Question about oil filter...

[soup1207]

Hi,

I have a question about oil filter. When we change the oil, the oil is so dirty, I think those are the wear out from the engine?

Does it mean the oil filter loses it function (too much dirt),so the oil drained is dirty?

I currently installed Mobil1 extended performance oil and filter. The filter states it can protect up to 15k miles. I wonder if I can change in filter but not drain the oil out?

Again, thanks you all who cleared my frustration in my last post.

Thanks,

Ricky
Ricky

[Deshi Basara]

Again, I would leave it alone if I were you. It's ok to be worried about overfilling your engine oil by a bit, but changing the filter will drain an ungodly amount oil. It is best to leave it alone and let the filter do its job. I am not a mechanic or anything, but I have been changing my oil since high school. I have not notice any difference in my car. If you are really not sure of what you are doing, then please go to an auto mechanic near you. However, if you are persistent and want to learn then do some research and use the internet because everything is here....LOL :)

[YarisSedan]

Well the reason your oil turns black is because of 2 things heat and carbon that is a result of your normal combustion. After a few thousand miles its going to turn black no matter how good your filter is. If it is turning black after a few hundred miles then there is something else going on. If you change your filter it isnt going to change anything your oil will still continue to look black.

Diesel cars the engine oil turns black as soon as you start the car and run for 60 seconds.

[screenprintr]

Currently I let the dealer change my oil and filter. Don't know how often they actually change the filter tough.

When I did change my own oil, and changed the filter every other time I changed the oil.

[MadMax]

Change the filter when you change the oil. Not doing so isn't smart.

[soup1207]

Deshi, I am not worrying about my overfilling in this post. I only thanks again about you guys who answer my last post. My question in there is due to the oil color and filter of my old oil, which raise me a question if I should change the filter between the oil change interval.

Thanks for the answer ~!! all of you~lol

[andulong]

I have never heard of anyone doing that. Change them at the same time. If you want to change it more often, go for it. If you try to change the filter and not the oil, you are going to end up draining all the oil anyway, unless you have some sort of remote mounted oil filter kit. What are you going to do, drain the old oil, replace the filter and then pour the old oil back in? Not a good idea and a waste of time. Just my $00.02.

[UberSilver]

Originally Posted by soup1207

Hi,

I have a question about oil filter. When we change the oil, the oil is so dirty, I think those are the wear out from the engine?

Does it mean the oil filter loses it function (too much dirt),so the oil drained is dirty?

I currently installed Mobil1 extended performance oil and filter. The filter states it can protect up to 15k miles. I wonder if I can change in filter but not drain the oil out?

Again, thanks you all who cleared my frustration in my last post.

Thanks,



Ricky
Ricky

I'll buy into the 15k oil, but a 15k filter(in stock size) is total(IMO).

I change my oil once per year, and the filter every 6 months. M1EP & Denso filter.

I dont believe in ultra fine filters, as I feel the ultra fine filtering is done in less than 1000 miles, and these filter are more likely to bypass sooner then a regular $3. filter.(once again, IMO).

[fnkngrv]

I am not going to turn this into an argument on change intervals as that is a beaten dead horse and everyone has an opinion, but the quick question is that when you changed to Synthetic did you perform an engine flush? No matter what you are using for a Synth brand (Mobil, AMSOIL, Royal Purple, etc) you will always need to perform a flush with a solid motor flush product to clean out to old stuff (like conventional oils) and revitalize/condition the seals for synthetics.

[MyzticZ3r0]

I always change the filter when I change the oil - I have never reused old oil or filter for that matter. The color of my oil has never bothered me, but I change it at regular intervals (4000-5000 miles) and have yet to have any problems on the Yaris or my past cars. As fnkngrv said, you need to perform an engine flush if you switched from conventional oil to synethic.

[RedRide]

The reason one should flush an engine before switching to synthetic oil is simply because synth oil has somewhat better cleaning properties than dyno oil. So flushing it first allows the synth (and engine) to be clean from square one without contaminating fresh synth oil with old dirt.

However , and it's a big however..... this only applies to a dirty engine to begin with . If you have been changing oil regularly your engine should be already clean . The problem arises when you switch to synth in a dirty engine without first flushing it . Dyno oils will keep an engine just as clean as synths provided it (along with filter) is changed when needed.
Many drive under manufacture's "severe" conditions maintenance schedule without even realizing it .
This is why synth oil will sometimes leak when installed in an older, dirty engine particularly after first flushing . Often, accumulated dirt is the only thing preventing a leak in a given seal that is deteriorated due to lack of proper oil changes . When the dirt is finally flushed out, any oil will leak from such a seal .

Let's keep in mind that synths are completely compatible with dynos so, flushing out every bit of dyno is not necessary.
Also seals are made out of various materials so, there is not a one size fits all as far as oils protecting seals. The very best thing you can do to preserve seals is to change oil and filter regularly to prevent contaminants build ups that can destroy seals...... no mater what oil you use.

Synth is not some sort of miracle worker in an econo automotive engine as some seem to think. It can have some benefits in a high performance engines or, for those who prefer longer oil change intervals (for whatever reasons) even though it is recommended that you still change the filter (and replace any resuting lost oil) with the same frequency as with dyno oil.

However if money is no object, use it in your weed whacker.

Some Humans have a way of convincing themselves something is better.......like those who are convinced that a $10,000 speaker wire sounds better than $5.00 worth of quality lamp cord of the same gauge .

[screenprintr]

This is some very good advice here.

[soup1207]

Thank you you all for answering and providing additional information to know. It's very helpful. I didn't flush the engine. I saw an youtube video online and the guy saying they are compatible. Hence I never have an idea about flushing. Up to now it seems fine. I guess flushing just help the new syn. oil works better?

A ppl sayis that he changes the filter between oil change. He said his father is an auto technician. Plus I saw my engine oil was so dirty. Thus I posted this topic.

I will stick with the Mobil1 extended filter for a full oil change interval after reading all your replies. Thanks for advice!! ^^

[ciscobear]

Listen to RedRide, change filter when you change oil unless filter is somewhat very tight and you can't get it undone.

Motor oil is a detergent, it should be black when you drain it. The job is being done. Enjoy your vehicle.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by ciscobear

Listen to RedRide, change filter when you change oil unless filter is somewhat very tight and you can't get it undone.

Motor oil is a detergent, it should be black when you drain it. The job is being done. Enjoy your vehicle.

Unless you are seeing particles in the oil color isn't necessarily a determining factor that the oil is indeed "dirty". Really only an oil analysis itself will you be able to discern the true depth of breakdown/wear. This will also as well determine for you with your driving habits what your real change interval should be if you are paranoid about the increased change times being prescribed by the manufacturer you use. Does that influence how much you are spending? Of course, but it could save you money in the long haul. Your own driving habits really impact lubricant longevity.

[RedRide]

The problem with an oil analysis is that it only detects compounds and conditions it is designed to detect .

Fact is, there are many detrimental compounds that the oil analysis can not detect including compounds that can deteriorate seals etc.
So while an oil analysis can be informative, it will not tell you the full story.

IMO, for a consumer , an oil analysis is a waste of money and is money better spent on an oil change. One is not saving oil by not changing it as all petroleum products are simply "by-products" of the distillation process and used oil is recycled.

BTW, what do you suppose is causing that "dark" color and often accompanying distinctive smell of "used" oil that is still serviceable according to an oil analysis?