Abstract:
A bypass oil filter system, and a method of installing same, for a vehicle having an engine compartment, an oil lubrication system having a full flow oil filter attached to a free flow oil filter mount and an oil intake line having an oil filler cap comprising, a bypass filter, means to mount the bypass filter in the engine compartment, a sandwich adaptor placed between the full flow oil filter and the full flow oil filter mount, hose means to direct a portion of the oil from the oil lubrication system to the bypass filter and hose means to pass the oil from the bypass filter through the oil filler cap to the oil intake line.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a bypass oil filter system and a method of installing the bypass oil filter system on a vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Commonly, vehicles having internal combustion engines, have lubrication systems which operate using a full flow oil filter. With a full flow oil filter, all of the circulating oil is passed through the oil filter before it returns to the engine. Bypass oil filters are also known, in which a portion of the circulating oil is passed through a bypass oil filter prior to being returned to the engine. 
         [0003]    The full flow filter and the bypass filter differ in their effectiveness. The bypass oil filter is usually more efficient at removing small particles and achieves a higher degree of contaminant removal than the full flow filter, but filters the oil less frequently. The full flow filter filters the oil more often, but uses a relatively coarse filter in order to pass the entire volume of circulating oil required to lubricate the engine. A coarse filter does not remove small contaminants, causing deposits and contributing to engine wear. As dirt accumulates in a full flow filter, the flow of oil is restricted and the filter must be changed often. 
         [0004]    Most automobile engines are equipped with only a full flow oil filter. Many vehicle owners, however, desire to add a bypass filter to filter out small contaminants. Bypass filters have been connected to full flow oil systems by various methods, including adapters placed between the full flow filter mounting and the full flow filter itself, which cause a pressure differential which is potentially damaging to the engine. Usually the oil is returned to the engine by making a hole in the oil pan. Punching a hole in the oil pan or otherwise tampering with the engine block is difficult and not advised. It would therefore be very beneficial to provide another means for passing oil to the bypass filter and returning the filtered oil to the engine. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention comprises a bypass oil system for a vehicle and an innovative method for installing the bypass oil filler system on vehicles, particularly the Ford Motor Company Crown Victoria and Mercury Marquis automobiles. The installation method comprises a modification to the original configuration of the front end bumper support structure, installation of a special bypass filter system mounting plate secured to the modified structure, installation of an adapter device interposed between the engine oil filter mount and the existing spin-on full flow oil filter. 
         [0006]    The adapter device has a fluid port for directing a steam of pressurized engine oil via a hose or tubing to the inlet port of the bypass oil filter system. The return of the filtrate from the bypass filter system to the engine is accomplished by passing the filtrate through a hose or tubing, connecting the outlet port of the bypass filter system to a swivel fitting mounted coaxially to a special replacement engine oil filler cap, thereby directing the filtrate stream directly into the engine oil filler location. 
         [0007]    This method for installing a bypass oil filter system assures that the bypass filter is securely mounted to a sturdy vehicle structure, out of harm&#39;s way from foreign object damage that may occur during vehicle use, while also providing a means for providing a stream of pressurized engine oil to the bypass filter, which would be extremely difficult to obtain by other means. The return of the filtrate through the oil filler cap obviates the necessity of alterations, such as drilling holes into engine components for the return. A swivel fitting on the filler cap obviates the necessity of removing the hose connection to the filler cap when the cap is rotated to remove it for refilling engine oil. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is an object of the invention to provide a bypass oil filter system for a vehicle that does not require modifications to the engine block. 
         [0009]    Another object of the invention is to provide a method of installing a bypass oil filter system on a vehicle in a fast and easy manner. 
         [0010]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bypass oil filter for a vehicle which will increase the life of the vehicle engine and extend the time between required oil changes. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic view of the bypass filter system of this invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the sandwich adaptor; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the modified oil filler cap; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an assembled view of the modified oil filler cap; and, 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the engine filter mount, the sandwich adaptor and the full flow filter element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-5  there is shown in  FIG. 1 , a diagrammatic view of a typical engine compartment  10  of a vehicle, including the oil lubrication system  12 . The engine compartment contains pistons  14 , bearings  16 , camshaft  18  and oil pan  20 . 
         [0017]    A standard full flow oil filter  22  receives oil from the engine oil pump (not shown) taken from oil pan  20  and, in the usual vehicle, causes the oil that has passed through full flow filter  22 , to be forced under pressure to the camshaft  18 , the pistons  14  and other lubricated engine components. In the system of this invention, a sandwich adaptor  24 , best shown in  FIG. 2 , is placed between the full flow filter  22  and the full flow filter mount  112 , see  FIG. 5 . 
         [0018]    A bypass filter  48  is mounted on a retainer  49  fixed to the modified front bumper structure, described below. Hose  50  carries oil from sandwich adaptor  24  to bypass filter  48  and hose  52  carries oil from the bypass filter to the oil filler cap  54 . Fittings  51  and  53  are attached on the head of bypass filter  48  for attachment of hoses  50  and  52 . 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , sandwich adaptor  24  comprises a circular body  28  having a circular inset area  30 . Inset area  30  has a plurality of outer holes  32  and a central hole  34 . Adaptor nut  36  fits into central hole  34  and has internal threads  38  which threadably connect to the external threads of the male fitting  108  centrally located and part of the engine full flow filter mount  112 . Adaptor nut  36  has a threaded extension  40  which threadably retains the relocated full flow filter  22 . An o-ring  42  fits into groove  44  in body  28  to seal sandwich adaptor  24  to the face of the engine filter mount  112 . 
