Oil Filters

[celticdog]

It's time to change the oil, what's the verdict on pattern oil filters- are they any good?
I'd a bad experience with a stuck filter on a Kawasaki once and had to give it the screwdriver treatment. Yamaha filters, are a bit steep at almost £15 a pop! Are the Hiflo filters any good? You can pick them up for a fiver, and the K&N filters for around £10.
Anyone had any bad experiences with any of them?

[Tiercel]

Ive always just used halfords own brand ones on my cars, cheap and do the trick! Not sure if they do own brand bike oil filters.


 K&N are renowned for being pretty good at everything so I cant imagine there would be anything wrong with using them! Never heard of hiflo. I'd be tempted by K&N purely because of the nice design they use of welding a nut onto the end of them to get a spanner around! Why dont all oil filters do this? So much easier than using a stupid strap wrench or screwdriver method

[bandit]

Halfords use to do Champion F307 filter to fit.

[fazersharp]

I always use yam ones, after all its just about all I spend on the bike apart from fuel

[Frosties]

I've used Hi Flo on the Fazer and Tiger for years. How can you tell if an oil filter is doing it's job or not - hence me buying them on price 'cos they are filthy when i change them.

[Val]

I've used Hi Flo on the Fazer and Tiger for years. How can you tell if an oil filter is doing it's job or not - hence me buying them on price 'cos they are filthy when i change them.

Me too Hi Flo all the time. It is a filter. It filters fine. Why do you want to pay more?

[darrsi]

I always used to speak highly of the K&N filters due to the handy nut on the end, until i tried to undo one during a filter change and it rounded off like marzipan, and was also not any particular size, i couldn't get any socket to fit it properly so had to rely on the trustee chain wrench which never fails.
Apart from that minor gripe the filter did it's job okay.
Some people have been known to tape small magnets on oil filters to attract metal particles and stop them from circulating back into the engine.

[fazersharp]

I
Some people have been known to tape small magnets on oil filters to attract metal particles and stop them from circulating back into the engine.

I thought that is what the filter was for in the first place

[darrsi]

I
Some people have been known to tape small magnets on oil filters to attract metal particles and stop them from circulating back into the engine.

I thought that is what the filter was for in the first place

Yeah of course, i'm not sure how much more the bike could benefit but it certainly won't harm anything. We're talking about miniscule particles.
It's not something i've ever felt the need to do anyway.

[fazersharp]

Now the sump bolt magnet on the other hand may well be of better use. But have never used one myself and worry a bit about the magnet falling off in the sump

[darrsi]

Now the sump bolt magnet on the other hand may well be of better use. But have never used one myself and worry a bit about the magnet falling off in the sump

I would imagine it's been designed for that to simply not be able to happen.

[Deefer666]

I have been using Hi-Flo oil filters for years and have literally fitted 100's of them, I've never had a problem with them.... I have had customers specify K&N oil filters which IMHO is a waste of money as they are no better, yes they have the nut on the end for unwinding it but as mentioned they are only spot welded on and 9 times out of 10 the nut will just snap off.

KN air filters I understand that they are more expensive because they are re-usable, but an oil filter is designed to be removed and binned so why pay more? as its going in the bin at the next service.

[YamFazFan]

Now the sump bolt magnet on the other hand may well be of better use. But have never used one myself and worry a bit about the magnet falling off in the sump

Would it be able to do any damage even if it did come off in the sump?. Not sure, but on a similar theme I had a car a while ago that had a plastic/nylon tip on the dipstick. The tube down to the sump had a couple of twists/turns in it and one day I actually heard the tip snap off way down in the tube .
Went to the garage to ask them about it and they said don't worry, put a new dipstick in, it will push the broken bit into the sump where it can stay without harm because it can't get past the oil strainer pick-up. Don't know if this would apply to other cars though.

[fazersharp]

Now the sump bolt magnet on the other hand may well be of better use. But have never used one myself and worry a bit about the magnet falling off in the sump

Would it be able to do any damage even if it did come off in the sump?. Not sure, but on a similar theme I had a car a while ago that had a plastic/nylon tip on the dipstick. The tube down to the sump had a couple of twists/turns in it and one day I actually heard the tip snap off way down in the tube .
Went to the garage to ask them about it and they said don't worry, put a new dipstick in, it will push the broken bit into the sump where it can stay without harm because it can't get past the oil strainer pick-up. Don't know if this would apply to other cars though.

Thinking about it - if id did come off then it would not go anywhere as it is a magnet and would stay stuck to the steel bolt.

And yes I have the very same dipstick design and am very weary when pushing it in and out and I let it twist its way down how it wants to, when I pull it out it is still bent to the path
 it takes

[YamFazFan]

The garage told me that the constant heating/cooling weakens the tip and eventually leads to the breakage away from the wire of the dipstick when it negotiates the bend in the tube. Seems a daft design to me when most other dipsticks have a metal end.

[crickleymal]

I use HiFlo or whatever the local bike shop sells me. I never spend much more than a fiver  but I do change the filter every 5k.

[mtread]

Now the sump bolt magnet on the other hand may well be of better use. But have never used one myself and worry a bit about the magnet falling off in the sump

I've had one of these on my Fazer and my Speed Triple for years. Deep embedded in the bolt, so don't look like they will ever come off. Worthwhile in my opinion. Always a film of gloop attached to them.

I always use yam ones, after all its just about all I spend on the bike apart from fuel

And Oil I hope ! 

[fazersharp]

And oil and other things but it was just a point I was making, £5 / £10 cheaper for a pattern one against a yam one not really worth saving

[mtread]

I know  And I agree. Mine costs sod all to run as well, so don't scrimp 

[unfazed]

I would always use Hi-Flo or OEM. Read somewhere that HI-Flo make the oil filters for K&N.

[celticdog]

I would always use Hi-Flo or OEM. Read somewhere that HI-Flo make the oil filters for K&N.

That makes perfect sense Unfazed. They spot weld a pressed nut on the end then double it's price, typical K&N. 

[darrsi]

I've just read somewhere that it's 'Champion' that makes their oil filters, which is an old trusted brand anyway.


I believe they make Wonder Horses as well. 

[midden]

I use champions from halfords on every second oil change 

[Jules-C]

I would always use Hi-Flo or OEM. Read somewhere that HI-Flo make the oil filters for K&N.

Hi-Flo do "Racing" filters in some sizes with a nut welded on the  top. Sounds familiar!

[darrsi]

I would always use Hi-Flo or OEM. Read somewhere that HI-Flo make the oil filters for K&N.

Hi-Flo do "Racing" filters in some sizes with a nut welded on the  top. Sounds familiar!

The end nut is hit or miss as i found out over the years, invest in a chain wrench and you'll never have any grief getting the thing off, regardless of make.
The trick is putting oil around the rubber seal then just nipping it up, no need at all to really tighten it in a big way, as you really will regret it later.
If it leaks, which is highly unlikely, then nip it up a tad more.