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Frequently Asked Questions -
Q: Does Oil Wear Out?
A: At least not nearly as fast as we've been led to believe! However, it does become contaminated to the point that it cannot lubricate and protect you the engine. Contamination is a normal result of engine and machinery operation, there is simply no way to avoid it. The solution has been to filter the oil of contaminants before it reached critical engine components by placing a filter directly in the oil system. The problem is that typical filters cannot eliminate much of the contamination, so your lubricating oil must eventually be changed when it can no longer effectively lubricate and protect your engine. Therefore, frequent oil changes are directly related to the typical filter's inability to filter effectively.
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Q: Are factory full flow oil filters inadequate?
A: According to oil filtration studies done by major oil company and a large diesel engine manufacturer in the 1960's, contaminants less than 5 microns cause most engine wear. Yet, most of the filters made today have difficulty filtering to less that 20-40 microns. The problem is that the filters must be porous enough to allow full flow, limiting their ability to filter. If they were made to filter any finer, they would become clogged, the built-in bypass would open, and the engine would receive unfiltered oil, which is even worse, that poorly filtered oil.
Highly purified oil through a USPI filter gives you much less friction and wear, and much cooler running, longer running engines. Tests show that using a secondary 'bypass filter' in addition to the full flow factor filter reduces - rod bearing wear - 98%, main bearing wear - 96%, piston ring wear - 92%, and average wear - 95%.
Most full flow filters filter out particles only in the 20-40 micron size, and most bypass filters in the 5-20 micron size. This level of filtration will not significantly reduce wear. In SAE paper #660081 it states, "Filtration of previously used oil to 5 microns had no significant effect on wear, but filtration to 1 micron had a substantial effect on wear." The USPI filter will filter down to 1/2 micron.
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Q: Will the USPI filter work with synthetic oil?
It works even better with synthetic oil. However, we recommend only changing to synthetic oil if there is less than 50,000 miles on the engine. If the engine has more than 50,000 miles and you want to change to synthetic oil, first add a product to soften and expand the seals that may have hardened, remove all of the paraffin based oil, and then replace everything with your favorite synthetic oil.
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Q: How does using a USPI filter make my engine run cooler?
The USPI Filter will hold about 2 quarts of oil which increases the engine's oil capacity. More oil in the system means cooler running.
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Q: How long does a USPI filter last and how do you tell when it needs to be replaced?
A: After the engine has been running and comes up to operating temperature, feel the temperature of the filter housing. If oil is flowing through it, it will be hot to the touch. If the temperature is not hot, then the filter needs to be replaced. The length of time depends on how the vehicle is driven, (short trips or long trips), and the type of oil used. The filter will usually last about 250 hours of driving time; 15,000 mi / 60 mph = 250 hours = 5 oil changes. Using synthetic oil will increase the interval between filter changes significantly.
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Q: If the USPI filter removes particles down to 1/2 micron, how do I know if my oil is still good since I'm used to changing oil every 6 months or so?
We suggest using the Oil Analysis Test Lab Mailer by Wear Check. Put a sample in the container, fill out the form and mail it to the lab. You will receive results that explain the quality of the oil and recommendations of how much longer you can go before requiring an oil change. We have had reports from OTR truckers that normally change their 5 gallons of oil every 15,000 miles and when using the UPSI filter have extended the driving distance to as much as 90,000 miles while keeping the engine clean and lubricated.
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Q: What kind of information do you get on the oil analysis report?
A: Among other things, the report will include particle count by particle size so you can see how clean the oil sample is. Try a sample before installing an USPI filter and then again after driving the vehicle 500 miles. Viscosity - to Ensure that the oil stays within SAE guidelines, that the 10-30 is still within the 10-30 guidelines for example. Water - will show possible coolant leaks. Fuel Dilution - to examine the amount of unburned fuel in the oil to make sure it is within SAE limits. Every engine generates normal amounts of fuel dilution which is evaporated from the heat of the engine, however, unacceptable levels indicates that the engine may have a problem with the turbo or injection system. Antifreeze - if there is a small coolant leak the sodium in antifreeze will go up. One of the advantages of tracking oil analysis is being able to detect problems at the beginning before engine damage occurs. Wear Metals - download a copy of our Wear Metal chart. By monitoring the numbers of wear metals we can establish the wear rate of the engine. When number of a particular wear metal go up, many times you can find what engine component is causing this wear and repair it before excessive wear damages the engine.
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Q: Does 1-size USPI filter fit all makes and models?
A: Yes, the USPI Automotive filter is the same size for all cars and trucks up to 1/2 ton. What we need to know when you order the kit is the YEAR, MAKE, and MODEL of your vehicle because we have to include the correctly threaded adapter that fits the engine block so the after market full flow filter can still be attached. So remember to include that information when you order.
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SAE Paper References: 650316, 650865, 710813, 881827, 912433, 810449, 852126, 881825, and Mobil Technical Bulletin #863
SAE 650316 - dated January 1966, presented by JE Den Besteu, EG Leverenze, and CM Bloom (International Harvester Co.), stated that in 8 hour tracer tests on a 6 cylinder engine using new oil, used oil, and used oil filtered through a 5 micron filter, they observed almost no change in wear with the used oil and the used oil filtered through a 5 micron filter. When you consider that a regular full-flow filter is only a 30-micron filter at best, it is easy to see how an engine wears out with typical oil change intervals and full flow filters.
SAE 650865 - dated November 1965 by PE Pfeifer and FT Finnigan, Pure Oil Co. explains the findings on valve lifter wear in an 8-cylinder Oldsmobile engine using a full-flow and by-pass filters. The report stated, "Standard full-flow filters do not remove 1-micron particles and thus do not adequately protect against wear-causing particles. Filters must be capable of dealing with particles 1-micron and smaller to control wear."
SAE 710813 - the use of good full flow filtration, combined with bypass oil filtration will result in the extension of engine wear up to two to three times the wear life obtainable with only good full flow filtration."
SAE 810449 - Debris from the wear process promoted more wear, which, in turn, generates more debris in a deepening cycle.
SAE 852126 - Soot thickens oil, reducing oil circulation during cold starts. It can even gel motor oil. Soot also acts as a catalyst to accelerate oil oxidation and sludge formation.
SAE 881825 - "Significant wear reduction is realized when filter cut-off size is reduced."
SAE 881827 - Within the 10 to 20-micron dynamic clearance size range, particles less than 10 microns generated about 3.5 times more wear than particles greater that 10-microns.
SAE 912344 - Some soot is hard. Its abrasive action wears cams, rings, bearings, cylinders, and valves.
Mobil Oil Australia Limited Technical Bulletin #863 states - oil does not "wear out", "break down" or otherwise deteriorate to such an extent that it needs to be changed. It becomes contaminated with water, acids, burnt fuel, carbon particles, and sludge so that is can no longer provide the desired degree of protection for engine components. The engine's oil filter can only remove solid particles above a certain size. It cannot remove water, acids, or carbon particles or sludge, all of which pass through the filter just as readily as the oil." This is referring to full flow filters.
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