil from the lab analysis of the previous analysis.

The remaining 20 oz of oil came from the replenishing oil supply, and we know what it?s PPM count was, from the lab analysis.

Given we have this lab analysis data we can calculate the PPM of ?stuff? in the engine oil at the start of each test.

Here?s how.


20 oz of oil equals a certain percentage of the total (192 oz) oil in the crankcase at the start of the test. To determine what percent this is you use the formula;

20oz / 192oz = Percent of Replenishing Oil put into the crankcase

20oz / 192oz = 0.1041

20oz / 192oz = 10.4% of oil in crank case at start of each test was replenishing oil.


We need to do the same calculations to determine the percent of ?previously analyzed? (172 oz) oil was in the crankcase. Here are those numbers.

172oz / 192oz = percent of previously analyzed oil in crank case

172oz / 192oz = 0.8958

172oz / 192oz = 89.6% of oil in crank case at start of each test was replenishing oil.


So?? What we know now is that 10.4% of the oil in the crankcase at the start of each filter test came from the ?replenishing oil, and we know that oil contained in total 17,860 PPM of ?stuff? that shouldn?t be there, as measured by the lab analysis.

We also know that 89.6% of the of the oil in the crankcase at the start of each filter test came from the previous test, and we know how many PPM of ?stuff? that shouldn?t be that oil was there as it too was measured by the lab analysis.

Lets walk through an example to make sure I explain this properly and in a way that is easily understood. I will use the PureOne filter test in this example. Please check me out and keep me honest here.

Replenishing Oil PPM = 17,860

And?..

Previous Test Results (Napa Gold filter Test) PPM = 17,575


To calculate the oil quality at the start of the test you multiply the replenishing oil PPM count TIMES the percent of replenishing oil added to the crank case.

You then multiply the previous Test Oil PPM count (in this case from the Napa Gold oil analysis) TIMES the Percent of Previous Test oil in the crankcase.

Once you have these two numbers you ADD them together to get the PPM count of ?stuff? in the oil that shouldn?t be there at the start of each filter test.

Here is the formula with the numbers plugged in to determine the PPM count in the oil at the Start of the PureOne filter test.


(17,860 x .0.104) + (17858 x 0.896) = PPM count at start of PureOne Filter test.

1,857.44 + 15,747.2 = PPM count at start of PureOne Filter test.

17,604.64 = PPM count at start of PureOne Filter test.



Why is this important?

Well if we know how ?dirty? the oil was at the START of the PureOne filter test, (17,604.64 PPM from the calculations).

And?..

We know how dirty the oil was at the END of the PureOne filter test, (19,046 PPM from the lab oil analyses)??

We can then get a feel for if we like that filter or not! (Based on our own values system for what is goodness and what is not goodness.)

To me, an oil filter that makes the oil cleaner then it was at the start of the test is seen as ?goodness?. And the reverse is also true. A filter that allows the oil to become more dirty then what it was at the start of the test is ?not goodness?. (But that?s just me.)


Lets do the math and see how to calculate this.

Oil Quality at the End of the test ?MINUS? Oil Quality at the Start of the test = More or Less Dirty Oil!!!


Once again here are the PureOne numbers to use as an example:

Oil End PPM ? Oil Start PPM = More or Less Dirty Oil!!!

19,046 PPM ? 17,604.64 PPM = More or Less Dirty Oil!!!

1441.36 PPM = More Dirty Oil!!!


Now that we know there were 1441.36 PPM more stuff in the oil that shouldn?t be there after being filter for approximately 500 miles, we can calculate what percent ?INCREASE? of ?Stuff? in the Oil. Here?s how!


PPM Increase / PPM at start of test = Percent Change

1441.36 / 17,604.64 = Percent Change

0.08187 = Percent Change

8.19% = Percent Change (In this case an increase or ?not goodness?)


If this ?percent? were a negative number (such as the Mobil1 filter test ?22.74%) then the percent would represent a Decrease in PPM or cleaner oil at the end of the test then what was there at the beginning of the test.(this would be ?goodness!?)

I realize that some folks are math challenged like I am. I hope I have adequately explained this.



All the Data

Here are all the numbers for each of the filters involved in my analysis effort, in the order in which they were tested. I have tried to color code the final results a bit in these data charts. A REDd-ish color background indicates an INCREASE in the PPM after the Test.(?not goodness?)

A Green color background in the results fields indicates a DECREASE in PPM at the end of the Test. (?goodness?)




























Please note: The Oil Guard by-pass filter adds 16 oz more oil to the crankcase, going from 192 oz to 208 oz. This must be taken into account when calculating the PPM contributions from the replenishing oil (10.1) and the Mobil1 (89.9%) test oil. Also note the total replenishment oil added for the Oil Guard test was 21 oz.



I have a bit more to post, but it will have to wait till later or tomorrow. It?s now time for my nap!

Have a great day folks,

Frank

[truckjohn]

a couple of questions:

I work with these sorts of filter deals on the hydraulic equipment at my plant.... so I am wondering a couple of things They usually have some sort of telltale on them that monitors filter back pressure to tell you when they need changing. Do these or do they just rely on you popping in a new filter every 10k miles or so?

