# 1.4T Bypass Filtration



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

In case none of you have ever heard of bypass filtration, it is very common with semi trucks, diesel pickup trucks, and high-mileage courier trucks and vans. The system consists of an additional filter with oil lines that is hooked up to the vehicle usually upstream of the full-flow oil filter. The idea behind bypass filters is that they filter 10% of the oil moving through the oil pump, but they filter particles less than 1 micron in size. At cruising RPMs, they will filter all of the oil every 10 minutes. 

Your typical full-flow filter somewhere around 98% absolute of particles 20 microns or larger. The efficiency drops sharply the smaller you go from there. Bypass filters filter above 98% absolute at 2 microns and will filter particles down to 0.5 microns at lower efficiency. In our cars, the change interval would be one Bypass filter for every 4 full-flow filters. In my case, this would be once every 2 years. 

Total cost is $175 for the kit plus EABP90 filter at wholesale price, which is what anyone would ever pay for this considering I've been sponsoring wholesale accounts. This will have the added benefit of significantly extending oil drain intervals. 

Here's a quick overview of how this was installed in a 2008 Malibu:
http://www.amsoil.com/bypassfilters/2008_Malibu_Weber.pdf

One added benefit to bypass filtration systems is the increased oil capacity. In our cars, a bypass filter would add 1, 1.5. or 2.0 quarts to our total capacity, depending on the filter size. I'll be going with the smallest one, the EABP90. 

In any case, here's the bypas kit:
AMSOIL Single Remote Bypass Filtration Kit.

Bypass Filters:
AMSOIL EA Bypass Filters

A list of installs:
By-Pass Filter Installations

Installation is something I'm going to try to tackle in the next month or two. I hope to have a bypass filtration system installed by the Lordstown meet. The basic principle is that you run a T-fitting where the oil pressure sender is located as the supply line, and drill a hole in your oil fill cap for the return line. The 2008 Malibu install was set up that way. 

Since I'm sure this will come up, the question of how necessary or beneficial these bypass filtration systems are really depends on how disposable you think your vehicle is, how well you understand the function and behavior of engine oil during operation, and how well you understand the reason why oil is ever changed in the first place. In the scope of cost, you're looking at $175.50 plus tax and shipping (I would give anyone interested a preferred account) for the kit plus filter, plus one or two fittings.

Feel free to discuss. I'll post updates as I have them.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Alright, made some progress. This will be a piece of cake. The only challenge now is finding a place to put this filter. Still not sure if I want to go with the 6" or the 8" filter. The 6" adds 1 quart of capacity and the 8" adds 1.5 quarts. More oil capacity is good though. If I went with the 8" filter, I'd fill an entire 6 quarts every oil change. Should make the oil last longer too. The kit adds another 2". I'll have to do some measuring in the engine bay. 

In any case, this fitting is needed to use the oil cap for the return line as shown in the example with the 2008 Malibu.

ASMOIL EABP-89 Filler Cap Return Fitting

The oil pressure sender is located here:


----------



## brianguy1979 (Jun 17, 2012)

Excellent write up here Andrei! (as always) I can't wait for the complete write up with part numbers, install pics and complete directions. My Cruze will benefit greatly with this setup!


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

brianguy1979 said:


> Excellent write up here Andrei! (as always) I can't wait for the complete write up with part numbers, install pics and complete directions. My Cruze will benefit greatly with this setup!


At 4,000 miles a month, most definitely! I have the parts ordered. I will let you know as soon as I can begin the install.


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Initial thoughts/questions based on the links you provided.

1. How do you throttle/control the amount of oil going through the bypass filter? Is there a restrictor in the supply line? If so, is this a "one-size-fits-all" restrictor, or is it sized based on application specific oil flow? Every drop of oil going through the bypass filter is a drop of oil not being supplied to the engine, this needs to be regulated somehow.

2. Assuming #1 is in check and 10% of the oil supply goes through the filter, this means oil supply to the engine is reduced by 10%. In the case of the Cruze, the Variable displacement oil pump will be required to pump 10% more oil to maintain lower crank case pressure (oil pump displacement is regulated by oil pressure). At low RPM and with oil at operating temperature (where oil pump displacement is at its maximum), the oil pump could potentially fail to supply adequate flow (pressure).

I'm not completely poo-pooing the idea as it obviously is in place on industrial applications (heavy trucks, etc.), but I would want FIRM CONCRETE ANSWERS to the above before considering putting it on a small four cylinder like ours. The Variable displacement oil pump in this engine has been Engineered to operate very efficiently and within a very tight window. Tampering with that window could compromise oil supply to the engine.

