Which way does the oil flow through a filter? In the center hole and out through the edge holes or the other way around?

 

Damn this is a great question!
Cant wait to find this one out.

My bet is it goes in through the middle and out the side holes

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97 F150 Longbed V8 4.6
K&N air filter
K&N FIPK tech MOD & removed elbow silencer
Tires: Yokohama 265/75/16 Geolander AT+
Hyper white xenon bulbs
Bedliner and raven shell
6 disc cd changer
Oil & filter used

Gasoline used

My Truck

 

Just my own theory, but since the smaller outer holes have the anti drain back valve on them, you would have to 'push' the oil thru the small holes to 'open' the valve, and then the 'filtered' oil would come out the middle hole to the engine..... Maybe way off base with that one, but just my thought....


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1997 F150 4x4 Off Road, SuperCab, Short Box, 5.4, Royal Blue/Silver, K&N, Gibson SS, LT265/75/16 Wild Country APT's

 

oil flows from the oil pan to the smaller(outside) holes through the filtration media, back to the engine throught the larger whole in the center.


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It has to flow in through the center. How else would the anti drainback valve keep the oil from draining back since it is located right inside the center hole?

-Jon

 

It definately flows from the outside in. In other words, it goes in the holes around the outside and back to your engine through the center hole. Know this for a fact.....and have never seen one any different.

 

This is a great site! I've learned something new today, which I'll share with my wife over breakfast tomorrow morning. She'll just be tickled pink to learn this! (Seriously, thanks for the education.)

 

how does the oil flow from the outside with that rubber/silicon ring blocking the holes?

 

Thanks for all the replies. I got ahold of a couple filter catalogs. It absolutely, positively comes in from the little holes, flows through the media, and out the center hole. As far as the rubber ring blocking the holes, that's an Anti Drainback valve. Incidentally, the Harley Davidson Softail manual 93-94 has the oil flow diagram BACKWARDS! That's what started this quest for me, and I figured you guys would know.

Thanks again,
David Robinson
1997 F150 Ex Cab
1999 Eddie Bauer Expy
2001 Homebuilt 96ci Hardtail

 

One other thing for Ford4Ever, the valve that you can sometimes see straight in the center hole is the bypass valve. If the filter get completely clogged this will open to allow unfiltered oil flow. Not all filters have this though.

I learned a bunch about filters in the past 24 hours!

 

Hey mooseman,

Did you see any mpg increase when you went to Mobile 1?

And, did you try any other brand of synthetic oil before you chose Mobile 1?

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2001 F150 XLT Supercab Flareside "Sport"
Black
5.4
Smittybilt step bars

 

deep6blue,

I truly have no idea,
When i got this truck used i had maybe 1100 miles on it and i did some research on the net and found this site.
After doing some extensive reading on oil and filters the very next day i moved to mobil 1 and filters instantly with no questions asked. So to answer your question hehe i have no idea!

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97 F150 Longbed V8 4.6
K&N air filter
K&N FIPK tech MOD & removed elbow silencer
Tires: Yokohama 265/75/16 Geolander AT+
Hyper white xenon bulbs
Bedliner and raven shell
6 disc cd changer
Oil & filter used

Gasoline used

My Truck

 

hey deep6blue, I got over 300K on one of my last trucks with Mobil 1. I credit the quality of the oil for that.

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2000 F150 Lariat Supercab, Oxford White/parchment,157"WB, 5.4, 4R70W,single fact. CD premium sound, remote keyless entry, full leather, 3.55 LS,SRW, Class 3


Mobil 1 5w30 oil with Motorcraft FL-820s
K&N Filtercharger
Penda Bedliner
Solo Radar Detector

 

Off the subject a bit, but I've read that a Motorcraft filter is simply a Puralator Pureone filter in a different shell/case.

I too have learned much about filters in the last couple days...and the way they work/flow.




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1997 F-150 Lariat SuperCab 4x4, 2-tone: white w/tan bottom, 4.6L, aoutmatic, Towing package, K&N Filter, Custom Cat-back true dual exhaust with 2 FLOWMASTER Series 40 Delta Flows and 4" x 22" chrome tips(out the back of course), Bridgestone Dueller A/T's 265/75/16, Ventshade Bug and Window Deflectors.

 

Pat,

That is untrue, there is a big difference between the pur1 and the regular purolator, in price and performance!

The Motorcraft filter is a regular purolator built to motorcraft specs.

The purolator Pure1 has a higher effeciency rating than both the motorcraft and the regular purolater.

The one down side to both when compared to the Amsoil and the Mobil 1 filter is that the purolator doesnt' have the capacity that the Amsoil and Mobil 1 filter check out this graph






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