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How often do you change your oil filter?


Julian

How often do you change your oil filter?   

27 members have voted

  1. 1. How often do you change your oil filter?

    • Every oil change
      23
    • Every other oil change
      4
    • More frequently
      0
    • Less frequently
      0


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I was surprised that the manual only recommends changing the oil filter every 20,000km (or every other oil change). Do you follow that in practice? Is that what the dealers are doing when you bring the bike to be serviced and don't specify? 

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What model year is your MT?  My 2020's owner's manual say to change oil every 4,000 mi (7000 km) and the filter every 8,000 mi (13,000 km).  Yes, they seem to have rounded to the nearest 1,000 km.  Maybe Yamaha decided to make the intervals a little more reasonable.

Filters actually do a better job of filtering when they get some dirt in them.  This is because the openings in the filter material get smaller as they trap particles.  The reason to change them is to keep them from getting so clogged that they cause the bypass valve to open and let unfiltered oil through.  Apparently Yamaha has reason to believe that there's no danger of the bypass valve opening if the filter is changed every other oil change.  Changing it  more often costs more and make the filtering a little less effective, so there's no upside.

Edited by Triple Jim
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My bike is a 2021, you should know by now from all my posts 😉 I respectfully disagree with your view on the filters. I had a sports car before and on a forum I was a member of there was a guy who did a long term oil experiment. He used different oils in the same car (mineral, synthetic, semi synthetic, different brands...) for at least 2 years and different filter change intervals. He had samples of oil analyzed at an independent lab every 6 months and posted the results. The conclusions were pretty interesting. 

1. Most modern oils do a good job. The type of oil doesn't matter too much. 

2. You can get away with significantly longer intervals than what the manufacturer specifies. 

3. The biggest positive impact was from changing the oil filter. If you just change the oil filter and top off the oil, it's almost as beneficial as a full oil change. 

Your argument that the filter gets more effective as it clogs seems flawed to me. 

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29 minutes ago, Julian said:

Your argument that the filter gets more effective as it clogs seems flawed to me.

I based that statement on data I worked with when I worked for a company that  made decontamination equipment for the nuclear industry.  We worked with filters of all kinds, and their test data and certifications.  If you leave an oil filter in place so long that the bypass valve opens, then particles don't get taken out.  Before that, when all the oil is still flowing through the filter, it will become more efficient at removing particles as it gets dirty. 

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I have at least two arguments against that:

1. The flow of oil and the oil pressure will be reduced, which is detrimental to the engine. 

2.  Contaminants such as carbon are small enough to pass through the filter and will contaminate the fresh oil. 

Filters are cheap, engines are expensive 🙂

 

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Oil analysis on my 07 using conventional oil shows at 6,000 miles the oil can still go. The lab is recommending going an extra 2,000 miles next time. I got tired of being curious and wanted to actually know. We all have thoughts and opinions, but without testing we're all just guessing. For me, knowing is the best peace of mind. 

 

Changing filters at every oil change is something that came in to fashion when jiffy lube types places started popping up. It was their goal to sell you a filter and the habit stuck. If an engine is clogging a filter between changes it's a goner already, so there's no oil restriction issues to worry about with not swapping filters every time.

If it takes a year or two to accumulate the miles needed for an oil change I might want to change the filter also, just incase the adhesives inside the filter are breaking down. 

In a world hellbent on "green" everything you'd think wasting oil and resources on excessive oil and filter changes would go out of style, but old habits are hard to break. 

Edited by shinyribs
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@shinyribs Who do you use for your oil analysis? I have used Blackstone Labs in the past with my car oil, and had similar feedback that the oil had plenty of time left to be useful. And really good point about being "green" as I actually hadn't actually gave it much thought but 100% I was changing oil/filter because it was cheap insurance instead of thinking of the bigger picture and maybe preserving some of our dwindling resources.

 

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@shinyribs I'm with you on this.  We did oil testing back in 86 and were told that the oil sample with 2500 miles on it was still excellent and could run on a lot longer.   Mobil1 started out with the 15,000 mile claim on their synthetic, backing off because so many people back then couldn't fathom that oil could go that long.  Now they are back with the high mile claims.   Virtually all manufacturers recommend the 8,000 mile interval.   I still will do a new filter, why not?  It's not wasting much oil, especially considering I run oil around 5000 miles for sure.  I'm on board with @seven when it comes to using the resources.   Just because oil is cheap doesn't mean it should be used as if there was no end to the supply.  Heck if enough people cut back on oil change interval the price of oil might even go down a bit.

I feel that the old 2000-3000 mile oil change was due to the quality of the oil back in the 40s-50s and that some engines may not have even run oil filters.  Oil got a whole lot better with additives and changing characteristics as it warms up - 10w40 etc.   That 3000 mile thing was what "your grandfather/father" would do. 

In your grandfather/father's day motorcycles were high mileage at 10,000 miles and worn out if over 20,000 miles and should be avoided.  Cars with over 35,000 miles were high mileage and anything over 75,000 miles were extremely difficult to sell, they were worn out.  I remember that, I was working with used rental cars in 81-82 and selling bikes from 83-06.   Times have changed.   10,000 miles is barely broken in, bikes are still in good shape with 30,000-40,000 miles on them and cars with 80,000-90,000 miles are still good.  Why should modern oil be considered still the same as that in 1960?   

Edited by klx678
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7 hours ago, Julian said:

I have at least two arguments against that:

1. The flow of oil and the oil pressure will be reduced, which is detrimental to the engine. 

2.  Contaminants such as carbon are small enough to pass through the filter and will contaminate the fresh oil. 

Filters are cheap, engines are expensive 🙂

 

No, the flow is not reduced as the filter is used.  It's a full-flow filter with a positive displacement pump forcing oil through it.  Unless the engine slows down, flow will not slow down. 

A used filter will get fewer small carbon particles through it  than a new filter will.  Some trapped dirt cannot cause extra particles to get through.  As I said above, it actually makes it more difficult for particles to get through because they partially block the pores of the filter.

As a filter gets used, the pressure it takes to get the oil to flow through rises.  When that pressure rises high enough, the bypass valve will open and keep the pressure from rising further.  This is not a good thing for filtering, since the filter is no longer in a full-flow situation, and unfiltered oil gets circulated.  A filter should be changed before it causes the bypass valve to open.

I don't know of any reason to not follow Yamaha's recommendation for filter changes, and I have two reasons to follow it.

 

Edited by Triple Jim
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1 hour ago, seven said:

@shinyribs Who do you use for your oil analysis? I have used Blackstone Labs in the past with my car oil, and had similar feedback that the oil had plenty of time left to be useful. And really good point about being "green" as I actually hadn't actually gave it much thought but 100% I was changing oil/filter because it was cheap insurance instead of thinking of the bigger picture and maybe preserving some of our dwindling resources.

 

I used Blackstone as well.

 

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