I would advise the first installation of this device take place with an oil pressure/temperature gauges installed, and that as much of a scientific approach be taken as possible with regards to capturing oil pressure/temperature data BEFORE the modification is completed and again AFTER the modification is completed, and that every effort be made to ensure consistent results before and after. The type of oil and its viscosity properties will also affect the data, so this should be done with relatively "virgin" oil of known properties.

This data should show an oil pressure/temperature/engine RPM relationship with the oil at a high operating temperature. The variable displacement pump should keep crankcase oil pressure fairly consistent across a wide range of engine speeds, below which the oil pressure will gradually fall and above which the oil pressure will gradually build until the pump's internal bypass valve opens to limit maximum pressure. This behaviour should be completely understood and well documented with a virgin oil of known properties so that the impact of the bypass system can be accurately determined afterwards. Knowing the absolute minimum oil pressure spec for the engine would be extremely helpful as well.

Bigger/older/less efficient industrial equipment is more likely to have an excess of oil flow from which to tap this extra filtration stream. The 1.4T in the Cruze, and any modern engine with a Variable Displacement oil pump for that matter, has been optimised to have the minimum possible oil flow while maintaining adequate pressure in order to increase efficiency... more oil flow means more power used to pump oil, and much effort is going into reducing these sources of wasted energy usage.

*Properly implemented this system could work great. The key is to make sure the implementation is done correctly. * For all we know, the maximum oil flow available without compromising the engine could be less than 10%, and we need to know what 100% is before we can judge what % we're tapping for the bypass system. Even if that's the case this bypass filter should still work well, it would just need to be set up to flow less and would therefore take a little longer to filter the full sump capacity.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> Initial thoughts/questions based on the links you provided.
> 
> 1. How do you throttle/control the amount of oil going through the bypass filter? Is there a restrictor in the supply line? If so, is this a "one-size-fits-all" restrictor, or is it sized based on application specific oil flow? Every drop of oil going through the bypass filter is a drop of oil not being supplied to the engine, this needs to be regulated somehow.
> 
> ...


That was my biggest concern, and I did the research on this prior to moving through with it and ordering the filtration system. I called up AMSOIL on this specifically as well and they said that this is a variable displacement oil pump that provides oil flow based on how much _pressure _is required. Since 10-15% of the flow will be going through the bypass filter, the pump will compensate and allow more oil to flow to maintain the pressure it needs to see. AMSOIL has assured me that this is entirely safe to install on these vehicles as there is ample headroom to compensate for such a minimal change in flow. 

These particular bypass systems have a restriction orifice inside the filter adapter to minimize the amount of flow going through the filter. I'll see if I can read oil pressure with my Torque app.


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> These particular bypass systems have a restriction orifice inside the filter adapter to minimize the amount of flow going through the filter. I'll see if I can read oil pressure with my Torque app.


And I see that another Amsoil bypass system for larger engines states this right in the initial product description:

https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-prod...d-oil-bypass-system/?page=/storefront/bf.aspx

My concern is that the smaller filter you've linked to:

AMSOIL Single Remote Bypass Kit

...is rated for all three HD diesel truck applications. These engines are up to 4.8x the displacement of our little turbo engines and will have MUCH higher oil pump flow rates than ours. If the restrictor in the filter is designed to allow 10% of the oil in one of those engines to pass, it will allow much more than 10% of the oil to pass in our applications.

Pushing things further, the oil we use is a 30 weight. Many diesel applications use a 40 weight which is thicker, and for a given pressure will flow less through a restrictor. Our thinner 30 weight oils will flow through that same restrictor at a higher rate.

Once again, with an _application specific _restrictor this should work fine. I would think twice about installing a system optimised for use on a 6.7L engine. At the very least, collecting data as I suggested earlier should be done to make sure you're not pulling too much oil from the engine's supply. Yes, the variable pump will compensate but it can only flow so much oil. Bypassing a significan amount of its flow will change it's safe operating window. Proceed with caution and use oil pressure/temperature gauges before and after to make sure you're safe.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> And I see that another Amsoil bypass system for larger engines states this right in the initial product description:
> 
> https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-prod...d-oil-bypass-system/?page=/storefront/bf.aspx
> 
> ...


All of the new GM gas truck engines for which these are also recommended use 20 weight oils. The small filter is rated for up to 9 quarts sump capacity. 

The application is specifically labeled for pleasure vehicles, light trucks, and smaller commercial applications. 

While I don't presume to jump into something blindly, I trust AMSOIL's recommendations here. They have published consumer instructions for installation of this exact kit in a 4-cyl Malibu, a Honda insight 1L hybrid, a VW TDI, a Camry 2.4L, and a BMW 325i, just to name a few small engine examples. 

