Another dealership horror story

Okay, so you are saying the oil flows back through the supply hole of the filter. It can't flow past the drain valve because of the way the filter is built (it's a one way valve, no magic can bypass it). Wouldn't that mean any junk the filter caught could be washed out of the filter by the hot oil flowing backwards through the filter and into the engine...

I really don't think that's cleaner for my truck.

Bet you never thought of that

 

This method works on all filters. Fram, Full, Mobil1, Geniune, Wix, etc.

If the filter is catching a large amount contaminants to begin with, you have other issues to worry about. Whatever does drain back, is immediately subjected to go through the new filter upon start up.

 

I don't want my filter to be filled with the junk that could of been removed with the last filter.

What other issues? Cleaning the oil catch plate takes literally 10 seconds.

 

what he's saying makes sense from a physics perspective because there is vacuum inside the filter that holds residual oil. once you puncture a hole, air comes in to fill the void, letting the leftover oil drain down the hole in the filter socket.

however, it's just the idea of hammering a screwdriver into the filter that bothers me because it can introduce reverberations to the rest of the engine

 

Any contaminants are going to be embedded in the filter media, so it's highly unlikely that it'll drain back.

Yes, it is quick to clean the catch plate, there is no denying that.

Just another way to skin a cat I suppose.

 

frankly, i dislike using the drain valve in the bottom of the catch plate because the cap can't really be twisted off with fingers, you have to twist it off with channel lock or something similar. soaking the leftover with paper towel also doesn't work too well because you need a lot of towels.

my favorite thing to do is to keep a large syringe for that purpose only and just suck the leftover oil out in it

 

I have no arguments with his theory of how it drains back. It's just "washing" the filter with the hot oil flowing backwards through the media and down the supply hole is counter productive to changing the filter IMHO. I understand that 99% of the contaminants will stay in the media, but some larger filings could be washed back into the supply line to the filter and that doesn't sit well with me. Over time that could decrease filter efficiency and increase the amount of time the filter is in bypass.

Anyways, back to the topic.

 

I just leave the cap on the catch plate off. If you put the Coke bottle there before emptying the oil and keep a rag nearby to catch the oil when you are done draining the filter then you'll keep the mess in the plate. Works well for me anyways.

 

So with having a few Toyota's in the family, I don't always have time to work on them myself having other brand cars along as well. At times, I would take the Toyota's to the dealership as the oil changes are free. After a mishap at the dealership (loose cartridge/oil filter) I started keeping a closer eye on what they do. Having their service bays that is viewable from the waiting area, I noticed that the lube techs that are supposed to be "factory trained" are not. I see them trying to figure out which plastic piece needs to be unbolted to get to the oil cartridge. After seeing this both on the 4runner and prius, I stopped going to the dealership. I partly blame Toyota for switching to cartridge filter than spin on.

 

We're talking about a modern day engine designed to go well over 200,000 miles. The amount of particles that would have worn off during 5,000 miles is so minimal and minute that it's probably not effecting even 1% of the filters capacity. Any large filings, and the engines already a goner.

Nice discussion Sterdog, always nice to get others thoughts on a subject.

But I agree, back to the topic!

 

X2

Please tell us you were just joking in your post..... please.

 

An alternative to hole poking

 

With a screwdriver. Poke it like it made eyes at your sister. Just kidding. Its easy and ya dont have to be Chuck Liddell to breach an oil filter.

 

Metal is really soft.
Am I the only one here old enough to remember opening a beer before pull tabs and then poptops?

 

Ideally, you should never have to use a hammer in mechanics. Although unlikely, hammering force and reverb can cause bolt connections to weaken.

 

Just confused, there isn't an app for poking an oil filter.

 

Snicker

 

Someone enlighten me but I'm of a belief if proper maintenance is done timely, the closest to a hammer that should ever near a vehicle is a deadblow to iron out body dings. I just don't see how a hammer belongs anywhere under a hood.

 

In theory, sure. In the real world hammers, cheater bars, and swearing are often required.

And my 12 year old daughter could poke a filter with a screwdriver. No doublejack required.

 

I know it's far fetched but if you hammer even something as detached as an oil filter that is screwed on a threaded male fitting, the force of hammering can compromise the threads on the male. I just wouldn't want to hammer anything that is connected to a threaded fitting