Oil Filters for Mercuisers

[kyle f]

Do you have to go to a boat store to get the porper oil filter, or is the a Fram, AC Delco, STP, etc equivalent?

I notices mine is mounted upside down on the top of the motor, and want to make sure i ge tthe right one. I figure this arrangement calls for a anti drainback valve or something.

BTW, I have a 4.3 MPI with Alpha 1.

 

[burp]

Re: Oil Filters for Mercuisers

Nothing special so you can use a suitable equivalent.

Hint: To minimize the oil mess when removing the upside down oil filter. When draining the oil, knock a small hole in the top of can of the oil filter. It will let air in and allow more of the oil in the oil filter to drain back down to the oil pan.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Oil Filters for Mercuisers

Nothing special so you can use a suitable equivalent.

Sort of.

The Merc fiters(and Sierra) have a very high FLOW capacity. This is important, because you want you oil to go through the filter not around it. Not a big deal in a car, revs climb, pressure builds, bypass valve opens, then you shift, revs and thus pressure drops, bypass valve closes and filering resumes.

If you are looking for an equivilant filter you need a high flow one, look at the K&N oil filters, But the cost is about the same as the Merc filter so your call.

If you just want something that looks like an oil filter and comes in bright shiny colors, then any $4 filter at J-Mart will do fine.

 

[kyle f]

Re: Oil Filters for Mercuisers

If you just want something that looks like an oil filter and comes in bright shiny colors, then any $4 filter at J-Mart will do fine.

WEll Gee Mr. Know it all, that was why I was asking.
Which BTW, I never knew my car filter had a Bypass valve in it. Nor have I ever seen one after I cut one apart to look at the filtering media.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Oil Filters for Mercuisers

Ayuh,........

I get mine at Napa,...... They're rebadged Wix filters.......

 

[180shabah]

Re: Oil Filters for Mercuisers

WEll Gee Mr. Know it all, that was why I was asking.
Which BTW, I never knew my car filter had a Bypass valve in it. Nor have I ever seen one after I cut one apart to look at the filtering media.

I guess the sarcasm and gratuitous South Park reference didn't come across as humorous. Sorry, I didn't mean to twist your knickers.


Bottom line though, filter selection is more important for your boat then your daily driver.

The purpose of the bypass valve (and it is in there) is to prevent oil starvation due to the filter being blocked or just not having enough flow capacity to start with. Fram filters DO have great filtration ability BUT they can only flow approximately 1/3 what the Merc filter does. So when you are up and running a low flow filter can actually create enough restriction to pop the BPV thus offering ZERO filtration.

Here is a good Oil Filter comparison, unfortunately it only test the most popular filters.

http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html#conclusion

Also unfortunate is the fact that I now have a dead link to OililterStudy.com, the site no longer exists. I did manage to find a cut and past(several actually) on another forum. It is a little harder to read, but the info is all there, andthis study DID include the Mercruiser, K&N, and Hastings(Best one by the way, just not always available) filters.

The cut and past starts on the seventh post(user name GO4BROKE) and is several posts long but he managed to get about all of it on there.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-86056.html

Anyway, for those interested the above should keep you busy reading a little while. And hopefully I didn't sound arrogant this time