Any benefit to changing just the oil filter?

[wufai]

hmm... Interesting, but have you ever changed an oil filter before? the filter is usually located at the bottom of the engine, and requires you to completly remove the oil first before you can remove the filter.

unless you want to refill your engine with used oil. I won't recommand it since oil is not that expensive anyways. I would rather change both more frequently.

[Yaristeve]

Originally Posted by wufai

hmm... Interesting, but have you ever changed an oil filter before? the filter is usually located at the bottom of the engine, and requires you to completly remove the oil first before you can remove the filter.

That's not true. Oil filters, AFAIK, are never below the level of the oil (unless you have a remote filter or dry sump oil system or some weird non-factory setup); the oil pan is below the crank while the filter is above the crank so you can change the filter before draining the oil.

As for changing just the filter, it won't hurt to change the filter in between a full oil change but unless you know your engine is leaving a lot of "gunk" in the filter and plugging it up, there is no reason to. You're just wasting time and money.

There are people out there who NEVER change their oil. All they do is change the filter and add oil to make up for oil lost due to leakage or what was in the filter.

[nortonfb]

A buddy of mine who is a auto engineer,licensed test driver, etc..
He uses the oil sampling mailings to change oil, but he changes filters every
5000 miles.
The last car he got rid of was a 1992 corolla with 300+. His grand daughter is driving it.
norton

[bairjo]

Originally Posted by wufai

hmm... Interesting, but have you ever changed an oil filter before? the filter is usually located at the bottom of the engine, and requires you to completly remove the oil first before you can remove the filter.

unless you want to refill your engine with used oil. I won't recommand it since oil is not that expensive anyways. I would rather change both more frequently.

You are wrong...The oil pan is at the bottom, not the filter.
So, if you remove the filter first, you may get one more teaspoon of oil than if you drained the oil pan first .