I removed and cleaned my new oil for the first time today. Since Charlie at Mazcare prepped my car for Road Atlanta. He installed the PurePower Stainless Steel, cleanable and reusable oil filter. http://gopurepower.com/

This is a very expensive filter if you look at it from the standpoint that you pay $200. However, I'm willing to give it a try to see how effective it is. The advertising claims better filtration than paper filters and also more flow. Not sure how that happens! Also I don't believe the claims of more power. Sorry PurePower... don't buy that idea without proof.



I think this is a worthy thread. Some of you may be interested and some will not even consider it for several reasons. I'm not trying to convince anyone to do this it's just a report.

The first impression when you open the box to this item is that it's a quality built product. Tremendous attention to detail. The case has a hex on the top to use with a socket wrench, a allen screw to release the oil so it will not spill in the engine bay and it's milled around the top 1" for grip. Threads are milled so they do not have sharp edges but are ever so slightly flattened and that seems to help from cross threading. Nice touch. The Viton O-Rings are high quality and MUCH better than you will find on regular oil filters.

I did not put the filter on originally so I don't know any issues to convey at this time. However I will be putting it back on my next oil change. I replaced it with a OEM for now because I need to blow it out with air. I will explain that later in this post.

Checking the oil at Road Atlanta proved very interesting as I compared my oil with Brockrx8. We both ran the same oil and changed it prior to the event and probably had very similar milage except that mine was probably more aggressive driving. My oil was cleaner on the rag when checking the dip stick. At home today, I changed the oil out and although it was darker, it still had a bit of translucence to it.

Taking the PurePower filter off was not as easy as OEM. You can see from the comparison photo that it is much larger. This required I be patient when removing. I packed a lot of paper towels around the base just in case it released a lot of oil around the base after the O-Ring released. It was not an issue as no oil escaped.





After removing, turned the filter upside down and set in my table vice and tightened so I could grab the base snugly and separate the filter from the case. The filter is a very fine mesh and I couldn't tell if the filter had worked as advertised or not. Any particles were just too fine for me to see.

To clean, I cut a 1 gal milk jug and filled about 1/2 with soapy water using my carwash soap pretty concentrated. I set the filter in the water and let it soak a little then turned the nozzle of the outdoor hose into the hole at the base of the filter that connects to the engine. It's important to clean it from the inside blowing through to the outside. After cleaning, I poured the water out of the jug and looked in the bottom and found some gray substance, rubbed my finger on it and found metal content from very fine to course. I cleaned it twice just to make sure it was clean. I could definitely see the difference in the filter before and after cleaning.

It's important to make sure the filter is dry before you put back into the car. Since I do not have air in my shop or a compressed air tank, I could not blow it out (from the inside out) so I just put an OEM filter back on and will take it to the shop tomorrow. I will just leave the OEM on until my next change.

I will then post on how the filter goes back on. Since it is larger, I may have an issue getting my lard *** hands in to do it but I will just take my time and be patient.

These pics were made after cleaning the filter. There is a larger wire mesh over the filter that protects the filter. This is very handy and would be VERY difficult to clean without damaging the filter if it was not there.

 

I couldn't find any filtration info at all on the site?? WHY? You would think they would have some data...other than saying that they filter the sub 30 micron particulate better than the paper/fibre filiters that don't do well in that size at all

I have an 8 micron full flow filter that I use.....

 

they use the same medical grade stainless that other makers use. Analysis of paper/synthetic filter medium shows (per internet seach) a wide variety of sizes they actually capture.
My thought is that if it al least filters as good as the usual paper one then it will be advantatous just because the flow rate is much improved. That would help insure not having to use the by pass valve.
Don your filter was dry when you removed it? No antidrain in it then?
I have always thought in order to flow more oil either the filter medium has to be more porous or there has to be a larger size filter medium. So if the filter medium did not change in size and the flow rate is more then it HAS to be that the pore's in the filter medium itself has to be bigger.
Does that make sense?
Now ? is also how small do they need to be?
od

 

I would love a 1 micron filter with enough flow to handle the oil flow.....

Better filtration is better filtration..as long as the flow doesn't suffer

Dirt is dirt

 

Denny, is it possible that because there is more surface (filter) that this in itself would mean more flow even if the filtration was the same? Do we still not know what the microns are? I think a call to the manufacturer is in order.

 

I've requested some more info from PurePower. I'll let you know when they get back to me.

Sorry for the dbl post.

 

ok thanks!

