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Gulf Coast Filter

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by tomsway1, Apr 21, 2009.

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  1. Apr 23, 2009 #11
    Brickhauler

    Brickhauler Medium Load Member

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    Oct 1, 2008
    Elizabeth CO
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    I leave stuff the way the engineers at Caterpillar designed it.
     
    Brickhauler, Apr 23, 2009
    Brickhauler, Apr 23, 2009
    #11
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  3. Apr 23, 2009 #12
    pullingtrucker

    pullingtrucker Road Train Member

    1,185
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    Dec 21, 2008
    Fostoria, Ohio
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    The engineers at CAT aren't always the smartest or in control of the final product. Case in point just look at the fuel mileage issues...
     
    pullingtrucker, Apr 23, 2009
    pullingtrucker, Apr 23, 2009
    #12
  4. Apr 23, 2009 #13
    Les2

    Les2 Road Train Member

    5,150
    2,288
    Jul 25, 2008
    kicked back in my lazyboy...
    0
    Thats a good one!

    I was always under the impression oil breaks down and wears out? Or is that just cause of the dirt and contaminents in it?
     
    Les2, Apr 23, 2009
    Les2, Apr 23, 2009
    #13
  5. Apr 23, 2009 #14
    pullingtrucker

    pullingtrucker Road Train Member

    1,185
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    Dec 21, 2008
    Fostoria, Ohio
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    The oil will break down if subjected to severe abuse (extreme heat). The reason a person has to change the oil is because of the additives being depleted, contanimaints (sp), or mechanical failure. If all these things are kept in check and a regular oil sampling program is in place there is really no reason you should have to drop the oil. You will have to swap out the filter and for peace of mind I would throw on a bypass filter system.

    All of the bypass systems on the market have their own good and bad points. Just like anything else you have to see which product is the best for your operation. Personally I don't like the thought of a fiber getting loose and plugging something up. that is why I'm going with a spinner system. The GCF is a good system and from what I hear they are pretty knowledgable (sp).
     
    pullingtrucker, Apr 23, 2009
    pullingtrucker, Apr 23, 2009
    #14
  7. Apr 23, 2009 #15
    tomsway1

    tomsway1 Bobtail Member

    9
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    May 27, 2007
    Michigan Center, MI
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    I don't defend the OPS-1 system or the claims that they make, because after spending the money on the system to try it out. (Have a friend that swears by it) I found that it did not perform as well as my GFC had on a previous truck. I was interested in spending only $15 on 1 element and about 1 quart of oil which would be a considerable cost savings compared to my GCF. After I put my GCF on, I was getting oil sample results that were the same as with the OPS-1. When I called Jerry to find out it he could tell me any reason for the GCF not perfoming as well on the new truck as it had in the old, that is where the problem started.

    I had been a loyal customer of GCF's for 3 1/2 years and recommended their product to everyone I met who would listen. I would have been like you, and continued to pay $15 to $16 per filter element every 10,000 miles and felt I was doing what was best for my engine. However, instead of Jerry saying "Thanks for testing my competitors product and coming back to our superior product" he preceeded to give me a verbal lashing for even questioning if the GCF was better. You would have thought he was the one who had shelled out $600 to try something that might work as well and be cheaper.

    I did a little more checking after Jerry ended up being of no help "Suggested that I call OPS-1 and ask their experts" even after I reminded him I was once again using the GCF. The OPS-1 system uses a 1/4 line for an oil feed and only filters at a rate of 1 to 1 1/2 gallons per hour. The GCF recommends using a 3/8 line and the filter has the capacity to filter 2 quarts per minute (30 gallons per hour). When originally installing my GCF, when Jerry was asked about line size, he said it did'nt make any difference because of internal design, the GCF would only filter 2 quarts per minute. When I switched back from using the OPS-1 system to the GCF, I used the same line I had connected to the OPS-1. I believe, and am testing my theory now, that the smaller line restricted the flow amount to the GCF and therefore I was not getting the results from the GCF that I should have been.

    With over 20 years knowledge with the GCF and knowing how his competitors products work and don't work, do you think that Jerry might have been able to think of this if he had wanted too?? Instead he chose to drive away a long time customer and supporter of his product. I believe the product they have developed works, it's a very simpe yet effective design and is designed to work with a readilly available, cheap filtering media. It's Bounty paper towel! They cover it up so you don't know you are paying $15 a piece for a $1.50 roll of Bounty.

