Filter Bypass PSI

[Birdman2010]

I got bored today so I started researching oil and filters. I read quite a few posts here and other forums. I discovered that the bypass psi is a critical aspect for the oil filter. The bypass filter kicks in when the oil pressure of the oil coming into the filter is greater than the oil pressure going out of the filter by the bypass differential amount. In other words, most of the time, the oil is filtered as it passes through the oil filter. However, when the oil is cold and "thick", the oil may not pass through the oil filter fast enough so the bypass kicks in and allows the thick oil to circulate unfiltered. Now, here is where the bypass makes a huge difference for me. When you accelerate hard, the oil may not go through the oil filter fast enough to meet the demands of the high-revving engine. The engine may not get enough oil to meet its demand. If the bypass psi is low enough, the bypass will kick in at the correct time and allow the oil to circulate unrestricted until the oil demand returns to normal.

I used to have a Yamaha Venture. I switched to a Bosch 3300 since it had a better cleaning efficiency rating and I read good reviews. However, when I accelerated to pass a car, the oil light would come on. This happened several times. I removed the Bosch 3300 filter and put on my "typical" filter, which is the Purolator L14610. The oil light never came back on. I rode that bike all over! I sold it with 38,000 miles when I decided to purchase a Honda ST1300 Police bike with ABS. I put 12,000 miles on the police bike until I fell in love with the FJR1300. I have just turned 10,000 miles on my 2015 FJR1300A, which I just bought on September 2, 2016. Yea, I love riding!

I just found out today that we need to have a high "flow rate" and a low "bypass PSI" for our filters to be the most effective for our fast motorcycles. The Yamaha OEM oil filter has an 8 psi bypass valve. In other words, when the oil pressure going into the filter is 8 psi greater than the oil going out of the filter, the bypass kicks in and the oil free-flows around the filter medium and goes back into the engine unfiltered until the oil flow requirements go back to normal -- until you stop accelerating so hard.

I am having a hard time finding the "Max Flow Rate" and "Bypass PSI" for the oil filters. I read on many forums that the aftermarket filters are better than the OEM filters. I also read that the FRAM filters, especially the lower cost models, are simply garbage. I know that oil and oil filters are personal preference. At the same time, I do not want to starve my engine from receiving adequate amounts of oil when I am accelerating hard (eg, passing three cars in a row going down Carefree Highway). Does anyone know where I can find the "Max Flow Rate" and "Bypass PSI" for these filters? Here is what I have so far. All of these filters fit the FJR1300A (20 x 1.5 mm threads).

Wix 51356 (Black), 8-11 PSI Bypass, 3.4" height, 9-11 GPM flow rate

Wix 51358 (Black), 8 PSI Bypass, 2.8" height, 8-10 GPM flow rate <--- specified for our FJR1300 motorcycle on their website

Mobil 1 M1-110 (Black), 13 PSI Bypass, 3.6" height, 3 GPM flow rate

Bosch 3323 (Black), 11-17 PSI Bypass, 3.5" height, ?? GPM flow rate

Super Tech ST7317 (Black), ?? PSI Bypass, ?? height, ?? GPM flow rate (I could not find any specifics here!)

Purolator L14610 (Orange - I spray paint mine black), 14-18 PSI Bypass, ?? height, ?? GPM flow rate

I am also wondering if you have put over 200,000 miles on your FJR, what kind of oil and oil filter do you use?

 

[RossKean]

Like the FJR, the Yamaha Venture has an oil LEVEL light - not oil pressure, so the filter should be immaterial in terms of having the light come on. If filled to the minimum, the light will come on under heavy acceleration for either bike (I had a 2004 Venture). Absolutely NO concern with this - add an extra couple of ounces of oil to bring the level to the top of the sight glass if it bothers you.

