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Spin on oil filters.....internal release valve?

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karls59tr

Obi Wan
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Just found out that these filters should have an internal release valve. What could happen to oil pressure if a generic oil filter without such a valve was to be used?
 
I often wondered that too and am anticipating your responses. I have a spinon on my TR250 and my oil pressure gauge fluctuates more then I think it should. There is a release valve in the block too and wonder if they are fighting against each other?
 
The trick is finding a spin-on filter without a bypass valve. These days they practically all have them, so they can be used in applications that "require" the valve.

And some of the racers are actually disabling the bypass valve, in the belief that it is better to have low oil pressure than to spread whatever swarf blocked the filter throughout the engine.
 
Some K&N Performance Gold spin on's have the anti drain back and no bypass valve system. locally Checker Auto carries them.
 
karls59tr said:
Just found out that these filters should have an internal release valve. What could happen to oil pressure if a generic oil filter without such a valve was to be used?
Click to expand...

A generic filter would have such a valve typically.

If you run a filter without such a valve, and the filter media becomes blocked because you never change the filter, or you are running an extremely high viscosity oil, the oil will not go through the filter media. So no oil will be going to the bearings, and the engine will burn up.

If the filter is physically strong, the oil pump pressure relief valve is set low enough, the oil will just dump there. Otherwise the filter itself may collapse. Generally not good for the engine, but at least oil will likely flow to the bearings.

All of which is a moot point. Filters don't block unless you leave it there for many 10's of thousands of miles.

The bypass is usefull for high viscosity oils in cold engines. A combination you shouldn't be running anyhow.
 
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