Changing Oil & Filter

[Ex Sailor]

Holy crap ! Just reading the operation and maintenance manual for my engines and run across an item regarding filling new oil filters with oil prior to install. I must admit that in all the years doing this on my boats it never occurred to me to do that, and come to think .... I never see a lube rack / garage doing this when changing oil & filter on a car. How serious of an issue is that ??? FB

 

[AKDoug]

If you are like most and run your engine to warm the oil before draining it, I am pretty confident the residual oil will lubricate quite adequately as the filter fills and begins to circulate the new oil. I usually pour it about half full, spilling some onto the "O" ring so I can give it a finger swipe to lube the new ring before replacing the filter. JMO

 

[dhays]

I never did it on my sailboats that had horizontally mounted filters. However, on my Cummins I fill the oil filter before spinning it on. I don't thing it is a big deal however.

 

[caltexflanc]

Why not just do what the manufacturer tells you to do for that particular engine? Who cares what other people do on other models of engines?

 

[Lou_tribal]

Don't think it is a big deal, I am doing it on mine as it is a huge truck filter housing with a cartridge (contains around 1 liter just in the housing) and it makes the level adjustment easier.

L

 

[Comodave]

I don’t fill them. It would be almost impossible to fill the starboard engine filter on mine due to very tight access. What engines do you have?

 

[O C Diver]

The boatyard mechanic showed me that back in the 90s. But then his hobby was full restoration of classic cars. They're obsessed with stuff like this as replacement engines are hard to come by. I've been doing it ever since, and have no idea if it makes a difference.

Ted

 

[AKDoug]

I have a horizontal filter, no way you could fill it and then spin it on. That's why halfway, it still doesn't spill out half full. If I had a vertical filter I would fill it, that's what I do with my F-250.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Hey FB. What engines do you have?


On my CAT 3208T/As I have two huge filters per engine. Not hard to get to and change. I fill my filters with clean oil before installing them. Reason? Not sure, just makes since as the oil pump would have to work harder to fill everything up and I hate the alarm. So if you can do it without making a mess go for it.

 

[Ski in NC]

On vertical filters with decent access, good to fill them. But not a big deal, especially if engine was last run an hour or two ago for the drain and fill. Bearings are well oiled from that last run.

 

[Ex Sailor]

I don’t fill them. It would be almost impossible to fill the starboard engine filter on mine due to very tight access. What engines do you have?

Exactly my case .... 2 @ 6BT5.9M

 

[Sugardog]

I always do on vertical filters. Some of my construction equipment have pre filter primers.

 

[TowLou]

Yes prefill on filters I can fill up without spilling plus just a little on the o ring always. Do that with any motor I service on road or off.

Better piece of mind for me. The oil pressure comes up a little quicker on that first start up instead of letting the oil pump fill it.

 

[Marlinmike]

Getting oil pressure up quicker is always a good thing, but not always possible based on filter installation.

 

[aboatman]

I have never seen a recommendation to prefill oil filters and I've been around a while. It seems like a good idea (well, it can't hurt) but my filters are horizontal so it's not possible.

Prefilling my fuel filters is possible and I do this so I don't have to bleed the fuel system.

 

[bayview]

I shut off the fuel solenoid and crank until pressure comes up.

 

[RCook]

If you are like most and run your engine to warm the oil before draining it, I am pretty confident the residual oil will lubricate quite adequately as the filter fills and begins to circulate the new oil.... JMO

That's what I've done - the engine is always recently run and is still warm. Never filled new oil filters before installing in 6,500 hours on my Volvo, and it's doing fine. When engine is started after the oil change, oil pressure comes up really quickly. Same on my Cummins truck engine over 180K miles. I do fill fuel filters, however.

 

[Lepke]

Most engine wear takes place at cold startup or excessive cranking before starting. Dirty oil is the 2nd most common cause of wear.
Filling the filter probably helps, but also storing the new oil where it will be warm before changing also helps.

 

[gaston]

It is possible to get a air lock in some filters and this can take ages of priming before reaching operating pressure .If the manufacture thinks its should be pre filled just do it

 

[Nomad Willy]

Most engine wear takes place at cold startup or excessive cranking before starting. Dirty oil is the 2nd most common cause of wear.
Filling the filter probably helps, but also storing the new oil where it will be warm before changing also helps.

Lepke I’ve heard that over and over and over. But I don’t belive it.

If it was true all kinds of engine manuals would say to minimize how often you start your engine. Pre-lube systems would be standard equipment and great efforts would be made to minimize the no oil pressure time. Oil filter orientation seems to be of no concern to engine manufactuers. Little engines w splash oiling systems would self-destruct in very short periods of time. It dosn’t seem to matter at all if there’s several seconds w/o oil pressure.

HaHa but I do put oil in the filter can before screwing it on.

 

[Northern Spy]

I would guess that most oil filters go immediately (or when the oil discharged from the pump meets the filter media) to bypass upon startup due to the high viscosity of the oil anyways.

Still, I'm in the "fill the filter if you can" camp.

