Anyone plug their oil filter bypass?
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,469
Likes: 136
From: SacCityCorvette.com in Sacramento Ca Join us on Facebook!
St. Jude Donor '12,'13,'15,'16,'17
Anyone plug their oil filter bypass?
I was researching and found quite a few performance and race engine builders plug the oil filter bypass so that only filtered oil goes through the engine. They say you have to make sure you change the filter regularly and warm the engine oil up before going over 2500 rpm. I was thinking about doing this but want to hear from the pro's here on the forum not the ones that say don't mod anything on a Vette.
Anyone have experience with this mod?
I am running a external oil cooler with a thermostat and remote oil large filter on my C5Z 440ci n/a ls2.
Thanks
Christian
Anyone have experience with this mod?
I am running a external oil cooler with a thermostat and remote oil large filter on my C5Z 440ci n/a ls2.
Thanks
Christian
__________________
Don't forget to check out our products at www.saccitycorvette.com
If you like our products, tell others! If not, tell us!
Don't forget to check out our products at www.saccitycorvette.com
If you like our products, tell others! If not, tell us!
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,526
Likes: 20
From: Santa Fe TX
Seems like a bad idea. The bypass is there to keep oil flowing should the filter become restricted. At extreme high psi (cold engine with high flow oil pump) it keeps the filter from exploding/blowing off.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 11,143
Likes: 1,913
From: Missouri City, TX
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,469
Likes: 136
From: SacCityCorvette.com in Sacramento Ca Join us on Facebook!
St. Jude Donor '12,'13,'15,'16,'17
Thanks for the reply.
Ya, I read that too. That's why they said you have to service the filter regularly and run a high quality filter like WIX or some other performance filters.
Just doesn't seem like a good idea to run unfiltered oil through the engine.
Ya, I read that too. That's why they said you have to service the filter regularly and run a high quality filter like WIX or some other performance filters.
Just doesn't seem like a good idea to run unfiltered oil through the engine.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 12,938
Likes: 784
From: Huntsville AL
I bet unfiltered oil is way better than no oil. Hopefully metal will sink to the bottom of the oil pan anyhow, mostly.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 34
From another prospective. Even having regular service, no telling if the filter was not an lemon, proves it is, in an most inopportune time.
One thing can help to capture some of the metallic particle is using purpose designed, high temperature resistance magnetic drain plug and stick a few on the filter housing to aid. My recent drain proves the benefit from an newly built:
After slurry removed:
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,974
Likes: 14
From: Pinellas Park Fl
St. Jude Donor '08-'09 & '12, '14
I've done it regularly on gen 3 SB but I consider it ' big wup ' now. The oil filter will withstand the pressure of 90% of the oil pumps out there and clogging is not an issue.
In the end its not big deal either way.
In the end its not big deal either way.
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,469
Likes: 136
From: SacCityCorvette.com in Sacramento Ca Join us on Facebook!
St. Jude Donor '12,'13,'15,'16,'17
I have decided that I am going to plug the bypass and run a dual filter setup so only clean oil can flow freely. I think the bypass opens more often then we think it does. Especially after seeing how much metal the magnetic drain plug catches, I don't want it going through my engine.
Thanks for all your input!
Christian
Thanks for all your input!
Christian
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 5,376
Likes: 1,118
I'm not sure about the GM LS filters, but the K&N filters that I use on my car and truck have an internal high pressure bypass. Not sure what the bypass pressure is though. In any event, if you are careful with warming the car up and especially if you are using a remote dual filter setup and you monitor oil pressure to see if there is any inordinately high pressure, your engine will be fine with the bypass blocked.
I've run several big blocks over the years with the bypass blocked - all with remote filters though - and I think the bearings were much better off for it. The thing with the bypass is that you don't know how weak the spring is, because there's no real way to monitor when the oil is bypassing and how much oil is bypassing.
I also like to run magnets in the sump and on the filter too though, because a lot of oil gets splashed around in the bottom end from windage, so the cleaner the oil stays - even before it gets to the filter - the better.
I've run several big blocks over the years with the bypass blocked - all with remote filters though - and I think the bearings were much better off for it. The thing with the bypass is that you don't know how weak the spring is, because there's no real way to monitor when the oil is bypassing and how much oil is bypassing.
I also like to run magnets in the sump and on the filter too though, because a lot of oil gets splashed around in the bottom end from windage, so the cleaner the oil stays - even before it gets to the filter - the better.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 462
From: Southern Utah
This idea may just be responding to a problem that doesn't exist. It may be that doing this will extend the engine life from 300,000 miles to 350,000 miles...neither of which will ever be seen. The only way to know if the bearings are better off is to disassemble the engine and measure them, or see them wear out. Again, neither of which is likely to happen.
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,469
Likes: 136
From: SacCityCorvette.com in Sacramento Ca Join us on Facebook!
St. Jude Donor '12,'13,'15,'16,'17
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,469
Likes: 136
From: SacCityCorvette.com in Sacramento Ca Join us on Facebook!
St. Jude Donor '12,'13,'15,'16,'17
[QUOTE=CI GS;1588523154]I'm not sure about the GM LS filters, but the K&N filters that I use on my car and truck have an internal high pressure bypass. Not sure what the bypass pressure is though. In any event, if you are careful with warming the car up and especially if you are using a remote dual filter setup and you monitor oil pressure to see if there is any inordinately high pressure, your engine will be fine with the bypass blocked.
I've run several big blocks over the years with the bypass blocked - all with remote filters though - and I think the bearings were much better off for it. The thing with the bypass is that you don't know how weak the spring is, because there's no real way to monitor when the oil is bypassing and how much oil is bypassing.
I've run several big blocks over the years with the bypass blocked - all with remote filters though - and I think the bearings were much better off for it. The thing with the bypass is that you don't know how weak the spring is, because there's no real way to monitor when the oil is bypassing and how much oil is bypassing.
Thread Starter
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 7,469
Likes: 136
From: SacCityCorvette.com in Sacramento Ca Join us on Facebook!
St. Jude Donor '12,'13,'15,'16,'17
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 30
From: Mentor Ohio
I have decided that I am going to plug the bypass and run a dual filter setup so only clean oil can flow freely. I think the bypass opens more often then we think it does. Especially after seeing how much metal the magnetic drain plug catches, I don't want it going through my engine.
Thanks for all your input!
Christian
Thanks for all your input!
Christian
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,108
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Just exactly where would this bypass plug go?
See the last paragraph in the left hand column.
See the last paragraph in the left hand column.
Last edited by HOXXOH; Dec 21, 2014 at 12:27 PM.