Oil Change and Bypass Oil Filter ??

[Splash]

Yes I have searched and read all the other threads but was curious about, A) going synthetic, B) length of oil change and C) the bypass oil filter.

A) If you look at my sig, you can see the mileage. How do you tell if it has synthetic and is it a good idea to change for reg oil to synthetic?

B) Depending on with oil I use, how long should the intervals be?

and

C) What is up with the bypass oil filter, for one why call it a "Bypass" oil filter if it does not bypass the oil filter but rather acts as a secondary oil filter and two are they worth the money you pay for them and the filters?

Thanks in advanced for any advice, and sorry if this is just another oil thread.

 

[hheynow]

A) If you look at my sig, you can see the mileage. How do you tell if it has synthetic and is it a good idea to change for reg oil to synthetic?

Synthetic oil is far more expensive than dino oil and those who usually run synthetic run it for an extended change interval and have a bypass filter too. They usually get a UOA (used oil analysis) after 4K so they'll know if the beneficial additives are still present.

B) Depending on which oil I use, how long should the intervals be?

With Delo I change at 4K even though I have a bypass filter. With synthetic I'd get a UOA every 4-5K and depending on the results keep running it until the additives are almost depleted...or before.

C) What is up with the bypass oil filter, for one why call it a "Bypass" oil filter if it does not bypass the oil filter but rather acts as a secondary oil filter and two are they worth the money you pay for them and the filters?

IMO yes it's worth it. A spin on filter is rated at approx 10-15??????? microns The bypass filter setup I have filters to 1 micron. It's called a bypass because it diverts a small amount of oil to the 1 micron filter then returns the clean oil to the oil pan. Over a long drive, eventually all the oil will be bypassed through the filter resulting in a much cleaner oil than a spin-on can achieve. Also, If the bypass filter should ever clog THE ENGINE WILL NEVER BE STARVED FROM OIL. If the system was not setup in a bypass fashion then the flow rate of oil would be greatly diminished due to the slower flow through the bypass filter.