Tuesday, April 22, 2008

I bought this Toyota Echo on March 4, 2005, with 17 miles on the odometer; and I wanted to benefit from the by-pass oil filter system. I had time to figure out where to install the filter while I waited for the first 5000 miles to pass. Because of the oil capacity, the BE-90 By-pass filter was recommended along with the SDF-10 full flow filter. The by-pass has been installed for eight months and Amsoil has been in the engine for 13,000 miles with 1 full flow filter replacement at 12,500. Amsoil’s by-pass filtration keeps the oil so clean that I can always see the letters on the yellow dipstick any time I check the oil.


I want to draw your attention to the yellow circle on the right. This is important because it was the only place I could see to install the unit. I decided to take the front bumper cover off by loosening all of the plastic screws and snaps to reveal the bare bumper. The bumper construction is two tubes that run the length of the front and form a sideways figure 8. The bolt provided was not long enough to go through both tubes so I needed to drill into the front tube to allow the bolt to be tightened inside the bumper. I measured the diameter of the mounting bolt’s head and increased the size of drill used to accommodate the socket that would needed to tighten the bolt.


The yellow dashes show the path of the in and out-flow lines. I had to make a hole in a plastic shroud that sits on the passenger side of the condenser and radiator, this hole allowed for a gradual bend to be placed in the lines and prevent kinks.




My next picture shows the additional 90-degree elbows I purchased to prevent the lines from being potentially damaged. If you do not use the elbows the lines come straight down and something from the road could hit them. Notice how the short 90 is used on the outflow allowing the out line to pass through a loop made by another hose.

This picture shows the travel pattern through other parts on the car in a gradual curve to prevent kinks.


This car is mostly used for my commute to work, a 22 mile one way trip that is about 90% highway 10% city, and I average 44 MPG. On occasional road trips, when the car is loaded to its max, we get about 42 MPG traveling at 65 mph.