Just got the FS-2500 filter in today! - page 1 - IDI Engine - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• Just got the FS-2500 filter in today! by jtanguay on 12 Jan, 2007 11:15
• Wow this thing weighs a lot!!! the top portion is solid aluminum.  there are two ports for each in/out, making it easier to install, but will need to be plugged once i decide on what goes where.
  
  the filter looks/feels like some sort of mesh fiber.  would be neat to tear it apart as an experiment, but i want to test it out on my car first  
  
  simply can't wait to install it!!! at $23 for a new filter & gasket, its much cheaper than buying premium oil that my car deserves... (but i am the one deserving of it, since it will last a lot longer...)
  
  I have a question though... is there any way i can go about not dropping the pan and installing a bung to attach the return hose to??? is splicing into the turbo return line (getting a tee fitting) a bad idea???
  
  thanks
• #1 by burn_your_money on 12 Jan, 2007 11:36
• Can you do me a favor? Once you install the filter, each day can you record your mileage and put 1 drop of oil on a white sheet of paper. I want to see how many kms it takes for the oil to get clean.
  
  How often do you need to change the FS filter?
  
  You've decided against tapping the VC?
• #2 by jtanguay on 12 Jan, 2007 12:50
• Quote from: burn_your_money

  Can you do me a favor? Once you install the filter, each day can you record your mileage and put 1 drop of oil on a white sheet of paper. I want to see how many kms it takes for the oil to get clean.
  - it takes approximately 15 minutes to filter all the oil.  (on big trucks) so i'm guessing it would take about 10 minutes.  maybe 2-5 km's should do it.
  i have just changed my oil so what i can do is take a sample of before (the oil is still actually clean... sorta... even after driving it a few times) and i will take samples of afterwards
  
  How often do you need to change the FS filter?
  - i think on the site it said somewhere around every 10'000km.  with a dinky little diesel 20'000km shouldn't be a bad estimate at all...  and the main filter should be changed at around 60-100'000km
  
  You've decided against tapping the VC?

  
  
  - well i haven't quite decided against tapping the vc as of yet...  as it would probably be the easiest solution (who likes dropping the oil pan??? gotta drain the oil... etc)  but i was just wondering if there were reasons not to go this route.[/i]
  
  at $300 cdn (plus 20 bucks because customs.....) i think the bypass filter will have payed for itself in less than 3 years.  and the benefit of less wear and tear is an added bonus.  thats also assuming that i use very high grade oil in my car too...
• #3 by Typrus on 12 Jan, 2007 13:34
• Where will you fit it?? The stinker is huge! What, 11 inches tall?
  I'd love to see some pics.
  
  Coming from the Ford Powerstroke community, I 100% stand by the FS2500. It beats out even the Amsoil bypass.
  Though, for fun, check this out. They've been around for 60+ years and apparently it works great if you install it right- http://autorepair.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.wefilterit.com/frantz.htm
  The filter element? 2-ply 500 sheet rolls of good ole' Toilet Paper. Commercial-style non-septic best in all likelyhood...
  
  If you shell out for the price of some Schaeffer's oil, Supreme 7000 being what we use, then you'll be able to keep the same oil for 15,000 miles with a bypass. Mobil1 claims 15k, but their detergent pack breaks down kinda fast. Schaeffer's is a company that tailors to big-rig OTR's, so they know what they are doing when it comes to diesel. Not to mention the Moly additive. For the security it offers the engine, I'd say its a good price for the drain period.
  
  What full-flow filter do you use?
  
  For a great discussion of filters and some good info- http://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2474&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
  Yeah, its a Tercel site. But most of the people there are pretty knowledgable about all this.
  
  If you would do us the honor, I think it'd be great to get your 2 cents on the FS2500, if you are willing, once you've used it for a while.
• #4 by jtanguay on 13 Jan, 2007 00:30
• once i get this thing installed i will definitely post my results!  
  
  i'm actually considering moving the battery to the back of my car (and also rigging up a marine battery with an isolator and a battery boost toggle switch for those really cold mornings...)  this would allow me to put the bypass filter in a good area where i can easily change it
  
  problem is that the aluminum top piece stays mounted to the body, and the lower portion is removed to change the filter etc.  oil spills anyone??  :lol:
  
  for the oil filter i'll only use the genuine bosch filter... i'm currently looking for a remote oil filter kit though.. i hate how the filter is on an angle.. just spills all over the place when trying to change it!
  
  and for oil.. i think i may use amsoil, but not too sure yet.  i basically want to put the bypass filter on... and forget it.. but i will definitely send samples to find out how good the oil is and if the TBN number drops.  another good thing about the filter is that it holds a certain percentage of water, which will help reduce the likelyhood of acid formation
• #5 by LeeG on 13 Jan, 2007 00:39
• So what is the difference between these bypass filters and the ones that used to come on cars and trucks in the 50s and 60s?  They fit TP size filters, but I never took anyone seriously on the suggestion that TP be used as a filter?
  
  AIR, those old filters were called bypass filters because they filtered when there was extra oil pressure bypassing the main oil gallery.  They went out of fashion in early 60s in favour of  spin on 'full flow' filters that were easier to change and filtered all the oil all the time.
  