    As for seeing the e-mails back and forth, figure out a way to get an e-mail address that you can use once, and I will forward the e-mails to you in full. I don't want to get a bunch of junk e-mails and sure you don't either, so I won't post my e-mail in this forum.
     
    tomsway1, Apr 23, 2009
    tomsway1, Apr 23, 2009
    #15
  8. Apr 23, 2009 #16
    07-379Pete

    07-379Pete Crusty Commando-Pete

    2,549
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    Oct 3, 2008
    Campbellsville, Ky
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    For me the hardest thing with having a bypass oil filter on is the fact of not having to drop out the oil out of the pan. But some times just a simple roll of paper towels does a lot.
    Keep n mind unless you are buying some kind of high end spin on full flow filter that use [FONT=Century Schoolbook, Times New Roman, Times]MicroGlass your filter has more than likley a paper element of some sort in it. K & N filters use cotton in theres and I would think there would be more of a chance of loose fibers coming from that but racer use them. Look at the problem Fram has had with their filters in the last few years. Just because its a name brand and in a can dosent mean its better.
    Like I said before the concept of using paper towels as a filter is not new. Here is a quote taken from     [/FONT][FONT=Century Schoolbook, Times New Roman, Times]www.synlube.com/oilfilters.htm[/FONT][FONT=Century Schoolbook, Times New Roman, Times] on bypass oil filters "[/FONT][FONT=Century Schoolbook, Times New Roman, Times]• Stationary canisters whose element media range from fibrous strands to paper toweling. Some hold a gallon or more of oil, which is an advantage because the greater the volume of oil, the longer it can stay in the engine. And each time the element is changed, a gallon of fresh oil is added." [/FONT]

    With todays motors there is no way I would run one without some type of bypass oil filter, and the EGR engines are the worst at gunking up the oil with soot and other than antifreeze getting in an engine soot will wear a motor out quick.
     
    07-379Pete, Apr 23, 2009
    07-379Pete, Apr 23, 2009
    #16
  9. Apr 24, 2009 #17
    tomsway1

    tomsway1 Bobtail Member

    9
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    May 27, 2007
    Michigan Center, MI
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    I looked into this a little more after reading your post. The full flow oil filter on a CAT, filters down to I think 20 micron and from what I can find a piece of lint from paper is around 40 micron so no contamination would ever get past the full flow filter. And since all the oil has to pass through this filter before going into the engine, no contamination from particles larger than 20 microns will make it in.

    Also, lint from paper usually comes off the outside when dry, on the GCF the roll of paper towel is intact and the outer edges are against the filter housing. Given the filtering abilities of paper, I don't see how any lint is going to come out of an oil soaked roll of towel.

    If paper was not a good filtering media, why would most, if not all filter manufacturers use it in their filters?
     
    tomsway1, Apr 24, 2009
    tomsway1, Apr 24, 2009
    #17
  10. May 17, 2009 #18
    stocktonhauler

    stocktonhauler Medium Load Member

    396
    172
    Dec 9, 2007
    Stockton, C
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    Filter element aside, I don't understand why the GCF system costs $800. That seems about 10 times the value of its parts and technology.
     
    stocktonhauler, May 17, 2009
    stocktonhauler, May 17, 2009
    #18
  11. May 17, 2009 #19
    7mouths2feed

    7mouths2feed "Family Man"

    1,186
    464
    Nov 29, 2007
    Jacksonville, AR
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    7mouths2feed, May 17, 2009
    7mouths2feed, May 17, 2009
    #19
  12. Jan 19, 2012 #20
    SilverEagle

    SilverEagle Bobtail Member

    13
    3
    Aug 23, 2009
    Saginaw, TX
    0

    I put a GC on one of my trucks, and the mess is why I changed to the FS-2500 on the other trucks. The oil samples seem to be about the same. The GC is in a Detroit Series 60, and the FS-2500 are in Cummins ISX. Both samples are the same color and soot seems to be about the same on both. But the GC one has to put a tarp over the truck to catch the oil, and with three gallons it cost $64.50 in make up oil, plus the two filters. With the smaller FS-2500, it's one quart of oil, 1 $28 filter and I can literally change the filter and take the sample before I'm done fueling. One would think with all the make up oil on the GC filter, the drain could be extended more than the FS-2500, but I have not found that to be the case with my equipment. Jerry was the best though at explaining the sample results. Every time he said there was a problem, my mechanic found that to be the case, amazing accuracy. As I use different systems though I wanted to use the same lab for all of the trucks so I use a different vendor now for analysis.
    The GC I generally have my mechanic change as no longer drive that truck. There is only one place to buy the expensive little filter for the FS-2500, I wish there was a cheaper, but just as good filtration option for it as well.
     
    SilverEagle, Jan 19, 2012
    SilverEagle, Jan 19, 2012
    #20
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