Ford PowerStroke Diesel Bypass Oil Filter Installation

Ford E350 Van, 7.3L PowerStroke Diesel, 2000
29ft Dameon Hornet travel trailer, 1997

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by John Stead, Orangeville, ON email jstead@CarterRV.com

This article describes the installation of an external bypass oil filter on the PowerStoke diesel engine.

Why do I need additional filtration other than factory equipped?

Factory full flow filters screen out particles 25 microns and larger. The tightest clearance used in an engine is 3 microns, bearing and valve clearances from 8 to 35 micron, and piston clearances from 35 to 100 microns.

The OilGuard bypass filtration system removes particles down to 1 micron in size. Actual laboratory tests of the OilGuard filter indicate 95% effectiveness of 2 microns with a single pass.

..... according to OilGuard.

The filter kit was obtained from OilGuard's web site.

Upon receipt of the "kit", I found that the installation instructions did not correspond to my vehicle though they were labeled "Ford PowerStroke". I took a picture, (3a), and sent it off to OilGuard asking where I should make the connections. The response from OilGuard directed me to two possibilities where I could tap into oil pressure. Both turned out to be coolant connections.

Rather than go back to OilGuard, I decided to do a bit of "trial & error" to find an oil pressure point. Now that I have found it, I hope that this article would assist others in locating the proper connection points.

Photo Descriptions:
1) The kit.

2) The mounting position is on the inside of the driver side frame almost in line with the full flow oil filter. Existing mounting holes in the frame were used, (no drilling).

3) The connections to the bypass filter are shown in the images. The pressure side was accessed by removing the block plug that has the 1/4" square head (male). I color coded this line with a red wire tie for connection to the filter IN port. The return line to the block is left of the pressure connection just near the seam between the block and the oil pan. I color coded this line with a blue wire tie for connection to the filter OUT port. In both cases, the factory block plugs were removed and replaced with the fittings supplied in the kit.

The supplied hose was longer than required but I used it all anyway. The hose was cut into two equal lengths and the push-lock fittings were attached according to the OilGuard instructions. The hose ends were also color coded with wire ties.

4) The installation photos supplied by OilGuard. I do not know what vehicle they are for but they certainly are not for the year 2000 Ford PowerStroke engine. (the red "X" means wrong!)

Related Links

OilGuard
Link to OilGuard's web site.

Happy RVing from John, Nancy, Paul and Jake.

(1a) Bypass Oil Filter Kit