  I have some of those olds filter housings in a shed from my old '52 chev pickup....think they are worth $200?  :wink:
• #6 by jtanguay on 13 Jan, 2007 02:32
• the older ones are probably not worth $200.  the fs2500 system is really heavy duty.  i would never put TP or anything like it inside the filter.  the filters come with rubber gaskets to seal better inside the housing.  maybe i'll take some pics later.
  
  having both full flow and bypass is a great idea.  that basically makes the full flow filter a safety filter, ensuring that metal shavings and big particles are kept out of the engine.  the bypass filter just goes further by keeping the smaller damaging particles to a minimum, but not completely eliminating them. (if it was full flow, then it would completely eliminate them)
• #7 by Typrus on 13 Jan, 2007 07:48
• Things like the TP filter work off of a sheer volume of filter media. It passes the oil from the top of the roll to the bottom. Over 4 inches of solid filtration. Its sound and easy, simply because it has so bloody much media. And just like a bypass of today, they only filter a small portion of the oil at a time. You can't really pass much through toilet paper at a time.
  
  I can't imagine any septic-safe TP would be good as its designed to break down. I've been told by a few people who use it (I asked around after they mentioned it at the other forum) that "John Wayne" TP works best. By that they meant the no-comfort, rough but tough commercial stuff. Go to 99% of public restrooms. Thats the stuff. The added advantage of it is that its not poofed or fluffed, like, for instance, Charmin. More density of the filtering media.
  
  I'd really recommend Schaeffer's Oil. They are a hair above Amsoil in quality and they beat them on price in some cases. Its harder to get ahold of their stuff, but its well worth it. I use Supreme 7000 in my cars, diesel and gas. 7000 is a blended oil, but it still beats the crap out of every other oil I've seen it go up against. I saw a surface-film strength test conducted and even participated. It make stuff like Rotella T Full Synthetic, Mobil 1 Full Syn, Valvoline Full Syn, and even Royal Purple look pathetic. We picked up a crate of 6, 1 gallon containers for $90. $15 a gallon isn't too shabby for something I've seen test so well.
  Another thing with Schaeffer's, since they do tailor to the OTR crowd, usually you can only get bulk. 6 gallons for instance. No big deal, considering you can just hang onto it until the next change, which, with it, will be a long way off.
  You should check out their website. They have a huge line of lubricants, and some specialty cleaners and fuel treatments along with that. A lot of it tailors to diesel, but gas stuff can be found, and Supreme 7000 and Supreme 9000 are both compatible with both, 9000 being the full Synthetic.
  
  
  I've not heard the greatest things about the Bosch filters... Definitly heard less bad about them than FRAM, no question there. Best I've heard of, and use, is the Purolater PureONE line. Best full-flow filters available. They are like a mini-bypass filter. They clean much smaller particles than other filters. The question with that, however, is whether they will restrict themselves from mega-filtration or not. I've never seen/heard of it happening, but thats with a 3-5000 miles filter change interval. I know my car loves the thing.
  
  Just checked their application guide. Doesn't look like they have them for the 1.6IDI or TD. I know they don't have one for the 1Z TDI, but have yet to check the others. Though, I do know there are plenty of other filters that will fit. They just don't have near the bypass valve pressure. Here's their Purolator standard filter. http://www.pureoil.com/smartlink/?partnum=L30257
• #8 by jtanguay on 13 Jan, 2007 13:05
• 
  
  
  
  Pretty awesome product!
  
  Thing I like about the filter design is that it catches only the largest particles on the outside, and going inward gets tighter and tighter.  this design allows the filter to have excellent flow rates and not become plugged up quickly.
  
  some guys use these filters on transmissions and hydraulics.  hydraulics i think you would benefit the most because of moisture removal.
• #9 by burn_your_money on 13 Jan, 2007 18:07
• Is the top piece much different then a normal oil filter mount? How does it restrict the oil flow?
  
  Typrus do you have the link to Schaeffer's Oil's website?
• #10 by jtanguay on 13 Jan, 2007 18:28
• there is no restrictor!  I believe the only restriction in the bypass system would be the actual filter itself.  I may install an extra oil pressure gauge to monitor pressure drops etc... i can only imagine the bypass filter 'stealing' 5 psi of oil pressure... definitely more in the upper rpm ranges though
• #11 by burn_your_money on 13 Jan, 2007 18:42
• So basically I could buy the bowl and have my friend make me the top part for a fraction of the cost.
  I find it very strange that there is no restrictor though
• #12 by burn_your_money on 13 Jan, 2007 18:55
• This might be of interest to you
  http://www.gulfcoastfilters.com/INSTRUCTIONS_FOR_O-2.pdf
• #13 by Typrus on 13 Jan, 2007 19:03
• http://www.schaefferoil.com/
• #14 by jtanguay on 13 Jan, 2007 22:23
• Quote from: burn_your_money

  So basically I could buy the bowl and have my friend make me the top part for a fraction of the cost.
  I find it very strange that there is no restrictor though

  
  
  hmmm it only makes sense that there should be a pressure regulator to keep the motor safe from oil pressure starvation... i will check some things out and get back.  perhaps there is a restrictor built into one of the lines... hmmm