AMSOil SDF-36 oil Filter - Warning

Ok, so I'm looking into changing out the regular 5w-30 oil in all 4 of my cars and putting in AMSOil 0W-30. I read all the information on the forum about the larger SDF-36 oil filter and thought it would be good to do this at the same time. I contacted AMSOil about the 0w-30 to make sure there was no problem with using this and the SDF-36 filter together. Here is the response I received from them

-------
We would not advocate substituting the SDF36 oil filter for the SDF20. Unfortunately it seems to be
a common perception that if a filter screws on and doesn’t leak it’s okay to substitute.
The innards of these filters are quite different. The bypass valves are matched to the oil pressure
of the engine. In this case, the 20 has a significantly lower bypass valve. This could cause
unfiltered oil to circulate through the system.
-------

Sounds like if you use the SDF-36 you may allow oil to circulate through your engine without actually filtering it. Are they basically just giving me the normal warning of interchanging parts or do you think it could be a serious issue??

If you've got a filter from another type of vehicle an interesting thing to do is Sawzall it and the one for your VX in half right down the center. You'll see how the internal structure is different.

There was a filter adapter regularly on eBay some time ago that allowed the use of a Ford truck filter and it basically made sure oil flowed properly for the different filter.

They have a point about the bypass valve being mated to the oil pressure. I would be interested in seeing what the actual difference would be. It would be hard to test without equipment, however, to measure the parts per million before and after filtration (it would mostly be subjective without the equipment to properly test).

I personally think that if you change the oil frequently enough (like every 3k miles, or even less) along with the filter, the point would probably be moot. The actual break down of viscocity and distribution of crap in the oil would be minimal, unless you were driving in really extreme conditions or the engine was already degraded. I think it's more important to make oil changes more frequently, than to worry about which filter performs better. Just my two cents, though.

-- John

Yeah, I agree johnny. I was just thinking if I go with the 0w-30 which is supposed to last 12 months or 36,000 miles and the oil filter that is supposed to last 6 months 12,400 miles then I midas well go with a larger compacity filter (assuming there weren't any downsides) and change the oil and filter at 6 months 12,400 miles just to be safe. But, it sounds like I should stick with the SDF-20 and change the oil and filter at 6 month 12,400 instead of "upgrading" to the SDF-36.

I really only posted this here because I know alot of people are/were considering the SDF-36 as a replacment for their stock size and I didn't want it to actually damage somones truck. (ie: use the larger filter for 6 months and the unfiltered oil actually damages the engine.)

I'm one of those guys that tries to investigate as much as possible and find out all I can about a product or service before I actually go with it. Just turns out this time it saved me from making a ??mistake??

i changed my jeep and my wife's jetta over to amsoil and i love it.
i will be changing the VX over very soon (and I have the oil and filter to change my motorcycle too).
from what i've seen, it seems to me like Amsoil knows what they're talking about and they have very good customer service... therefore, i would trust them and use what they say to use. (IMO)

joe

Umm... let's see, DragonBob has been running this filter for a long time, including trips to Moab. I think it's okay to run this filter.

AMSoil is good and I have nothing but praises for them. Customer for 6 years and probably the only oil I will buy. But, they don't have first hand experience with the VX.

The factory filter is really too small for a 3.5L motor. A 2.0L turbocharged Mitsubishi motor's filter is about the same size if not slightly bigger.

AMSoil is telling you that it *might* not be a good idea to deviate from factory specs because they don't want to be liable for damage caused by improper use of their products. Gotta read between the lines. Their conservative recommendation is based on speculation. DragonBob has already proven that the larger filter will work just fine.

Hey DragonBob, if your reading this, have you had any problems with the filter? Any oil degradation? At what intervals do you change the oil and/or filter? Any info would be greatly appreciated to make a final decision.