A bypass oil filter works by diverting part of your oil flow through a
filter that's set-up to trap very fine particles. They works great in
diesels because of the soot diesels generate but are useless in a gasoline
burner. Gas burners just don't generate the heavy load of very fine
particles that diesels produce.

Mercedes ran a bypass filter in their diesels at least from the early 60's,
maybe earlier. Their newer bypass & main filters (~1976 & on) are made into
one cartridge, with the bypass part in the top and the full flow in the
bottom. If you own a VW and it's a diesel and it has a similar type filter
then you are already running a bypass filter. I'm not familiar with VW
diesels so I don't know if they used the same system.

Before 1976, Mercedes ran a bypass & main filter. The main filter was a
filter screen that was cleaned with kerosene & reused. I lost count of the
cars I worked on that had the main filter missing. Owners would change their
own oil and throw them out! Problem was, the bypass filter cartridge & main
filter were part of a stack-up and without the main filter in place, you
were getting no filtration at all!

Thanks,
Tom Hargrave
256-656-1924

Our Web Sites:
www.kegkits.com
www.stir-plate.com
www.andyshotsauce.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Old Volks Home
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2009 11:18 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Bypass oil filter

And why would anyone use a bypass oil filter when both air and waterboxer
Vanagons have full-flow oil filtration?  Just curious......
--
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
***********************************
On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 4:49 AM, William Greenamyer
<greenamyer@yahoo.com>wrote:

> Anyone still using a bypass oil filter on their van?
>
> William
>