Day of the SS

Yep ... I see UR point on the cleaning ... Maybe some one will invent one quickly over here ... The hole would need to be plugged and this is also where the air pressure would need to be applied ... A small piece of something would need to be added to ~half the filter to block the air and force ~1/2 of it to be cleaned at a time possibility ...

BP ... interesting ... theses guys at a little toasty now ...

How do you convert cSt to sheer viscosity or what ever the viscosity is that is written on the outside of a bottle of oil?

And please correct if am wrong but isn't this oil thinning as it gets hotter?

Kinematic Viscosity, cSt, mm2/sec

@ 100ºC ASTM D445 4.97
@ 40ºC ASTM D445 24.2
@ -40ºC ASTM D-2532 7950

Yeah I was surprised at the price AFTER my dealer shipped me 6 paper filter so I don't have to wait on shipping time when I need one.

Ok Rayray for your answer, our engines (Pratt) SS filter 10 microns, hydraulic SS filter 5 microns and for the transmission a disposable paper filter with a life of 1200 hrs that is 15 time ish the size of the engine filter, thing to note the engines operate at 80-115 psi when the tranny is 40-70 psi and the hydraulic works at 1000 psi.

wow ...a little smaller hole than the bikes filter ... and more pressure but they still chose metal over paper ... Maybe a hole that small needs pressure ...

Transmission gets paper and engine & hydraulic get mess .... that is a little interesting ... You fly guys know all the cool things

After reading the randomness of the paper stuff from the article I posted above, I don't see how these SS filters would not be adequate for our engines ...

I am not a hydraulic engineer or a professional. So, conversationally, I think the overall difference in filtering is not going to be obvious and will not cause a problem for you- no matter which filter you choose. In that report- I am not sure I would consider the paper filter's to be filtering quite so random through the elements (as it relates to soccer balls and bushes). However- it says something that there is NO bypass valve on SS filters- that is where paper WILL let anything pass (if open)- to me that is a substantial difference- and that is one aspect where the debate of paper versus SS gains momentum. Cold starts- get filtered just the same with SS. One thing you hear about but probably haven’t had happen is a paper filter getting crushed from the pressure when the restriction is greater than the structure of the filter can hold back- (this is the point of the bypass valve). The structure of the filter on the SS is strong enough and the flow is high enough where this is not an issue. There’s an argument for both- comes down to $ and time.

That by-pass valve opening could take place on a daily basis depending on the current air temp and this of course would depend on where you live ... Cold weather in general is hard on mechanical stuff ..

All that on the paper filtering tests with the 80\20 and 85\20 ratings was news to me ... Seems like that would be very hard to test ...

I'm gonna try to view mine before I clean it and see if I can tell how clogged it is ... I have plenty of time and maybe can let it drip over night and then view it ... I'm just never n a rush anymore ... Except on the trails and track !

What should we actually be filtering out of the oil? Clutch debris and carbon that by-passes the rings? Some metal filings? Maybe some built up sludge that has broken loose internally ?

Yeah cool stuff but expensive, i never checked the price for one filter , just because it says aircraft parts on the box must be 2-3,000$ a pop, all the parts are expensive anyway, i've seen single tight tolerance bolt 1/2 inch diameter by 2 inches) for 350$. I had to replace a wiper motor and saw the bill it was 12,000$ for the R/H motor only and usually last about 10 hrs(total running time) never had to replace one on my GM or Ford , a simple rheostat for the heater system 5k $ (a simple rheostat nothing fancy no digital stuff involve)

Like kouack says, plug the opening on the SS filter. I use a rubber cork that cost under a dollar at the hardware store. I plug it and soak it in the purple simple green degreaser. Then use a old tooth brush if needed, then blast it clean with the 'ole garden hose and a nozzle. Air it out with the compressor and reinstall. We run SS in 4 bikes, all going strong. SS is where it is at, imo.

I am really rolling the miles on my bike ... I'm sitting right at 300 miles already on the last oil change....I'll be looking at this new fangled device again shortly ...

I'm chewing rubber like it is going out of style also ... And U can't really ride here in the rainy season without a knobby in pretty good shape ... This ground here is clayey and balls over a tire very easily ...

I changed the oil today and cleaning the filter was a little strange to say the least ... All the oil had drained from the filter and it was pretty dry for starters ...

The cleaning part was almost trivial ... I could see a few specks of something in it and part of these were removed via the soaking and cleaning and blowing but I could see some stuff stayed there after all this ... It was almost like don't bother cleaning it this time ... The work probably did help get something out I'd guess but no way to verify what was cleaned exactly ...

I'd say the construction of this device has alot to do with its performance thu the years ....

With all the flow that these things have coupled with the idea that they do not release dirt once trapped as paper does, U might could run one a year before it actually needed cleaning ... I just dreamed that up ...never read it and not gonna test that theory either ...

I do need an air compressor I think for the future ...

I thought I'd follow up on this ... This device is a little weird as once something is trapped in the filter, it stays ... so over time, the mesh accumulates more and more particles .., these pics are the best my camera \ skills will allow, but believe me, that filter as got many particles showing trapped in it and they ain't coming out ...

So far no issues and engine is OK ...

Working on light aircraft years ago, being the S#@t kicke,r one of my jobs on a fifty/hundred hourly was to can open the oil filter, cut the paper out and stand there holding a torch over the paper so the licenced engineer could inspect the paper, the first sign of a reflection from metal required an oil sample to be sent to the oil company for mass spectograph work to determine the metal material present, from this they would pinpoint the component that was wearing and replace. Before the sample results were returned they would perform compression and leak down tests and visual inspection of the top end. the oil filter paper was the canary in the coal mine.

Cut up your paper oil filters and look at them. they are like reading entrails, they tell the future. (quote from old licenecd aircraft engineer).

Most of what is in mine is grit \ black stuff but I usually can see a little silver from time to time ...

Here is a pic of my drain plug ... Always a little silver there ...

Please don’t kill me for posting on an old thread, but I wanted to share my experiences with my mesh filter. I use them on my race bikes. I use them because lubrication in engines comes from flow, not pressure and mesh filters have ultimate flow. Neither paper, nor mesh filter clearance-size particles (the particles small enough to cause real harm in an engine) anyway, so cleaning your oil is more about changing it often. Also, the human eye can only see down to 40 micron, so your filter may appear perfectly clean, odds are its not.

Mesh filters are expensive initially and are a pain in the ass to clean. But if you are racing, it’s a no brain-er. I have two filters per bike so I always have one clean. I clean mine first with carburetor cleaner, the big cheap can at wally world. I then wash the filter in hot soapy water and then place them in my thirty dollar harbor freight ultrasound cleaner. I blow them out with air and leave sit to dry.
Imho, if I were just a weekend warrior, I wouldn’t bother with the mesh. My better half still races and I have to clean her filters anyway, so I run mesh in my play bike too.