Do any of you run an over sized oil filter, say an FL-1A instead of an FL-820s? I've heard of people doing this, and wonder what the benefits/risks are. If you do increase the filter size, do you need to add oil to compensate for the larger canister? I currently use a Mobil 1 M1 210, but wold switch to the M1 301 if it was beneficial. Thanks for any info!

 

Using a larger filter is only going to get you more capacity to catch debris or contaminants in the oil. That would be the only benefit and not enough that I would worry about it. If you did install a larger filter than yes more oil would be required.

 

ya, like bill said, but i dont understand y anyone would want a larger filter.

 

From what I can gather, one of the benefits is increased surface area of filter media.

 

Possible more mileage between oil changes.

IMHO, if you wanted a larger filter go with a remote mount with a double filter. Most ford apps use the fl1a filter.

 

The S in FL820S stands for its silicone anti-drainback valve. The ADBV holds oil in the filter instead of letting it drain back to the pan when the engine is not running. The ADBV means that engine parts will have pressurized oil sooner after a start and that means less wear.

A silicone ADBV is better because it is more resistant to high temperature embrittlement and stays more flexible in low temps. So, it is more likely to offer an extra margin of protection even in extreme temperature situations. The silicone type of ADBV is usually found in premium oil filters.

Many oil filters including the Motorcraft FL1A have a regular nitrile ADBV. If Ford specifies and installs the FL820S for this application, it is for a reason supported by test data. I would use the Motorcraft FL820S instead of the Motorcraft FL1A, even if the FL1A were twice as big.

IMO, there is an optimum size for an oil filter and that size is likely to be very close to what is installed from the factory. A filter that is half as big as it needs to be for a particular application would be a real problem but one that is twice as big as it needs to be would not offer a significant advantage.

Another thought: if my truck was still under warranty, I wouldn't consider installing a non-recommended filter on the engine under any circumstances.

If you decide that you really must try a larger filter, be sure that the filter you use fits properly and that it has a silicone ADBV. For example, the Ford Racing Performance Parts equivalent to the Motorcraft FL1A filter DOES have the silicone valve. It is part number CM-6731-FL1A. I am fairly sure that Mobil 1 filters have silicone ADBV's also.

 

leave it to bob to know it. thats some good info

 

Bob, I agree with your assessment of the silicon ADBV valve, I have always used the Motorcraft Fl 820s (until I switched to the Mobil 1 M1 210) for that very reason. I just happened to come across a thread, on another forum, about increasing the size of the filter and became curious about what (if any) advantages it would offer. I could never try something like that unless I had substantial facts to justify it. The more I read, the more of a "gimmick" feel it has.

 

You'll sometimes see dual parallel filter setups on race engines but I believe that the purpose there is to increase oil flow when using a high volume oil pump and has little or nothing to do with filtration capacity or service interval. The filter on your street engine is sized correctly to work with the factory oil pump.

 

The purpose of a larger filter is filter capacity and extra cooling. If you have room for the larger filter, it will do nothing but help. I don't believe that the fl-1a is compatible with the fl-820 though, I believe they have different thread sizes. If your just looking for better filtration, you may consider looking into an ea series filter from www.amsoil.com

 

i thought the FL-1A was standard on all 4.0's.....the way PW01 makes it sound in the 1st post is that he was wanting to use the FL-1A instead of the FL-820s....i know my owners manual says to use the FL-1A on my 4.0....

 

The SOHC takes the fl-820s
the ohv takes fl-1a

I believe the threads are totally different among other things.

 

oooooooooo aint that a little crazy....

 

talk about crazy the fl-820s is used on the 4.6 5.4 etc mod motor series.
Not sure why they decided to use it on the 4.0 sohc. Also, with due respect to bob I'm not sure why the antidrainback on the ranger application would be critical... the filter is mounted upside down vertically. I would think it would be more critical in a horizontal orientation.

Maybe a siphon effect?

One final note dont ever offroad in a new focus.. the oil filter is in front
of the engine and is the lowest part of the car....

 

The purpose of the anti-drain-back valve in that application is to prevent dry starts due to oil draining out of the motor.

 

if you look at the FL-1A, it got used it a lot of engines.....4.0, 302, 351, 300, 460...