So no more than usual amount comes out of the filter even when you dont drain the pan? That would be helpful.

The only reason I gauge my oil by color is because I have been using the same oil for years and years. When it gets aroun 4.5-5k miles its very black, compared to the dark brown color you see at 3k miles.

Again, if the oil was costing me 100 bux a change, I may do things differently...but its not, so I dont

 

OIL

the cheapest thing that does the MOST protection!

Konig,

just unspin the filter. And have a new, pre filled filter ready to take its place

 

Il have to try it next time

 

I had the oil tested at 5k. The Mobil 1 had plenty of protection left.

 

If you're really curious about the "value" vrs "cost" of oil filters, you might do something I did about 20 years ago just for fun - and then decide whether it's worth spending the extra bucks. I used 5 different filters on both my vehicles, and saved them after I had changed oil. Then I carefully cut the filter "can" off to look at the base ring and contents "inside" the filter housing. THis was over 20 years ago, so I don't want to comment on what I saw then, as I'm sure some vendors have changed. But I will say this; 3 of the 5 looked virtually the same - same pleat style, base ring, number of pleats, pleat area, construction, etc. One of them, the AC-Delco, at the time was advertising "twice" the filtration area of all others at that time - and indeed it did have approx twice the number of pleats as all the others I had sampled. Same price as the other OEM's also. Also one filter was really cheaply constructed - entirely different from all the rest. I won't say what manufacturer it was, because after all these years they may have changed their design - but I will say it was not an OEM filter - and I never bought one of their products again. And they are still one of the major aftermarket suppliers of filters, etc. As far as changing the filter goes - I just take a strap wrench and break the filter loose with it - then let the engine run for about 20 minutes - and the filter spins off real easy by hand.