HOW and WHY to relocate your OIL FILTER

On a stock engine with a stock exhaust manifold the exhaust manifold clears the oil filter without issues. But let's see what happens if we decide to modify this engine. Let's imagine we want to fit a different exhaust manifold with the goal of turbocharging the engine.

In many cases clearance becomes a problem and the manifold is hits the oil filter. Even a shorter oil filter often doesn't help much and installing a turbo charger is simply impossible.

The only solution in a scenario like this one to relocate our filter. In other words we remove our stock oil filter and mounting plate and replace with an oil filter relocation kit that allows us to put our filter pretty much anywhere we want to.

An oil filter relocation kit consists of two main parts. One part goes onto your stock oil filter location. And the other part houses your oil filter on it's new location and then the two parts get connected to each other.

Your stock mounting plate and oil filter are connected to the engine using a long union bolt. Obviously this bolt is too long for the relocation plate so the kit has a shorter version of this union bolt.
The kit also comes with two adapters to suit a wide variety of engines.

The adapter is fastened into the mounting bracket and then the hollow bolt is installed into the adapter. After that you can screw the entire assembly into the block as you would your oil filter.

The oil filter itself is of course installed into the other part of the kit and then you can you use the provided mounting brackets and holes to install the oil filter and housing at your desired location.

The kit that I'm using in this video is made by Manon Racing Performance in New Zealand which specialized in Toyota 4AGE performance parts. This kit is a high quality billet item with impeccable finish machining to ensure perfect fitment and maximum flow. It's designed to operate reliably under high temperatures and in harsh racing conditions. Thanks to it's extensive range of adapters it also suits a wide variety of engines.

It's also designed to fit -10AN or army navy fittings for a leak free easily removable connection. -10an is a large cross-section fitting which ensures optimum flow and is the recommended size for most applications.

However there is a problem with this kit, the fittings point outward at a right angle from the engine block wall and the AN fittings add to the profile of the filter which again results in potential clearance problems. Fortunately this can easily be resolved simply by removing the provided fittings and replacing them with banjo bolt style fittings. These then point the connection downward and dramatically reduce the profile of the relocation plate leaving more than enough room for the turbo.

An oil filter relocation kit also gives us the opportunity to install an oil cooler to reduce oil temperatures which can be something very beneficial in racing or other situations where we have high engine loads for prolonged periods of time.

When it comes to plumbing the oil cooler you have two options. Option 1 is to have the oil flow from the engine to the cooler then to the filter and finally back into the engine. Option two is to have the oil run to the filter first and then to the engine. Both options are acceptable in most scenario and each has its small benefits. Having the oil cooler before the filter means that the oil filter can catch any residual solder and other debris that can break loose from inside the cooler but it can also mean that you're sending cooler more viscous oil into the filter. If the oil is too cool and too viscous it will trigger the bypass valve inside the oil filter and reduce the amount of oil actually being filtered.

But fortunately there is a solution to this problem as well. If your oil cooler ends up cooling the oil too much you can install this which is a thermostatic sandwich plate. You can install it both under the oil filter or under the mounting bracket on the engine. Inside it the thermostatic plate has a proprtioning valve which sends more oil to the cooler the hotter it gets. The end result is an engine that gets to operating temperature faster but also doesn't overcool it's oil.

In general an oil cooler is not a good idea just because it cools your oil but also because it together with the hoses needed for the system increases the oil capacity of your engine which is almost never a bad thing. Having more oil to circulate though the engine helps ensure proper temperature control.

A special thank you to my patrons:
Daniel
Peter Della Flora
Daniel Morgan
William
Richard Caldwell
Pepe
Brian Durning
Brian Alvarez
Dave Westwood
Joe C

#d4a #mrp

[clinkerclint]

Something to remember, use some sort of protected oil lines. I had one of these kits installed on my Cummins swapped F350. One oil line rubbed a hole in itself and ruined the motor. Truck has been down since July waiting on parts and I'm 14k into the project. All of this could have been avoided had I have used a protected oil line. It's been a life lesson with zeros behind it.

