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

I just lube up the seal. I've never even heard of pre-filling the oil filter and I don't see a need to start.
Maybe its an older engine thing from when they changed from cartridge to spin on canister? we always pre oiled the filter element before it went into the cartridge so sort of made sense to pre oil the canister type.
 
New oil is dirty in the container and when you fill the filter you are putting dirty oil on the clean side of the filter which goes directly into the engine, not a big deal on small capacity filters to install dry, just don’t mash the throttle on start up.
On large engines that the filters hold a gallon or more I think slightly dirty oil from a clean container is better then no oil waiting for the filters to fill up.
 
:rolleyes: Some things just don't make sense. Probably just pissed that the Patriots will suck for years to come and who gave a shit about Tampa Bay before Brady showed up. Who knew they even had a football team before Brady took over the franchise? I like the Tampon Bay Buccaneers.
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Sorry I guess I’m too technical for you, brilliant minds are hard to understand. 😹
 
New oil is dirty in the container and when you fill the filter you are putting dirty oil on the clean side of the filter which goes directly into the engine, not a big deal on small capacity filters to install dry, just don’t mash the throttle on start up.
@TheBoogieman I didn't get it either so that makes two of us. :)
 
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I like cartridge filters because they're GENERALLY cleaner and easier to deal with. Spin-ons start dripping oil as soon as they're loose - some cartridge filters do too, but some don't. If nothing else, I like being able to put a ratchet on the thing and it will come off, no matter how ham fisted the guy that installed it was! In any event, I'm glad to hear the trend appears to be away from spin-ons.

The older Mercedes Diesels had a bottom mounted cartridge filter that was easy enough to get off, but damn near impossible to get back on and have it NOT leak. Both my father and I cursed those damn things every time we did an oil change - and we both ended up paying somebody else to deal with it and we both had instances of even the mechanic screwing it up! Come 1977, Mercedes fixed it by replacing it with a top mounted cartridge setup that is the BEST damn oil filter arrangement I've ever seen, bar none. My '85 has it, my old '74 did not. Mercedes has done some bone headed things in their history, just like any other CarCo - but when they fix it, they fix it right!
I was just going to mention that on my old 1977 300D it was a top filter and was easy....along with about 9 quarts of oil for that 5 cylinder.
 
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?
 
I like cartridge filters because they're GENERALLY cleaner and easier to deal with. Spin-ons start dripping oil as soon as they're loose - some cartridge filters do too, but some don't. If nothing else, I like being able to put a ratchet on the thing and it will come off, no matter how ham fisted the guy that installed it was! In any event, I'm glad to hear the trend appears to be away from spin-ons.

The older Mercedes Diesels had a bottom mounted cartridge filter that was easy enough to get off, but damn near impossible to get back on and have it NOT leak. Both my father and I cursed those damn things every time we did an oil change - and we both ended up paying somebody else to deal with it and we both had instances of even the mechanic screwing it up! Come 1977, Mercedes fixed it by replacing it with a top mounted cartridge setup that is the BEST damn oil filter arrangement I've ever seen, bar none. My '85 has it, my old '74 did not. Mercedes has done some bone headed things in their history, just like any other CarCo - but when they fix it, they fix it right!
My VW is top mount cartridge and it's amazing. Easy access, no drips.

Impossible to pre fill, so my guess is that it just doesn't matter.
 
Yep. That top mount and top opening cartridge filter setup should be required teaching in engineering school.
I had a 83 300TD, agreed that was the best filter setup ever!!!! Somehow oil filter ease have gotten stupider over the years
 
This guy explains why he doesn’t pre-fill oil filters at 11:50

I worked on cars for a living for about 10 years, never did it, never heard about it, never had an issue over probably thousands of LOFs. This was in the late 90’s / early 2ks though so I never was concerned about comment sections.
 
I had a 83 300TD, agreed that was the best filter setup ever!!!! Somehow oil filter ease have gotten stupider over the years
That's certainly true for a lot of cars - especially since some of them now have bottom covers that have to be removed to change the filter! OTOH, the filter on the W115 bodied MBZ diesels was the worst thing ever. I did all sorts of work on that car, but - like my father before me - I ended up having someone else change that goddamn filter! I did, however, find out what the "correct" technique was. With the car on a lift (I didn't have one, and this would NOT work on the ground), you used a BFSD - as in about 4 feet long - to pry the engine over on its mounts about a half inch. Then that filter would go in no problem at all!
 
New oil is dirty in the container and when you fill the filter you are putting dirty oil on the clean side of the filter which goes directly into the engine, not a big deal on small capacity filters to install dry, just don’t mash the throttle on start up.
On large engines that the filters hold a gallon or more I think slightly dirty oil from a clean container is better then no oil waiting for the filters to fill up.

Why would NEW oil be dirty in the container?
 
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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