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Bypass oil filter installation

aldive

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Year, Model & Trim Level
1999 XLT
I have been researching bypass oil filtration for quite some time and finally decided to install a system on my Explorer. There are a variety of bypass systems out there. I wanted a system that used spin on filters; toilet paper filters are not for me. I selected the Amsoil BMK-13 Dual Bypass Filter ( Dead Link Removed ) system. This set up relocates the standard oil filter to a remote location on a manifold shared with the bypass filter.

Auto manufacturers tell us that the dirt that does the most harm and causes the most wear in an engine is from 5 microns ( a micron is one millionth of a meter ) up to 20 microns in size. If you could remove this dirt from your oil system, you should be able to virtually eliminate wear. While the majority of full flow filters on the market only remove particles as small as 20 to 40 microns. An Amsoil Bypass Oil Filter will remove dirt particles as small as 1/10th of a micron. This system not only provides unrivaled filtration but also adds more than a quart of oil capacity.

The easier said than done part of the installation was determining where to mount the remote filters. I sought a location with ample ground clearance and that afforded trouble-free filter changes. I decided on a frame mount just aft of the passenger side torsion bar. The system that I am using uses a BE-90 bypass filter which is 4 ½" in diameter by 6" tall as well as an SDF-15 full flow filter ( a little shorter ). I wrote the curent mileage, 102, 760, on the side of the white filter with a magic marker. The mounting location allowed sufficient ground clearance.

As luck would have it, there were two ( of the 4 needed ) mounting holes that aligned perfectly with the steel mounting bracket. I bolted the bracket to the frame with the supplied hardware and then drilled the remaining 1/4" holes ( due to the rather tight space limitation, I had to use a right angle drill and shorten the ¼" bit for the undertaking ) and attached the remaining bolts.

The hose fittings were screwed into the manifold and the oil filter adapter after coating the threads with Loctite 545 thread sealer ( Dead Link Removed ). Also, the threaded insert ( ¾â€￾ – 16 ) was installed with Loctite 545 into the oil filter adapter. I chose not to install an optional oil sample petcock in the manifold since I have a Fumoto oil drain valve ( http://www.fumotovalve.com/ ) and a sample can easily be taken from that location. Further, I am contemplating adding a Dakota Digital ( http://dakotadigital.com/ ) digital oil temperature gauge and will be mounting the sender in that location.

The length of the oil supply ( 13/32 " diameter ) and return hose was determined by actually laying out the hose in the precise location it would be routed. The hose was then cut to the required length. Now the fittings were attached to the special oil hose. I used 3 1/2 feet of oil hose for each line.

The existing oil filter was removed and the mount was vigilantly cleaned. At the same time, the engine oil was drained and the engine refilled with 4 quarts of Amsoil Series 2000 0 W 30 synthetic oil ( Dead Link Removed ). The oil filter adapter mount, after oiling the O ring, was screwed onto the oil filter stud on the motor. It is O ring sealed ( akin to an oil filter ). The adapter is installed and tightened just like you would an oil filter ( the oil hoses were attached and tightened to the adapter prior to its installation due to the tight space that would make securing the hoses difficult ). A new oil fill was performed so as not to load the filters with the dirty oil previously in the motor ( this oil had about 5 k miles on it ). I definitely wanted to start the oil analysis cycle using new oil.

The manifold is now attached to the mount on the frame with the supplied bolts. The bolts were installed with the threaded end up to prevent filter clearance problems.

The oil hoses are then attached to their appropriate fittings ( oil in/oil out ) on the manifold. At this point the oil hoses are secured in place with plastic loop mounts and tie wraps.

Both of the oil filters were pre-filled with oil ( to prevent a potential dry start due to the length of the hose ) and then screwed onto the manifold. The vertical mounting attitude makes installing an oil filled filter remarkably easy. A final visual check of the installation was performed. When all seemed satisfactory, the motor was started and all fittings were checked for leaks. Thankfully, none were found. The oil level was checked and top off oil was added to make up for the hose capacity. After 15 minutes of neighborhood driving, once again potential leaks were evaluated. A short road test was conducted to further evaluate for leaks. The system will be checked for leaks daily for a few days.

The first UOA will be conducted at 5k miles. I will continue to use Blackstone Labs ( http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ ) for my analysis ( a Standard Oil Analysis plus TBN ).

I shall be adding Cool Collars ( http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125508&highlight=cool+collar ) to both filters in the near future.

The cost of this project is as follows: Amsoil BMK-13 Dual Bypass Filter Kit = $201.00, BE-90 bypass filter = $26.25, SDF-15 full flow filter = $13.90, 6 quarts Amsoil Series 2000 0 W 30 synthetic oil @ $8.50/quart = $51.00 for a grand total of $292.15 ( note: the prices listed are retail prices ). The project took approximately 2 hours to complete.
 

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More pics from the bypass filter install ....
 

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After driving with the installed system and upon examining the routing of the hoses, I discovered a "potential{ hose rub area.

I simply attached a piece of larger diameter hose to the oil hose and secured the ends with tie wraps and then used a stainless steel hose clamp to attach to the truck.
 

