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Clean and re-use a spin on oil filter?


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I Went to do the 250hr oil  and oil filter change on our Beta 38 ... and discover I have no oil filters. (I have two fuel filters, an air filter but not the usual couple of oil filters aboard.)

 

We're just leaving Newbury on the K&A, and both the usually well-stocked Greenham Island Marina and main motor factor place are closed until further notice, and fuel boat Ozzie doesn't stock filters (too many different types) - so no oil filters available.

 

I have enough fresh oil, and reasoned I could just drain out the old and replace with the new and re-use the old oil filter. Then I wondered about cleaning the old oil filter with white spirit, dry it well, and re-use it. 

 

Is this daft, or a good idea? Anybody else done this?

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Some people only change the filter on every other service anyway, especially if they are changing oil a bit more frequently than specified, but as RLKP said, cleaning it is a risk and likely won't achieve much anyway.

I reckon its a much lower risk than using both sides of the toilet paper ?

 

....................Dave

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Servicing on on old cars years ago was 1000 mile service, graese, lube and check all the ordinary stuff.   2000 mile service was as per 1000 m servive plus change oil but not the filter. 5000 m srevice literally everything including changing oil and filter, gearbox, and differental oil's.

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15 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Servicing on on old cars years ago was 1000 mile service, graese, lube and check all the ordinary stuff.   2000 mile service was as per 1000 m servive plus change oil but not the filter. 5000 m srevice literally everything including changing oil and filter, gearbox, and differental oil's.

Changing gearbox oil on a car, a dying art. ?

 

When I had my old VW camper I even changed the oil in the steering box.

 

..............Dave

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17 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Servicing on on old cars years ago was 1000 mile service, graese, lube and check all the ordinary stuff.   2000 mile service was as per 1000 m servive plus change oil but not the filter. 5000 m srevice literally everything including changing oil and filter, gearbox, and differental oil's.

I used to work with someone who as a young apprentice would service Rovers, probably in the early 1950's

 

A full service included repairing minor paint damage

 

Richard

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20 minutes ago, RLWP said:

I used to work with someone who as a young apprentice would service Rovers, probably in the early 1950's

 

A full service included repairing minor paint damage

 

Richard

Possibly his own damage caused by not using a cover over the front wings while working on the engine. :)

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26 minutes ago, dmr said:

Changing gearbox oil on a car, a dying art. ?

 

When I had my old VW camper I even changed the oil in the steering box.

 

..............Dave

We usuall topped them up, most of them leaked the oil through the sector shaft seal. Later cars through the rack end seals and split boots.

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When I taught dinghy sailing at a big lake run by the borough council we had the use of the Boroughs LWB Safari L/Rover. One very blustery evening many of the pupils were blown away on to the lee shore  and couuln't get off. At the time I was instructing a couple in another dinghy when the head warden called me in on the loud haler. What had happened was that another instructor had seen all the learners in the boats stuck on the lee shore, jumped into the L/Rover and drove around to assist them. Well on that side of the lake was a steep grassy bank, wet and slippery with rain. He had driven the L/Rover onto and along the side of this steep bank, Suddenly it had slipped down sideway SPLOSH!! into the lake.  I didn't know this had happend because I was sailing behind a large island.  I was recalled to try and help and drive round the with my own L/Rover. When I arrived there the borough L/Rover had sunk almost uo to its windows and was gradually keeling over in the mud.  The driver had scrambled out and clinging to the roof rack. I had parked mine on top of the bank.  I threw him a roped with which he tied to the roof rack, my end I tethered to my L/Rover, shis was to halt the one in the lake from capsizing completely.  Head warden then phoned the local farmer freind who came out promptly with a massive farm tractor. We attached its winch cable and it yanked the L/Rover out like it weighed nothing plus half the bank.

   Anyway I was booked to take a party of folk for sea sailing experience at Bradwell-On-Sea in that Boroughs L/Rover where the Borough had a couple of Wayfarer dinghies next morning,(Sunday) We worked on that Land Rover all night long, changing all oils, ect, ect , ect, and got it going and fit to travel at about 5am Sunday morning. I popped home for a couple of hours kip and food and upped and took em sailing at Bradwell.   The sequel is I hadn't drained and changed the steering box oil, this was ok until a cold freezing winter began and someone trying to move it thought the steering lock was faulty and wouldn't release. Of course it wasn't it was full of frozen lake water.

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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Really -

My SR2 genset has one and it's difficult to source.

perhaps it was a "factory option".

You often find them on industrials, rarely on marine ones

 

Are you really having trouble finding the filters?

 

Richard

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47 minutes ago, WotEver said:

The most misspelt user on CWDF...

I realised I'd done that, not a clue how as W and K are not even close on the kyebaord,

 

......................Dave

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2 hours ago, RLWP said:

If you have no filter, just put the old one back

 

I wouldn't mess around in case you get dirty from one side of the filter to the other

 

Richard

I agree.  Using solvents to clean the filter risks contaminating the clean side of the filter and since most spin on filters have a paper element it could start to damage the paper medium anyway.

 

Better to change the oil leaving the filter untouched.  If worried about it the oil and filter can be changed again when you can get one but earlier then normal.  However, I doubt it will make a lot or any difference.

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1 minute ago, dmr said:

I realised I'd done that, not a clue how as W and K are not even close on the kyebaord,

 

......................Dave

Do they have to be close to do it wrong, often the letters i use wrongly have no connection at all. I often use d instead of g and vica versa

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2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do they have to be close to do it wrong, often the letters i use wrongly have no connection at all. I often use d instead of g and vica versa

That could be a tiny bit of dyslexia, I have big trouble with b and m whenever they occur in the same word.

 

..............Dave

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