<VV> flushing VS filtering

[Michael Kovacs]

One more thought about filters. Back in the day when I was a USAF crew chief someone came up with a brilliant idea for an engine oil filter .It was a super micron filter (it caught everything). It was so good that they clogged and allowed some debris to get through the bypass, ruining several PW J57 engines. I guess it is better to let some microscopic stuff through than to use a super filter and possibly lose an engine. 
   
   Any experts one the micron size of the black carbon specs?

"kenpepke at juno.com" <kenpepke at juno.com> wrote: 
  If the filter on our cars worked that well there would be no need to change the oil at all! ... some enterprising outfit could sell additives in a can. Think how many barrels that would save!

'Back in the day' gas stations had wire baskets designed to hold 6 or 8 glass quart bottles that had a spout on the top. People did not have 'throw away' thinking back then so used oil was saved and filtered to be resold, at a reduced price, as reclaimed oil. Reclaiming was a process of filtering ... sometimes some additives were included. That 'reclaimed' oil looked pretty much like new oil. They did a whole bunch better job filtering than is done with a spin on filter today.

Oil does hold particles in suspension. The filter does take some of them out of circulation. That is the reason the engineers located the filter between the oil pump and the engine. They know it is not good to run dirty oil through the lubrication system. The 'carbon sludge' that continues to circulate, although it feels smooth to the touch, is still 'carbon' and is close to diamond in hardness. Running it through the bearings and rings is sort of the equivalent of cleaning the windshield with 2000 grit sandpaper. Nobody would do that! At the feet per minute the piston rings and the bearings travel, they see a whole bunch of sanding. Why would anyone want to add to that?

Ken Pepke
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

I hope it should be black. One of the properties of a good oil is that it holds the microscopic bits "in suspension". If a filter truly cleaned all the stuff out, it would still be crystal clear when you changed oil, wouldn't it??

"kenpepke at juno.com" wrote: 
.............If the filter was catching it all the oil wouldn't be dirty, would it?...............



MIKE KOVACS