Quote:
Originally Posted by spectramitch
I am going to take a look and see. Lust4speeds comment about the bypass makes sense. But I'm wondering if maybe there's something funky about the filter I'm using and the gauge line being right off of it. I am pulling from right above the oil filter on the housing.
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Thing is, the by pass valve is your safety for a problem with the oil filter. Eliminating it does nothing to help the longevity of the engine. Starting the engine cold, can crush the filter media hydraulically. I can't for the life of me figure out why people plug the relief off.
If you want better filtering, a by pass filter is the way to get better filtering, not plugging the by pass valve. Pontiac is one of the engines that does not have a by pass valve internal to the filter. You have no safety valve when the by pass is plugged. The oil enters on the outside of the filter, passes through the media, and returns through the center to the internal engine parts.
Over pressuring the canister, can split the canister housing, force the O ring to leak, and crush the media. If the media ruptures, all the filtered dirt is free to pass right into the bearings. You have to ask yourself, what did I save by eliminating the by pass valve? The answer is you didn't save anything, you can ruin the whole engine if the media ruptures, and dumps all the filter contents directly into the engine. The scary thing is, you'll never know the media ruptured unless you dissect every filter by cutting it open, pulling all the pleats, and carefully examining the media. If you do find a compromised filter, the damage is already done.
If you change the filter, and toss the filter, the way you may find out is when the bearings fail, for no apparent reason. The idea for removing the by pass valve is to make every bit of oil flow through the filter. The problem with that theory is, a full flow filter filters down to 40 microns. The dirt that grinds up engine parts is small enough that it passes through the media anyway. 10 microns is the particulate size that can fit into the tight tolerances and grind away at the internal engine parts. The 40 micron size doesn't fit between the bearings and crankshaft, it can't fit in the tight spaces.
If you spend time researching, most engine builders (not every one) dismiss blocking the by pass valve as unnecessary. I've never blocked it in any engine I've ever built. If you want clean oil, a full flow filter will never provide it, the design is to filter out big pieces of dirt. If a full flow filter kept your oil clean, you wouldn't have to keep changing oil to get the small particulate out of the oil.
If you leave the oil in the engine, the small particles will keep getting denser. Everyone knows what happens if you don't change oil with a full flow filter system, sludge and engine wear ensues. Sludge is made up of the fine matter that flows through the full flow filter unimpeded.
Two ways to remove the fine stuff, flush the engine with fresh oil continually, or get a filter that removes it first pass. I use the second method to catch the fine matter first pass, rather than wait until I change oil to remove it from the engine.
One other thing, putting multiple full flow filters does decrease pressure loss across the filters, but it still doesn't remove the harmful matter that passes through a full flow filter.