 

[Hamrow]

I've got a Cummins QSC 8.3; the manual recommends filling the new filter with oil prior to install (it's vertical), and I've heard many mechanics recommend it as well.

 

[Steve]

I always fill the vertical filters before installing, but, don't fill the horizontal or "upside down" ones like on my truck. If not filling the upside down or horizontal ones doesn't cause damage I guess doesn't make much difference on any of them? Especially if, as someone posted earlier, the engine was run just before the oil change.
I do smear some oil on the "o"ring of all before installing.
Best to follow the owners manual instructions.

 

[Duvie]

Upside down vertical filters anti-drainback

The filters on my Perkins 6.354 are vertical and upside down. They are anti- drain back filters. I fill them up and screw them on. no mess. I assume that most upside down and horizontal filters are of the anti-drain back type. The previous owner of my vessel was using an incorrect cross reference on the filter which was not anti-drain back. When I changed to the correct type filter a significantly shorter time was noted to get oil pressure up upon starting.


You can easily note the difference in the filters. The anti drain back has a solid tube when you look down in the center hole of the filter. The non anti-drain back style has a perforated tube.

 

[aboatman]

...................... You can easily note the difference in the filters. The anti drain back has a solid tube when you look down in the center hole of the filter. The non anti-drain back style has a perforated tube.

Or you can just turn a used filter upside down and see if the oil runs out. I would so this over a container.

My engine manual tells how to change the oil but doesn't suggest pre filling the new filter so I suppose it's not that important. I would if I could though.

Someone suggested shutting off the fuel supply and turning the engine over with the starter to build up oil pressure. The caution here is, that you may be bringing cooling water into the engine but not removing it with the exhaust. This could result in water entering the engine and hydrolock. My engine manual says that if you turn the engine over for 30 seconds or more without it starting you need to close the seacock.

 

[caltexflanc]

Or you can just turn a used filter upside down and see if the oil runs out. I would so this over a container.

My engine manual tells how to change the oil but doesn't suggest pre filling the new filter so I suppose it's not that important. I would if I could though.

Someone suggested shutting off the fuel supply and turning the engine over with the starter to build up oil pressure. The caution here is, that you may be bringing cooling water into the engine but not removing it with the exhaust. This could result in water entering the engine and hydrolock. My engine manual says that if you turn the engine over for 30 seconds or more without it starting you need to close the seacock.

Depends on the engine and it's installation. For the Detroits on my old Hatteras, the manual specifically recommended turning the engines over when starting for "several seconds" (though not 30) while holding down the "stop" switch which cuts off the fuel. So I did, even though they'd fire instantly if I didn't, especially if warm (like after a stop at a fuel dock).

 

[Nomad Willy]

My boat when freshly repowered had a remote filter. About 2’ of hose to the filter. The filter was much larger that the factory filter. It was a fill from the top filter and I did fill.
Now since I had oil leaking problems w the remote plumbing arrangement I got discusted w it and removed same going to using the original filter arrangement that attached the the side of the block horizontally. The last time I changed oil there was obviously oil remaining in the filter. Kind of a little mess. Does that have to do w this anti- drainback valve? I was planing on using a ctr punch to poke a hole in the end of the filter on the top. Will this allow the oil to fully drain? Seems to me Marin usta do that. Since the new filter is so small I change it every oil change whereas before I’d change the filter every other time.

Caltex,
Yes I wish I had a manual compression release.

 

[neworleansrich]

I used to always pre-fill the filter, but recently read something from Caterpillar saying it may not be a good idea.

Filters usually flow from the outside to inside. If you introduced some crud or contamination into the center of the new filter it would be pumped directly into the bearings. Typically, if you just ran the engine to heat up the oil, there would be enough lubrication in the bearings to handle the brief time it takes for the new filter to fill.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw this out there for your consideration.

 

[dhays]

My boat when freshly repowered had a remote filter. About 2’ of hose to the filter. The filter was much larger that the factory filter. It was a fill from the top filter and I did fill.
Now since I had oil leaking problems w the remote plumbing arrangement I got discusted w it and removed same going to using the original filter arrangement that attached the the side of the block horizontally. The last time I changed oil there was obviously oil remaining in the filter. Kind of a little mess. Does that have to do w this anti- drainback valve? I was planing on using a ctr punch to poke a hole in the end of the filter on the top. Will this allow the oil to fully drain? Seems to me Marin usta do that. Since the new filter is so small I change it every oil change whereas before I’d change the filter every other time.

Sounds like my Yanmar on the sailboat (which I just signed the bill of sale on today ) It was really hard to change it without making a mess. I tried all kinds of things but inevitably has some oil I had to clean from under the engine. If I had kept the boat, I was going to put a remote filter in it.

 

[AKDoug]

I spin my Yanmar filter off over an open one gallon ziplock bag, using half of an oil sorb pad to grip the filter and keep the oil off my hand. Then I use the other half of the oil sorb pad to wipe up what dripped between the block and the filter as it went into the ziplock.

The 8V92 engines on the fire trucks I used to drive all had prelube devices on them, but I know it was to lube the superchargers not the bearings. It added about 30 seconds to the start time on the trucks while the pre lube unit cycled.