Bypass isn't everything. If bypass pressure is too low, you may be running unfiltered oil a significant part of the time (not preferred). However, if the filter has good flow, there may be no need to be concerned about bypass pressure at all because you may not come close to that much pressure anyway. In addition to knowing flow (at specified pressure) and bypass pressure for the filter, it would help enormously to know what the bike needs under high RPM conditions. Both maximum flow from the oil pump and what pressure it can easily develop. Again, you may be chasing filter specs that are unimportant. A pretty much unknown specification for filters is CAPACITY. How much particulate of what size will the filter stop before it becomes plugged to the point where the pressure differential across the filter causes the bypass valve to open? We won't even get into the bragging rights specification touted by some manufacturers about particle size exclusion (filter efficacy). This can be measured according to ASTM or SAE standard test methods but is probably less important than you think. It should be noted that a partially plugged used filter actually stops finer particles than a brand new one - openings are already partially closed off with particulates (although pressure differential across the medium will increase and flow rate at a specific pressure will decrease).

When the bike and oil are cold, I agree that you want to get the oil flowing ASAP after starting. If the thickened oil won't pass the filter medium then you will want it to bypass - dirty oil is infinitely better than none. On the other hand, you might consider an oil like the Rotella T6 Synthetic 5W40 which is not overly viscous at lower temperatures (the 5W part of the spec). It is also said that synthetic oils protect better in the relatively oil-starved condition at startup (but I'm not sure why or even if this is so).

I don't have 200,000 miles on my bike but do have 164,000 miles (so far). I have never needed to add oil between changes and have never had any mechanical issue with the engine. I change filter every other oil change and am not particularly anal about change intervals; especially with the synthetic oil. I have let it go over 8,000 miles if on a long road trip. I mostly use Rotella full synthetic 5W40 oil and whatever (relatively higher-end) filters that are on sale. I have probably used the Mobil M1-110 more than any of the others. I sometimes use the Rotella conventional oil - especially lately with the price of the synthetic going up.

Fram filters are not made by the devil. The company has had some bad press and there may have been some good reasons at one time. They make (or rebrand) a number of filter "grades" from very cheap to premium. I have used them a number of times and my bike has not exploded yet...

 

[mech 1 twa]

You won't loose any oil pressure if filter is bypassing oil. What goes in must come out of filter. Pump will only push oil one direction.

Engine oil pressure is much higher than 8PSI. at most times except maybe at idle hot.

Bypass is used if oil filter is very dirty or filter media is blocked completely. Maybe it passes oil at most times but most is still filtered.

 

[Birdman2010]

Like the FJR, the Yamaha Venture has an oil LEVEL light - not oil pressure, so the filter should be immaterial in terms of having the light come on. If filled to the minimum, the light will come on under heavy acceleration for either bike (I had a 2004 Venture). Absolutely NO concern with this - add an extra couple of ounces of oil to bring the level to the top of the sight glass if it bothers you.<clip>

I don't have 200,000 miles on my bike but do have 164,000 miles (so far).

164,000 is very impressive! I will look at your comments very closely. Thank you for your input. It is nice to have someone with Yamaha Venture experience as well. It just scared me when the oil light came on. Using both filters, I maintained the same oil level (top line of the sight glass).

I will keep using the various oil filters and I will look for oil with a lower cold viscosity. I currently use Mobil 1 15W-50 exclusively since I live in the desert. 105 to 110 degrees in the summer is considered "normal". 115 to 120 degrees is considered "hot". I live in my mesh jacket during the summer!

 

[Birdman2010]

You won't loose any oil pressure if filter is bypassing oil. What goes in must come out of filter. Pump will only push oil one direction.
Engine oil pressure is much higher than 8PSI. at most times except maybe at idle hot.

Bypass is used if oil filter is very dirty or filter media is blocked completely. Maybe it passes oil at most times but most is still filtered.

The bypass psi is actually the differential pressure between the input oil into the filter and the output oil leaving the filter. https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/29026/engine-bypass-filtration

 

[FJReady]

FWIW, I used Purolator filters on my 2005 FJR almost exclusively for over 100K miles. I'd be surprised if they somehow restricted oil flow to the point that the top end was oil starved.

 

[JamesK]

The OP's detailed info is interesting for general knowledge, but IMHO not really important, at least not for the FJR.

I got 213,000 miles out of my original 2007 engine. For it's entire life I used mostly the Purolator 14612 filters and various brands of (non-friction modified) synthetic oils ranging from 10W40 to 15W50. Oil change intervals typically at around 5k miles, but certainly gone over that to as high as 8k sometimes on longer trips. I always change the oil filter together with the oil.

