Laboratory testing showed wear reductions up to 70 percent by using a 15 micron engine oil filter in place of a 40 micron filter.
According to Society of Automotive Engineers paper 881825, AC Spark Plug and Detroit Diesel Corp. performed a joint study of the relationship between the level of engine oil filtration and engine wear rates, and found finer filtration reduced the rate of engine wear.
Diesel and gasoline engine wear rates were established by building a diesel and a gasoline engine with fully inspected wear components and inspecting them after the test. In both engines, the upper and lower main bearings, upper and lower rod bearings, oil rings and compression rings were inspected In the diesel engine, the cam lobe profile and cylinders were also inspected, while the piston pin bushings, piston pins and cylinder liners of the gasoline engine were inspected. The total test duration was eight hours. To accelerate wear, 50 grams of AC Fine Test Dust was added, in slurry form, to the crankcase every hour.
Diesel engine wear tests were performed using filters with high efficiency ratings for particles of the following sizes: 40 microns, 15 microns, 8.5 microns and 7 microns.
Gasoline engine wear tests were performed using filters with high efficiency ratings for particles of the following sizes: 40 microns, 30 microns, 25 microns and 15 microns.
Analysis
The researchers found clearances in the diesel and gasoline engines varied between 2 and 22 microns during engine operations. That means particles in the 2 to 22 micron size range are the most likely to damage engine parts. Particles smaller than 2 microns will slip through the clearance without damaging bearing surfaces.
| Having trouble picturing what size a miron is? What is the difference between 15 mirons and 40 microns? Click here to see what the size difference means and learn more about why filter efficiency is important |
| Then look at this article for more on micron sizes and how bypass filters can reduce wear by up to 95%, reduce maintenance expenses and extend engine life. |
Conclusions
The researchers drew the following conclusions:
"Abrasive engine wear can be substantially reduced with an increase in filter single pass efficiency. Compared to a 40 micron filter, engine wear was reduced by 50 percent with 30 micron filtration. Likewise, wear was reduced by 70 percent with 15 micron filtration.
"Controlling the abrasive contaminants in the range of 2 to 22 microns in the lube oil is necessary for controlling engine wear.
"The micron rating of a filter, as established in a single pass efficiency type test, does an excellent job indicating the filter's ability to remove abrasive particles in the engine lube oil system."
AMSOIL Filters
The smallest particles most popular full flow filters capture with high efficiency are sized 25 to 40 microns, depending on the filter. The AMSOIL By-Pass Oil Filter achieves high efficiency for particles of 3 microns and greater. The ASOIL Super Duty Oil Filter (SDF) achieves high efficiency for particles of 20 mirons and greater. In fact, its efficiency for 10 micron particles is 65 percent and its efficiency for 20 micron particles is 98 percent. The ASOIL SDF and AMSOIL By-Pass Oil Filter offer significantly greater protection than that of conventional full flow filters.
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