[ricks_toys]

If you ever come to New Zealand, pop in to MRP. Barry(the owner) is one of the best people in the industry to deal with. Always a joy to visit him for 4age related parts.

[x-RedPower-x]

I truly appreciate how thorough your explanations and videos are. Thank you for all of your hard work and knowledge! 🔥 🔥 🔥

[geoffmooregm]

I relocated the filters on my S-10 and my Isuzu Trooper. I also switched the filter to a large and common Chevy V8 filter. The filter was more than double the size but cost the same. I mainly did the relocation because the filter sat at a 45° angle and would get oil all over the exhaust and frame when changing oil. Plus if you did a change on a hot engine there was a 99% chance you were burning your arm. I located the filter under the hood and moved the sensors to the mounting pad so they were away from exhaust heat. I can now change the filter easily with good lighting and no awkward gymnastics. I can also fill the filter with oil, which takes close to 1L, and avoid a dry startup.

[DanielFrost]

I don't even own a car but still comes back to watch every video.
Your knowledge could never be too much,
whatever it is about,
and whether or not you own a car or not.

👍

[Draxindustries]

To prevent dry starts
after the engine hasn't been started for a while, an electric oil pump can be installed between the engine and filter triggered by a remote switch inside the car. Turn on ignition, run the pump for 10-20 seconds or so and oil pressure will build before the engine is fired up.

[flyonbyya]

Never heard of an oil thermostatic plate.
Great idea!

[Garage]

Wow I can hardly believe you're creeping up on 400K subs already. Very well deserved though. Thanks for all the awesome videos!

[jozsefizsak]

That's really great. I didn't know there were thermostatic bypass devices for the oil cooler and never stopped to think about the filter mounting point level. level.

[jonathonwilliams]

As always, well explained, concise and no bullshit. This type on content helps every type of car enthusiast. Awesome video brother!

[DM-wpvq]

Thank you so much for this video!! I've been looking at a relocation kit for the purpose of adding an oil cooler for a long time now, and wasn't sure if it would actually be worth the time, money, and effort to do so. I also wasn't sure exactly where to put it if I did. Thank you again for this video and all of the other amazing and informative videos that you do!

[Spiritual_DriverAE]

Don’t have that much of a issue with my 4AFE but wish it was more comfortable changing the filter. You just gave me an answer. Thanks👍

[JazzbLu]

Great video as always. I'd like to add that if you add the relocation kit and mount your filter close to the engine oil drain plug, it makes for faster and cleaner oil changes!

[NieJestemzPolskiPL]

This kit is amazing! Simple yet so effective!

[Jan_Miklas]

Thank you for another interesting video!
To the last point of the engine running without proper lubrication. I'm wondered why there is not an electrical oil pump for pre-lubrication of the engine before start 🤔

[quirble]

Great timing! The SR20 in my NX2000 has the oil filter literally inaccessible without taking apart the whole engine bay, as well as pouring all over the engine when it comes out, so I bought a relocator kit to fix both of those issues.

[_Hani_]

With an oil filter that sits with the thread side pointing up, so that inlet and outlet are pointing upwards, there is no risk of the oil draining out of it. It might run down out of the feed lines in that style set up if the lines are high but not the filter.

[_BAD_MERC_]

I relocated the filter on my 2004 Mercury Marauder because the crossmember and rack would get drowned when the filter was changed. Also, it allows the smaller FL820s filter to be replaced with a larger FL1a, plus adds 1 more quart of capacity. Mine was for convenience but this video is spot on and very informative.

[billynomates]

a union fitting.
probably the only thing that i'll ever know that you'd forgot. 🙂
happy new year and thank you for your channel - it is absolutely top notch! 🥳🥳

[mrbookends]

Revisiting this a year later because I just bought a 1977 Datsun 620 and I can't wait to start a frame-up restoration with a new, fully built, motor! Some great info here!