change oil,not filter idea =

On a 1999 Escort LX the headache for me is filter change. I read that for normal use you can do the filter every other time . Any thoughts about this lazyman,s method?

Every other time should be all right. However, they say the dirtiest oil is in your filter. I had wondered if the filter retained any foreign particles or contaminants in the oil so I cut one in two with a hack saw and found no foreign objects or contaminants. So.........I've convinced myself that changing the filter every other time is all right. Now, when I change the oil I let the oil drain out of the filter overnight and reuse the filter the next time. It takes a while for the oil to drain out because the filter retains the oil to have a fast pressure at start up. A person would have to be really tight with a dollar (that's me) to not buy a $3 filter to change the oil. But.....with the high price of oil I try to cut corners where I can. Yes, the filter is a PITA to change on an Escort. Because of this you may want to change the filter every other time. If you change your oil every 3,000 miles or so I see nothing wrong with not changing the filter. Thanks for posting.

Every other oil change is plenty often for changing the oil filter. Once the car has gone past 30,000 miles, you can probably change the filter every 3rd oil change. Thats assuming you change the oil at least twice a year or every 4000 miles, whichever is more often. The type of driving that gets the oil filter clogged is a lot of short trips around in town - where the motor oil doesnt get fully warm. The entire inside of the motor will have more sludge in that case. Long distance highway driving, or having a long commute, or being a taxicab - and the oil stays cleaner, as does the oil filter.
The most severe driving for an oil filter is if you buy a used car, that was only driven in town for short errands -- and you start using it for a 40 mile commute on interstates. Then the sludge that was in the motor will be rinsed loose and into the filter . In such a case, it would be good to change the filter along with the oil, and every 3000 miles or at least 3 times a year.

I have done it/seen where mnfr's recommend it. No one really does that anymore. I don't/would not do it again. Or recommend it. Why? At the end of the day the vehicles that have gone by far the furthest and are in by far the best shape and have given by far the best service have had o/f at the same time on a regular basis. I have been involved with fleet maintenance.I know I know.. someone or others will pipe in anecdotally..but they are in the very small minority.
We ALL KNOW the abysmal failure of the synthetic oil fiasco when people were told they didn't have to change the filters or the oil very often. The word about that is that pretty much everyone after a lot of very hard lessons agrees that they change the same as with regular oil with very,very few exceptions.
I even fill the filter with oil before I put it back on. I also put in EOS from GM every other change.
Probabbly psychological too. Slippery slope Skimp on the filter. Skimp on other stuff too.
It'd really,REALLY eat away at me if I lost an engine due to an oil related issue. I'ld always be wonderrin'.

Doesn't really take any time or cost any money really. Ya..$3-4 every few months.

I actually think oil and filters are becoming much more important especially in the light of the myriad of sensors in engines these days. You want everything just as clean as you can keep it.

While yes you can drain filters..you can't get the trapped particles out of it. To what degree they get back into the oil may be very small..

A really bad tank of gas with all the additives and chemicals/crap in the gas these days. The stuff finds it's way onto the lubricating faces of far too many components.

My .02

If changing the filter is so onerous, I seem to recall that there is a filter relocation kit. Don't know anything more. I'm not familiar with the newer escort engine configurations, but I agree even on my 86, it is tough to get to, but have grown to accept it. I can't decide if it is worse or just as much as a pita as the filter on ford's 3.8 on the taurus and windstar. For me, an extra $3 per change isn't a big deal even if it is a pita. As was pointed out, the oil in the filter is the worst, so why deliberately contaminate brand new oil with the crap in the filter. Also the oil you are removing, but would be leaving behind in the filter contains heavy metals, combustions byproducts, deteriated oil and other acidic causing compounds. Removing the filter to let it drain and save it for the next change, WOW that's tight! And I think of myself as being tight, but for as much of a pita it is to remove, I just cant bother myself to keep a $3 filter after I've just removed it and then put in a used one. I suppose I could see using a high mileage filter to get more mileage between changes, especially if the oil can last that long and I spose leaving it on and changing shorter mileage oil, of course if all is highway mileage. I'm rambling.

