Oil & Fuel Engine oil change question

[JC-jetro]

At cold engine stat up the oil film is there with more viscosity, as the engine warms up oil film becomes a little less viscous but still there. I never filled my oil filter first. I don't reckon I've ever had any filter on my vehicles or only tractor that was mounted vertically. I make enough of mess taking the filter out and don't even to do the same in reverse.

JC,

P.s I know even on our big 12 cylinder white diesel engines ( Facility Emergency Generator)the guys don't fill the oil filter that is mounted vertically.

 

[Cami]

I've never run into it myself, but I've heard of some engines needing their filters prefilled or you'll get a fault code from the engine taking too long to build pressure.

 

[Opti-Mist]

What is the optimum number of hours between oil changes? I have always changed mine at 50 hrs. I have been told that is over-kill. My dealer said 100 hrs., but that seems like a lot to me.........what are you guys doing?

I just go by the book - 100 hours.

 

[BarnStangz]

...oil is cheap, I change mine every 50 hrs. But, I am changing a little early this time (30 hrs.) since winter is getting here...

 

[brin]

OK guys I am going to admit a past sin here, I can do that since it happened 36 yrs. ago and statute of limitations has run...LOL

In 1973 I bought a 1972 Chevy Pick up with the small 8 cyl engine it had only 6,000 miles on it and I got a great deal...that was back during the gas crisis..lines at the pump and this truck got about 8 or 10 miles to the gallon and the fella could not afford it ..it still had the plastic on the seats and the new smell.

I drove that truck, remembemer now I was young and it was a 3rd vehicle, but I drove that truck for 20 yrs. and never took care of it..we bought our farm in 1974 so that is where I kept it and it was used to haul everything and do everything and pull trailers just everything and to my knowledge it NEVER hAd an oil change, we would only top it off and I don't recall ever replacing the oil filter or changing any fluids - just topping them off. This is embarrassing since I sure take care of all my vehicles and tractors now and have been for a long time ..but that truck was never in the shop for anything until it had ..I'm guessing now becuase the odometer stopped working at 150,000 miles and that was after the first 15 yrs..so it probably had 200,000 + miles when I had to have the brake lines replaced and the muffler and then I traded it to a fellow who did some brick work for me and he drove it off and was very happy..Now how can we explain that ? I am sure I put batteries in it over the years and a muffler or two but nothing else. I am not advocating that kind of blantant disregard of maintenace but it happened and I am amazed in looking back at what a good truck that was with so little care.

 

[biggerten]

I just did the fall engine oil/filter change on my TC34DA. When I start up the engine after the change it takes , I guess 5 sec for the oil pressure light to go out. If felt like 30 sec. Obviously the filter is filling up. The filter goes in horizontal so prefilling it would be kind of sloppy. This cannot be a problem but I just wonder what is happening in the engine.
How about on a hydraulic oil change where the filters are vertical. Should they be prefilled. Can't hurt I guess but messy.

Doing the math, if you started it at 500rpm, that's about 8 revs/second. Luckily, I have a decompression lever, so I can spin my tractor up to pressure without starting.

 

[ctjstr]

about the only possible places I can think of that a momentary loss of pressure might have an effect would be hydraulic lifters and rod/main bearings. Even those are very unlikely to be hurt by the kind of pressure loss we're talking about. oil is tuff stuff and oiled parts can take a surprising amount of abuse before suffering ill effects.
Just as an example....My other job is building and racing top fuel harley motorcycles. When we still used roller bearings on everything, the only oil we'd put in the engines is to squirt about 8 oz through the pininon shaft. It would drip through the bearings and down into the bottom of the engine. that would feed the main bearings, rods etc. and the splash from the bottom would oil the pistons and cylinder walls. We'd manually oil the rocker arms. No oil pump. We'd warm the engine, do a burnout and run the quarter mile on that 8 oz of oil. Never had an oil related failure. Its just surprising how well oil protects surfaces for longer than the average person might think.

 

[dqdave1]

I use Blackstone Labs to do oil anyisis on my oil as I switched over to synthetic oil and didnt want to be changing good oil . Plus , lets think of the enviroment. Manual said to change at 100 hours, which I was doing. First anyisis said to go to 120 hours; which I did; next one said to go to 140 hours, which I did, third one said to go to 150 hours and I am ready for oil change, curious what they will say now. All specs of oil were fine when anaylized.

 

[SARG]

I just got a case of filters and an oil change will cost under $15. I plan on three changes per year or about every 25 hours......... cause I enjoy doing it.