Prefill oil filters?

[Carmen]

I’ve recently found out that filling new oil filters before installing them is sometimes common practice to some people.

I lube the rubber gasket but never fill the oil filters and I’ve never had trouble. Are you supposed to fill them? Does it really make a difference?

Topic

[Jeff Ketchem]

The only vehicles I’ve seen that recommend prefill are turbos.

[zero]

I’m going to side with RogueTeddy and wysetech. Those Diesel filters are rediculously huge, especially when compared to the filter on something like a Nissan V6. And of course any newly built motor where you can’t prime the oil system.

[dollman0]

Filling oil filters is a common practice in the diesel world due to paranoid technicians.
On the A9 exam, it states it is no longer a recommended practice. My college adviser discouraged the practice because oil is not clean, even in the container. If you run good oil, dry starts are not a concern as the engine is coated with oil.

Volvo engines in big rigs can set a code if run more than 10 seconds with low oil pressure and filling those filters may be required. I used to work in a truck stop shop and some drivers would get upset if the filters were not prefilled… Its just a matter of opinion, there is no real benefit as the filters will fill in less than 30 seconds at a slow idle, much like a winter start.

[Lorrin Barth]

Now that I think about it I do remember seeing, on a couple of occasions, a chunk of something in the bottom of a freshly opened 5 quart oil container. I see it so frequently in gear oil I almost expect it.

[dan]

here is my opinion, for a horizontal filter its not as effective as a vertical filter, i have always filled them buy habit because my grandfather has always taught me to do this and in the school no one has told me otherwise and even in the shop when i worked as a tech i filled the filters before install and no one has told me it was a waste of time. for vertical filters i put a bit of oil in but don’t fill it there is no point… i would say fill the filter a little under half way.

[Author]

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