Thread:

The anatomy of an oil filter: Part One

Originally Posted by bp298

steven, no special industrial product or additives. same stuff you could get out of a can. at least back then you could. gn must be busy

Castor bean oil.

Originally Posted by gn7

Thats what happens when you don't use a quality oil like VR1

Turbines use a very specific oil. Oil quality wasn't the issue, oil contamination was.

Originally Posted by Infomaniac

Those are what we consider "good customers"

Missed your point here.

Originally Posted by gn7

Yeah I know. But David was having problems with rather large turbine due to crud and I thought I would just let him know that a really really good mineral oil doesn't require all that filtering, and may have saved the thing. Million plus in damage that a 3 dollar quart of oil might a averted.
Whats the saying? Pay now, or pay me later?

I wasn't having any problems at all, my life goes on just fine regardless. Had I been involved with their program intially, the failure wouldn't have happened. They know now and we move on from here. You are correct that you can "over filter" oil if you start removing the additive package but that doesn't happen much in industry. Again, oil quality wasn't the issue, was contamination due to a construction screw up that was over looked in their analysis program.

Originally Posted by bp298

brilliant. but with some of the nimrods today, not surprising.



roflmao... you are a laff riot sometimes...

one of our routines during outages was to pump the reservoir to the storage tank. pull all the screens and filters for cleaning. then get 2 or 3 guys in sealed suits down in the reservoir and clean. rags, and anything else, was counted going in and counted coming out. suits were inspected for any rips/tears, and nobody tore anything because they would have to go back in and find it. then a final inspection before the cover went back on. same thing with bowsers, but those were small enough that they could be completely inspected before going back together. way way way back in the day, there were industry events where idiots left rags in lines or reservoirs with very bad results later on (not where i worked). a lot of effort was put into controlling access to areas, as well as anything taken into those places. from what david's describing, people are much smarter today than they were 30 years ago, and don't need to have any knowledge of industry lessons learned over the decades...

after 6 or 10 years, we'd actually change oil. if you took a sample after a year or two of continuous running, it looked like it just came out of the can. and if i told ya what it was, your jaw might drop (maybe not). but it wasn't valvoline or pennzoil....

Yea, if it's the one I'm thinking of, I saw the damage from that failure and testified in the root cause investigation... For the new combined cycle units we're testing the oil before it goes in the machine (new oil issues have been a big problem in the last few years) and test it twice a year (I only analyze the results, we have a lab do the actual testing). The new units run a lot hotter oil inlet temps (we're looking at the why's for that right now) and the margins are way tighter.... Add to that all the experience is retiring and industry hasn't allowed enough overlap between experienced guys leaving and new guys coming in, there's big issues in Bedrock!!! You got out at the right time Bob!!!

Originally Posted by David 519

Missed your point here.

A good customer is one that brings the shop a lot of work. If it's due to their own mismanagement of their maintenance practices then it is.

Originally Posted by gn7

Castor bean oil.

chevron delo 30. lots of big blue barrels of it. those t/g's ran for over 50 years, never having an oil/bearing issue. and these were westinghouse units with no seperate system. (i'm guessing you know the difference between W and GE turb control designs? everything else is just a clone with minor variations).

Originally Posted by David 519

Turbines use a very specific oil. Oil quality wasn't the issue, oil contamination was.

Yea, if it's the one I'm thinking of, I saw the damage from that failure and testified in the root cause investigation... For the new combined cycle units we're testing the oil before it goes in the machine (new oil issues have been a big problem in the last few years) and test it twice a year (I only analyze the results, we have a lab do the actual testing). The new units run a lot hotter oil inlet temps (we're looking at the why's for that right now) and the margins are way tighter.... Add to that all the experience is retiring and industry hasn't allowed enough overlap between experienced guys leaving and new guys coming in, there's big issues in Bedrock!!! You got out at the right time Bob!!!

david, i really don't know what oils people are using today. i remember about 15 years ago, some people thinking we should be using synthetics because it would be way better - even add graphite, or whatever. while all that stuff could be better, a lot of us were satisfied with the track record the old stuff gave us. gotta remember, i operated with bailey pneumatics. when there was very little in the way of aftermarket upgrades. hell, we ran for 20 years after they quit making parts for the junk. they were finicky, but you could trust 'em. watched lots of "better mousetrap" salesmen come and go, dealt with a LOT of changes to newer technology. no question, combined cycle units are great, but with all the "newer better" salesman stuff going in and out the door, potential problems could be hazardous and nobody asks the right questions.

