Ford Model A - Fitting an Oil Filter 

To be fair, any car of that time period requires very periodic maintenance in order to keep it in well working order - no matter the make. On the other hand, I wouldn't want it any other way - having the car just sit in the garage would get boring pretty quickly! Regularly being under the car also means one gets a frequent idea of the state that the car is in. I know the condition of just about any nut and bolt of the Model A, whilst the frame on our family car may be completely rotted out without me knowing, because I never had a look under there! And, yes, in my case, spending so much time with the car did get me emotionally attached to it xD

Well, I learnt from the Master ;)

Ah Ha! I was wondering if you two knew each other.

Thanks :D

Absolutely - especially with no oil pressure gauge to observe what's going on, I don't mind a bit of backflow on an engine that has been fed unfiltered oil for all its life. Thanks alot for the compliments :D

Well, they both filter the oil, so from that standpoint it is indeed your choice on what to install. Considering ease of installation, looks, price and fail safety, the partial flow is preferrable, in my opinion.

Q- Are you poking through only a few holes of the oil filter membrane through the filter backing or just “one” or a “few”? - I’m curious, I’m installing the same filter system.

@@anthonygarofalo4151 Yes, as many holes the metal part that has the treat to screw the filter on, I use an ice pick, and pry a hole through the rubber. So, now restriction is caused by this rubber diaphragm. It’s simple and need to be done, or you have a restriction that the model A pump will limit the free flow of the oil, and the free flow is needed and making these holes you will have no problem.

@@mikeevans5204 thanks- seems simple enough, I’ll just poke a hole through each of the holes on Mount metal side of oil filter. Does your setup seem to be keeping oil cleaner than normal?

Hi Adrian, I really like how you present your info I have just purchased my first model A and fixing the leaking sump is my first priority the car is beautiful and has been sitting in blocks for 8 years since the elderly man passed away Thankyou for share all your stories i love them and your car is beautiful hope to share some pictures with you soon All the best kind Regards Greg for Australia

Also ich kann's nur empfehlen, auch nach der Fernfahrt (1600km) sah das Öl wesentlich sauberer aus als nach 800km ohne Filter. Und wie gesagt, man kann es mit minimalem Aufwand einbauen und es fällt kaum auf.

I'll certainly do that once my engine is back together and did the first few hundred miles.

On a black/white photo, maybe ;P

You should definitely complain!

They don't make 'em like they used to ;)

Yes, the thread is a pretty common standard. There are also filters with less capacity, should you not want such a huge thing sticking out of your block.

What a perfect place to live - well, maybe not for your wallet, but certainly for the cars :D

To be honest, I haven't decided yet. 5000 miles would be super chill, as it coincides with the "big interval" where diff and transmission fluids need changing, too, but I've been told by some members of the club that that would be pushing it a little. I'll check the oils condition every 500 miles, and maybe settle for 2500, if possible.

@@AstraWerke Generally, Most oil changes would be around 2-3000 miles.

No, I haven't done that so far - all I can tell you is that even after now about 2000km, the oil is a light brown color, whilst it would turn black within 500km without a filter.

There have been numerous examinations, all coming to the conclusion that, over the engines running time, a partial flow system is just as effective as a full flow.

Einfach noch mal in weiß drüber lackiert - merkt kein Mensch ;P

Snyders Antique Auto

From what I can see online, there should be a plug in the same place. It's a slotted grub screw, so maybe the slot is just covered by dirt or paint? You might be able to take a dremel and cut a slit into it - if you have to drill it out, I'd suggest to pull the pan and put a rag in the oil pump tunnel so no chips can get into the engine's oil paths.

Yes, it takes two fittings - one per side.

Thanks for responding- one more small question, do you remember the thread size used for the black plug you used- looks like you used an Allen key to screw if in. I would’ve never realized I needed to do this if it weren’t for your help-is the filter worth installing and helpful in keeping the oil clean?

Never mind- the adapter oil filter plate has to be plugged up with a 1/4@-28 set Allen screw, which works nicely. Thanks for the response.

@@anthonygarofalo4151 Glad you figured it out - I only knew the allen size, and my drawer of stuff had two different screws with the same allen in it xD

I put a very thin coat of Dirko HT on both sides of the paper gasket.

Do you also coat any other parts of the oil filter mount with sealer before it gets mounted on to the engine over the timing gear? I noticed, and there’s another surface area that does not utilize the flimsy paper gasket.

@@anthonygarofalo4151 I try to use as little sealer as possible. The oilpan gasket is pretty flexible so I didn't put any sealer on where the filter adapter gets crewed onto it.

I really appreciate your reply, maybe I didn’t explain myself correctly and I apologize. The aluminum part that bolts on to the engine over the timing gear has a surface area that utilizes the L shaped gasket I believe there’s another area there, does that also get sealer or just metal to metal when you bolted on?

@@anthonygarofalo4151You've got the L that comes with the kit, the underside that seals against the oil pan gasket and the front that seals against the timing cover gasket. The L gasket is the only thin, thus non-flexible one - and therefor the only one that requires sealant, in my opinion

Der normale Ölfilter hat ein Stück Gummi implantiert, welches als Rückschlagventil dient. Beim Nebenstromfilter reicht der Druck in der Leitung jedoch nicht aus, um diese Gummilippe zu bewegen - damit der Filter also seinen Dienst tun kann, muss man das Gummi durchlöchern.

Exactly. The fitting I tighten at 8:50 goes right into the oil supply channel. Below it sits the pump, above it is the valve chamber which acts as an oil reservoir.