 

Denny, there is an allen screw at the top of the filter. I assumed it was to release the oil before you actually rotate the filter to remove. I did not do that but it still drained as I rotated it a few twist and just let it sit. My filter has not been relocated and is upright, not inverted like a relocation might be. If it were inverted, you could take the allen screw out and let it drain before taking the filter off I guess.

I still have not figured out where the two magnets are.

 

thats a sweet feature--now you know i would never forget to tighten it before reinstalling---no not me!
od

 

I have not heard back from them yet but I did find this statement on their site:
Part # PP8435 Thread: 13/16 - 16 A.S.T.M. and SAE Testing at Southwest Research Institute: Flow: 30 gpm Burst Rate: 1,000 psi Debris Removal: -1 micron

I'm not sure what -1 micron means?

 

Anymore update on this?

 

I'm hoping to get info from them next week. I will definitely report back ASAP. I suggest someone else contact them also.

I'd also like to know if anyone else is using this type of filter from other manufacturers. Using a filter like this seems to make sense but is it really the best thing? I don't mind cleaning the filter. I just want to know it's blocking out the particles properly.

Advertising is advertising, I would like more defined specifications. The advertising filter in my head has filtered out 99.99% of the text on the website and I'm not satisfied with the .01% text left. Even if it makes plenty of sense verbally and appears to be a high quality product.

 

It would be more advantageous to buy a filter relocation kit and convert the filter size end to accommodate SUV size filters.


Thats a potential project for BHR CRH.

 

$200 buys a lot of quality paper filters

The oil demands on a rotary engine are significantly different than a reciprocating engine. Aside from the heat, there's just not that much going on in there.

 

Team-- i have doubts that the paper filters we are using are not going into bypass on cold starts and high rpm. i really dont know but it seems logical to me.
Running the heavier wgt oils we do is what caused me to wonder about this.
This filter was recommended by someone that has my most highest respect, ( no not Santa Claus--although he is on the list) but still I am approaching this cautiously.
Many motorcycle folks with engines that have much tighter tolerances --run these. Many racers(car) also.
Concept has been around a long time.
Besides its purdy.
Paper filters (good ones) are now almost $15 a pop (unless you go with oem) and it wouldnt take long to add up when you change the oil q 3K miles.
OD

 

My understanding is that the oil filter bypass valve kicks in based on differential pressure across the filter inlet/outlet and not by inlet pressure alone

I'm pretty sure this is accurate not that we should be spoiling a good thread with facts


.

 

I think you are right on that and thats why i am wondering about it.
I do not know if the flow rate of the paper is good enough on cold oil or in the higher rpms. Something must be working ok as people have been using paper for a long time? But then again I liked the k&N air filters a long time also.
OD

 

You need to check up the actual filtering of the metal mesh filter. Most of them only filter down to 35 micron size.

Research done by General Motors indicates following:

Typical low cost oil filter will remove about 40% of particles in 8 to 10 micron range
Typical OEM oil filter will remove about 72% of particles in 8 to 10 micron range



I don't know why people think higher flow oil filter is going to be awesome.

Here's a good article on filters, which also talks about mesh filters.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Filters.html



Long story short, I wouldn't even install a mesh filter on my lawn mower.

 

someone else has already mentioned the ideal scenario... a large quality paper filter. prolly need to relocate to do so

 

The nissan gtr filter is also an m20 thread and would work with a filter relocation kit. Its about 50 larger then our stock filter.

The canton filter use refill filter elements, filter down to 8 microns, and flows 12-45 GPM of hot oil depending on the filter size. The 4 1/4" filter flows 15 GPM. A relocation kit would be required to use the filter and it would cost $150 for the filter and a 6 pack of refills. They say the filter can last up to 10000K miles Must people replace it every other oil change.

Things to consider: The series 2 oil filter does not have a by-pass and is only about 25% larger then the series 1 filter. So Mazda felt a larger filter was needed and with that larger filter a by-pass was not needed. I dont know when or why the stock filter by-passes, is it too much flow, too much pressure or because it gets clogged? I dont know the answers to these questions but they are just things that make me wonder.

 

Very good questions.

Have any of you cut a used filter apart to see what kind of residue is there?

 

Not the kind of thing I do. If you look up K & N Oil filters, our stock series 1 oil filter has a relief valve pressure of 11-17 PSI. Not sure what exactly that means. I just know the series 2 doesnt have one. The pure power SS filter has a by-pass but the canton doesnt.

 

That's the pressure drop across the filter (differential pressure), as the filter becomes clogged the pressure drop between the inlet and outlet pressures will increase. When the difference between those two pressures reach that bypass relief pressure range the bypass valve will open.