Do I need to fill the oil filter with oil first before installation?

warren23 said:
I was taught (forty years ago) to always oil the rubber seal to aid in installation. Never any comments of prefilling the filter itself.
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I have heard people suggest filling the filter but I never do it. I always lube the rubber seal tho. It helps prevent the seal from getting distorted when installing the filter.
 
Two cents based on the industry I'm in. I work with industrial engine manufacturers. Everything from a 1.5L 4cyl to a 75L 16cyl engine. All the manufacturers unanimously agree that a dry filter install is preferred and they design the engine for it. The only exception being extreme duty engines that have 3-10 oil filters. A lot of the manufacturers I work with design their filters in a vertical design or canister so it drains back to the pan for fast and clean filter changes as there is no oil in the filter after about 20 minutes. This means it starts every time without oil in the filter. Are you doing something wrong by prefilling? Not at all, but it is an extra step. It's up to you.
 
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theebaytj said:
Two cents based on the industry I'm in. I work with industrial engine manufacturers. Everything from a 1.5L 4cyl to a 75L 16cyl engine. All the manufacturers unanimously agree that a dry filter install is preferred and they design the engine for it. The only exception being extreme duty engines that have 3-10 oil filters. A lot of the manufacturers I work with design their filters in a vertical design or canister so it drains back to the pan for fast and clean filter changes as there is no oil in the filter after about 20 minutes. This means it starts every time without oil in the filter. Are you doing something wrong by prefilling? Not at all, but it is an extra step. It's up to you.
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Just don't work with "Dogs"! ;)

Funny you should mention the rapid drainback in the vertical canisters - my old MBZ is the same way. In fact, you can fill the engine oil through the canister (with its top off)! Can't pre-fill the filter if you try. But - for whatever reason - I've always at least partially pre-filled spin-ons. Inertia I guess - dad did it that way, blah, blah, blah...
 
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TJRick said:
Why would NEW oil be dirty in the container?
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Not dirty like used oil but it can have larger particles in it, there is not much room between a crankshaft journal and the bearing and the particles can cause damage to the bearings, the engine oil filter will remove these. We have sent new oil out to be analyzed and it came back bad with high particulate count.
 
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Jodh said:
When I pour the fresh oil in the top of the engine amd it makes its way down to the oil pan, am I not introducing the dirty oil into the engine?
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Filling the engine does not send oil to the critical parts, the oil pump picks up the oil from the pan and sends it through the oil filter to clean it before it goes to the crankshaft and camshaft for lubrication.
 
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The filter runs in bypass when you start the engine cold, oil doesn't pass through the filter at all. I don't know where people got the idea that our filter gets everything on the first pass, it doesn't. In very cold climates it can run in bypass for a long time before it starts to do anything, it's not a big deal.
 
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