Even if you're not maintaining a large diesel truck, the benefits of bypass filtration are still extremely important. The following article is reproduced here with permission of Tom Gelinas, the author of the article and Editor of Maple Communications, publisher of Fleet Equipment . Figure 2 in the original article could not be reproduced, but the graphic included as Figure 2 is representative of that in the original article. Testing indicates that bypass filter systems can lower costs over the service life of a vehicle . . . Simply adding more filters or finer filters is not the way to achieve better results.
Some engines have different needs than others.
Filter out too much, and the filter will plug. Filter out too little, and engine wear will increase. While base oil does not actually wear out, the various additives in the oil can become depleted. And when the additives are gone, the oil will no longer perform effectively. Filters play an important role in how long you can count on your oil to do its job.