I have never changed my oil filters

[r6dallas]

Hello everyone, i just want to get some thoughts on this.

I have two cars a 2002 2.3L Ford ranger and a 2005 V8 4runner limited 4x4-- I have never changed the oil filter on my ranger it has 218,000 miles and it works great. My runner I got it used at 80k and the guy told me he just had the oil and filter change. Its at 130k and I have changed the filter. Now I do change my oil at 4k on each vehicle( I uses the cheapest Walmart oil I can find). My last car was 1997 f150 4.3L with 350k and I only changed the filter twice (I was young and stupid) I never had any problems with the f150. I'm thinking that the whole oil filter thing is a scam to spend money on parts.
Has any one actually seen an oild filter fail? Any first hand accounts?

 

[MikeInNH]

When filters get clogged.....the bypass opens...so it's just like not having a filter at all.

I glad it worked out for you. That is one experiment I would NOT be willing to risk. Filters and oil is cheap...engines are NOT.

 

[T4R2014]

 

[RCs4Runner]

Yeah oil filters are a "scam" to spend money on parts....you know those expensive $10 oil filters. :der:

 

[Sungod]

They are over rated.

I am shocked that you got 200k out of a Ford 2.3. Maybe you found something out that no one else knew.

 

[T4R2014]

This guy is a troll, don't even bother.

 

[r6dallas]

Well how about this. My father has a 1995 Chevy 1500 with 520k he has never changed the oil filter but he changes the oil every 3k. My mom hates that truck, she wants a new one. the engine runs great but time has not been kind to the body or the interor.

 

[r6dallas]

They are over rated.

I am shocked that you got 200k out of a Ford 2.3. Maybe you found something out that no one else knew.

I love my little ranger it get 28mpg. Its not worth much cause of the miles but I love it.

 

[DC runner]

Troll Alert.

 

[Swimmerboy2112]

Yeah oil filters are just like condoms, you don't need them. It's all just a scam.

:boxer:

 

[MARINE_HMLA]

This guy may be a troll but there is some validity to this I work for a Toyota forklift dealership and have traveled to Japan before for the company and all though Toyota never said this I ran into many people over there that have never changed there filter they just change fluids but then again they dont drive like we do either in fact when I explained to them about changing the filter they thought I was crazy

 

[r6dallas]

Yeah oil filters are just like condoms, you don't need them. It's all just a scam.

:boxer:

I'm not a troll, I've used this forum several times. It has a ton of useful information. I just want to share my thoughts and my experience on not changing filters. Maybe someone has seen tons of busted engines because the filters had never been changed. It might change my mind.

 

[eddiebx]

This is right up there with my friend's dad who likes to drain his used oil through a coffee filter and run that for one more OCI before actually buying new oil, lol.

Scam or not, do you really want to risk catastrophic failure over a 5-10 dollar part? Might as well not change your oil either and just top it off as it slowly burns off :becky:

But seriously OP, I doubt you're going to find many documented failures of this sort because not many people out there are going to push the limits like this. However on a realistic note, I bet if you kept up with fluid only maintenance and never let it get tooooo over due, the filter would probably last a lot longer than you think. I've had canister style filters on my last two cars for the past 60-70k miles, and not once have I seen much of anything trapped on my filter media during routine oil changes.

But even with that said, it's still not absolutely not worth it to save a buck on this cheap of a part...

 

[r6dallas]

This is right up there with my friend's dad who likes to drain his used oil through a coffee filter and run that for one more OCI before actually buying new oil, lol.

Scam or not, do you really want to risk catastrophic failure over a 5-10 dollar part? Might as well not change your oil either and just top it off as it slowly burns off :becky:

But seriously OP, I doubt you're going to find many documented failures of this sort because not many people out there are going to push the limits like this. However on a realistic note, I bet if you kept up with fluid only maintenance and never let it get tooooo over due, the filter would probably last a lot longer than you think. I've had canister style filters on my last two cars for the past 60-70k miles, and not once have I seen much of anything trapped on my filter media during routine oil changes.

But even with that said, it's still not absolutely not worth it to save a buck on this cheap of a part...

The cost is not a concern for me, like you said it’s only a few buck.
1. It’s messy and oil goes everywhere
2. It’s faster just to change the oil and move on.
3. If the filter is not doing much why replace it.

 

[JB.]

I find data points like that interesting.

Some may think it's crazy, but the opposite extreme is practiced and debated all the time, namely, obsessing over the type or brand of oil to use.

Meanwhile, the oil lubricated parts of the engine are probably going to last longer than the rest of the vehicle with just about anything more than outright negligent maintenance.

 

[eddiebx]

The cost is not a concern for me, like you said it’s only a few buck.
1. It’s messy and oil goes everywhere
2. It’s faster just to change the oil and move on.
3. If the filter is not doing much why replace it.

I understand what you are saying, but it's one of those things where if you changed it when it's broken, it's already too late. Last thing you want is the filter media to finally clog up and open the bypass. With the bypass open everything will still function normally and you would not be the wiser, but it's basically like having no filter at all. Would you feel comfortable with running an engine with no filter filtering the oil?

Obviously it's your truck and your call, but if money is not an issue and speed and cleanliness is of the essence why not just bring it to a shop for an oil change

 

[morphious]

How Often Should I Change My Oil Filter?

 

[Gecko123]

Hello everyone, i just want to get some thoughts on this.

I have two cars a 2002 2.3L Ford ranger and a 2005 V8 4runner limited 4x4-- I have never changed the oil filter on my ranger it has 218,000 miles and it works great. My runner I got it used at 80k and the guy told me he just had the oil and filter change. Its at 130k and I have changed the filter. Now I do change my oil at 4k on each vehicle( I uses the cheapest Walmart oil I can find). My last car was 1997 f150 4.3L with 350k and I only changed the filter twice (I was young and stupid) I never had any problems with the f150. I'm thinking that the whole oil filter thing is a scam to spend money on parts.
Has any one actually seen an oild filter fail? Any first hand accounts?

you know more about cars than engineers. Wow, you are so clever. NOT.

 

[r6dallas]

you know more about cars than engineers. Wow, you are so clever. NOT.

Automotive engineers usually work for large Corps. and Corps. have bills to pay and they have to make a profit. If a company can add another revenue stream why not say sell oil filters and change them every 3000-4000 miles which equals more revenue. Just about any engineer would say that changing an oil filter will not hurt so why not sell them it’s not hurting anything to change them but is it helping?

 

[eddiebx]

you know more about cars than engineers. Wow, you are so clever. NOT.

I wouldn't flat out dismiss this so quickly. I mean after all none of us have any hard data to back up that it will fail after a certain mileage. As with all things engineered, I'm sure there's a pretty substantial safety margin designed in by the engineers. How big of a safety margin? Unfortunately, it's just one of those things where not many people are willing to try and find out.

As [MENTION=2798]JB.[/MENTION] said, today's engines are pretty robust, you can treat it like crap and it would still probably run several hundred thousand miles. Case in point, my dad has a late 90s camry with close to 300k miles on it, he runs the cheapest oil and filter he can find, and all is well. As a matter of fact, this is the camry engine that has the infamous oil "sludging" problem, lol.