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These pictures better shows the location of the filters on the frame of the truck.
 

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Man that's sweet looking. I do alot of scheduled maintence on larger trucks that have two filters and some with bypass filters as well. Not to stray from the point of this post but I got a quiz question for ya? What is the only oil that you change, in a normal service, that the oil your installing is dirtier then the oil your replacing? Given there hasn't been any major leaks or breaks in the system.

I'll give you the reason and it has to do mainly with the above mentioned micron rating. The filter in this " system " has a 10 micron rating and as said above this is a minute amount allowed filtration through the system that it too has to have a bypass.

I like that and may try one of those kits on my new S/C SOHC, I'll need every little bit of help I can get with it. Your system should really do it's job with that low of a micron rating. We have a company that we send our oil samples to, if you have a before sample and wanna get an after I can send it in and have it analized if you'd like?
It may take a month or two to get the results but It would really show the difference.

Thanks, Doug
 






Doug904 said:
Not to stray from the point of this post but I got a quiz question for ya? What is the only oil that you change, in a normal service, that the oil your installing is dirtier then the oil your replacing? Given there hasn't been any major leaks or breaks in the system.


Hydraulic oil ;)
 






Good to see another BITOG member on the board. Why do you not like the TP filter systems? Is it the change interval?
 












Does your oil/filter change stay the same with this dual filter setup? How often does the by-pass filter get changed? Is the cost outrageous?

BTW, that AMSOIL link (the first one) doesn't work.
 






SilverBullet said:
Does your oil/filter change stay the same with this dual filter setup? How often does the by-pass filter get changed? Is the cost outrageous?

BTW, that AMSOIL link (the first one) doesn't work.

No, thats one of the big pluses for a bypass system. Amsoil recommends changing the bypass filter at 25k miles; however, many go well over 100k without a change of the bypass filter. The full flow filter should be changed at 7.5k, tho many go a lot farther. When do you change the oil? That is best determined by UOA; some have gone hundreds of thousands of miles without an oil change. The bypass filter costs about $27.

The real beauty of the bypass system is the unparalleled protection it gives your motor.

Amsoil just changed their website is why the link does not work. I shall fix it immediately, thanks for pointing it out.
 






So, if I change my oil every 3000 miles now.. would it be stupid to keep doing that after an install like yours? or would you be able to like, 7000 miles before an oil change.

Sorry if these are stupid questions. :) I'm learning.
 






SilverBullet said:
So, if I change my oil every 3000 miles now.. would it be stupid to keep doing that after an install like yours? or would you be able to like, 7000 miles before an oil change.

Sorry if these are stupid questions. :) I'm learning.

First, there are no stupid questions, my friend. Ask away, thats how one learns.

I think its stupid to change oil at 3k OCI, that aside, the purpose of the bypass system is to be able to go long intervals w/o an OC. In my opinion ( backed by oil analysis data ) is that 7k is way too soon to change oil with a bypass system; there is simply no need to do so.

You need to monitor the condition of your oil via oil analysis to know when to change the oil.

Good luck ....
 






Did you always use synthetic oil? Do you have to use their (Amsoil) oils? Why did you choose the 0 W 30 weight? Right now I run conventional oil in my 01, with about 33k miles on it.. should I switch to sythetic?
 






SilverBullet said:
Did you always use synthetic oil?

Do you have to use their (Amsoil) oils?

Why did you choose the 0 W 30 weight?

Right now I run conventional oil in my 01, with about 33k miles on it.. should I switch to sythetic?

I have used synthetic oil in all my vehicles and boats for decades. I switch after 5k miles on a new motor.

No, you can use any oil you like. It would be foolish to use anything but synthetic oil.

I use 0 W 30 for its ability to maximize my gas mileage. I use Amsoil's best oil, the Series 2000 oil ( Dead Link Removed ). To quote Amsoil about this oil:

AMSOIL Series 2000 Synthetic 0W-30 Motor Oil efficiently transfers energy from the engine to the drivetrain. Its low coefficient of friction inhibits the energy loss to "drag" common to high viscosity oils.

Motorists seeking the ultimate in fuel efficiency may use AMSOIL Series 2000 Synthetic 0W-30 Motor Oil in place of higher viscosity motor oils.


If I were you, I would make the switch o synthetic right now.

Good luck ....
 






Holy cow.. they say to change the oil every 35,000 miles or every year, which ever comes first.

Is there a certain process for switching to synthetic? or just drain out the old regular and pour in the new synth.
 






SilverBullet said:
Holy cow.. they say to change the oil every 35,000 miles or every year, which ever comes first.

Is there a certain process for switching to synthetic? or just drain out the old regular and pour in the new synth.

What I always do for the switch is simply drain all the old oil and ( now this is what I do ) I pour another quart of new dino oil through the motor.

Then add the new synthetic oil.

Of course, change the filter.

With the next oil change, simply drain, change filter and fill.
 






And then if I follow your lead, I can install the bypass set up and not have to worry for a year! :)
 






Got the Cool Colar installed on the full flow filter today. Photos tomorrow.
 






Here are the photos ....
 

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wow thats sweet :D
 






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