BB, because I came to Jays sight to get away from the abusive insults and derogatory comments associated with "other" forums, I was not even going to dignify your post with an answer. But on further reflection it requires an answer, if for no other reason than to show that I am not an idiot that falls for any "sales pitch" as you imply.
Pressure does not open nor hold open said relief valves - Pressure Differential does! Pressure Differential, Delta Pressure or ΔP as it's called comes from flow you can have 150psi in a slow flowing oil system and that pressure relief is not going anywhere. Bypass Valves open to protect the engines oil pump drive system, prevent collapse/rupture of the filter media and also to insure oil flow when the filter's media can not flow enough oil. Sure if you are forcing thick oil or to much oil through the filter the relief opens - it does that by design.
First, my comment about the bypass in a "float" mode may have not been totally accurate...unless the filter is getting plugged and the pressure differential is great. I'll give you that....I was incorrect, although you certainly could have been more polite in stating your case. Confrontation gains nothing.
BUT, having said that, ANY time a bypass opens it is allowing unfiltered oil into the system. Being that the filter flows much more than the average filter, even performance filters, the chances of the filter actually NOT letting oil through are slim to none. My car is only driven on nice days and not in the winter and does not use 50w oil, so I do not have to concern myself with thick, cold oil.
I HAVE seen significant size trash in crank journals and throws due to bypass opening and allowing this "junk" into the system, which in turn tears up bearing surfaces and crank surfaces. Most likely due to standard filters being too resistant to flow. So if a filter can be designed to work under certain circumstances WITHOUT a bypass, then that is a good thing. What good is a micro-fine 1-2 micron filter if it allows unfiltered oil into a system? Certainly even you can understand that concept?
As to " the cartridges are easily disassembled so you can check it easily for any metallics in the filter media." , you still have a pleat pack that needs to be opened/spread out to search for debris/metal particles and those cartridges are a real bitch to open cleanly. In regard to "It's narrower but taller." I presume your referring to the cartridge inside but again I'd like to know how many square inches of media that cartridge opens up to, however off hand I'd say sq. inches of media close to what's in a typical spin-on - that small OD large ID hurts.
Being that the filter is easily disassembled to get to the filter material, and the ends of the cartridge can be pulled apart by hand (but they are held firmly together by the filter housing under use), inspecting the filter media is MUCH MUCH easier than cutting apart a standard filter and trying to separate the bonded support structure. Wouldn't you agree? So your point here is wrong. It's easier....period.
As for the filter media sq. inch comment, when comparing the cartridge to a typical FL-1A or equivalent filter, the CARTRIDGE ID and OD is the same diameter as the typical filters, but it is also about 3/4" longer. A fairly significant increase. My comment about "narrower but taller" was in reference to the housing, not the cartridge. So the narrower housing does NOT reduce the useable filtration area. What is the square inch of the media? I don't know, but since the oil and filter will be changed at regular intervals (yearly, with only a few hundred miles on it at most) and not the claimed 20,000 that Canton says it is capable of, do you think the filter will become clogged in that time frame? I doubt it.
The "classic" BS in filter sales: " It filters down to 8 micron" = which by the way is the exact same filtration performance of a chain link fence if you find an 8 micron particle somewhere on it. The "Down To", "As Small As" and etc are examples of the Hogwash phrases that I hate and are frequently "pitched" at laymen.
"8 micron seems to be the consensus for minimum filtration for wear particles." ....by who?? ... please tell me. I've have industrial customers that read their particle counts in their lube oil and hydraulic systems routinely as part of their jobs, that 8 micron is new to me and I can tell you to them also....
First, they do not state "down to" or "as small as". That was my statement, and maybe worded less than ideal. They simply say it has an 8 micron filter rating. It does not say that it allows larger particles through and catches 8 micron particles "occasionally". Is that the case? I don't know. I DO know that Canton is a very respected business in the industry and would not be in that position if they sold inferior products that destroyed engines. So I will put some blind trust into them.
