Oil Filter!!

[hotater]

I decided to start a new thread for this.  It's already posted in 'Lubrication Related', but has turned out to be something important.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/530220905NvZtgV

This is the simple and easy to do 'filter' I added to my engine yesterday morning at an oil change.  The engine was cleaned of old oil, washed and brushed with fuel, and new oil and the 'filter' added.
  This morning, after 13 hours of running yesterday, I pulled the inspection door and found a LOT of crud had been captured by the piece of toweling.  This engine has run more than 3500 hours with fastidious clean-up at each oil change and magnets in the sump, but this small piece of towel has shown me there's junk that circulates in these engines best removed and this is a cheap and easy way to do it.

I saved the first filter 'element' to wash in acetone and recover and look at the solids under a microscope.  That should be entertaining.   

[Tom]

Can you show us a pic of what it looks like dirty?

[hotater]

Tom---

One thing about working on these beast...you need one person handy to photo.  I didn't take pics but imagine a black rag full of sludge.  I plan on washing the 'filter' and weighing the captured crud. It's amazing.

[hotater]

Update---

What looked to be an amazing accumulation of crud has turned out to be 480 milligrams of assorted 'stuff', but primarily near microscopically-sized paint flakes and chips of carbon scale.  The REAL odd thing was that actone wouldn't dissolve the glop stuck to the towel.  Denatured alchol did.  It must be mostly water and soot with paint flakes mixed in.

I just took the door off again to look at it.  IT's CLEAN.  I took some pictures this time.  I'll be posting them soon.

[SHIPCHIEF]

Well, I thought it would work.
Jack, you sure get things done!
I'm just at the materials gathering stage and you already designed, built, installed, tested, and evaluated the results!
I'm wondering what your *Mark II* version will look like?
I was just testing the flow thru capability of some wire screen with room temperature oil from a pump can, and was suprised to see the trash left on the screen from supposedly clean oil! The oil didn't flow thru the screen very fast at 65 degrees F. But would be OK with hot oil or oil forced thru by impact velocity or a pump.
Terry cloth towel... I didn't think of that one. Talk about 'Depth Filtering'.
Scott E

[BruceM]

Great idea for those of us with splash lubes,  Hotater.  The photo is now inaccessable- and I want to copy your design.  Can you post it to the coppermine or email it to me? rbmcc at frontiernet dot net.

Thanks!
Bruce

[listermandan]

I decided to start a new thread for this.  It's already posted in 'Lubrication Related', but has turned out to be something important.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/530220905NvZtgV

This is the simple and easy to do 'filter' I added to my engine yesterday morning at an oil change.  The engine was cleaned of old oil, washed and brushed with fuel, and new oil and the 'filter' added.
  This morning, after 13 hours of running yesterday, I pulled the inspection door and found a LOT of crud had been captured by the piece of toweling.  This engine has run more than 3500 hours with fastidious clean-up at each oil change and magnets in the sump, but this small piece of towel has shown me there's junk that circulates in these engines best removed and this is a cheap and easy way to do it.

I saved the first filter 'element' to wash in acetone and recover and look at the solids under a microscope.  That should be entertaining.   

[SHIPCHIEF]

I posted the picture of my crankcase filter on the coppermine, but I forgot how to get it into this comment. you can look at it there.
Scott E

[hotater]

Leave it to a salt water guy to have to sew something.      NICE job!!

Here's SHIPCHIEF's   pic--


How much clearance have you got for the rod ends?  I only had an inch and three eighths from door to BIG noises.

[SHIPCHIEF]

I maybe have alot more room in the crankcase. I measured from the inside face of the cover to the crank shaft journal, then subtracted for the thickness of the rod big end and gave myself 1/2 inch more. Then I checked for counterweight clearance, then the mainbearing support web and it's angle from the bottom of the inspection opening, all while trying not to block the vent opening in the cover....   I might have to grind out alittle there...
I hope it doesn't shake apart, resonant frequencies and all that rot I have an inside the crankcase pic, but I've exceeded my bits bytes or whatever.
Scott E
PS, thanks for posting my pic..

[Joe]

Very very nice......

Joe

[quinnf]

Scott,

Please don't take this wrong, but . . . it sort of reminds me of one of those old metal urinals they used to have in the heads in the state parks.  Did the job, though, and you used to see all kinds of stuff get caught in 'em!   

Nice job!

Quinn

[t19]

way too much personnal information on that last post :p

[quinnf]

 . . . well, like cigarette butts, and toothpicks and chewing gum, I mean!   

Quinn

[SHIPCHIEF]

I'm just bringing this thread back to the top of the forum, because I think Hotater got this right, and new guys should see it.
Scott E