I purchased a Mercedes Benz 1995 E300 diesel with slightly over
100,000 miles on the odometer. Mercedes dealer impeccably maintained it
prior to my purchase as it was under a Starmark warrantee. I'm not sure
if it used synthetic oil prior to my purchase, but I immediately changed
it to Mobil 1 15W-50. I then performed professional oil analysis at
several change intervals, including 4,000, 6,000, 8,000 and 10,000
miles, numerous times. My lab reports suggested this motor was well
protected even at the 10,000-mile change intervals using Mobil 1. Soot
levels were under 2%, all other data within expected values.
I decided on 7,500-mile change intervals, based mostly on the ease
of remembering the odometer numbers, and my comfort level knowing I was
WELL within the oil's ability to protect this engine.
I followed this regime for approximately 100,000 miles.
With approximately 200,000 miles on the odometer, I installed a Frantz
Bypass Filter System. There are others available, but this one suited my
needs, and I remembered the name from my teenage years. I have had
numerous professional lab analysis performed on the oil at many
different bypass filter change intervals since. All results have come
back near identical. The results have shown soot levels at BELOW .01%.
The same result I would expect with new, unused oil.
I now have not completely changed the oil in over 104,000 miles. I
have not completely changed all 7.5 quarts of oil in now over 104,000
miles, but, every 2,500 miles, I change the oil bypass oil filter, which
requires the replenishment of 1 fresh quart of oil. That equates to
"adding" 41 quarts for the 104,000-miles covered thus far. This is a
conservative change interval. I have extended the interval to 4,000
miles, and saw no difference in oil quality upon analysis, but I have a
high comfort level at 2500-mile intervals. I am not doing this for
economic reasons, but, for the same miles covered, that would equate to
around 104 quarts used at 7,500-mile change intervals of 7.5 quarts per
change. At least I'm helping conserve. I have used Mobil 1 15w-50
exclusively. I have oil in the engine that is "as new" at ALL times.
Changing the bypass filter requires around 15 minutes and costs ~50
cents. I do it in my parking lot, at my office. I could be wearing a
suit. I change the factory installed oil filter every 15,000 miles.
The addition of the fresh quart every 2,500 miles seems to be more than
sufficient to maintain and replace any additives depleted. The oil in
this car is ALWAYS as new. I have an oil analysis every 10,000 miles
and have never had a report differ from the first. Soot has always been
under 1/10th of 1%. The oil still has a black appearance, even though
it has been filtered to sub micron levels.
I purchased a new stock oil filter canister cover and drilled,
tapped, and epoxy a fitting for the supply, the epoxy was overkill.
I drilled, tapped, and epoxy (overkill) a return, directly into the
valve cover, pointing at the timing chain. I figured clean oil pouring
onto the timing chain was better than pouring it into the bottom pan. I
mounted the filter high on the firewall that separates the battery from
the engine, well above the exhaust manifold; there is plenty of room
there on my model year. All hoses are up top allowing easy inspection.
If you want more info on motor oil filtration, check out this
series of articles written by a Paper Towel filter skeptic who set out
to test the things.
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-October/004986.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-October/005008.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-October/005153.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-October/005441.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-October/005728.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-November/006124.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/1998-November/006591.html
The same chap did an interesting series on synthetic oil
(sorry, I could never find part 9)
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-April/019484.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-April/019677.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-April/019728.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-April/019770.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-April/020191.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-May/020561.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-June/020980.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-October/024209.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-November/025830.html
http://lists.samurai.com/pipermail/trawler-world-list/2000-December/026547.html
_
I did not submit the following report, write it, nor particularly agree
with its findings, as it was written for fleet maintenance (for the U.S.
Government?). I am offering it for additional informational purposes,
to anyone for help in formulating their own opinions on bypass
filtration merits.
Pollution Prevention Opportunity Evaluation
WASTE-GENERATING PROCESS: Vehicle, Vessel, and Aircraft Maintenance and
Repair - Fluids Change Out
OPPORTUNITY: Bypass Oil Filters for Engines to Prolong Life of Motor Oil
OPPORTUNITY ID: 2-1-1
OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION: A bypass oil filter system can be installed in
most automobile, truck, and other engines. The bypass filter supplements
the engine's factory- equipped full-flow oil filter system. It uses a
filter element, which is much less porous than standard full-flow oil
filters. It slowly filters a much smaller portion of the oil flow, 0.5
gallon per minute (gpm) compared to 4 or 5 gpm for a full-flow filter.
The oil is taken from the bottom of the crankcase, filtered through the
bypass filter and returned to the crankcase. Some of these bypass
systems remove both solids to the sub-micron level and moisture. These
filter systems have been found to significantly prolong the useful life
of lubricant oil. A testing program will be required in conjunction with
the filters to ensure that the oil quality is being maintained.
IMPLEMENTATION: A bypass filter can be installed to prolong the life of
engine lubricant oil. Several types of bypass filter systems are
currently on the market. One of the systems manufactured by Gulf Coast
Filters, uses rolls of paper-towels and bathroom tissue as the filter
element. Implementation of the Gulf Coast system involves installing the
filter canister and circulation hardware on each vehicle or piece of
equipment. The equipment is usually mounted directly on the engine block
and installation is a relatively simple operation. Filter element
changes are recommended every 3,000 to 7,000 miles depending on the size
of the engine. Changing the bypass filter takes 10 minutes and does not
require any tools. One or two rolls of paper towels or bathroom tissue
and a small amount of makeup oil are required for the change.
