Bypass micron filter install?

[gbub]

I want to install a micron bypass filter on a 2.7L Ecoboost. Probably an AMSOIL. I have been looking at the engine compartment and it doesn't have much room for anything. Plus, I can't figure out where to access oil supply and return. I have done this before on three different vehicles with no problem. This is going to be a challenge on my Bronco.

If anyone has experience doing this on Bronco with the 2.7L engine, I would very much appreciate some advice. Any positive advice would be helpful.

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[B22-2023]

I want to install a micron bypass filter on a 2.7L Ecoboost. Probably an AMSOIL. I have been looking at the engine compartment and it doesn't have much room for anything. Plus, I can't figure out where to access oil supply and return. I have done this before on three different vehicles with no problem. This is going to be a challenge on my Bronco.

If anyone has experience doing this on Bronco with the 2.7L engine, I would very much appreciate some advice. Any positive advice would be helpful.

Baxter or someone makes a sandwich plate and it along with a few other components could become an oil cooler setup I was considering, probably the same approach for what you are doing.

 

[gbub]

I did a quick search on sandwich plates. That looks like a good idea. Now I just need to find one that works with the 2.7L cartridge filter. I found a thread on someone doing this on a 2.7L powered F-150. I need to look into the details of that effort.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[gbub]

It appears there is no sandwich plate for the cartridge style filter. So, I must use the oil sending unit port for the bypass filter oil supply as I have done in the past. I just hope I don't have to take too much apart to get to it.

Then I will see if I can use the oil filler cap as the oil return point. I don't want to use the pan or valve cover for that. I still must do a lot of investigation before I buy the bypass oil filter system.

 

[Badrap]

It appears there is no sandwich plate for the cartridge style filter. So, I must use the oil sending unit port for the bypass filter oil supply as I have done in the past. I just hope I don't have to take too much apart to get to it.

Then I will see if I can use the oil filler cap as the oil return point. I don't want to use the pan or valve cover for that. I still must do a lot of investigation before I buy the bypass oil filter system.

You can use the Baxter cartridge-to-spin on adapter with Amsoil adaptor BK299 EA which mates with the same 22x 1.5 thread as Baxter. Use that Amsoil adaptor to output to the bypass kit. Doing same thing on my Braptor Works like a champ. I'm away at the moment when I get back home in spring, I'll try to get you some pics.

 

[gbub]

I will look into that. Some pictures would be helpful. I would like to install the bypass filter when I do my first oil change. I have less than 1,000 miles on it now so I have plenty of time to prepare for it.

I have found the oil pressure sensor and that looks viable as a source of oil for the bypass filter. I don't think the stock oil filler cap is a good place for the oil return. I have not looked at after market oil caps yet and hope that may work for me. I have not found a good place to mount the bypass filter. The one area that looks good is the same area that the onboard air compressor will go. I need to get my Bronco up on my lift to see if I can find a protected spot below.

 

[Badrap]

Eyeball that Baxter spin-on converter. Instead of spinning on an oil
Filter, spin on the Amsoil adapter that gives you an output/input. You can output to a remote dual filter kit - one regular and one bypass filter, or just an oversized regular flow oil filter. Use the adaptor input to feed the oil back from the remote kit. A bit expensive to initially set up but the Amsoil kit includes all the hoses and fittings. Good luck with whatever solution you engineer.

 

[u20251001]

I installed the Frantz filter on my 2024 2.7L.

Frantz Pros
- Low cost filters
- Two types of filters
- Toolless filter change

Frantz Cons
- Only filters down to 2 micron
- They don't sell a direct fit kit for the Bronco

Insane Diesel Pros
- Filters down to 1 micron
- Billet well built part
- They are the only place that sells a oil filler cap return to fit the Bronco that I found.

Insane Diesel Cons
- Replacement filter cost
- Requires a tool and torque wrench to change the filter
- They don't sell a direct fit kit for the Bronco

Bypass Filter Pros
- Unobstructed supplemental filtration surface area that does not impact the main oiling system.
- Filters wear particulates down to 1-2 micron. Stock filtration is only 18-20 micron.
- Extends oil life especially with turbos and diesels darkening the oil.
- Removes water and antifreeze.
- Extends the engine life by reducing wear particles.
- Increases the oil capacity by one extra quart.

Bypass Filter Cons
- Installation cost
- Extra filter to change

Comments

• Surface area on stock filter is only ~5.5" x ~25" which is approximately 1 sq. ft.
• Ford gives you basic filtration to accomplish warranty goals.
• Particles under 1 micron are considered to be non-wear particles.
• I have the Insane Diesel bypass on my Powerstroke.
• Even if you change the oil every 2-3k miles with stock filtration you can't remove micron or larger wear particles.
• I drilled the factory plastic cap and installed the bulkhead fitting from the Frantz kit as a temporary solution until the direct fit Insane Diesel cap arrives. The plastic cap works but has some vapor residue since the bulkhead fitting is not completely sealed.
• You can optionally do a full Insane Diesel kit instead of the Frantz.
• The fittings specified in the BOM allow you to also interchange the Insane Diesel just by swapping the bracket and filter housing.
• You need to drill two holes in the factory Frantz bracket matching the holes in front of the fuel tank.
• You need to slightly file down the side of the u-nuts to fit in the square slots on the frame.
• Putting a piece of foam on the metal fender bracket where the hose is tied to is advised.
• Reuse the o-ring from the oil pressure sending unit on the tee. The sending unit can connect to the tee with no o-ring or washer and seals with flat surfaces.
• Most of the fittings, hoses, and hose wrap in the universal Frantz kit won't be used if you go the route of using the 6AN hose and fittings.