My "consensus on minimum filtration" comment came about due to reading many articles about the subject. Some by people who are professionals like you, but with MANY years experience in the automotive industry. Am I a professional? No, but I have tried to educate myself as best I can as to what is acceptable given certain desires and needs in a high performance engine. So please don't make me feel like I'm clueless about an oil system. I do have experience in building and driving 500+hp FE engines? And I have never blown an engine that I have built...knock on wood.
Would smaller particulate filtration be better? Well sure, but at the expense of flow (here comes that bypass issue again).
Is my engine going to be a 200,000 mile engine? See 50,000hrs of operation? At an expected 550+hp, no. I expect the need to do teardowns and inspections every so many years to check bearings etc. So do I need to see 2 micron filtration?
On the issue with a vertical oil filter anti-drainback missing that essentially makes the filter, the captured debris on the filters media and the oil inside the hoses, passages etc. free to flow backwards and also aids in requiring oil to be pumped back to refill the drained out areas on start-up. Why in hell did all the designers of those engines spec anti-drainback?....
BB, where is the oil going to flow out of? An anti-drainback will NOT stop oil from flowing backwards from the filter to the pan. The pump, pickup tube and passage TO the filter will drain back...period. Now, AFTER the filter, where does the oil go? To the sideoiler passage first on my engine, then the camshaft, the rocker assembly etc. Will an anti-drainback preserve oil or pressure to be maintained in these passages? Of course not, it will flow/creep/migrate out of crevices, bearing surfaces and anywhere else oil escapes from to do its job. So please tell me, what lines need to be refilled that aren't going to "drain" regardless?
The sole purpose of an anti-drainback valve is to prevent the FILTER from losing its oil. The ONE passage that even has a remote chance of retaining oil with an anti-drainback valve is the 45* passage TO the cam and lifter passages on a centeroiler. And even that is highly unlikely given that the oil will flow out of the passages in the timing chain oiler area, as well as the cam bearings and every lifter passage. That only leaves the passage UP TO the timing chain oiler, which is what, about 6" of a roughly 3/8" passage? Anywhere beyond that and it encounters the previously mentioned escape routes. On any FE engine where the filter is vertical, how will that oil escape the filter? Unless you are claiming that oil defies the laws of gravity and physics and will flow UP and OUT of the filter, thereby emptying itself of all oil, your comment is far from actual reality. If you have ever pulled a vertical filter off during an oil change, you have obviously noticed the filter is still full of oil. Even with anti-drainback valves present, I have pulled MANY horizontal filters off only to see them empty. It is simple facts, the filter will stay full, but nearly every passage after the filter will drain its oil.
Seriously the cartridge pictured is what is referred to in industry as an AN or Mil Spec filter they come in a wide variety of lengths, medias ranging from cellulose/paper, woven wire to microglass, they are available in many properly rated micron ratings that are determined by testing according to procedures developed by the societies that use them. I'm betting the media in the pictured filter element shown is cellulose....
I would refer you to Ross' comment/question. So suggest a cartridge that will work better than the one it comes with. I would appreciate your professional input on this. If in fact there is a better cartridge than the one provided, then I would certainly prefer it.
My advice install a modern spin-on racing filter and filter mounting head.
If this is not a modern spin-on racing filter, then I am not sure what would qualify as one?
Or install a pair of everyday FL-1 sized filters in parallel.
First, I don't want to drill holes and route extra lines to a remote dual filter set-up on my otherwise original R-code Mach 1. And besides, what about the anti-drainback valve, that you claimed is so important, being located at the HIGHEST point in the system? Wont that allow all the oil to drain back from BOTH sides of the filter, emptying all the routed hoses, regardless of the valve being present? You are now contradicting yourself on the importance of the anti-drainback valve....unless you mount the filters down near the frame. And there is not enough room to do that in the tight engine bay of an FE equipped Mustang.
Perhaps I have educated myself and have more experience than you give me credit for?
edit: And I would like to add that at no time did I say this is the perfect filter system. And I would not use it on a daily driver that gets used in cold weather...it just may starve your engine from oil for crucial seconds upon startup unless perhaps thin oil was used. I do believe it will work well for me and my situation. I'm going to try and devise an Accusump into my system somehow as well, but I try to keep the car looking as "all Ford" as I possibly can. And a big old billet canister under the hood doesn't exactly fit in well with that idea.