What's new in: Oil filters

The industry leapt its first hurdle in 2007 when stricter emissions regulations went into effect and oil and oil filters had to work harder to remove increased soot from the engine. Now filter makers are anticipating what 2010 may hold in store for them.

Donaldson Co. points out that different strategies being considered by OEMs to comply with 2010 emissions regulations will have a different impact on engine oil and oil filter performance. Brian Tucker, engine liquid product manager for Donaldson, says one way to be more efficient is by extending oil drain intervals and changing oil based on oil health. “For users with extended drain strategies currently in place, such as using synthetic grade oil, the Donaldson Endurance lube filter line supports this. Long-life components are coupled with fully synthetic Synteq Filtration media to provide increased engine protection and longer operating life.”

Fleets that prefer to continue use of standard mineral grade oils can take advantage of Donaldson's Endurance Plus products. They provide all the benefits of the Endurance line with a patent-pending, controlled-release additive replenishment system to extend oil health.”

According to Luber-Finer, fleets should be sure not to overlook getting regular oil analysis performed, especially when extending service intervals. This year, the company expanded its product line of Oil Analysis Kits as well as its ability to post the results of a fleet's oil analysis on the web.

Oil analysis, says Luber-Finer, is a good indicator of engine wear. It will show the metal content through the amount of total dissolved solids found in the used oil. This is important because the presence of certain chemicals in used oil will indicate changes in the wear patterns of an engine, while also giving the fleet owner a way to track wear trends.

Jeff Wohlwend, sales and marketing manager for SPX Filtran, says, “Generally, if we use better filters, we should expect better performance. In fact, some engine manufacturers specify the use of multiple oil filters including secondary [bypass] oil filters to handle the increased [soot] contaminant loading from the 2007 to 2010 emissions systems.”

SPX Filtran, he adds, has recently introduced DoubleDuty, a revolutionary, patented, new lube oil filter for diesel engine oil applications. “This unique combination of 2 Filters in 1^™ provides a high efficiency, full-flow [first stage] filter and secondary [integral] bypass filter, with spin-on, OE threaded mounting.” DoubleDutyprovides small particle efficiency and greater contaminant capacity (including soot) without mounting adapters or remote brackets.

Brad Drake, technical writer for WIX Filters, says changes to engines and truck systems to meet 2010 EPA emissions regulations will mean change also to the ways fleets manage maintenance. “The common thread between these systems in many cases is the engine oil. With rising temperatures under the hood, greater loads on engines and changes to the oil itself as API standards change, different filtration will need to be in place to continue to protect the engine.”

Drake says the filter media is the key to meeting the challenges ahead. “The media has a tremendous amount of influence on how well a filter will perform. For 2010, we're continuing to look at ways to develop oil filter media that will provide improved efficiency, capacity, flow and overall physical integrity. These are important to fleets as they look to lengthen service intervals.”

Spinner II's business development manager, Bob Clayton, says for engine manufacturers that go the SCR route to address NOx requirements in 2010, soot introduction into the oil may actually lessen up a bit. “The advantage of our centrifuge product, which has always been cleaner engine oil, will still be there. It's a great complement to full-flow filters for anyone looking to enhance longevity of engines and engine components.”

Spinner II is currently in the process of doing field studies on product enhancements designed to improve performance and installation. “We're also developing a centrifuge product for diesel engines on pickup trucks [which will be released later this year],” Clayton reports.