What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Remote Oil filter alternative…thoughts or experience?

Ok….technical question….remote oil filter time—I just have a screen….
An old timer mechanic highly suggests an OBERG filter screen setup. Anyone familiar?
It had been AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT CORP, ADC, then they went out and oberg who’d manufacture them still makes them. Cooling fins, 60 micron screens, bypass and metal detector available. Just clean the screen.

[Changed title from 'air' to 'oil'; S.Buchanan]
 

Attachments

  • FCFC1753-09C1-48F2-9F8B-58CAAA39CFFC.jpg
    FCFC1753-09C1-48F2-9F8B-58CAAA39CFFC.jpg
    116.2 KB · Views: 145
Last edited by a moderator:
Remote Oil Filter

I have one of these in my RV-7A (which now has over 2000Hrs on it). It's really simple to clean, with no leaks onto the engine as it's mounted near the edge of the firewall. I've used this type of filter in previous aircraft as well. Nice to be able to clean the filter screen instead of spending $35 for an oil filter.

Ok….technical question….remote oil filter time—I just have a screen….
An old timer mechanic highly suggests an OBERG filter screen setup. Anyone familiar?
It had been AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT CORP, ADC, then they went out and oberg who’d manufacture them still makes them. Cooling fins, 60 micron screens, bypass and metal detector available. Just clean the screen.

[Changed title from 'air' to 'oil'; S.Buchanan]
 
I went to their website and found the filters but nothing to find which one (4", 6", 8", ???) for a Lycoming 0-360-a1a. What engine and filter do you have?
 
Ok….technical question….remote oil filter time—I just have a screen….
An old timer mechanic highly suggests an OBERG filter screen setup. Anyone familiar?
It had been AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT CORP, ADC, then they went out and oberg who’d manufacture them still makes them. Cooling fins, 60 micron screens, bypass and metal detector available. Just clean the screen.

[Changed title from 'air' to 'oil'; S.Buchanan]

I have one, ADC new in the box. Purchased years ago for my PA28-151 (STC'd) and never installed it. Purchased an extra screen with it.

Metal detector tells you when it has detected a given amount. When filter needs to be cleaned, a light will announce bypass open.

Filter can be removed and cleaned without any significant loss of oil... maybe a tablespoon if mounted high.

Came with the adapter that replaces your spin on. The unit can be mounted in any convenient location.....and run the lines, and 2 wires to your panel.
 
Last edited:
I have one, ADC new in the box. Purchased years ago for my PA28-151 (STC'd) and never installed it. Purchased an extra screen with it.

Metal detector tells you when it has detected a given amount. When filter needs to be cleaned, a light will announce bypass open.

Filter can be removed and cleaned without any significant loss of oil... maybe a tablespoon if mounted high.

Came with the adapter that replaces your spin on. The unit can be mounted in any convenient location.....and run the lines, and 2 wires to your panel.

So if the bypass opens doesn’t that mean some of the garbage in the filter has just entered the engine??? Also doesn’t the screen have to really be dirty with a fair amount of debris for the bypass to open?
Thanks
 
My hangar mate has one in his RV8A. My strong suspicion is that it adds appreciable weight when compared to a spin-on filter. The thing is very well machined and looks quite professionally-made. Unfortunately my hangar mate doesn't fly enough to have provided any real operational feedback on the filter.

One of my concerns with this device is that it is a big flat plate which has a fair amount of radiating area (compared to a spin-on filter). For those of us who operate in truly cold weather, keeping oil warm enough can be a challenge. I suspect this filter would add to the challenge of keeping things warm under the cowl. (No, I'm not kidding - keeping an air cooled engine warm at -20C is a real consideration!) :D
 
One of my concerns with this device is that it is a big flat plate which has a fair amount of radiating area (compared to a spin-on filter). For those of us who operate in truly cold weather, keeping oil warm enough can be a challenge. I suspect this filter would add to the challenge of keeping things warm under the cowl. (No, I'm not kidding - keeping an air cooled engine warm at -20C is a real consideration!) :D

So it's perfect for Texas ! Still can't find anything. Aircraft Spruce Europe sells them but not here in the States.
 
Last edited:
I think they filter to 60 microns, and the Challenger filters to 30, while the disposable ones filter to 20 microns. Worth checking, if that makes a difference to you.

Dave
 
I think they filter to 60 microns, and the Challenger filters to 30, while the disposable ones filter to 20 microns. Worth checking, if that makes a difference to you.

Dave

Hmmm….what was you data source on the microns David? I’ve been doing a lot of digging on the topic recently, so curious where you got these numbers!