Sent from mobile.


----------



## SunnyinHollister (Mar 17, 2011)

One could always install an oil pressure gauge and take some before readings with the oil up to temp and compare them to some post install readings at the same oil temp/load/rpm. In most cases there is no problem installing a bypass filter, but with the variable displacement oil pump on the Cruze, I would proceed with caution. Although Amsoil documentation does say it is OK for small engines, I think they came out with that before the advent of variable displacement oil pumps. Run it by Amsoil and specifically ask about the variable displacement oil pump and see what they have to say. I would still take some readings regardless.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

SunnyinHollister said:


> One could always install an oil pressure gauge and take some before readings with the oil up to temp and compare them to some post install readings at the same oil temp/load/rpm. In most cases there is no problem installing a bypass filter, but with the variable displacement oil pump on the Cruze, I would proceed with caution. Although Amsoil documentation does say it is OK for small engines, I think they came out with that before the advent of variable displacement oil pumps. Run it by Amsoil and specifically ask about the variable displacement oil pump and see what they have to say. I would still take some readings regardless.


I answered this in a previous post, lol. I called AMSOIL before my purchase and before the creation of this thread and had a good discussion about these bypass filtration systems with variable displacement oil pumps. They've researched the issue and have given me the affirmative "good to go" on installing this in my vehicle, noting that the pump is perfectly capable of maintaining oil pressure with a 10-15% increase in flow. I did ask specifically about the 1.4T and they said you're good to go.

Comparing the oil pressure readings is difficult. I asked Sunline Fan, who has an oil pressure gauge, and his response was: "65-80 when cold. Drops to 20 at idle when warm. When just running and warm, 40-60."


----------



## SunnyinHollister (Mar 17, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I answered this in a previous post, lol. I called AMSOIL before my purchase and before the creation of this thread and had a good discussion about these bypass filtration systems with variable displacement oil pumps. They've researched the issue and have given me the affirmative "good to go" on installing this in my vehicle, noting that the pump is perfectly capable of maintaining oil pressure with a 10-15% increase in flow. I did ask specifically about the 1.4T and they said you're good to go.
> 
> Comparing the oil pressure readings is difficult. I asked Sunline Fan, who has an oil pressure gauge, and his response was: "65-80 when cold. Drops to 20 at idle when warm. When just running and warm, 40-60."


I missed your post when I skimmed through it, my bad. Oil pressure readings are difficult to duplicate, but not impossible. The Amsoil bypass mount that I had a few years ago had a drilled pipe plug as the restricted orifice so changing it to a smaller size is not impossible if needed.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

For anyone who hasn't seen one of these before, here's just how enormous these filters are next to a gallon jug of oil. Keep in mind this is the smallest filter.


----------



## Diesel Dan (May 18, 2013)

There was a guy running Amsoil and a dual bypass on his Dodge/Cummins some years ago and went 220K miles on the oil change. He had to change it due to fuel dilution from a leaking transfer(lift) pump.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Diesel Dan said:


> There was a guy running Amsoil and a dual bypass on his Dodge/Cummins some years ago and went 220K miles on the oil change. He had to change it due to fuel dilution from a leaking transfer(lift) pump.


Just so I understand you, he went 220k miles on the same oil? That's incredible.


----------



## Diesel Dan (May 18, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Just so I understand you, he went 220k miles on the same oil? That's incredible.


Yup, just topped it off when changing the filters. Have to assume that is what kept the additive packages up. He did routine sampling and that is what caught the fuel dilution early on.


----------



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Diesel Dan said:


> Yup, just topped it off when changing the filters. Have to assume that is what kept the additive packages up. He did routine sampling and that is what caught the fuel dilution early on.


Sounds like the routine sampling was his replacement for an oil change, but far cheaper, and routine sampling has the added benefit of catching problems before they cause damage, which a simple oil change won't. If he ran a double bypass with one EAO and one EABP filter, the EABP would hold 1-2 quarts depending on the model and the EAO would hold about another quart as well. Cheap way to maintain a vehicle if you ask me. As long as the oil is in spec and you keep it clean (and 98%+ at 2 microns, with measurable filtration down to 0.5 microns meets that criteria), the only thing that will deplete is the additive package, and those conditions usually merit a 35k interval anyway on AMSOIL. 

In diesels, the EABP filters double up as soot control filters. That goes a long way. Makes me wonder what I could do with this setup in this car. I should have ordered the optional quick sampling petcock valve.

Sent from mobile.


----------