1. What is the expected life of the filter (miles, hours, etc.)

2. It takes quite a while for a filter of that size to load up -- so what happens after about 1/2 of the expected life? Do they still filter as well after they run 10,000 miles as they do after 5,000 miles?

I guess that brings me to the request for long term info once you have run it a little longer. If you would not mind... once you have 3k to 5k on it, would you mind doing another oil analysis to see how it compares to when the filter is new?

Thanks

John

[Daless2]

Originally posted by truckjohn
a couple of questions:

I work with these sorts of filter deals on the hydraulic equipment at my plant.... so I am wondering a couple of things They usually have some sort of telltale on them that monitors filter back pressure to tell you when they need changing. Do these or do they just rely on you popping in a new filter every 10k miles or so?

1. What is the expected life of the filter (miles, hours, etc.)

2. It takes quite a while for a filter of that size to load up -- so what happens after about 1/2 of the expected life? Do they still filter as well after they run 10,000 miles as they do after 5,000 miles?

I guess that brings me to the request for long term info once you have run it a little longer. If you would not mind... once you have 3k to 5k on it, would you mind doing another oil analysis to see how it compares to when the filter is new?

Thanks

John

Hi John,

I don't have very much experience with this Oil Guard By-pass Filter System but I will share with you the few things I know or think.

There is no means of checking pressure drop that would indicate the filter element was clogging up. Instead they recommend either replacing the element at some mile or hour interval. in the case of my Jeep the recommendation I received was 15K miles. (I will do it at 10K just to be safe.)

The other means of determining when it should be replaced is by oil analysis. While I plan to do this for the next 10K miles I will not be making a habit out of it.

After I completed the oil filter tests I drained the oil, pulled the Mobil1 filter, and pulled the Oil Guard filter element, as I wanted to start from fresh.

I put in in Mobil1 oil, a Wal-Mart Super Tech ($1.97) oil filter and a new Oil Guard filter element ($9). (I do not believe there was anything wrong with the Oil Guard element, but I wanted to do some longer term testing and this created a more controlled environment.


My current plan is to do an oil test at 5,000 miles with this setup. If all still looks good I will do another every 1,000 miles up to, but not beyond 10,000 miles. At that time regardless of the test results, I will drain the oil and replace both filters. I would be happy to share the results.

This is only a test that I am willing to do one time.

After this test I plan to change my Mobil1 oil and cheap Fram or Super Tech filter at 5,000 mile intervals (as I already now at 5,500 miles it is more then fine with the oil guard by-pass system). I will replace the Oil Guard filter element every other oil change (at 10,00 mile intervals).

I don't know with any facts how the Oil Guard filters once it starts to load up. I would think it may actually filter better, given the loaded material would add to the filtration process, but I just don't know. At any rate give the tests I plan to do perhaps I can shed a bit of light on this question a little bit farther down the road.

Have a great night,

Frank

[Daless2]

Here are a few pictures of the Oil Guard By-pass filter system as I installed it a few months back.

This is the stock oil sending unit location. There is a fitting that threads into a block casting right above the oil filter. The oil pressure-sending unit then threads into this fitting.




This picture shows a ?T-fitting? that threads into the block fitting and allows the pressure-sending unit to thread right into the side. The second outlet on this T-fitting provides a hose connection as the oil Input to the Oil Guard by-pass filter.




Here is a side view of the Oil Guard filter showing the hose fitting installed on the upper manifold, the filter element installed and the filter canister unscrewed.




Here it is ready to be installed. There are three fitting on the upper manifold. The center fitting is the oil output. This connects to a hydraulic hose, which returns filtered oil back to the engine via a special oil pan drain plug. The left most fitting is for the oil intake, and the right most fitting is a valve. The valve is used to neatly take oil samples if one wanted to do so.




Finding space to mount the Oil Guard filter in my engine compartment was difficult. Being it is a pressurized filter it can be mounted in any direction. Even upside down.

I was able to mount mine to the inner edge of my battery tray by using a simple L shaped bracket and the bracket that came with the filter. The Oil Guard canister can be unscrewed without too much difficulty but there was a bit of a mess when I did this.

Here is a picture looking straight down at the installation with all hoses in place.




The last picture I have is of the custom oil pan drain plug. The drain plug allows for a fitting to connect the return hose for the filtered oil returning from the oil guard filter.. Opposite the hose return fitting there is a recessed Allan screw in this fitting. To drain the oil pan of oil the Allen Screw must be removed. As you can see the hydro hose is neatly tucked away. I am however not 100% sure on this setup. Sometime in the future I plan to re-plumb this hose with 5/16-inch brake hard-line were it is exposed down by the pan.




That?s about it for tonight.

Frank

[Randall Edge]

Looking through some old post and came across this one. It got me thinking about a bypass filter again. Anyone here know anything about Motor Guard bypass filters? Here's a Link to their site.

[Jerry Bransford]

Very impressive work as usual Frank, wow. Well, I've really liked my AC-Delco Duraguard and Purolator Pure-One filters for years but you've convinced me to switch to the Mobil-1 filter at my next oil change. I might even go all the way to the Oil Guard since my TJ is with me for the long-term. What amazes me is in that 'other' filter test where the filters are torn down and examined, the Pure-One actually came out as one of the recommended filters. Oh well, ya learn something every day.

Thanks Frank, your tests and studies on stuff we use are always so darned interesting and valuable!