         [0020]    Body  28  has a transverse hole  46  adapted to receive a male hydraulic fitting connector  47  through which a portion of the engine oil passes from sandwich adaptor  24  to bypass filter  48  through hose  50 . After passing through bypass filter  48 , clean oil is returned via hose  52  to oil filler cap  54 , shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 . Bypass filter  48  is fixedly attached to bypass filter retainer  49  by a bracket affixed to retainer  49 , the bracket holding bypass filter  48 . By the use of this sandwich adaptor  24 , there is no pressure differential created on the oil flow going to the bypass filter and the full flow filter. 
         [0021]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown modified oil filler cap  54 . Oil filler cap  54  comprises knob  60  having o-ring sealer  62 . Knob  60  attaches to the oil filler line which passes oil into the engine block  10 . Knob  60  has a central bore  61  for passage of oil received from bypass filter  48  through hose  52 . On the top  64  of knob  60  there is attached a swivel mount connector, comprising swivel body  66 , which has o-ring sealer  68 , and swivel plug  70 . Retaining ring  72  holds swivel plug  70  in place. 
         [0022]    Male fitting  91  threadably attaches to swivel plug  70 . Hose  52  connects to male fitting  91  for delivery of the filtrate from bypass filter  48  through oil filler cap  54  into the oil filler line into engine block  10 . 
         [0023]    When oil filler cap  54  is removed in order to change oil or add additional oil, hose  52  does not need to be disconnected from male fitting  91 , because of swivel body  66 , allowing cap  54  to turn without hose  52  turning. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown the engine compartment  10  in which oil flows, under pressure, from the engine oil pump (not shown) through passage  100  into sandwich adaptor  24 . As stated above, sandwich adaptor  24  has a circular body  28  and a circular inset area  30 . Inset area  30  has a plurality of outer holes  32  and a center hole  34 , see  FIG. 2 . O-ring  42  fits into groove  44  in body  28 , better shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0025]    Incoming oil then flows through outer holes  32  into full flow filter  22  through full flow filter circular entry passage  102 . The oil then passes through the oil filter element inside of full flow filter  22  where it is cleaned. The oil then passes back up the center  110  of full flow filter  22 , through the center hole  34  of sandwich adaptor  24  and back into the engine to lubricate the engine components. Full flow filter  22  has an o-ring  104  to seal it against the lower face  106  of sandwich adaptor  24 . 
         [0026]    Sandwich adaptor  24  and full flow filter  22  are held together in an oil tight manner by adaptor nut  36  having threaded extension  40  which threadably retains full flow filter  22 . Adaptor nut  36  has internal threads  38  which threadably attach to full flow filter spud  108  which is connected to engine block  10 . O-rings  42  and  104  provide an oil tight seal of the parts described. 
         [0027]    As described above, a portion of the incoming oil from the oil pump passes through transverse hole  46  to which is attached connector  47  and hose  50  for passage to bypass filter  48  for more effective cleaning. 
         [0028]    This above described bypass oil filter system can be installed in less than 30 minutes. The installation was accomplished on a Ford Crown Victoria as follows:
       1. With the vehicle elevated to facilitate access, find and remove the “retainer”, a standard part of the front-end bumper support structure.   2. Remove the “snap clips” normally found on the retainer and reinstall the retainer on the vehicle, reversed in direction.   3. Install a filter mounting plate and bracket onto the retainer.   4. Install two fittings  51  and  53  onto the bypass filter head.   5. Remove the full flow filter  22  from the vehicle.   6. Install male connector  47  on sandwich adaptor transverse hole  46 .   7. Install the sandwich adaptor  24  between full flow filter  22  and full flow filter mount  112 .   8. Install one male elbow  91  on swivel fitting  70 , on new oil filler cap  54 .   9. Remove the original oil filler cap and replace with the new oil filler cap  54  which now has swivel fitting  70  and male elbow  91 .   10. Route the necessary hoses and cut to length; attach the hose coupling fittings   11. Connect the inlet and outlet hose ends to the new bypass filter  48 .   12. Bolt the new bypass filter  48  into place on the modified retainer.   13. Connect the inlet hose end of hose  50  to the male connector  47  on the sandwich adaptor  24 .   14. Replace the full flow filter  22  onto the sandwich assembly adaptor nut  36 .   15. Connect the oil return hose to the elbow  91  on the swivel fitting  70  on the oil filler cap  54 .   16. Secure hoses with cable ties.       
 
         [0045]    The vehicle is now ready to operate in the usual manner and the oil will enter the bypass filter for cleaning as discussed above. 
         [0046]    Once installed, the bypass filtration system of this invention filters about 5% of the oil on each pass through. It filters about ½ quart of oil per minute, so that every 12-14 minutes the entire oil content of the vehicle is filtered by the bypass filter. 
         [0047]    The average full flow filter of a standard vehicle, such as the Crown Victoria, will filter particle sizes of about 25-35 microns or greater. Particles of about 1 to 20 microns are the most damaging. The bypass filter of this invention will filter particles down to 1 micron, when using filters such as a HEPO filter. 
         [0048]    Using the bypass filter of this invention, oil drainage and replacement intervals are extended by 300%, such as every 3 months instead of every month. The vehicle engine will last 600% to 700% longer due to the increased filtration of contaminants, down to 1 micron.