2000 Ford Superduty
7.3 liter Diesel Engine
Lube Oil Bypass Filtration


I feel that the cleaner I keep my lube oil, the longer my engine will last.

To accomplish this, I have installed a bypass filtration system similar to that used on OTR trucks.  I chose to go with a Baldwin filter system, as they are among the very top tier of filter manufacturers, and they have been providing these for decades.

Click on them to enlarge most photos.



Parts

From FleetPride ( www.fleetpride.com )

1 ea - OB1305 Baldwin filter base, $24.89
1 ea - B164 Baldwin filter, $7.87
Above not including tax:   $32.76

From a local steel fabricator:
4-1/2" long piece of steel 2"x4", 1/8" wall "tubing"
I think it was  $5.00

Hardware store:
Grade 8 bolts, nuts, washers as appropriate
Teflon thread-sealant tape
6" rubber fuel hose
Wire ties

From Local Hydraulic shop, Orme Bros. - Northridge, CA
7-1/2 ft Aeroquip #FC-807-04   Teflon hose, stainless braiding
3 ea Aeroquip #FC8779-0404S   straight crimp fittings
1 ea Aeroquip #FC4098-0404S   90-degree crimp fitting
4 ea Aeroquip #FC3596-04S   crimp sleeves
2 ea Aeroquip #2021-2-4S   flared, straight adapters
1 ea Aeroquip #2021-6-4S   flared, straight adapter
1 ea Aeroquip #2024-2-4S   flared, 90-degree adapter
6 ft plastic wire loom (1/2" or so)
Total, (including assembly charge of $12.00)    $57.63
(Like everything else, their prices have likely gone up.)

One hose is 40", the other is 46". The 46" one is the one with the 90-degree on one end.



Where I Mounted It

click to enlarge
any photo

This clean, black location is the left-side frame rail just forward of the transmission cross-member. This is where I mounted the bypass filter bracket, using the two existing frame holes shown circled with chalk just under the parking brake cable. Note the black CCV hose above the cable passing by on its way to the rear.



Mounting Bracket

It's made of a 4-1/2 inch long piece of 2" x 4" tube stock of 1/8" thick wall.



Drilling the Frame-side Holes

This is where I drilled the holes that mount this to the frame.



Drilling the Filter-side Holes

These holes are drilled 21/64" for 5/16" bolts. Note the hole pattern is twisted about five degrees counter-clockwise. This is due to the frame rail being at that angle at the mounting location. It avoids water collecting inside the tubing while allowing the filter to mount vertically. To this mounts the Baldwin OB1305 bypass filter base.



Attaching the Lines

This is where to attach the purchased adapters and hydraulic lines to the engine. When routed, use the plastic wire loom to cover the lines for additional abrasion resistance.



Restriction

There is no need for a flow restriction to prevent pressure loss, as the Baldwin (and Fleetguard) filters have a built-in restrictor hole.



The Finished Product

 

 

 

This is how it looks installed. Notice the parking brake cable and CCV hose pass through the bracket. There is a short section of small fuel line covering the cable for abrasion and rattle resistance. It hangs a little low, but not below the transmission cross-member. Turning it 90 degrees is not a good option, though, as these filters should be always mounted base-up if at all possible. The lines are teflon, #4 size, stainless braided, high pressure. The pressure line is 40 inches, the return is 46 inches.

For those that take their trucks off-road, and are concerned about maximizing ground clearance, there are two shorter Baldwin filters that also perform this function: the Baldwin B50, at 5-3/8 inches high, which is two inches shorter than the B164, and the Baldwin BT341, at 4-3/8 inches high, which is three inches shorter than the original.



Does it Work?

For those that would suggest that the B164's filtration ability is not up to that of "another manufacturer", I offer the following:

On 26 JAN 09, I had a chat with the guy that runs Applications Engineering for Baldwin. Some things I was told:

The B7039 full-flow for the 7.3 is rated at 25 microns, absolute.

The B164 bypass is rated at 15 microns absolute, and that translates to 3-5 microns nominal.

Anything less than 4 microns is, for all intents and purposes, unable to be measured.

Baldwin does not participate in the Micron Wars, but their performance reputation speaks for itself.

Though they no longer have the business of another company "that is more about marketing than testing", he assured me that there was a time that any differences in rated filtration ability would be caused by the paint color ONLY, as beneath that they were IDENTICAL. At the time, that other company was claiming 2 microns for theirs. That other company now has their filters vended to them by "another reputable manufacturer".

Draw your own conclusions.

Here are a few recent Blackstone Labs reports.  Note the "Comments" sections of them.

Report #1

Report #2

Report #3



SpringerPop's F350 Page

write: SpringerPop

Last updated11/30/09