Actually I've only used a filter the second time a couple of times. You've got me convinced tripletdaddy. I'm being too cheap. Since oil is $3.10 a quart and better than $12.40 for a 4 quart change that is the exact reason I shouldn't skimp on the filter. If it would leak or fail I"d be in fairly deep. Yeah, what with the price of oil these days the filter is the cheapest part.

You got me laughing good! I didn't say it before, but I did think about the valve inside not working the second time or something unusual causing the filter to cause the oil to go into bypass mode. Sure wouldn't want them in service again, and you wouldn't even know they were bad.

On the note about how expensive oil is, I learned that the Navy, Coast Guard, etc had and I assume still reuse their motor oil over and over again. It's not like they could carry all the oil they needed for as long as they would be out to sea. They would take the used oil and centrifuge it to get all the junk out of it, separate the failed oil of lower viscosity, ph balance it, additives not sure what all, but the bottom line is they used it over and over and over.

filter are usually rated for 5-10k, so you can change them every other oil change...but if you drive the car hard, or are seeing dark oil on every change ( i do mine very 3k and the oil is the same color it is when it goes in) then I would do the filter every time.

Years ago million dollar train locomotives did not change their oil regularly here in Canada anyway. Pretty hard to pull a 200 ton train locomotive into Jiffy Lube haha. They took oil samples,sent them out. Then they changed the oil,did maintenance,repairs based on the oil analysis. Nor did they run anti freeze in them. Idea behind that was if a/f ever got in the oil..$$$$$. Winter if they quit ya had to drain the water out of them.

Back to the Escort. I can't remember if a longer filter will fit on them? That might make it easier if the filter was longer and maybe easier to grab. I have put longer filters on stuff before. Easier acces,more oil capacity,oil cooling.

I'll check that out next change.

Early synthetic ideology was to change the filter at some ridiculous interval and NOT the oil.

Always makes me laugh..some people with their Japanese or expensive cars put in EXPENSIVE! oil,change it every 20 minutes,brag about how many miles it went or are on it.

Poor,lowly Escort. Put dollar store oil in it SERIOUSLLY neglect it..

HEHEHAHA..ROFL..LMAO..

They end up going about the same distance!

,

Arnold,

What is the GM oil additive EOS? What does it do? Can it be gotten as an aftermarket product? How expensive?

I use a 3600 (fram, AA, Walmart, etc) oil filter on my 86 escort and ford seems to use it universally on all of their small to medium size engines. It's on my two 3.8L engines, Taurus and Windstar. I didn't think there is a longer filter than that. It certainly is big for a four cylinder as it is on an engine twice the size of an escort, but in my opinion too small for a 3.8L. Even more reason to change the filter every time!?!

FWIW. Heck, I even upgraded my 20hp Kohler riding lownmower engine to the 3600 filter!?! I get more filter for less money!!! Kohler and BS rip you off for those stinking little filters, $14!?! I can get four for that ripoff price!! I've seen pocket cans of chew and snuff bigger than their filters!?! Now I heard a small engine mechanic claim that you must use the oem filter and not an automotive filter due to specific pressure relief valve settings and whatever else he was fed by the engine cos. I'd like to hear y'alls take on this. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but my mind was changed when I went to Napa to buy filters for my Kohler. Well what do you know! The filter that Napa lists for my lawnmower engine also is used as an automotive filter!?! I cross referenced it on Fram's website and couldn't believe my eyes!

I cant believe what I am reading. I would be far more comfortable just changeing the filter and adding to full.
The filter plugs and the dirt runs through the system and your replaceing an engine instead of a 5 dollar filter.
sorry guys, it dont cut it for me.
Oils nowdays last a lot longer that 3000 miles before it breaks down in normal operating conditions. and the filter takes out the contaminanits, why would you remove good oil and leave a dirty filter.
Here is something to check over about filters and there quality.
http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar/oilfilterstudy.html .

