stainless steel oil filters - good/bad?

[polarbaird]

I haves Scott's stainless filters in my '04 YZ450F and '02 CRF450 and have gotten conflicting opinions. Any thoughts?

[yzfmxer]

I love mine ?

[motoracer1486]

I have been told by a very well known mechanic that they are a bad idea. I can't say by personal experience but anytime you take a shortcut and try to save money it usually turns out badly.

$70 + tax per filter is a shortcut and a way to save money? ?

[yzfmxer]

I can see where a cheep Stainless steel filter would be a bad thing.

But the Scotts is a VERRY good filter, that filters more microns of debris than any paper filter.

[motoracer1486]

No tax in Oregon but don't you reuse stainless steel oil filters? If not why would you use one ? $10 an oil change adds up quickly. I was just tryin to help a brotha out. sorry

I said per filter because my bike (KTM 525 EXC) uses 2 filters. So I have about $160 into them.

[dirtsquirt101]

I said per filter because my bike (KTM 525 EXC) uses 2 filters. So I have about $160 into them.

So they better be good right? ?

[frankstr]

IMO , A quality media filter is better,Plus a media filter will hold some moisture and the screen will not, Again thats my opinion ?

[Silver Surfer]

the stainless filters are also supposed to flow a constant amount of oil. the paper filters fluctuate greatly as they sometimes flow more or less oil.

i dont know why people have a hard time accepting reusable stainless filters. they filter better, pay for themselves and allow more oil flow.

sometimes better technology is just that, and NOT a shortcut.

[JoelH.]

I'm no expert and don't have a strong opinion an the matter. Tho I do remember seeing posts about cardboard parts of a media filter disintegrating into the oil (probably a cheap knockoff). As for the moisture retention, I cant see how it could hold enough water to matter, with the hot oil being pushed through it. ? I did purchase a Scotts it's a beautifully made item. ?

[big t]

I bought CRT SS filters for yz and xr650. The OEM filter for the yz was $13. Doesn't take long to pay for a $39 reusable filter. I change my oil every 3 rides on the yz and around every 150-200 miles on my 650 so I don't think it will hurt a thing. ?

[lvdukerider]

Ive had two of the Scotts stainless filters on my 00 Duke II for the past four years and they work great for me.

[drtbkr]

K & P filters are the first thing I buy for any bikes. They do what they are supposed to, and pay for themselves. What's not to like?

[cms_austx]

I used Scotts filters in my 4 stroke days w/ no problems. I noticed, however, that they never seemed dirty, which made me wonder if they were really filtering as well as paper filters...

[grayracer513]

Paper filters are, at least theoretically, the best filtering media in terms of the size particle they are capable of trapping. Because of the random arrangement of the fibers that make up the media, they can actually end up snaring particles smaller than they are rated for. They are generally rated at 15-25 microns.

A micron is a millionth of a meter, or 1/1000 of a millimeter, or .00003934". Fine human hair is about 120 microns, finely ground sand is about 65, and just for reference, a white blood cell is 25.

However, there are several problems with their use. First, since it's been brought up, they do trap moisture. But, it swells them up and closes them off, so that the filter ends up bypassing unfiltered oil into the engine. Also, they do not flow oil at a very high rate, particularly when cold, or at very high rpm, so once again, the bypass valve ends up being opened, and you temporarily have no oil filter. They can and do disintegrate if exposed to excess moisture, heat, or big sharp steel shards, and they can be just plain inconsistently dense, with "loose" areas that you can't see capable of passing much larger particles than they should.

Brass OEM types are reusable, but they are a bit sensitive to damage from rough handling during cleaning. Brushing or even compressed air can expand a section of the mesh to double its rated filtering capacity without the damage showing. They filter to only 70-80 microns (remember how big fine sand was?), and while paper elements are capable of retaining debris smaller than their rated particle size, a mesh filter will rarely do so.

A Scotts stainless element stops all particles larger than 34 microns (.0013"), and they are extremely durable. They resist damage from cleaning and flow an enormous volume of oil. One square inch of the filter media used in these elements will flow 1.9 gallons of 90 weight oil per minute at only 1 psi pump pressure (70 degrees F). The Scotts filter for a YZF has about 20 square inches of mesh in it, which incidentally is roughly twice the amount of mesh in an OEM brass filter. So, that would be 38 gpm of cold 90 weight with only one pound of pressure behind it. At that rate, the bypass valve on a Scotts is likely NEVER to open.

To me, they are the best filters you can use. They publish the tech specs of their products and guaranty the quality of them. My only beef with less expensive stainless elements is that they don't publish any ratings of test results, so I don't know what I'm buying. A Scotts is not a shortcut, it's a step up. That fact that it's cheaper for me to use for a year than a $5 paper one is a bonus.

?

[Sylvain]

I have several brass filters for my 426 wr. You are right about the fragility of these filters, extra care must be taken when handling and cleaning them. But they are a good alternative, especially when you do oil change every 300 kms. Oil contamination is reduced greatly when changing at such intervals.

?

[motoxracer595]

thank u im ordering a scotts as wee speak ?

[grayracer513]

I have several brass filters for my 426 wr. You are right about the fragility of these filters, extra care must be taken when handling and cleaning them. But they are a good alternative, especially when you do oil change every 300 kms. Oil contamination is reduced greatly when changing at such intervals.

?

You are absolutely correct about the value of frequent oil changes. Why anyone would try to "economize" on this when it takes less than 2 quarts of oil to do it is beyond me. In fact, the small volume of oil used in modern four-strokes makes it more important that it be changed more often.

But, brass mesh element filters are only a "good alternative" if you are willing to accept filtration that's less than half as good as what you can have with a Scotts.

[12Many]

You are absolutely correct about the value of frequent oil changes. Why anyone would try to "economize" on this when it takes less than 2 quarts of oil to do it is beyond me. In fact, the small volume of oil used in modern four-strokes makes it more important that it be changed more often.

But, brass mesh element filters are only a "good alternative" if you are willing to accept filtration that's less than half as good as what you can have with a Scotts.

Gray, How do you propose cleaning the Scotts to insure that all the dirt is removed, the filtered not damaged, and is not a hassle? It seems to me that it would be tough to clean well.

[Dust_Devil]

I would use carb cleaner....

[grayracer513]

I have a small glass jar with a wide enough mouth that I can reach into it that I use for that job. The fact that it's a jar means it has a lid I can close it up with to keep it clean. I pour clean mineral spirits into it, hold the filter by the ends so as to keep contaminated solvent out of the interior of the filter, and swish it around a bit. I follow that with a little carb cleaner sprayed into the inside and out through the mesh. stubborn chips I knock loose with a toothbrush or a wooden toothpick. Then, because I can, I blow it off with compressed air at 45 PSI. You can just air dry after the carb cleaner for a coupl of minutes.

An alternative is to use hot soapy water. It works quite well, just observe the same cautions about getting the junk from the outside into the inside. Rinse it inside to out and either air dry thoroughly, or use carb cleaner (most of these contain ethyl alcohol, and will absorb water), and/or blow with air, or even an old hair dryer.

Pretty simple, really. The whole thing will add less than 10 minutes to the filter change routine. As far as damage, the stainless mesh is at least ten times as strong as brass, so unless you're just careless, it isn't a worry. ?