Toilet paper oil filters? This is some kind of joke, right? Actually, a number of aftermarket auxiliary oil filters use toilet tissue rolls as their replaceable filter media. This type of unit has been around for about 50 years. While it may sound silly initially, the idea is based on a sound principle.
Such units are actually called bypass or secondary filters. They work by diverting a small portion of the engine’s oil flow, through an externally mounted canister containing an Ultra-fine, or “UF” filter element, and return the highly filtered oil to the engine’s oil sump.
The elements are sometimes made of string wound on a spool. Most are made of rolls of paper, which resemble toilet paper. These elements are actually made of fibers of a specific composition, wound at a controlled tension, and may even be chemically treated to help offset oxidation of the oil. The down side of these units is the cost, which can become prohibitive when used in the consumer realm.
Other units do, in fact, use toilet paper. It should be noted that some manufacturers advise against using such a material as a filter element, as toilet tissue is not high quality paper. They claim that the paper itself may contain damaging contaminants that may be released during operation, and since the paper is not of a dense construction, it can release fibers that themselves can be damaging contaminants. Others, however, claim no ill effect from using toilet tissue, emphasizing the fact that it is a readily available and very economical filter medium, and oil analysis has not indicated the presence of any unusual contaminants as a result of it’s use.
So, why is any of this important? Because extensive oil filter tests testing dating back to the mid-60’s has shown that particles in the oil as small as 5 microns, or .0002 inch, are responsible for a great deal of engine wear. Most full flow filters are not very efficient at capturing dirt smaller than 30 microns, and are almost incapable of capturing particles smaller than 10 microns. Enter the “toilet paper” oil filter. Whether you call them bypass filters, secondary filters, or toilet paper filters, the fact is most such units are capable of removing oil-borne particles in the range of 1 – 5 microns. This is possible because they have large media area and are not required to pass all of the oil flow at once.
Ana additional benefit to the toilet paper oil filter is the ability to hold not only particulate contaminants, but to remove water and fuel contamination from the oil. Due to the size and absorptive capability of the filter element, bypass filters have much greater ability to retain liquid contaminants. This is important, as the presence of water in motor oil is a major contributor to the development of sludge and acid, both of which are major causes of engine deterioration
Most consumer vehicles rely on the full-flow filter to remove larger dirt particles fro the oil, and addictives in the oil to hold the smaller particles in suspension. These additives are also relied on to neutralize acids and disperse sludge and related contaminants. Eventually, the combination of particulate and chemical contamination overcomes the capability of the oil to counteract them. This is why oil changes are required in order to maintain engine performance and achieve an acceptable engine service life. This ongoing maintenance costs money and creates additional environmental loads due to the need for disposal.
Adding a filter unit like this to your vehicle can go along way toward increasing engine life and drastically reducing the need for oil changes. Some users claim to have driven 100,000 miles and beyond without an oil change on their personal vehicles. Commercial vehicles, such as over-the-road semi trucks have been documented going in excess of 400,000 miles with out draining and refilling the oil. Oil samples have been analyzed by testing labs and shown that the oil was still in usable condition. This should be of interest to vehicle owners who use their vehicles for a lot of stop-and-go city driving, driving in extreme heat or cold, in very dusty conditions, or under heavy loads, such as towing. These uses accelerate oil contamination and engine wear. Such users stand to benefit the most from using bypass filtration on their vehicles.
The benefits of such an oil filtration system are numerous. So, don’t think that someone is joking when you hear them talking about toilet paper oil filters.
