September 13th, 2010 
Aaron Turpen Back in June, I had some information sent to me about micro-bypass filtration to extend the life of a truck’s engine oil. That engendered a fair amount of response 
from readers and more than a few phone calls from OTR friends and even a couple of mechanics that I know. One of those responses I received was from PetroSavers.
This company also makes an oil refiner which acts as a bypass filter to scrub impurities from the oil and extend its life. In this case, the company says it extends the oil’s life indefinitely.
At first glance, I saw this as just another “too good to be true” bit of marketing hype. Anyone who’s ever driven a combustion-driven vehicle or who’s changed the oil in one knows that your engine oil requires regular changing, to be swapped out with clean, fresh oil in order to keep lubrication and engine buildup down so the vehicle runs efficiently. Right?
Well, that’s the conventional wisdom, thanks to decades of experience with standard filtration and old ways of thinking. But it stands to reason that if a bypass filter can remove much more from the oil and thus extend its life, why wouldn’t it be possible to extend the oil’s life to equal the life of the vehicle?
So before anyone dismisses this off-hand, let’s have a look at it’s viability. To re-iterate for the record, I have no experience with bypass filtration, have no stake in any of the companies whose productions I’ve mentioned here on Green Big Truck (including this one, PetroSavers), and I attempt to approach these new technologies in an objective manner with as little bias as possible.
How Micro-Bypass Filtration Works
In a nutshell, micro-bypass filtration works by removing a portion of an engine’s oil from circulation and putting it through a fine filter, which removes more contaminants than does a standard, in-line filter, which must operate under high engine pressures without slowing the lubricant’s circulation.
The bypass filter will have at least two stages: one to remove water and another to remove fine particulate contaminants. Most have several stages, each removing smaller and smaller particles.
The cleaned oil is then returned to the engine’s lubricant loop. A bypass filter will handle a percentage of the vehicle’s lubricating oil at any given time during its operation, eventually scrubbing clean all of the oil being used. This also means that when bypass filters require replacement, the complete draining of the engine’s oil supply is not usually required.
The most common element breaking down engine oil’s usefulness as a lubricant is water, which significantly lowers the oil’s ability to “stick” (its lubricity). Other contaminants such as metal shavings from the engine block, dirt or debris, and so forth are the second problem, all working to change the oil from a lubricant to a sandpaper-like scraper. These contaminants can also be left behind in the hotter parts of the engine, creating buildup that reduces efficiency and can eventually lead to engine failure.
Bypass and micro-filtration have been proven to be effective in both reducing engine wear and extending engine oil life. The Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE) has conducted studies and concluded as much. You’ll find a couple of those here and here.
What Makes PetroSavers Different
The first thing that differentiates this bypass filtration system from others is the company’s claim that its users will never have to change their vehicle’s oil again.
The PetroSavers comes in three standard sizes (models), each meant for a different engine application. Readers of Green Big Truck will be interested in the HD-20 and HD-30 models, which are for medium- and heavy-duty engines (ranging from the 1 ton pickup series to Class 8 tractors).
These bypass filters work in the manner described above, with a multi-stage filtration pulling debris down to about 1 micron (for comparison, a grain of table salt is about 60 microns). It also removes water, of course. The only maintenance required for these filters is an occasional change of the new filter, which an OTR driver might need to do (or have done) about once a year, depending on mileage. Since no oil replacement is required, however, this is a fast operation that can be done in a parking lot with simple hand tools.
The following videos from PetroSavers give more information on how their system works, who’s using it, and how it was invented.
First, an overview of the technology-
Next, a typical installation-
And some testimonials for the product-
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Very interesting article, and most if it true. We are an OEM supplier of bypass micro filtration as well. We disagree that the oil ‘will never be changed again’, as the additives eventually breakdown. We preach that you can greatly elongate the life of the oil, through oil sampling and analysis. Typically, this is 2-3X longer than standard oil changes. We can send you data if you wish. Thanks.
This is an amazing revolutionary product! I’ve heard of this product before from some of my friends and they agree that it has even paid for itself based on their mileage use.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by All Green Dist, Aaron Turpen. Aaron Turpen said: New post: PetroSavers – Never Change Oil Again? (http://bit.ly/dpdGb0) [...]
This doesn’t sure doesn’t sound like an oil life extension product to me! If you listen to the testimonials, this specific oil refiner (the PetroSaver) has been tested on several fleets. One in particular, the St. Charles Parish has 100 vehicles with over 3 million miles without any oil changes! We sell the PetroSaver, and our clients are astounded with the results- money saved, oil saved, time saved…especially for our commercial fleet clients. We are so genuinely excited about the PetroSaver’s environmental benefit not to mention the financial benefit for our customers. http://www.allgreenoilrefiner.com
Wow, what a giant leap forward in the green revolution. Imagine the decrease in oil usage if fleets of large scale vehicles were to employ this. I’ve been interested in installing a device like this in my personal vehicle and this one is at the top of my list. I haven’t yet found another product that compares.
Imagine all the resources that can be saved with this one product. Sounds amazing!!!! I want one on my car now.
As a business owner, I can great appreciate the application and usage of a product like this to reduce the running and operating cost of keeping a vehicle fleet in motion. This product is truly an advancement for business practicality.
Christion DePaul mentioned that his product eliminates the essential additives and only extends the oil life 2-3 times the normal change. This is correct because he is providing a H.E. (high efficiency)filter.
All Green Distributors (248-408-8948 Steven Glogowski) product is an oil refiner technology. That is why we guarantee a minimum of 100,000 miles before an oil change (with many customers having over 200,000 miles) and our technology DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE ADDITIVES. There are similar products on the market. Don’t be confused, these are our old technology from 15 years ago. WHY WOULD TEXACO-CHEVRON USE OUR TECHNOLOGY ON THEIR OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM’S GENERATORS IF THEY DIDN’T DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE. If you have any technical questions or would like additional information please feel free to contact me directly.
[...] to greenbigtruck.com, oil is most often contaminated by water, which breaks down its viscosity and lubricity. The other [...]
This product claims that I will never need an oil change again in my vehicle. Anyone who has ever changed their own oil knows that some oil always remains in the filter when it is changed. This brings up some interesting questions:
Does this apply to the Petrosavers product? If so, how much oil can be expected to be lost at a filter replacement?
How does the cost of filter replacement compare to the total cost of an oil change over time?
How often are the filters replaced?
Where can I get one of these filters and how much do they cost to install?
Ben: http://www.allgreenoilrefiner.com
Aaron,
I am under the assumption that you are familiar with the filter system. Can you please address the questions I posted over a month ago?
Thanks in advance.
Curious: I’m actually not all that familiar with them in that I’ve never used or even seen one (read the article). So I would refer you to the PetroSavers people themselves.
I installed a PetroSavers HD-10 system on my 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 shortly after purchasing the vehicle (approximately 15,000 miles). I have changed the filter pack and the standard filter every 20,000 miles or so. I now have 93,000+ on the truck and have not changed the oil. In the first few months, I changed the oil every 3000 miles at a cost of about $60.00 per oil change. This was just over $300.00 in oil changes alone. Within the next year I paid for the system and installation with the money I saved in oil changes. I will install a PetroSaver on every vehicle I purchase from now on. I understand that the one I already own can be removed and easily installed on my next vehicle with only minor adaptation. I swear by it and have suggested it to many friends and family. I love it!