Oil filter test using flour

[Black02Silverado]

I thought this test was interesting. It is definitely different from all the other individual tests out there on the web.

He didn't test to many filters, just the most popular ones for his Mitsubishi.

 

[Zembonez]

Lots of effort for a very unscientific test. Not sure what dissolved food substances tell anybody about oil filter performance.

But it looked cool.

I stand by the theory that if you change your oil regularly using high quality fluids and a name brand filter, you'll get max life out of most any engine. Most engines die because of some non oil related mechanical failure anyway...

 

[txab]

Time to make the donuts.

 

[Longshot270]

Complaint #1 - The test should have been pressurized and standardized to a GPH that passes through the filter. Gravity powered seeping favors low volume filters in this case. If the soak time was short than this complaint is negligible but if it took a while to filter through then it starts to become more of an issue.

Complaint #2 - Did not use a standard volume for settling. That method works, we've been doing it to monitor the sediment removal rates from dredging the river (gives us silt to water ratio)...but each one was at a different level. He was using a syringe so if he had drawn 5 mL for the first filter, he should have drawn 5 mL for all of them. Otherwise he would need to take his comparison one step further and mathematically standardize the results...then it would be an accurate comparison.

Lots of effort for a very unscientific test. Not sure what dissolved food substances tell anybody about oil filter performance.

Doesn't matter what the contaminant is as long as it doesn't change shape when mixed with oil. The issue of particle sizes distributed through the bag of flour IS a good criticism. He should have used one large flour/talcum powerder/oil mix to negate the probability of inconsistent particle size. Fine particles settle to the bottom, larger ones get displaced and pushed upwards.

I give him credit for trying though. He thought it out better than most of my college freshmen students would have...and some of them were/are on the med school track.

 

[OldCracker29]

I'll keep changing my oil at 5K using OE and a Wix filter.