Pre-filling oil filter

[B.D.F.]

Now that conjures up an amusing image Marty. More like a video really.... with banjo music playing..... really fast banjo music and a fair amount of motor oil being slung around.

 

Brian

<snip>

I pre-fill about half the filter and then try to spin it on as fast as I can. 

<snip>

[texrider]

I always pre-fill my tires with fresh air before mounting them to the rims. 

[connie1]

With the filter at the very bottom of the engine I think this whole thread was a little misguided. 
 My daughter's Suzuki has the filter above the crankcase i believe... maybe it would make sense to try to get some oil in there before I put on the cover, but that would be messy and of limited benefit.  As long as the oil pump or pickup is immersed it should be good to go.

 I often hear that in the olden days farmers would turn their diesels over with the starter and the fuel shutoff pulled just to get a little oil circulation before it started.  Probably took alot of life off the starters for questionable benefit to the engine.

[aspire61]

Interesting. I never considered the filter to be gravity fed from the crankcase. Still it is possible. The more i think about it the more inclined i am to believe it will, considering the rotary oil pump is (??) gravity fed. The next time i do an oil/filter change, I will leave the filter off and find out how much oil I need to add until it starts to seep, if it does at all. The bad news is my next oil change is scheduled for the fall.

mat

[connie1]

I just assume that the filter would be gravity fed.
Maybe someone can run out to their bike and spin off the filter...if the crankcase empties we'll have our answer.

[just gone]

I always pre-fill my tires with fresh air before mounting them to the rims. 

 

Yeah, I did that too, but then I switched to nitrogen. Prefilled with nitrogen tires spoon on the rims so much
easier now.

Now that conjures up an amusing image Marty. More like a video really.... with banjo music playing..... really fast banjo music and a fair amount of motor oil being slung around.

 

Brian

Oh no, Now every time I change oil I'm going to hear.....Billy Redden.   

[stevewfl]

I keep my KiPass battery fresh - no reason to pre-fill 

[jonathan]

I don't think that a filter can be gravity fed as it would restrict the flow too much. I believe that the pump pulls oil from the sump and forces it through the filter to the engine. That is the only way you would get sufficient oil flow.

[aspire61]

Okay- here's an offer. One havana cigar to the first guy to remove the oil filter and tell us what happens- just come to canada to collect.

mat

[lather]

I remember almost buying a pre-oiler for my Camaro back in the 80's. IT was an external electric pump that you switched to pressurize the oil system before you started the engine. The company cli9amed that 90 something percent of all engine wear occurred on startup and that the pre-oiler would make you engine last for your lifetime.

[gPink]

Still got the engine? 

[devilboy]

I have a similar experience on my Victory and always laughed at the other guys that did this. I said how can they be that stupid?
I filled up the crankcase with  a long funnel after replacing and tightening the oil filter.   I started it up without the dipstick in place. To say I am still cleaning up oil spots as I see them on walls , floors, ceilings   cans, bottles, boxes etc is an understatement.
I wish I took a video of the bike shooting oil all over my garage  and  OH  yeah   I forgot my car  15 feet away   . 
I was only short about 4 ounces......

[aspire61]

An interesting argument started on the GSXR board regarding prefilling of oil filters.  Do any of you guys prefill your oil filter?  The only time I prefill an oil filter is on the Dodge Cummins diesel, which has a huge vertical mount filter.

My own opinion is that on small car and motorcycle filters, prefilling doesn't really accomplish anything particularly with side mount filters because you can't get enough oil in them to make a difference anyway without it leaking out.

This one has stuck with me since I heard it last yr. I did my pre-winter oil change this morning and I kept the filter off when I filled the crankcase. No oil came out, even after fillling to spec- which surprised me. An interesting side note was my oil light went out within 2 seconds of starting, about the same time the rattling went away. I don't believe in 10 minute oil changes. I like to let it drip for an hour or more just to remove as much oil as possible.
Is this just me or do you guys do this to?  mat

[VirginiaJim]

Just you...

