I had a bypass unit on my truck for a while. I couldn't get any real advantages out of it. For most they seem to work well. I went back to normal 25,000 mile oil changes without the bypass. Wear numbers were same either way, and since I disabled the EGR on my engine, the soot levels at 25,000 without the bypass are only a couple of tenths higher than with the bypass (averaging .4 ). Couldn't seem to get any real extended drain as the TBN would go down to where I was still having to drop the oil no later than 30,000. But then I wasn't using a Gulf Coast and dumping in a few gallons of replacement oil each bypass change.
The Spinner II seems to have a pretty good following. So does the OPS-1 and, to a lesser extent, the FS-2500. The Gulf Coast claims of such things as 500,000 without an oil change is somewhat misleading. Sure you don't actually drop the oil, but you still have to replace the full flow filter once in a while, change the bypass filter on a regular basis, take an oil sample, and replace the 2-3 gallons of oil with the bypass change. So, after a few bypass filter changes you HAVE changed the oil. Heck, anyone can keep their TBN level ok adding that much oil along with any makeup oil the engine uses anyway. It does work though.
Since I do my oil services, change at 25,000 miles, get my oil and filters thru wholesale distributor (delivered free to my house), and get free oil sample kits when I buy oil, and have uses for the used motor oil I drain, It takes a substantial length of time to return the cost on a bypass unit. For me, not worth the trouble. Heck, I crawl under the truck every week anyway and grease it and check oil levels in tranny and rears. Changing the motor oil is a joke. Of course, if you are paying a shop to do the work and getting charged at their prices for oil, the return on investment would be quicker.
The only way to know if it worth it to you is to shell out the money and buy one, try it out and see if it is what it claims to be. Even if you don't get one, there is hardly anyone anymore that couldn't take their drain intervals out way beyond 10,000 miles. That is a waste just like 3000 mile oil changes in cars. I would bet that oil sampling would show, with any name brand oil, you could go out to 20,000 and beyond. I haven't done anything less than 20,000 mile oil change intervals since the early 90's. I often wonder if anyone even opens the owners manual and reads what the manufacturer recommends. They have been recommending oil change intervals of 20,000 or more for quite a few years. Oil samples verify that as well. Oh well, old habits die hard.
Last edited by Copperhead; 10-30-2009 at 05:07 AM.
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