Long considered the most basic of automotive maintenance tasks, the average oil change remains blanketed in controversy. Not just regarding what type of engine oil is best, or which engine oil additive performs on a higher level, but in how one goes about affixing oil filters. Do you pre-fill your oil filters prior to installation? Or do you just lube up that gasket and let the oil pump sort it all out?
Online opinions about this topic are all over the place , so our friend Lake Speed, Jr (a.k.a. The Motor Oil Geek) decided to put the discussion to rest once and for all by conducting some scientific research.
The mission was simple: Find out if fresh motor oil straight from the jug was dirtier than the filtered oil going through the filter and into the engine.
The methodology was equally straightforward: Send samples pulled from said clean drum of motor oil, as well as new motor oil from an engine off to SPEEDiagnostix for some ISO 4406 cleanliness tests.
Apparently, there are two ways of doing this: The right way, and the foolish way. And in a moment you will see the science that backs it all up.
Whenever you see Lake Speed, Jr. and “Dyno Don” MacAskill together, you know there is some knowledge about to be transferred.
Prefilling Oil Filters: Pointless Or Imperative Prep?
Lake Speed, Jr. isn’t called “The Motor Oil Geek” for nothing. The guy is a certified lubrication specialist or tribologist, and is forever the first to point out things like the importance of proper funnel storage for cleanliness, proper detergent and oil additive levels in products, etc. He also pre-fills his oil filters before conducting an oil change.
So when he heard the argument that some of his viewers were worried about the cleanliness of the oil being dumped into the oil filters before cycling, he decided to fire back with his take on the matter.
The Four Rs Of Lubrication
- The Right Oil
- In the Right Place
- At the Right Time
- In the Right Amount
The Geek explains that by not prefilling our oil filters, we are preventing oil from performing its intended task within the bottom end of the engine upon start-up, for as we all know, internal component damage occurs when metal-on-metal friction forms. Speed claims that despite there still being some engine oil on the crankshaft, main bearings, and so forth after draining out the old liquid, it’s not enough to prevent wear from occurring during…
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