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Best Spin Off Oil Filter for MK2 Vitesse


Paul H

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Hi , I know this has been covered many times but cant find the info using search .

With Black Friday deals looking to restock on Spin off Oil Filters for my  Mk2 Vitesse - From memory Mann was the best manufacturer - 

Need help with the model ? 

Paul 

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no the filter needs to be as vertical as poss with its entry at the top so that the filter sits full of oil when the engine isnt running. On the Vitesse using the size of filter sold by Paddock etc (the ones I get from Eurocar Parts) the best you can get is an angle of about 45º which is certainly an improvement on the original horizontal design.... 

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1 hour ago, dougbgt6 said:

I have a Halford’s oil catcher, it doesn’t work very well, overflows, so it sits on a B & Q concrete mixing tray which catches it all. Then you got to clean them up! 😀

Doug

'Er indoors was wondering why I was examining Tesco's Turkey Trays the other day... a large rectangular metal tray for £2? Or the deep oval one for £3? She sees Christmas dinner, I see drip trays...

(Having said that, it's not the first time there's been a close similarity between gravy and engine oil....)

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2 hours ago, Paul H said:

Is it worth opening up the old chestnut , spin off filter or original filter , I seem to have collected 5 of the original filters with the Classic Line label 

Paul 

The biggest problem with the old setup was oil draining out which accelerated wear on startup while the filter filled first and then the oil went on into the engine; the intended fitment of an anti-drain modern filter was to make oil circulate almost instantly and thereby prevent bearings running dry. Other than that I don't think there's really any difference in efficiency.

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Not personally, so I'm only regurgitating what I've read about so many times!! 

But: the "Triumph Death Rattle" as it used to be known was a symptom of oil-free bearings on startup and apparently (he quotes others again!!) used to sound quite alarming until the oil circulated. It stands to reason, I suppose, that oiled bearings will last longer than dry ones, so it's a theory, but no source that I've read this evening so far has said just how much more quickly damage occurs. A lot of the books available in more recent years talk about it and how to avoid it, but books of the time never mentioned it - I assume it was just par for the course back then. It has been said that it's fine as long as the engine isn't revved hard before the oil light goes out.

 

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“yes but has anybody really found that their bearings failed sooner because of slow oil pressure build up on starting”

well yes, my second wife, didn’t notice the light was still on. Cost me a new crank. The light was very small and dim, apparently. 😡

Doug

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14 hours ago, johny said:

yes but has anybody really found that their bearings failed sooner because of slow oil pressure build up on starting or is it another example of 'cylinder head external oil feed' syndrome?

Johny, no one's been willing to sacrifice their engine to do this experiment.

I can confirm that the "death rattle" was indeed a characteristic of the 1500 engine and my old blue Spit used to make that noise. Then it threw a con rod on the M4 one evening motoring up to Wales - now that really was noisy! Was it because those engines were just thrown together on the production line in the Leyland Group cash-strapped factories? Was it because people didn't service the cars regularly and the oil did way more miles between changes? Was it simply that the Leyland Cost Engineers made the Triumph Engineers cheapen the design too much and longevity suffered? Answers on a postcard please ...

These days few of us do enough miles to really "test" the engines and it's been drummed into us that we have to change the oil very regularly and use the best available. (Mobil 1 for me)

These days, my PI Spit has faulty seals in the metering unit and it takes a loooong time for the petrol to get through and the engine to fire. This is plenty of time for the oil light to go out. I have one of those Mann double-valve oil filters (which is the devil to fit in on an engine back 6-pot Spit!) and it helps with quick oil pressure the same day, but not if I haven't driven for a couple of days. I've often wondered if we should have an "ignition inhibit" circuit to stop the engine firing while cranking until the oil light goes out. Alternatively, a little oil pump to take oil from the sump (banjo connector on sump plug) and pump via a non-return valve to one of the engine oilway plugs just before the filter. I'm currently a Gentleman of Leisure (pronounced "been made redundant") so you'd think I'd have time to try some of these ideas!

Cheers, Richard

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if drain back was such a disaster why have engines lasted all these years , yes many rebuilt and many  still as original  

im in the myth camp  bear in mind later engines had a spin on  filter ,yes horizontal,  and with and without a anti drain flap valve inside

the 1500 was untypical  and  a  reliable engine till its long stroke decided to let loose all the reciprocating  parts  

Pete

 

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1 hour ago, rlubikey said:

Johny, no one's been willing to sacrifice their engine to do this experiment.

Its not really a case of sacrifice but more 'with a standard filter I had to change my bearings after 30k and now with a spin-on theyve lasted more than 50k'. Admittedly theres other variables but a comment like that would certainly add some weight to the argument..... 

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It's a bit like unleaded heads; we know the valve seats wear as there's no longer any lead to cushion them, but how quickly? Obviously much more quickly on a car that's being used every day rather than one that sees occasional use, but there's no real hard and fast rule of how many more miles you'll get. Same thing with oily bearings. Maybe a magazine like Practical Classics - if they still feature cars more the ten years old - might want to run an experiment?

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