Bypass Oil Filtration

[Big MAK]

I searched and didn’t find new info on this.

With the EGR dumping so much sooty air back in the engine I have the opinion that bypass filtration may be way more important than it used to be.

Trying to decide if I should do it.

 

[AH64ID]

I had one on my 05, but haven’t put one on my 18 yet.

CK oil suspends soot really well, which means it’s really difficult to filter out. This really started with CI oil.

I may do it next summer, but time will tell.

for now I’m content with the efficiency of the Donaldson DBL7349.

 

[jhenderson]

I tried extended oil changes using an amsoil bypass setup on my 04. The first sample I sent in was at 15,000 miles compared to my usual 7,500 mile change. I got a report back telling me to change the oil immediately due to soot thickening. My 7,500 mile reports were always good. So much for bypass filtration removing soot.
P.s. The def equipped trucks don’t put anywhere near as much egr in the motor as you think.

 

[CUMMINZ]

I tried extended oil changes using an amsoil bypass setup on my 04. The first sample I sent in was at 15,000 miles compared to my usual 7,500 mile change. I got a report back telling me to change the oil immediately due to soot thickening. My 7,500 mile reports were always good. So much for bypass filtration removing soot.
P.s. The def equipped trucks don’t put anywhere near as much egr in the motor as you think.

Why would you wait till 15k to recheck. I feel pretty sure the lab did not suggest to wait 7.5k for retest.

 

[jhenderson]

Because my original oil analysis was fine at 7500 without the by pass system. If the claims made for by pass filtration were true I shouldn’t have had dramatically increased soot loading. Too bad they weren’t and I did.

 

[Newsa]

I tried extended oil changes using an amsoil bypass setup on my 04. The first sample I sent in was at 15,000 miles compared to my usual 7,500 mile change. I got a report back telling me to change the oil immediately due to soot thickening. My 7,500 mile reports were always good. So much for bypass filtration removing soot.
P.s. The def equipped trucks don’t put anywhere near as much egr in the motor as you think.

Didn't your 04 have "in-cylinder" EGR?

It was a significantly different engine than a 4th gen 2013+ with reduced EGR.

To the OP. I am getting excellent results with my 2013 and a bypass filter. I use an amsoil bypass filter, but don't always use amsoil oil. I tried ot first with the hoses that amsoil sent with the kit. Then after 2 years and deciding to keep the bypass system, i upgraded to steel-braided hoses and bought some insulation sleeves to put around the steel-braided hoses. I noticed since the mighty cummins vibrates in it's mounts, the hose was rubbing on the plastic over the valve cover. I return through the oil cap and also take oil samples there

 

[AH64ID]

My stock 05 motor was very hard on soot in the oil. My rebuild with QSB pistons was not. The 04.5-07 pistons are very hard on oil with all the soot they produce.

combine that with the oils thinning the soot and it gets high quick.

 

[Newsa]

I believe the bypass filter is helpful. But the 2013-2019 models probably need it less than previous gens

 

[JR]

FWIW 13+ uses very little EGR which was one reason Cummins was able to nearly double the oil intervals. These emissions systems are very much cleaned up compared to 07.5-12.
I have done a few UOA on my 14 and from my results it's not necessary so long as you follow OEM guidelines. Even less necessary if you cut them in half

Also, think of all the construction and ag equipment running harder duty cycles in dirtier conditions than the typical pickup. I've yet to meet an owner or outfit that has done anything but change their fleet spec oil at the OEM intervals, in the QSB6.7 case 500 hours.

 

[Big MAK]

Great info, thanks all! I’ll have to weigh the pros/cons. Probably do an oil analysis and let that decide it for me.

 

[Newsa]

Here is an option i wasn't aware of when i installed mine. It costs as much as 2 filters.

But most like to leaventhe bypass on longer than 6 months.
https://puredieselpower.com/dodge-p...d-life-cummins-oil-filter.html#/product/18294

 

[Ozymandias]

I dont think there is any benefit from a bypass oil filter in our application.
Especially not with todays main oil filter quality like Stratapore from Fleetguard.

 

[JR]

Being it is a full flow filter I'd have a hard time leaving it on for more than a standard 15k mile oil change for fear of it going into bypass.
A true bypass does not take the full flow and the worst case scenario is it plugs off.

 

[Ozymandias]

Here is an option i wasn't aware of when i installed mine. It costs as much as 2 filters.

But most like to leaventhe bypass on longer than 6 months.
https://puredieselpower.com/dodge-p...d-life-cummins-oil-filter.html#/product/18294

Thats a good filter - love it!

 

[Newsa]

I dont think there is any benefit from a bypass oil filter in our application.
Especially not with todays main oil filter quality like Stratapore from Fleetguard.

Stratopore does a good job. But doesn't get particles 5-15 microns. Anything less than 5 is harmless.

 

[SnoKing]

I had one on my 05, but haven’t put one on my 18 yet.

CK oil suspends soot really well, which means it’s really difficult to filter out. This really started with CI oil.

I may do it next summer, but time will tell.

for now I’m content with the efficiency of the Donaldson DBL7349.

Suspending "things" in oil is better than not doing it, as it keeps in circulation to filter or dump at oil changes. At least that is what I was taught as a kid in the Texaco family business and Havoline oil. What has changed? Oil filters are much better now also. SnoKing

 

[Newsa]

Suspending "things" in oil is better than not doing it, as it keeps in circulation to filter or dump at oil changes. At least that is what I was taught as a kid in the Texaco family business and Havoline oil. What has changed? Oil filters are much better now also. SnoKing

It is true that oil is better and oil filters are better.

Newer oils are harder to filter because they keep particles dispersed and prevent them from clumping together.

However, the best filtration occurs slowly through a bypass filter. Full flow filters like fleetguard and Donaldson are good! But at the flow rates required by full flow filters (low restriction) prevents them from filtering smaller particles.

You don't NEED a bypass filter with the 2013-2019. But the way the tolerances are on newer engines, in my opinion, a bypass is better than not having a bypass filter

 

[SnoKing]

Yet people go many hundreds of thousand of miles with the trucks just the way the manufacturer built it! Many of their own pet peeves! Mine is just drive and service it.

 

[Newsa]

Yet people go many hundreds of thousands of miles not using Stratopore filters as well.

 

[AH64ID]

Suspending "things" in oil is better than not doing it, as it keeps in circulation to filter or dump at oil changes. At least that is what I was taught as a kid in the Texaco family business and Havoline oil. What has changed? Oil filters are much better now also. SnoKing

Yes and no. It is better for standard filtration systems, as they can't filter out soot particles until they are too large; however, with bypass systems the suspended soot isn't filtered out like it used to be. Pre CI oil's you could run a 2µ bypass filter and have CLEAN oil all the time, that's not the case with CI, or newer, oil specs as that oil doesn't allow the soot to agglomerate to the point it can be filtered. Most soot particles are sub-micron in size, so they have to agglomerate to be filtered out.

So the addition of EGR's necessitated different oil specs for average filtration systems, which have reduced the soot filtering abilities of bypass filters. At the same time there are better full flow filters (thou Stratapore hasn't stepped up it's game like Fleetguard has with its fuel filters) which have reduced the need for bypass filters. If I ran a Stratopre filter I would be installing a bypass, but IMO the specs of the Donaldson ELF7349 don't require one.

Yes I know plenty of people get plenty of miles with Stratopre, or even POS OEM filters... but knowing the spec's I can't in good faith run them, it's like ST tires... a little research might just be a bad thing