oiling · FF-0185

Why does Ed leave the original oil filter off a Flathead?

Ed says the original oil filter is not a pressurized filter. A small hole in its brass fitting lets it filter only maybe 5 percent of the oil, and the filter can simply drains back to the oil pan with no pressure. If the engine sits for a while, the quart or so of oil in the filter can drain to the pan and has to fill up again at the next start. He does not think it is worth fitting and prefers to change the oil a little more often.

Expert

Ed Smith

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

original bypass oil filter

Applicable scope

1949–1953 Ford Flathead V8 with a Mercury crank, built for a 1949 half-ton panel truck