Looking for Mobil 1 Oil Filters

[Guest Bruce]

I'd like to try one of these filters because they are suppose to have the strongest can and given that the filters can be difficult to remove for an extra $5 it seems it might be worth it. I've seen some real wrestling matches with flimsy filters. So far I haven't been able to find anyone that sells them. Any ideas?

[twhitaker]

Auto Zone Mobil 1 M1-102 for around $11.00 They also have the 3/8 drive socket wrench for around $4.00. It's cheap but fits snugly and works.

[emry]

I get mine at Waly-Mart.

[Guest jerroldt]

Me too!

[Guest Bruce]

Thanks for the input. Neither of those places carry them around here, apparently the Mobil1 filters are in limited distribution. I did try the Mobil1 web site which indicated the nearest filters were 30 miles away with a rather large lake inbetween!

 

A local place turned me on to a K&N HP-1002, 10 bucks, which is built like a tank with a 1" hex on top. So it will be interesting to see how easy it is to remove down stream.

 

Of course the old one busted my chops a bit. Needed to resort to 'big blue' which are a huge set of channel locks. "Give me a place to stand and I will loosen that filter" or words to that effect.

[Guest Rustleo]

I was having a low pressure oil light coming on. At idle the oil light would flicker and sometimes come on until I rev'd up the motor. I figured it was the sensor and replaced it, No. I dropped the pan to shim the spring in the pump and when I removed the filter 1/2 of the rubber seal was broken and just hanging there, so solves the low pressure oil light. V11 Le mans 02. Rustle

[twhitaker]

Smearing some oil or grease on that seal will go a long way towards preventing that from happening again.

[Guest ksann]

I installed the K&N last weekend, I was worried that it was too tall, but it did fit in the pan, so no problem.

 

A quick, easy job.

 

 

ken

[Guest davidb]

I am sure you have checked.....but as a reminder, you must make sure that the oil filter has the same internal bypass setting.( and some have a anti drainback valve also) If you have some kind of engine failier, the warranty people might get pissy.

[Guest Bruce]

Hmm, good point. My understanding is that the by pass valve is there so if the filter becomes blocked because it is really dirty that oil can still flow as this condition would quickly be fatal for an engine. It just occured to me if the MG has substantially higher oil pressure than the cars the filter was designed for that the path of least resistance might be through the by pass!

 

Given that the engine is air cooled I would expect it has lower oil pressure than a car but I don't know. Anyone out there know what typical oil pressures are for new cars or the MG.

 

When I get a chance I'll check out K&N's site and report back.

[twhitaker]

Wrong. The bypass works on the principle of differential. A clean filter passes the oil easily and the pressure is essentially the same on both sides of the filter. Let's say your system pressure is 40 PSI at the inlet to the filter. A clean filter may cause a 3 PSI pressure drop. If you have a 25 PSI bypass there would be 25 PSI worth of spring holding the poppet closed and 3 PSI trying to open it. You would have 37 PSI downstream. As the filter collects sediment the 3 PSI will gradually increase to the point the bypass opens. Even at that point some of the oil will still be going through the filter

[Guest Bruce]

Well, that will teach me not to post before that critical AM java!

 

Actually I just checked the K and N site which indicates that the by pass kicks in at 8-11 PSI ( which seems kinda low ). They show the filter as suitable for a wide variety of cars and trucks ranging from '04 Lexus to a '69 Opel GT.

 

Not knowing what the pressure is at the filter its impossible to know if there is sufficient pressure to open the valve. Once the valve opens I am assuming its a low resistance path for the oil.

 

It does give me something new to worry about while I am riding around other than the transmission.

[twhitaker]

The recommended maintenance procedure for our bikes suggest changing the filter every third oil change. That would give the filter 9,000 miles worth of sludge collection ability. With the conservativeness of maintenance recommendations I doubt the bypass would come into play at twice that mileage. Even with the bypass opened some or most of the oil is still going through the filter.

 

I may be wrong but I believe that if your system pressure is 40 PSI and the cracking pressure of the bypass is 8 PSI then 32 psi or 80% of the oil is still going through the filter.

[Guest aj howard]

what is the part number for the K&N filter? What is the price difference between it and the stock? What advantage does it offer?

I am having the dealer do the first maint/oil change but I will pick up after that one for the oil changes..

[Guest Bruce]

The filter is a K&N HP-1002 and costs about $10 US at AutoZone. Their website can give you the complete spec. Its a premium filter and it feel very rugged so the hope is that it will be easy to get off. Also it has a 1inch hex head on top which looks much stronger than the usual stuff.

 

If you have ever wrestled with a filter that doesn't want to come loose it is a royal PITA. Fliter wrenches just slip because the can deforms easily. The screw driver trick doesn't always work and is damn messy. So for a couple extra bucks it could be worth it. Mine wouldn't budge so I wiped it clean, wrapped it in duct tape for traction, and used a giant 2 foot( 60cm ) long pair of slip joint pliers to get it loose.

 

I was taught to oil the o-ring first, then only hand tighten it, and don't get carried away with that. If you're paranoid about it falling off, the K&N is drilled for safety wire. I also would not go 9k on the filter.