[B.D.F.]

I am not sure I am following you here: you filled the engine to spec. and no oil came out of where the oil filter attaches? The filter gets filled with oil from the oil pump so no oil will ever leak from the crankcase out of the filter mounting point even if the crankcase was seriously overfilled.

If you pre- fill the oil filter, it is going to leak out a bunch of oil as you turn it sideways to screw it onto the engine. Certainly some oil will remain in the filter, so the system will pressurize a bit faster but there is still going to be a lot of air in the oil filter when the bike is started. I guess I am saying that an engine with a horizontally mounted filter really cannot have the filter pre- filled effectively.

Brian

This one has stuck with me since I heard it last yr. I did my pre-winter oil change this morning and I kept the filter off when I filled the crankcase. No oil came out, even after fillling to spec- which surprised me. An interesting side note was my oil light went out within 2 seconds of starting, about the same time the rattling went away. I don't believe in 10 minute oil changes. I like to let it drip for an hour or more just to remove as much oil as possible.
Is this just me or do you guys do this to?  mat

[Tim]

I put some oil in the filter. Just enough to get the element saturated with oil.

+2. Oil light goes out quicker too.

[SkyWalker]

Per KAWA Service Manual:

Oil Filter Replacement
 •Drain the engine oil (see Engine Oil Change).
 •Remove the oil filter  with the oil filter wrench . Special Tool - Oil Filter Wrench: 57001-1249
 •Replace the filter with a new one.
 •Apply engine oil to the gasket  before installation.
 •Tighten the filter with the oil filter wrench. Torque - Oil Filter: 17 N·m (1.7 kgf·m, 13 ft·lb)

NOTE ○Hand tightening of the oil filter can not be allowed since it does not reach to this tightening torque.

 •Pour in the specified type and amount of oil (see Engine Oil Change).

[aspire61]

I am not sure I am following you here: you filled the engine to spec. and no oil came out of where the oil filter attaches? The filter gets filled with oil from the oil pump so no oil will ever leak from the crankcase out of the filter mounting point even if the crankcase was seriously overfilled.

If you pre- fill the oil filter, it is going to leak out a bunch of oil as you turn it sideways to screw it onto the engine. Certainly some oil will remain in the filter, so the system will pressurize a bit faster but there is still going to be a lot of air in the oil filter when the bike is started. I guess I am saying that an engine with a horizontally mounted filter really cannot have the filter pre- filled effectively.

Brian

I guess I should explain. This thread was about pre-filling an oil filter before installation. Because the oil filter is located on the same plane as the crankcase, I thought the oil might seep through the pump into the filter. After draining the oil i kept the filter off and refilled the crankcase to test the theory. As it turns out no oil came out the the filter housing. It seemed to make sense at the time..... mat

[SimonSaysDie]

they said the same thing about the z1000,i never pre filled mine and never had any problems. i didnt wait a long time too put the new filter on either mine was a 2010

I've had it happen on my Z1000 every time I've changed the oil so far since I bought it.  I've had to burp it every time.  Now, I just expect to have to do it as part of the process.  Pretty common to see on the Z1000 forums.

[JJFLASH]

An interesting argument started on the GSXR board regarding prefilling of oil filters.  Do any of you guys prefill your oil filter?  The only time I prefill an oil filter is on the Dodge Cummins diesel, which has a huge vertical mount filter.

My own opinion is that on small car and motorcycle filters, prefilling doesn't really accomplish anything particularly with side mount filters because you can't get enough oil in them to make a difference anyway without it leaking out.

I had long oil pressure times on both the Concours14 and Ninja 1000 after an oil change.  I prefilled the filters and now the light goes out in 2-3 seconds now just like it does when you start the MC normally  I just changed the oil in both yesterday.  I was skeptical that this would work and thought I would lose all the oil out of the filter while installing it.  I lost very little oil while installing the filter.  Problem solved.

We can postulate why this will or won't work all day long but just give it a try and see what happens.  Hopefully, you will get results similar to mine

Good Luck