According to my recent data gathering (industry sources - mostly the folks making filters):

Challenger - 22 microns
K&P - 35 microns
Paper filters - 25 - 100 microns (depending on testing method, source of information, phase of the moon, etc) Most often quoted is 40 microns for paper.
 
I have the Oberg 6” filter on my C195. That engine is 755 cu in and I have no pressure or temperature issues with the filter. Simple to drain and clean. I would think a 4” model would be plenty for a 360.
 
So if the bypass opens doesn’t that mean some of the garbage in the filter has just entered the engine??? Also doesn’t the screen have to really be dirty with a fair amount of debris for the bypass to open?
Thanks

Under normal oil changes and normal wear, it should never bypass. But if it does, it let's you know. It is the only filter that has this feature.
 
Challenger filter

I've been using the Challenger filters on all of my aircraft for years. Checking for metal contamination is a non-issue, and certainly a whole let messy.

Vic
 
Last edited:
6”

I went to their website and found the filters but nothing to find which one (4", 6", 8", ???) for a Lycoming 0-360-a1a. What engine and filter do you have?

I just talked to Kelly at OBERG. He suggests the 6”. 60 micron is their medium screen, so you can purchase more or less.

Very very unlikely to ever bypass, if it does you have other problems.
 
Paul, it was a post here on VAF. No idea of its accuracy, and don't remember which thread.

Don't worry about it. Nominal micron ratings are mostly a form of advertising. Although the reader may think a 20 micron rating (for example) means the filter stops all particles 20 microns and larger, it's not true. It's simply a rating assigned by the manufacturer, sometimes based on a standard, and sometimes not.

Better is beta ratio, which is based on a widely accepted ISO standard. You can usually find it in the specification listing, although you may need to track down the actual manufacturer in the case of a brand-labeled filter. The NAPA Gold 1515 often referenced here on VAF is a good example. You won't find beta on the NAPA website, so track back to the equivalent Wix 51515 and you'll find beta listed as 2/20=6/20. More on that shortly.

Here's the important part. A dual beta rating reflects reality, which is that typical filter media stops some particles much smaller than the rated size, and does not stop all particles larger than the rated size.

Beta for a given particle size = # of particles counted on the upstream side / # of particles counted on the downstream side. Yes, there's a testing machine for it.

Which takes us back to that Wix listing. 2/20=6/20 means Beta is 2 for a 6 micron particle and 20 for a 20 micron particle. A beta of 2 means the media stops 50% of the 6 micron particles. A Beta of 20 means it is stopping 95% of the 20 micron particles.

Where do the percentages come from? Efficiency Percentage = ((Beta-1)/Beta)*100. However, there's an easier way to think about it. A Beta of 2 means it passes 1 out of every 2 particles. A Beta of 20 means it passes 1 out of every 20 particles.

Don't know if Champion and Tempest publish beta ratio, as I think they use an obscure SAE standard. The screen filter guys appear to be using an ASTM standard. The entire "normal" filter world uses ISO.
 
Last edited:
Dan, thanks. As usual, you provide help info.
Now the hard question. For aircraft (Lycoming) use, what beta rating would you recommend should we be using as a maximum?
 
Automotive filter??

Sorry if I'm missing the obvious (I haven't completed my caffine infusion yet this morning) but is there a reason why somebody has not developed an automotive filter adapter yet? Seems that due to the scale of manufacturing for those it would resolve the problems of cost and availability of disposable filters.
 
Seems that due to the scale of manufacturing for those it would resolve the problems of cost and availability of disposable filters.

Until recently, auto filters were $4, so pretty tough to find a payback on a reusable that costs $150. Though last week I paid $7 for the 51515. No availability issues with auto filters. That seems to be unique to aviation filters, just like the ridiculous price point.
 
Last edited:
Dan, thanks. As usual, you provide help info.
Now the hard question. For aircraft (Lycoming) use, what beta rating would you recommend should we be using as a maximum?

Higher is better. Perhaps you meant minimum beta?

Beta indicates how many of the rated particle size is being stopped by the filter, or conversely, how many are getting through.

A beta of "4" means 1 in 4 of the specified particle size is getting through the media. A 75 beta means one in 75. A 1000 beta means one in a thousand.

A micron rating with knowing beta is useless. I could claim a 25 micron nominal rating for my t-shirt sleeve, but the beta might be 2....it stops half the 25 micron particles. Probably not far from the truth.

BTW, there are nominal micron ratings, and absolute micron ratings. Absolute requires stating the beta, generally 75, or 98.66%. Nominal is basically just advertising, because the beta can be anything.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top