Does anyone have any information about under what conditions the oil filter bypass is supposed to engage? I put some 5W30 in my daily driver last week when it was very cold and it was thick as molasses. I have this sinking feeling that the filters may be bypassed most of the time in the winter. Is it a progressive bypass or an all or nothing type thing? Has anyone cut open a used filter to see if there's anything being filtered?
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Re: cold oil- filter bypass question
Robert,
If you are talking about C2 cars with the bypass as soon as the oil pressure equalizes on both sides of the bypass valve it closes to allow oil to go through the filter..
If for some reason the filter is clogged and oil can't pass through the filter, oil will bypass through the valve. I am pretty sure that's how it functions..
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Re: cold oil- filter bypass question
I don't know specifically what conditions open the bypass, but based on late model cars that use 5W30, I would expect the bypass to remain closed even on startup if you maintain moderate RPM until the engine is up to operating temperature.
You may have to quickly reduce your fast idle speed immediately after startup, but even if you do nothing, you can figure it's going to be a short term condition. Once the engine is up to temp, you should have zero concerns about an open bypass leading to the oil not being filtered.
Attempting to go to significant throttle opening before the engine is warmed up is foolhardy, and you can open the bypass on a C6 by doing it...pegged oil pressure gauge is a pretty good indicator that it's happening.Comment
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