The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Oil System Question

Hello,

Finally got my 1946 Stylemaster now 235 running tonight. It was very exciting to see it start right up and run! I will post a video later this week.

My question is about the oil system. I have an external oil filter assembly... I've posted questions about it before. I can't find a filter that fit. Got a fram C4P today and it didn't fit and I am out of time with a show i want to take the car to coming up. I got a filter out of a Mercedes that seems to fit somewhat. The bottle hole is larger than the top hole and allows the filter to slide OVER the large wash just below the bottom of the canister. The top hole is pretty tight and fits snugly around the center post in the canister. I put the washer and spring on top of the filter in between the filter and canister cover. In a nut shell my question is, will this work and if not what is the worst thing that can happen if I have the wrong filter installed. I can concerned about oil starving the car... if this is even possible. Any negatives to not having the right filter besides the fact that its not going to filter the oil properly.

Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I want to drive this thing!

Thanks,
Dan

If your filter outlet goes back into the bottom of the side of the block, you have a bypass filter setup. So with no filter element in the can and a good gasket on the top, you would be just fine. The fit that counts inside is the fit on the centre pipe. If that is not snug, oil will go around the filter. Otherwise the filter doesn't have to fill the can at all.

It is the style you are referring to.

the top is very snug, the bottom is open. Is it safe for me to leave the filter in or am I better off just pulling it out and letting the oil flow through?

DG

It won't hurt to leave the filter in, but it's not going to do much filtering. The O rings on the inside diameter of the filter are supposed to be a snug fit on the center tube so the pressurized oil gets forced through the filter media on its way to the 1/16" hole about halfway up the center tube as it goes toward the outlet fitting. The spring is supposed to hold the filter element tight against one end so oil can't force itself under the filter element. Whether or not the filter element is the right diameter is far less important than its fit to the center tube.
Jerry