Prefilling Oil Filter

[sdaddy]

I have seen several posts where someone said they prefilled the oil filter before installing it. What is supposed to be the point of this? I have always oiled the gasket and called it good. I asked someone who worked at an oil change shop and they said they generally prefill filters on diesels where the filter is a verticle mount, but not on anything else.

From the position of the oil filter fitting, I would think most oil in it would come back out during the install. Since the car seems to take not quite 10 quarts, this may be a way of disposing of the excess oil (on the garage floor) to get it to come exactly to the fill line. Any other good reason?

Also, the manual says there should be a pan plug seal (gasket), but when I have changed oil after my Viper Tech doing so previously, I have found they just put the plug in with no seal when they did it.

 

[99 R/T 10]

I have seen several posts where someone said they prefilled the oil filter before installing it. What is supposed to be the point of this? I have always oiled the gasket and called it good. I asked someone who worked at an oil change shop and they said they generally prefill filters on diesels where the filter is a verticle mount, but not on anything else.

From the position of the oil filter fitting, I would think most oil in it would come back out during the install. Since the car seems to take not quite 10 quarts, this may be a way of disposing of the excess oil (on the garage floor) to get it to come exactly to the fill line. Any other good reason?

The idea to pre-fill is to ensure the engine is not without oil pressure for any length of time. The oil goes from the pan, to the pump, to the filter(take a bit of time to fill an empty filter) then to the engine.

Also, the manual says there should be a pan plug seal (gasket), but when I have changed oil after my Viper Tech doing so previously, I have found they just put the plug in with no seal when they did it.

With out a seal, the plug might seap oil. Better to have a seal on it.

 

[2snakes4us]

I have ALWAYS done it to any vehicle I have owned. try putting some oil in a new filter and see what happens to it....it soaks it up then put in more till it stops soaking it up. then install. What was said in above post is true. You do not want the engine running while you wait for the filter to saturate and start flowing.

 

[Viperless]

I prefill my filters all the time. Can't say for certain if there's any benefit to it but it sure doesn't hurt and it only takes a few minutes.

 

[Dom426h]

I prefill. Not to the top though as i dont want to spill any.

 

[Phun70]

You don't necessarily have to fill it to the brim, because then if you have to tip the filter at all to install it, you will spill some oil. I would strongly recommend prefilling the filter though. Oil will be delivered to the right places faster and oil pressure will be there much quicker!!

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

+1

It's like keeping fresh oil in the car, cheap insurance for a $15K motor if you think about it.

 

[AFL in NJ]

I always prefill, even my 206,000 mile Chrysler 300M.....no engine drama thus far.

Regards,
Aaron

 

[goldcup]

15k replacement motor?The replacement motor I got out of that Omni cost me 50 bucks!!!!
I prefill also but I am wierd

 

[jcaspar1]

I always pre-fill with any oil change.

 

[snakem04]

I prefill every oil change i do. I never used to until my brother told me about it i always just oiled the gasket. But if you think about it if you dont prefill its almost like having a dry start in the oil system. And over time you never no what that could lead to.

 

[SuperBird4404BBL]

I always prefill the filter, let it sit for a minute, then put a little more in.

 

[Asp Man]

Pre-fill. Cheap insurance. You could also turn the motor over without starting it after you change the filter, pull the fuel pump relay and crank it over for a few seconds. Anyone see any harm in this?

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Pre-fill. Just a habit. Probably doesn't make much difference but I like doing it so why not.

 

[Tom Sessions]

One thing to point out here is with the position of the oil filter on a Gen 1 Heavy weight motor you cant prefill the filter. As it will run out when you try to install it on the engine.

 

[RobZilla]

<------------- Pefills

 

[ViperTony]

Pre-fill. Just a habit. Probably doesn't make much difference but I like doing it so why not.

What Chuck said.

 

[RTTTTed]

As stated there is a significant lag time if the filter isn't pre-oiled. It's the best way to do it. It does take a few seconds to fill and saturate the filter elements. Even if the filter drips a bit because it mounts sideways, I still pre-oil and let the oil soak into the paper.

 

[dave6666]

I do it because it is simple to do and nobody will say it hurts to do it.

It's like, duh.

 

[Kevan]

I will admit that I'm a prefiller too.

 

[bluesrt]

these posts are amazing because it will go on for days, so here i go too. i prefill also-------

 

[Phun70]

Hello, This is my first Prefillers Anonymous meeting, It's been 3 weeks since I prefilled. (chorus of) HI Mark HI

 

[ACELLR8]

Before I prefill I always run the motor with the drain plug and old filter off to get all the old oil out of the pump and motor. That way my oil stays nice and clear.

 

[bluesrt]

Before I prefill I always run the motor with the drain plug and old filter off to get all the old oil out of the pump and motor. That way my oil stays nice and clear.

dont evan joke like that-- thier could be a dummy on board here and take your advise

 

[bluesrt]

i wonder how long this thread will go--- anyone care to take a stab at guessing

 

[ViperTony]

i wonder how long this thread will go--- anyone care to take a stab at guessing

It has the potential to surpass the Vipair thread.

 

[coupe]

Another tip is to clean/wipe the threads of the oil filter out good with a lint-free rag before installing. If you haven't already seen it, you'll be amazed at the metal dust left on those threads from their cutting process.

And in reply to someone above asking: No, you shouldn't crank and spin it over for a few seconds without fuel or spark hooked up. You're not helping anything by doing that and in-fact, the RPM of startup helps wick the oil up into the bearing much better than the cranking RPM.

 

[sdaddy]

Before I prefill I always run the motor with the drain plug and old filter off to get all the old oil out of the pump and motor. That way my oil stays nice and clear.

You may laugh, but my dad used to drain half the oil and then replace it with kerosene and run the engine with a motor oil/kerosene 50/50 mix to "desludge" the old Fords he drove. I guess that explains why he always had premature main bearing failure.

He is the one who taught me to change oil when I was a kid and never taught me to prefill. From the first time I changed oil on my own car I instinctively knew the kerosene flush was not right, however. LOL

 

[cayman]

I always just throw 10 quarts of Prolong in her. That way if I get caught out somewhere and I have a catastrophic oil leak, I can go another 100 miles or so (results may vary) before she siezes up on me! Hey, if Al Unser can drive a Dodge Viper on a racetrack in the Mojave Desert without oil or drain plug after using this stuff, it's gotta be good, right? It also don't matter then if I prefill the filter or not. Or even use a filter for that matter!

Just keeping this thread alive, thats all.

 

[Asp Man]

Another tip is to clean/wipe the threads of the oil filter out good with a lint-free rag before installing. If you haven't already seen it, you'll be amazed at the metal dust left on those threads from their cutting process.

And in reply to someone above asking: No, you shouldn't crank and spin it over for a few seconds without fuel or spark hooked up. You're not helping anything by doing that and in-fact, the RPM of startup helps wick the oil up into the bearing much better than the cranking RPM.

"wick" the oil up? could you get a little more technical with that?
You're saying running the engine esentialy dry for that first few seconds while the oil presure comes up, bearings loaded while it runs at several hundred rpm is better than cranking it over on the starter to get the oil pump and galleys primed? Spurious thought at it's best. Never primed an engine before?