I'm sticking to the same schedule on my replacement low-mileage engine, around 40k miles on it so far with no issues, so if I can get another 200k out of this engine that's good enough for me

 

[Birdman2010]

The OP's detailed info is interesting for general knowledge, but IMHO not really important, at least not for the FJR.
I got 213,000 miles out of my original 2007 engine. For it's entire life I used mostly the Purolator 14612 filters and various brands of (non-friction modified) synthetic oils ranging from 10W40 to 15W50. Oil change intervals typically at around 5k miles, but certainly gone over that to as high as 8k sometimes on longer trips. I always change the oil filter together with the oil.

I'm sticking to the same schedule on my replacement low-mileage engine, around 40k miles on it so far with no issues, so if I can get another 200k out of this engine that's good enough for me

213,000 -- wow! I'm shooting for 200,000. It sounds like it is very do-able!

Fred W posted the bypass setting for the Yamaha OEM filter. The service manual specifies 11.15 - 16.72 psi, which is similar to the Purolator. I have a stack of Purolator 14612 filters that I am going to use. When I run out, I am going to switch to the Wix 51356 based on some posts that I read on other forums. As far as I am concerned, the tall versions (Purolator 14610, Wix 51356, and Mobil 1 M1-110) are all great choices for our FJR's.

 

[Pterodactyl]

I recall John Ryan saying he only got around 160,000 miles from his first FJR's engine. He also felt that he might have gotten more miles had he not run the engine on two occasions with no oil. The first was on the haul road as a result of a hole in his sump from a rock strike. The second happened when he did an oil change without adding any oil. John was not much of a wrench, but the FJR has a great engine.

 

[RossKean]

Yeah, the no oil thing probably didn't do it much good. As reliable as these engines are, they aren't indestructable. I doubt that a lesser filter would make any difference unless it leaked enough to run it dry!

 

[HotRodZilla]

I think we're discussing a problem that isn't a problem.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Men have become disgustingly wealthy by solving non-problems.

 

[eflyguy]

I think we're discussing a problem that isn't a problem.

Exactly.

.. but if you're concerned about cold oil not providing enough lube to high-revving parts, perhaps you should let your oil warm up before you whale on it?

 

[HotRodZilla]

I think we're discussing a problem that isn't a problem.

Exactly.

.. but if you're concerned about cold oil not providing enough lube to high-revving parts, perhaps you should let your oil warm up before you whale on it?

Hammering a cold engine is always a bad idea. I'd swear the owner's manual says not to hit it too hard until at least two bars show. If not, not sure where I got that, but that's my rule. I don't go over 5k until it's warm.

 

[mech 1 twa]

Thanks for the link about oil pressure bypass I never fully understood how it functioned.

A old Race engine friend of mine said a good rule is 10 PSI of pressure for every 1k RPM no matter weight of oil you use. 5k= 50PSI 9k=90PSI. Pressure is good but oil flow is also important.

I also like 15w50 20w50 oil weights. Its going to shear some in the gear box and become thinner.

 

[rbentnail]

Thanks for the link about oil pressure bypass I never fully understood how it functioned.
A old Race engine friend of mine said a good rule is 10 PSI of pressure for every 1k RPM no matter weight of oil you use. 5k= 50PSI 9k=90PSI. Pressure is good but oil flow is also important.

I also like 15w50 20w50 oil weights. Its going to shear some in the gear box and become thinner.

In theory, yes. But I found (with my preferred brand/weight of oil) with Blackstone Labs testing that in reality this is not the case when sensible oil change intervals are followed. I highly recommend it if you really want to know what is actually happening with your preferred brand.

 

[eflyguy]

I ran regular dino oil for 7k once and the lab found the oil to still be WELL within specs for viscosity. They suggested I try 8k next time (I try to change every 5)..

 

[Birdman2010]

I recall John Ryan saying he only got around 160,000 miles from his first FJR's engine. He also felt that he might have gotten more miles had he not run the engine on two occasions with no oil. The first was on the haul road as a result of a hole in his sump from a rock strike. The second happened when he did an oil change without adding any oil. John was not much of a wrench, but the FJR has a great engine.

Your post made me laugh out loud! I guess the FJR will have issues if you run the engine with no oil!