Oil filter split.

[doz]

I knew I was in for some teething issues when I got the bus back on the road but this is getting silly now. Went to move the bus this afternoon and the oil filter appears to have split around it's plate where it screws on. I caught it straight away there's no damage to the engine I noticed the oil pressure dropping back on the gauge. Now I do run a uprated oil pump and full flow case. The oil filter lives under the nearside corner and is in line before my remote oil cooler. I did the first hundred miles after engine rebuild using straight 30 weight oil When I changed from a Bosch filter to a champion one I changed the oil for a hi quality 20-50. I drove the bus with this oil and filter for about 10 miles last night without issue. When the filter split the bus was warming nicely so the pressure had settled down to it's normal operating pressure of around 60 psi. The filters I use are for a Mk1 Golf 1600 which running hydraulic tappets will normally see oil pressures between 60-100 psi. So I thought I had covered every base so as about of litre of finest oil splurged all over my nice clean driveway the language did turn mighty blue.Have I done something wrong in the configuration? Or has the 20-50 oil raised the pressure enough to split the filter (which it hasn't according to the gauge which has proven very accurate when compared with my mechanical workshop gauge) or have I just been unlucky with a duff oil filter?

To recap.
Engine oil pressure:- Cold start is 100psi approx. Soon settles down to 60 psi at revs above 1500. Once warm idle oil pressure is 30psi approx.
Filter is mk1 golf 1600 (think your find it's the same filter used on the 1800 mk 2)

 

[ZedBed]

I guess you have no choke and have to play the throttle when first started up?
I gather what you need is a thermostatic bypass for the filter. It's a common problem according to Laurie Pettit who will be fitting one to mine when he builds it. Don't have the details as I'm letting him spec/do whatever he wants. :shock:

Just re-read - maybe the main damage was done before you think and it was dangling on a thread so to speak, waiting to burst?

 

[K@rlos]

20w50 has a history to pop full flow filters on aircooled motors.

 

[Graham L]

I've always used a FRAM HP1 Oil Filter on remote oil coolers as stock ones are renowned for 'popping' off, I think Marcher had 3 or 4 let go on him!!

 

[doz]

Cheers guys. I've ordered some hp1's. Hopefully its nothing more than filter not being man enough

 

[dubdubz]

not a fan of HP1's myself, I use a diesel golf one from gsf, it has a non return valve I think not that helps in this situation [just stops oil draining back iirc]

don't have the part number - I had a 2x hp1 leak, and I have had no issues with the golf filter....same oil , same engine...

 

[Trikky2]

Its down to your uprated oil pump.

The pressure relief valve is supposed to stop excessive pressure developing but is designed to work with a stock pump and an uprated pump can overwhelm it.

You can reduce the chances by using a thinner oil like 15/40 or going synthetic which will give you even lower cold viscosity - though on a really cold day the possibility still remains.

Frankly i cannot see the point of running at such high oil pressure, the oil wont lubricate the bearings any better because its being pumped at 100 psi.

1 bar per thousand rpm with the relief valve cutting in at around 3 to 4 bar is all you need for these engines.

 

[Trikky2]

As a follow on to the above post - theres this myth out there that the higher the oil pressure the better.

I guess this has come about because, when the bearings wear on an engine, the gaps get bigger than they should be and hence the oil flows through them more easily - so the pressure drops.

Its not the low oil pressure that kills the engine. The low oil pressure is the result of an already knackered engine. If one were to boost the oil pressure on such a worn engine by fitting a bigger oil pump it would not make the engine last any longer.

Different engines are designed to run at different pressures but increasing the oil pressure on a given engine will not improve it, it merely pushes the oil through the bearing a bit faster.

Bigger oil pumps can be something useful when building engines for circuit racing for instance, where they are built "loose" in the first place, to minimise friction and are expected to produce a lot more power and run at much higher temperatures than normal.

On a road car you dont need it.

At the other end of the scale, its interesting to see the very low oil pressures on many US V8s.

 

[doz]

Standard engines will be fine but for upgraded engines whether that be for road or track use then a reasonable hike in pressure is advisable. For a start running a proper filter will cause a pressure drop. Then there's the bigger compression ratio and displacement. Even with a new engine it is possible to bottom out the big end journals if your oil pressure isn't man enough.