Maintenance of the engines full-flow oil filter is still necessary;
however, the frequency of full-flow filter changes are reduced to once
per year, and full oil changes are typically never needed.
Feasibility Evaluation: The use of bypass filters greatly reduces the
amount of used oil, and standard oil filters that must be disposed. The
use of the bypass system has not only been found to eliminate the need
for oil changes in many vehicles, but has also been found to increase
engine life. The use of bypass filters on an engine will require
sampling and analysis of oil on a regular basis to confirm the
effectiveness of the filters. Testing can be done in a laboratory (see
project #2-1-4) and/or a field-testing unit. The Army, Air Force and
National Guard have already begun to use these filters on some equipment
and have information available on their performance.
The use of these filters has been found to be most cost effective on
large trucks and other vehicles and equipment that require large volumes
of motor oil including ships, bulldozers and cranes. It is not likely
that these filters would be feasible for aircraft engines.
Waste reduction: Implementation would be expected to reduce the
generation of used oil from each vehicle or piece of equipment by
approximately 90%. Assuming that oil changes are currently performed
quarterly on each vehicle, the generation of spent standard oil filters
would be reduced by 75%. A new waste stream would be created consisting
of approximately 4 bypass filter elements per vehicle per year.
Economics:
Capital Cost:
The cost of Gulf Coast bypass oil filters is based on the size of the
engine:
$90 for all gasoline engines and small diesel engines up to 75
horsepower
$304 for engines up to 250 horsepower
$438 for engines up to 500 horsepower
The Oil Viewer� oil analyzer costs $8,000.
Assume an additional 50 percent for installation.
2 hours of training for each shop on installation and proper change out
of filters
Savings:
The annual savings realized by reducing the purchase of new oil and
filters and the disposal of used oil and spent filters.
Example: If ten pieces of equipment are fit with bypass filters.
Supply Savings: 10 engines * {(35 gal oil/engine * $2/gallon new oil * 6
change outs/year) + [$10/new filter * (6-1) change outs/year]} =
$4,700/year
Disposal Savings: 10 engines * {(35 gal oil/engine * $0.135/gal used oil
* 6 change outs/year) + [$1/spent filter * (6-1) change outs/year] =
$334/year
Total Savings = $4,734/year
Annual Operating Cost:
The operating cost is equal to the disposal cost of the bypass filter
elements plus the cost of new elements. The Gulf Coast Company systems
use standard paper towels and bathroom tissue as filters, so the cost of
new filters is very low.
Example: 10 engines * {6 filter element changes/year * [(5 pounds of
waste/filter change * $0.50/pound for disposal) + $1.00 for new
element/change] = $210/year
Pay back:
The pay back period can be computed for the entire base, or for each
shop, or for each vehicle, by the following equation:
Pay Back = Capital Cost � (Annual Savings - Annual Cost)
Example: If 10 engines are fit with bypass oil filters and an oil
analyzer is purchased to analyze the oil:
Pay back = [1.5 * (10 filters * $304 + $8,000)] � ($4,734/year -
$210/year) = 3.7 years
This calculation does not account for the time to train maintenance
personnel or the reduced time for performing oil changes. Using an
off-site laboratory for oil analysis can significantly reduce the
capital costs of the project.
EXAMPLE OF USE:
Offshore Support Vessels:D&B Boat RentalsNew Iberia, LA(318) 369-6413
Offshore Support Vessels:Tribe Fleet, Inc.Panama City, FL(904) 872-8012
Several Coast Guard locations around the Gulf Coast region have used
Gulf Coast Filter products
Light and Heavy Trucks:Dairy Fresh Milk Corp.Hattiesburg, MS(601)
268-2583 Vehicles:Hickam AFB, HawaiiCivil Engineering Squadron/
Environmental Flight(808) 448-2231
VENDORS:
Bypass Filters andOil Analyzer:Gulf Coast FiltersP.O. Box 2787 Gulfport,
MS 39505(601) 832-1663 Bypass Filters:Rio Bravo Inc.Engine Protection
Systems1615 Kearney St. Loredo, TX 78043(210) 791-7061 Bypass Filters:TF
Purifiner� , Inc.3020 High Ridge Rd., Suite 100Boynton Beach, FL
33426(800) 488-0577
Oil Analyzer:CSI Inc.835 Innovation DriveKnoxville, TN(615) 675-2400
Facility-Specific Evaluation
Feasibility Issues
1. There are no inherent obstacles to the implementation of this project
General Information/Feasibility
1. Number of vehicles on base:
____________________________________________
Waste Reduction Calculations
The following information is required to perform the waste reduction
evaluation:
1. Hazardous waste generated from changing oil in vehicles annually:
___________________________________________________________________
2. POL waste generated from changing oil in vehicles annually:
___________________________________________________________________
Economic Calculations
Additional information required performing the economic evaluations:
1. Cost paid per pound of oil disposed as hazardous waste:
_____________________
2. Cost paid per pound of non-hazardous POL waste disposed:
_____________________
Evaluation:
Waste reduction and economic evaluations can be done for as many shops
as desired. By using the example calculations in the Pollution
Prevention Opportunity Evaluation sheet, and the information listed
above, the waste reduction and economic evaluations can be performed.
Best regards,
Ron
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