EOS..GM's Engine Oil Supplement. The only oil additive GM has recommended for about 30 years now. Maybe because they sell it haha. It is sort of thickish..but is good for sticking lifters!. Best stuff I have ever found. GREAT! for engine assembly. Everyone and his dog now uses it for new engine assy/break in/especially dipping lifters,cams in. I think it is some graphite/moly mix. Don't quote me. Some guys now are using it mixed half and half with oil in serious h/p engines because even the diesel oils are taking a lot of their anti-wear additives out because of emmission. I think Shell Rotella diesel oil is the best gas engine oil now. Not sure how much of the additive has been taken out of Q State HDX diesel oil.I bet they will pull EOS too. Expensive. About $9 Cdn for a little bottle. 10/12 oz or something. I have put half a bottle in every other oil change in all my vehicles for ever now. Nope. No aftermarket. GM dealer only.
I do not know if there is a longer filter than that in that app. . I DO KNOW that with many,many engines there are longer filters that work. ROFL..we bought an old Firefly that the previous owner used to BEAT ON!. He had this extra long filter on that thing he said because it really cooled it down when he was really running it hard. HEHEHAHA...it looked so stupid!! This filter stuck out so far it almost hit the rad haha. I used to run those h/d truck filters on sbc.s Yes they were spin on's. Not the cartrdige type.They were probablly a good foot long! and held almost a quart of oil! Good for higher vehicles. P/U esp. 4X4. The pressure relief is pretty close on all engines anyway.
Ya..a LOT!! of that oil/filter/tire/battery stuff is just B.S. Most of the stuff is made by only a few companies anyway. Just a different name/royalty deal that's all. Or some miniscule,negligable patent change/infringement that is before the courts anyway.

Honeywell was making some pretty good filters DIRT CHEAP when Wally introduced them. They ain't dirt cheap no more. Ditto for Everready car batteries. DIRT CHEAP when Wally started them in about 1995. Not dirt cheap any more.

Yes! You do have to shop around!

Actually I've only used a filter the second time a couple of times. You've got me convinced tripletdaddy. I'm being too cheap. Since oil is $3.10 a quart and better than $12.40 for a 4 quart change that is the exact reason I shouldn't skimp on the filter. If it would leak or fail I"d be in fairly deep. Yeah, what with the price of oil these days the filter is the cheapest part.

Well, my days of cheapness have almost gotten me into it fairly deep. After pulling the filter I noticed there was no gasket on it. Having already replaced it with a new one, I thought there was now 2 gaskets on the new filter. I checked the drain pan and yes the old gasket was in the pan. I lucked out. No more skimping on the oil filter.

I've been reading this thread with some interest over the past few days. I'd like to add to the discussion. First and foremost it is IMPORTANT to use a good quality oil filter if you plan on keeping it on for 2 oil changes. I was going to post a link to an oil filter study that I have posted many times on AF but I see member G.A.S. has beaten me too it :lol: . Stay away from Fram as their quality has gone way downhill over the years.
I have used GM's EOS for close to 20 years and use it as an assembly lube when I put an engine together. I haven't had any issues with it. I thought Ford had something similar ,( maybe if they did they discontinued it:dunno:. Seems I remember something back in the early '90s that the dealer's parts dept. carried.)
tripletdaddy is correct about the small engine filters. I agree they are too expensive. I searched around last year because of the increasing cost and discovered that they are made by WIX who makes many different oil filters for many different types of engines. I paid anywhere from $4.00 to $7.50 for the same oil filters for my Kohlers and Kawasaki small engines. On their website, you can find a local dealer in your area that carries or can get the filters you need.
I used to work in a parts store 20+ years ago and remember seeing a table in the back of the Fram catalog that us counterguys used that broke down each filters' dimensions, internal thread size and whether or not it had an anti-drainback valve in it. You could then take the info for the filter that was recommended for your vehicle and look at the chart to find another that was slightly longer, but still had the same internal thread type ( where you screw the filter on the engine) and if it did or did not contain an anti- drain back valve.Most filters out there have a longer version.
I personally switched some of my vehicles over to synthetic oil last year including my small engines. I can get Mobil 1 at Wal Mart for under $20/5 quart container, and I also noticed that Wal Mart now ells their own version of synthetic oil for about $14.97/5 qt. container. I leave the oil in for about 12,000 miles and just change out the filter 1/2 through the time period ,( about 6 mos/6,000 miles) and then top off the oil if needed.

If you use synrhetic oil you are supposed to do as filter change but not the oil. So the filter must be pretty important. Go with what Ford says. On my car it's every 7500 miles.