example. we were talked into converting over to an e/p control system since our old junk was, well, old junk. yeah, this is just perfect, works great. except when it doesn't. then, one night at 0 dark thirty, you're just sitting there at 5% power. and you're main gas control valve decides to fly wide open for absolutely no reason. it's just not possible to explain what people go through with that kind of shit. it's just a good thing we weren't allowed to have guns. we went through similar crap, on and off, for 2 years before our resident brain surgeon realized we didn't have a sufficient dedicated ground for the system.

an engineer escorts some salesman through the plant one day, then stops to explain to the CO working for me that he's got a super whamodyne electronic valve that can automatically blow down our service/instrument air receivers however often we program it to activate, so we wouldn't have to rely on that aux op to do it. i could hear the laughter all the way down in the foreman's office. what could possibly go wrong with that? it could never stick open could it? ono, that could never happen... thanks. goodbye... over the years, we had people install stuff, walk out the door leaving us no procedures and instructions - just go figure it out. aahhh, the good 'ol daze.

maintaining oil temp right on the mark was pretty important for a variety of reasons. of course, one of those reasons would be to not have any need for your services... i'd be looking really really hard at the ccw system. the main outlet valves on ours were never open - we maintained temps with a 2" bypass. i'd also look at any possible air entrapment on the ccw side. on any of the older design stuff, ccw was always overkill...

Anyone buy any new oil filters yet?


S CP

Originally Posted by Sleeper CP

Anyone buy any new oil filters yet?


S CP

Absolutely! Baldwins - all around for my Duramax at the recommendation of this thread. Thank you sir!

Originally Posted by Sleeper CP

Anyone buy any new oil filters yet?


S CP

Sleeper, any reason why the NASCAR-size filters weren't included in this thread? (if they were and I missed it, I apologise)
Check out the dimensions of this filter:

WIX Filters 57003R : WIX Performance Oil Filter - Remote Mount - 6.210" Height x 4.600" Diameter - 1-1/2"-12 Thread - 18-

cp or gn7 what do you guys think about using big truck style filters ( baldwin strd b99 or hy ef b7299) on a remote bracket. these filters are about 6" in diameter and 12" tall, with an 1 1/2-16 thread.

Probabaly due to the price alone: $26 !!!! for this -
Wix Racing oil filters utilize "glass enhanced" cellulose media, which enhances their ability to capture particles as small as 10-12 microns, removing up to 94% more dirt than traditional filters. Many filters include built-in bypasses to maintain oil pressure even under heavily clogged conditions.Pit Stop USA offers WIX Performance Oil Filter - Remote Mount - 6.210" Height x 4.600" Diameter - 1-1/2"-12 Thread - 18- 57003R at low everyday prices. Be sure to check out all of our products from Wix Filters including Wix Filters Racing Oil Filters.

When a Baldwin at $7 can do this:

Filter Media

The media that we offer in the Baldwin B6 will help you maintain cleaner fluids while saving money. we know that the best way to achieve both of those goals is by using Cellulose filter elements. Our Cellulose filters are built with quality organic material that is ideal for all of your low pressure applications and that require a filtration rating between 15 to 40 microns.

Filter Seal

Have you ever had to cold-start your equipment? If yes, then a Buna O-ring is an excellent choice for your filter. Buna O-rings provide superior resistance to tear and abrasion during those cold-flow applications and they are the perfect ring when you decide to marry that cold-flow with petroleum products. Buna O-rings are recommenced for: General purpose sealing Petroleum oils and fluids Cold Water Silicone greases and oils Di-ester base lubricants (MIL-L-7808) Ethylene glycol base fluids (Hydrolubes) Operating temperature -45°f to 225°f A Word on Quality We insist on providing our customers with the highest quality of filtration products. As a result, all of our replacement elements are manufactured right here in the United States, under the most rigorous quality standards. Additionally, all of our filter elements carry six ISO Standards and we fully guarantee all of our products.

Also check this great deal on Baldwins:
Case of 12 Baldwin B6 Full-Flow Lube Spin-on*::*Baldwin Filters*::*Filter Buyers Club

Originally Posted by Reservoir Dog

cp or gn7 what do you guys think about using big truck style filters ( baldwin strd b99 or hy ef b7299) on a remote bracket. these filters are about 6" in diameter and 12" tall, with an 1 1/2-16 thread.

The tall filters are great with the remote lines and extra volume I'd run a hi-volume oil pump to insure the psi stays up.

S CP

Originally Posted by steelcomp

Sleeper, any reason why the NASCAR-size filters weren't included in this thread? (if they were and I missed it, I apologise)
Check out the dimensions of this filter:

WIX Filters 57003R : WIX Performance Oil Filter - Remote Mount - 6.210" Height x 4.600" Diameter - 1-1/2"-12 Thread - 18-

Sure send me one and I'll cut it for you.



S CP