@@AstraWerke Hmm ok. I didn't think the pump makes enough pressure to push the oil through a filter. I still don't understand why all the oil does not take the channel with less resistance up into the reservoir. But something must be wrong with me, because the device would not have been made if it doesn't somehow work ..

@@biondanishgenomeinstitute8193 Simple fluid dynamics. The column of oil above the pump provides resistance enough to make a part of the oil take the side passage. Even works with the rubber checkvalve still in place. After my engine rebuild, I cut a filter open to check for swarf, and since there was some in it, I don't doubt the filter works fine as intended.

@@AstraWerke Thanks, it begins to dawn. If the filter makes the difference black oil at 500 vs 5000 km, then yea it works ..

It's cured! I mean, it's still a 90 year old car, so it'll leave a drop wherever you park it over night - but it's no comparison to the puddle it left before.

@@AstraWerke the reason I asked, I bought the gaskets and the little plastic keepers to allow the oil pan to remain still when you're trying to put the bolts in and I was born against pulling the pan as I might be getting into something way over my head. But it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I replaced gaskets on oil pans before. There's nothing really special to know about it? Right?

@@JDvintagemi Not really, if you're familiar with this kind of gasket (consisting of several parts, that is). Take your time to cut the rope and cork strip to the right length, let the rope soak in oil overnight and put a dab of sealant on the meeting surfaces between rope and cork - that ought to get the job done. Oh yes, and the Oil pump needs to be kept in place. There's a special tool, but you can just jam an allen wrench into the plugged inspection hole on the side of the engine to keep the oil pump up in the block. This is a good link where the process gets beaten to death: modelatouringclub.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/leakless-pan-gasket-article.pdf Good luck :)

@@AstraWerke excellent thank you. I think I'll try to get to that within the next few weeks. I'll have to order a new gasket. I do have the oil pump tool. Thank you for the link! I look forward to more of your videos.

@@JDvintagemi One last tip - if your supplier has both types - don't go for the cheap, thin paper gasket, but for the squishy rubberized cork instead. It'll save you a lot of trouble ;)

Oil coolers are only needed on High Performance (or air cooled) engines that operate at temperatures so high that the oil runs in danger of losing its viscosity. On a low-tech tractor engine like this one which is barely able to get its water temp up to 80°C, an oil cooler probably wouldn't help a Thing.

@@AstraWerke It was a silly idea 😞

@@LawnMowersThingsThatMakeNoise Thats not what I was trying to express. I'm sure an oil cooler would be a great idea fitted to a Hot Rod Four-Banger souped up to 250hp, its just overkill for a bone stock machine.

I suppose oil in side-valve engine do not go through the cylindre head and can't be so hot like in modern engines. ..

I have never had any issues with it - there's a hood above it, after all. I know of another kit which has a huge, long pipe that turns 180° from the carb, goes forward towards the radiator and ends just about where my oil filter now sits - but it fills out the entire engine bay and will probably cost quite a bit of power with all the flow restriction in a 180 bend. Then again, never had any issues with my filter.

@@AstraWerke I was talking about rain. Now, I know that you don't plan to drive it in the rain but it does happen. Splash from under the car could be a problem.

@@dalemettee1147 Well, I have driven it in numerous downpours without any issues. The engine compartment is shielded from the road with splash pans, after all.

Mainly combustion residues. What turns the oil black are small carbon particles, some of which cause wear. I currently have 1500 miles on my engine oil and it still looks golden brown - before the filter, it was pitch black after 500 miles. The oils have indeed become better. They are not "worn out" after 500 miles like back in the day. But the amount of combustion residues it gets polluted with remain the same.

Disregard I found it Thanks!

@@wolfpack72 Alright :D

Absolutely not - I think, the designer intended that hole to be plugged after machining (hence the threads) - but either somebody overlooked it during production or it was just forgotten. Just make sure the grub screw isn't so long it protrudes into the cross-hole and blocks it. I've since put on around 2-3000 miles - leakproof and with a working filter.

@@AstraWerke I removed entire filter kit and cleaned off all the Permatex I had originally applied - leaving both the engine-side as well as the aluminum filter body immaculately clean. New permatex, new gasket

Merde! New permatex on engine-side as well as aluminum body, re-installed bolts. Drove @ 4 miles and it’s STILL leaking! Clean fresh oil in the catch pan! I don’t know what else to do.

@@billebobb Can you narrow down the leak with the engine running? Maybe it's not the screw fitting but the gaskets? I remember gradually tightening the cover in place, alternating between the bolts on the front, side and underside, thus seating the piece into the corner step by step. Also, I used the thin paper gasket delivered with the kit. There are thicker ones available, but that just made the bolts want to bind.

@@AstraWerke Adrian, 1) how do you puncture the rubber one way valve? (Screwdriver in each “window” where rubber shows?) 2) I (yet again) removed housing and cleaned it up immaculately and carefully re-installed using more sealant than before. Voilá no leaks!) Unfortunately, I am not satisfied with any “filtering ability.” With less than 100 miles the oil is getting quite dirty. What might the issue be?? Do you have an email to write you?

www.snydersantiqueauto.com/product.htm?pid=978850&cat=41693

Ohne die wär's ja auch nur halb so spaßig :)

I have nothing to say against a full flow filter - the partial flow is plenty sufficient imho, though

@@AstraWerke like I said for the same money would rather have full flow.

@@chada472 Well, partial flow is about $70 less...

@@AstraWerke my full flow cost $40.

@@chada472 Must have been a long time ago

Sure xD

😢