Stainless Steel oil filter

[Piper1]

I just happened to see this in an e-mail from turner and wondered if anyone’s used any filter like this before, any thoughts?

There’s an interesting vid a little down on cleaning them too.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-402537-kp-engineering-high-performance-stainless-steel-micronic-oil-filter-w-machine-finished-end-caps/

 

[Smartbear]

I just happened to see this in an e-mail from turner and wondered if anyone’s used any filter like this before, any thoughts?

There’s an interesting vid a little down on cleaning them too.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-402537-kp-engineering-high-performance-stainless-steel-micronic-oil-filter-w-machine-finished-end-caps/

For the price of it I’d just carry on with paper filters, you’d need to run the car for ten years before you broke even!
Plus you would avoid having to clean an oily filter each time
Rob

 

[mjennings23]

As above, a Mann oil filter can be had for about £6 and they're of very high quality. No point in reusable filters when they're so cheap, I would say!

 

[GuidoK]

Also if you follow the procedure above, you'd be using the same sealing O rings for 10 years.....
If you buy a cheap disposable oil filter you usually get both sealing rings for the oil filter cap (and the copper washer if you have an /m) included.
(not sure if every supplier adds those rings though but its something to watch out for)
Why is that important?
The outer sealing ring is obviously to stop leaks, but in the oil filter housing cap sits a pin (its an oil feed pipe) that plugs a hole that goes directly to the sump. This is constructed this way because you dont want to drain your oil filter (to the sump) every time you switch off your engine. That would mean that every time you would start your engine (with empty/drained oil filter) you would starve your engine of oil for the duration it takes for the oil pump to fill the oil filter cavety.
On the other side if you change your oil filter it would be nice if that cavety drains empty so that you dont have to fish your oilfilter out a fully filled bucket of old oil.
Thats why bmw (and many other brands like mercedes etc) use this setup. But in this setup its important that those inner seals are changed with the oil filter change (or at least once in a while) because you dont want to have them failing.
Here you can see its construction:



Trying to source those seals seperately (the dealer is probably the only place...) is probaby just as expensive as buying the £6 oil filter kit (Mann is indeed also my favorite filter brand, and Knecht is also good for oil filters)

I dont see an added bonus in using that steel oil filter. The paper oil filter element has no flow issues that I know of and if you use a decent brand at the recommended change intervals, I've never seen an oil filter collapse in these cars.

 

[Magicarcher]

If you buy a cheap disposable oil filter you get both sealing rings for the oil filter cap (and the copper washer if you have an /m) included.
Why is that important?

That is interesting, I recently changed oil and fitted a BMW OE filter, I can remember it coming with the big black O ring and a new copper ring for the oil sump plug, but I can't recall seeing the two little O rings. I remember thinking as I fitted it that I was surprised that the two little O rings on the shaft were not included. Not sure if I had a Friday afternoon filter or if BMW doesn't include them with the filter!

 

[GuidoK]

Maybe it differs from supplier to supplier. I'm sure I had kits with all the seals included (once I even got one with the oil filter housing seal (the one fitted between oil filter housing and the engine block...) :? ) but I dont know if that was every kit I ever had.
And I dont think its important to replace those seals every time you change oil&filter, I'm not afraid to even reuse copper washers etc, but if you get it in the kit, you're more stimulated to also replace those. Rubber seals dont have eternal life in a car engine. Even the green viton ones (although they last longer than black NBR ones) Reusing them for 10years+ is a bad idea I think, and that is the key point of the stainless filter.
Why I brought this up is because of that video, where they say to reinstall the rubber seals, and in the automotive world its pretty common practice to replace rubber seals&gaskets whenever you had the stuff apart. Having the reusable filter but not the O rings and having to get them seperately at the dealer is a bit contradicting and easily forgotten (especially if you follow that video)

But I cant remember getting an oil filter without the outer sealing ring though (that large black o ring). (even that stainless filter comes with a new one :lol: )

Edit: I looked in the ETK and at bmw you buy the oil filter and outer sealing ring (you can also buy the loose outer sealing ring) and the inner green rings you buy seperately.

 

[Magicarcher]

I just happened to see this in an e-mail from turner and wondered if anyone’s used any filter like this before, any thoughts?

There’s an interesting vid a little down on cleaning them too.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-402537-kp-engineering-high-performance-stainless-steel-micronic-oil-filter-w-machine-finished-end-caps/

Not sure why this option would be attractive, it is unlikely that a stainless filter will be characterised exactly the same as a paper filter across all operating conditions for the life of the oil between changes. Given the importance of the performance of the lubrication system BMW would have done millions of miles of performance and durability testing with the OEM filter, so there would need to be substantial benefits to deviate from the OEM specification filter. As others have pointed out, there doesn't look to be.

On the website there is a statement "..Stainless steel filtration is not a new technology but is quickly gaining popularity in the automotive segment.." Not sure what they mean when they say "automotive segment" but I would like to see the data to substantiate such a claim. I have worked for and with a fair number of OEMs and I do not think they would favour an oil filter that needs cleaning each time, because the service cost would go up and that would need to be passed onto the customer. but I am happy to be proved wrong.

 

[Magicarcher]

I'm not afraid to even reuse copper washers etc, but if you get it in the kit, you're more stimulated to also replace those.
Why I brought this up is because of that video, where they say to reinstall the rubber seal, and in the automotive world its pretty common practice to replace rubber seals&gaskets whenever you had the stuff apart.

But I cant remember getting an oil filter without the outer sealing ring though (that large black o ring).

It is best to replace the copper washer, but I like you would see it as low risk to not replace it providing you do a visual inspection for drips in the first few hundred miles.

In the automotive world its pretty common practice to replace rubber seals&gaskets whenever you had the stuff apart.

Agreed, apart from degradation with time, there is always the risk of nicking them during disassembly and reassembly.