Oil Filter ADBV (Anti Drain Back Valve) Test for Cold Startup Noise
07-06-2016, 03:07 PM
#1
JK Junkie
Thread Starter
Oil Filter ADBV (Anti Drain Back Valve) Test for Cold Startup Noise
Here's a quick way to test an oil filter ADBV, either before or after installation.
1. Find a 3/4-16 bolt, short, with threads all the way to the head of the bolt.
2. Find an o-ring or rubber gasket with 3/4" inside diameter and put it on the bolt.
3. Pour some very thin viscosity oil into the 3/4" threaded hole of the oil filter, which is the filter outlet. Fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 way, don't fill it all the way up. I used a mix of ATF and de-natured alcohol, and also mixed Marvel Mystery oil and Seaform -- About anything thin and colored will work. Using very thin oil is going to make this test only take a few minutes, and obviously if this is a new filter make sure to keep it clean.
4. Thread the 3/4" bolt with rubber gasket into the oil filter, it only needs to be tight enough to slightly compress the rubber o-ring or gasket.
5. Turn the filter so the bolt (and ADBV) is facing down, and set it over a paper towel. Wait several minutes, and look for any drips.
Background: The ADBV is essentially a rubber check valve in the oil filter that keeps oil from draining back through the oil pump and into the oil pan when the engine is off. If it leaks enough oil over a given time, the next cold start will be noisier than normal, and the engine oil lamp will stay lit longer than normal as well. It's a common complaint with many engines, and I suspect there are a significant percentage of filters with significantly leaking ADBV's.
My Results: I've had two badly leaking ADBV's during the 56K miles I've had this Jeep. Both caused cold start noise that was noticed after an oil/filter change (the valve can fail gradually too), and both were fixed by simply replacing the filter. After the last ADBV failure, I came up with this test and tried it on the known bad filter (it was an Amsoil filter that replaced an Amsoil filter that was OK) as well as two new filters in the shop (NAPA 41516 and NAPA 1348). The know bad filter leaked immediately, and the other two were leak free. It isn't a perfect test, but if it fails this test it's almost certainly going to fail in use.
The known good filters were drained, wrapped in saran wrap, and are ready for use. Maybe I'll test some more, it was kind of fun.
Perhaps others will test some filters and post here -- It would be cool to find out if there's a pattern of failure or success with a variety of oil filters.
1. Find a 3/4-16 bolt, short, with threads all the way to the head of the bolt.
2. Find an o-ring or rubber gasket with 3/4" inside diameter and put it on the bolt.
3. Pour some very thin viscosity oil into the 3/4" threaded hole of the oil filter, which is the filter outlet. Fill it about 1/3 to 1/2 way, don't fill it all the way up. I used a mix of ATF and de-natured alcohol, and also mixed Marvel Mystery oil and Seaform -- About anything thin and colored will work. Using very thin oil is going to make this test only take a few minutes, and obviously if this is a new filter make sure to keep it clean.
4. Thread the 3/4" bolt with rubber gasket into the oil filter, it only needs to be tight enough to slightly compress the rubber o-ring or gasket.
5. Turn the filter so the bolt (and ADBV) is facing down, and set it over a paper towel. Wait several minutes, and look for any drips.
Background: The ADBV is essentially a rubber check valve in the oil filter that keeps oil from draining back through the oil pump and into the oil pan when the engine is off. If it leaks enough oil over a given time, the next cold start will be noisier than normal, and the engine oil lamp will stay lit longer than normal as well. It's a common complaint with many engines, and I suspect there are a significant percentage of filters with significantly leaking ADBV's.
My Results: I've had two badly leaking ADBV's during the 56K miles I've had this Jeep. Both caused cold start noise that was noticed after an oil/filter change (the valve can fail gradually too), and both were fixed by simply replacing the filter. After the last ADBV failure, I came up with this test and tried it on the known bad filter (it was an Amsoil filter that replaced an Amsoil filter that was OK) as well as two new filters in the shop (NAPA 41516 and NAPA 1348). The know bad filter leaked immediately, and the other two were leak free. It isn't a perfect test, but if it fails this test it's almost certainly going to fail in use.
The known good filters were drained, wrapped in saran wrap, and are ready for use. Maybe I'll test some more, it was kind of fun.
Perhaps others will test some filters and post here -- It would be cool to find out if there's a pattern of failure or success with a variety of oil filters.
Last edited by Mr.T; 07-06-2016 at 05:38 PM.
07-06-2016, 03:22 PM
#2
Super Moderator
This will be neat to do after my 10k change to see what happens. I'm sticking with Mopar filters for now, simply personal preference.
07-06-2016, 03:58 PM
#4
JK Junkie
Thread Starter