FYI Do you pre fill your oil filter when changing the oil?? Is it a mistake??

[Joe Hogan]

Well this is an interesting topic for us nerds.... but there are some valid points to filling the oil filter using the holes that ring the outer edge "dirty side" of the filter rather than the big (convenient) hole in the center ...

Warning: Prefilling An Oil Filter Can Be Dangerous To Your Engine

Soon after I bought my first Dodge-Cummins and joined TDR someone started a thread that contained a very valuable tip/warning that may have prevented...

www.turbodieselregister.com

 

[Buly]

I do using the peripheral holes. Not the center one.

 

[sanda]

It's fine unless your filter lays horizontal.

 

[AbdRahim]

Hmm!. I have never filled the oil filter at all. I have thought about it. I letit fill from the engine. I have been doing it that way for 48 years. Never had a problem.

 

[Orrin]

Watch the big rig mechanics do it. They just fill it and don't worry about where. None of us will ever wear out the engine anyway, we spend to much time on this forum!!

 

[Jabber Jaw]

I have filled using "all" the holes, including the middle!
As I've gotten older, I don't fill it full, as I tend to wobble & spill it as I go to attach it!

 

[Joe Hogan]

This is a great question. In my opinion unless the engine is “dry”, as in fresh rebuild, I now just install a new filter empty.
If you choose to fill the filter use the small holes around the edges. This oil will go through the filter element.
The oil in the large hole in the center will go straight to the engine internals. Typically not a big deal unless bits of the sealing foil finds it way into the large hole.
Look it up on the internet.
People and dealers claim that they have toasted engines because that foil, even a small bit, finds its way to the wrong place.