If you could get good by-pass oil filters (that filter down to much smaller particle sizes) things would be even better, but I still haven't found any easily available yet.
I noticed the other day from his web site, that our German freind Bernhard Müller has designed an oil filter adapter so he can use VW filters on his 2.2 Murena engine. Not knowing exactly what a "good by-pass filter" is, I can't say if this helps you, Roy, but it just rang a bell...
- Anders
Thanks Anders, but I already have a remote oil filter on my 2.2 - it makes changing the filter easier and cleaner. (since it hangs down from the remote filter head, there is no oil spilled when changing unlike the upside down original which guarantees oil wil run down the block!) I can also use a much more common filter with the remote since it takes a standard thread rather than the odd 16mm size that Talbot always used.
However, a by-pass filter is a different thing. Normal filters only filter down to a certain size since they cannot have smaller pores otherwise the oil flow would be seriously impaired. This means that many small particles will pass straight through. A by-pass filter, has a section with much smaller pores and approx. 10% of the oil is passed through this to remove the tiny particles. Over a period the oil is more thoroughly cleaned taking out all the smaller particles that a normal system misses. This further extends the synthetic oils life whilst giving better protection against damage.
There will be an article in our magazine on this soon.
Roy