VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Flushing a '28 oil filter

Hi all,

I am reading (for the third time!) the 'School's in Session' book that Ray Holland did on a '28 engine rebuild. Great book! I learn something new each time I pick it up.

Ray mentioned that he drained the oil out of the existing oil filter before putting it back on the engine.

Does anyone flush out the crud from these old filters? If so, what is your procedure?

I'd like to reuse the old filter, but I don't want to contaminate new oil the moment I start the engine.

The new filters are a bit pricey.

Thanks for your comments.

Dean

dean

I just placed my filter in my parts cleaner and reversed the flow. I let it run for a couple of days. I then let the filter drain.

After that i placed a plug in one end and filled it clean oil and let it sit for a few hours, i drained the oil and refilled it again. I did this 3 or 4 times. I know that this process may be risky but i guess any filter is better than just by-passing the filter.

i also have been changing my oil every year and my best estimate is that i have less than 1,000 miles a year.

Why risk it cleaning a filter when you can buy a replacement from the Filling Station for around $90?

Thats what he was saying, they are a little pricey.

So is a rebuild

Because these filters are a by-pass type, the perils are not extreme. Any filter will actually filter oil more finely as it becomes more and more blocked. At the very worst, the filter could become totally blocked and not flow oil at all. All this would do is delete the filter function from the engine and return it to a design used successfully for years. It will not run bearings or cause harm.

It would be easy enough to check the flow of the filter once fitted though. With the engine running, disconnect the return pipe fitting and you'll see it. It should also be seen by turning the engine on the starter too.

Regards
Al

I agree with Blue 38, and my comment is similar to when people worry about miles per gallon.

If a $90 filter every year or two is a concern, is owning a vintage car the hobby for you?

Me, I worry more about the cost of insurance and registration each year.

Cheers

Ray

Preserving and restoring the original filter I think fits right in with the club mission so I can not find fault for doing so and saving a few $$$ is always good. While a bypass filter may add some benefit with the little mileage most of us put on our old cars it probably is not possible to realize any measurable benefit. In the middle sixties a friend installed a used six cylinder engine in his 57 and drove it for over 75000 miles with no engine problems and NO oil filer. He did do regular oil changes and likely most of us are over changing our oil which today is much improved from days past.

Hmm,

Need to think about that one. Restoring a part that was made and meant to be replaced being part of the club mission.

Where do we drawer the line, do we want to encourage people to reuse replaceable parts just to maintain "The Mission"

If a part is originally made to clean, flush out and reuse, I have no problem in doing that.

On the other hand if a replacement part is a better option, I am for that.

My priorities in order are

Safety
Reliability
Comfort

Regards

Ray

I've read and followed this thread for several weeks now, and we haven't heard back from Dean who started it all. We're also following Dean's "Resurrecting a 28 4 Banger" thread with interest. Lots of hard work there and it will be beautiful when complete.
It appears that the majority of comments question why put considerable effort into trying to flush out an old filter when replacements are readily available.
I'll go farther: look at the photo of the engine in "Resurrecting" (posted on 4/16/17) that shows an oil and dirt covered old filter with a bent casing. Why put a dime for cleaning materials, electricity and your labor into that or similar junk? The bent casing means that the internal filter materials are probably compromised.
Put the time of saving a junk filter into fixing the engine and buy a new filter.
The last thing I would want is a compromised old filter to ruin an engine that just cost me several hundred hours and serious money to rebuild. And I just finished restoring my 28 4-door sedan that includes an engine that runs perfectly thanks to a lot of hard work, so I know There's no way I will compromise that over a replaceable oil filter.

Hi Ted,
If you read my post up further, you will read that a bad filter won't ruin an engine and it's a by-pass type anyway (a by-pass filter filters some of the oil, some of the time). To attribute a bad by-pass filter to an engine failure is extreme scare mongering.

However, I would fit a new one after a rebuild personally. You know where you started that way.

Al

Howdy all,

Great discussion! My intention for this thread was to explore the philosophical sides of whether to reuse or replace the original bypass oil filter.

I might have mislead folks into thinking that I was contemplating reusing the dented oil filter on one of my tear-down engines. Not so.

As you will see when I start tearing down Lurch's engine (in a week or so), I have a 1950's style oil filter on him that I will use on the rebuilt engine. I can get cartridges for around $15 at Napa.

Below is a picture of the same type of filter on my other truck, Justin.

Obviously, my trucks are not point judged.

Cheers, Dean

My 28 did not have filter on when I bought it. I have no plans to put one on. The 41 we bought in 79 did not have one, but now has one on the V8. With the quality of today's oils and miles between changes most of us drive a bypass filter is mostly good for show.