Oil Filter....

[Goldie]

When the oil is pumped around the engine... Does it go into the oil filter by the hole in the centre of the filter or the one on the outside??

Need to find out so I know which of the 2 holes on the sandwich plate is sending and which is receiving, for the instructions on the thermostat...

Cheers

Carl..

[wilf]

Oil goes into the filter by the "outside" holes, back into the engine through the central hole.

Whatever you do, get this right, or you will be rebuilding your engine - the oil filter has a non return valve built into it to stop oil draining out when the engine has stopped, and this valve will totally phuck your engine if you get it the wrong way around.

You would not be the first..................

[robert]

Originally Posted by wilf leek

You would not be the first..................

Or the last.........

[Goldie]

Wilf, do you mean that the sandwich plate has a non-return valve?

I ask that because, it aint possible for me to get the filter on the wrong way wround but it is possible that I connect the sanwich plate pipes the wrong way around into the stat....

When I look into the sandwich plate, I see a coiled thing (not quite a spring, but like what you would find in a clockwork wind up car)...

[David Large]

Coincidence is amazing. I was in a debate yesterday about exactly this. Our debate started because in altering my engine bay I may want to mount the filter "inverted" ie with the canister above the filter head housing. This led to a discussion about non return valves and which way the oil goes through the filter!
Anyway, are there any problems with inverting the filter, other than that changing it could be messy. I think there are production engines about with filters at all sorts of angles including inverted.

David

[TINKA]

Hi Goldie, what Wilf was on about was the oil filter itself not the sandwich plate. You will need to look at the sandwich plate it's self and work out which pipe goes on which side knowing that the oil will exit the engine on the outside and then goes back into the engine through the centre of the mounting screw. If your set up is the same as mine in which you have a take off plate to replace the filter a separate head unit to remotely hold the oil filter and a thermostat plate which you fit to the remote head unit with the filter then fitting to the other side of this. If this is how your set works the pipes to the oil cooler can go on either way as it wont effect the flow, as for the rest best advice is to carefully look at the head unit and the take off plate and follow the route the oil will take in your head knowing the way it goes through the filter, mark it up and all should be fine. :thumb:

Dave, mount the filter upside down by all means as it will have no effect on how well it will work, but you will really live to regret it when you change the filter, as it wont be a bit messy , it will be very very very messy

[David Large]

Martin, Thanks for your good and helpful advice. It is helpful to know that orientation will not affect the oil filter. If possible I will avoid the inverted canister but there are, as always, competing tensions and compromises be made.
David

[mylesdw]

Not sure if this is relevant but on my Isuzu the filter is mounted 'inverted' and when I came to change it the other day I was expecting a HUGE mess but not a single drop came out! Not sure how that works, whether it is a 'special' canister' or not.