Alternate BOM with Insane Diesel instead of Frantz (about ~$130 more)

1 - Bracket- ZBRCKX12 , ZBRCKX13, ZBRCKX14
https://insanediesel.com/collections/brackets/products/brackets-zbrckx12
$44.99

1 - HX1SHBK extreme1 housing and takes the extreme 1 filter and filters 1-8 quarts of oil.
https://insanediesel.com/products/housings-hx1shbk
$374.99

$733.23 total plus any tax or shipping for Insane Diesel

Frantz BOM

4 - 1/8 NPT Male to 6AN Hose End Fitting Adapter 90 Degree Aluminum Black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D6BF4L2N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$15.59

1 - Forged Reducer Adapter Fitting - Stainless Steel 304 Reducing Pipe Connector, 1/4" NPT Female x 1/8" NPT Male (pack of 2)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XXG6SM2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$8.99

1 - 6PCS AN6 6AN Billet Aluminum Fuel line Mounting Hose Separator Clamp for Fuel Line, Oil Hose, Brake Line, Water Pipe, Gas Line black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MMY9KTZ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
$8.99

1 - Frantz Filter Universal Bypass Oil Filter Kit by Hot Shot's Secret
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GW55FK1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
$289.95

1 - EVIL ENERGY 6AN Fuel Line, AN6 Braided Fuel Hose Nylon CPE 16FT Black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGH6LNWW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$35.99

1 - Oil Pressure Sensor Tee Adapter M12 x 1.5 to 1/8 NPT Port Turbo Supply Feed Line Gauge M12x1.5 Female to M12x1.5 Male with 1/8 NPT Side Port Hose T Stainless Steel
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DG6YQM1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$15.99

1 - Zip Ties 12 inch Heavy Duty Zip Ties with 120 Pounds Tensile Strength
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08K4PTCW1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$8.99

1 - M8 Regular Extruded U-Nut, U-Style Clip-On Nuts, Stainless Steel 18-8 (304) U-Type Clip Nuts, Pack of 20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D12GY9PX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$7.99

1 - M8-1.25 x 25mm Flanged Hex Head Bolts,304 Stainless Steel 18-8,Fully Threaded,Silver External Flange Hex Drive Screws,Pump,Fix Car,DIY Project(23Pcs)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DB1CP5BC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
$9.99

1 - Oil Filler Cap - FLLC35FO Insane Diesel
https://insanediesel.com/collections/oil-filler-caps-w-return-port/products/fllc35fo
$149.99

1 - Permatex 81343 Anti-Seize Lubricant, 1 Ounce
Anti-seize
$3.97

$603.20 total plus any tax or shipping for Frantz

 

[gbub]

That is good information on the bypass filter systems. I was hoping to mount in the engine compartment to keep the hoses shorter.

I have been looking at the Amsoil bypass filter system. They also just filter down to 2 microns.

I will take a look at the Frantz and Insane diesel systems to see if I like either one better. Something is wrong with our kinks. I can't open them.

 

[u20251001]

That is good information on the bypass filter systems. I was hoping to mount in the engine compartment to keep the hoses shorter.

I have been looking at the Amsoil bypass filter system. They also just filter down to 2 microns.

I will take a look at the Frantz and Insane diesel systems to see if I like either one better. Something is wrong with our kinks. I can't open them.

Same, I wanted a very factory looking installation with minimal hoses. However, I could not find a place in the engine bay that would work without having a complete mess when changing the bypass filter. The longer lines and undercarriage mounting in factory frame holes seems to be the best location I could find that also made for a clean filter change without making a mess.

I looked at the Amsoil bypass too. The downsides for me were the filter cost and Amsoil has that franchise network model so I was not sure how generally available it was. Their universal kit would likely fit in the same location I mounted mine in and would also be a mess free filter change. Getting the right mounting bracket would be the only part to figure out. My goal was to not modify the Bronco including not drilling any holes in the frame or elsewhere.

Drilling holes in the filter brackets was fine and easy to me, which would likely be the case on any system. These vendors could easily use my BOM and make a direct fit bolt-on Bronco SKU with very little effort. If they bundled a kit with an oil analysis kit that would be a home run.

 

[gbub]

I looked at the Insane Diesel universal kit and like it. It can be mounted under the hood and is fairly easy to change the filter without making a mess. If that oil return cap that is listed for the 3.5 EcoBoost fits the 2.7, it would be a pretty easy install. I like the 1 micron filtration too. It is more expensive than Frantz, but appears to be less than Amsoil.

My brother can make SS braided hoses for me and it would be a great setup like I have on my 02 Ranger.

Thanks for pointing me to new sources. I will be contacting Insane Diesel for more details.

Do you know if Insane Diesel has been around for a while and is a very stable company? I have been using Harvard bypass filter kits since around 1990. Their filters are getting very difficult to order and have gotten very expensive when I can get them.

 

[u20251001]

I looked at the Insane Diesel universal kit and like it. It can be mounted under the hood and is fairly easy to change the filter without making a mess. If that oil return cap that is listed for the 3.5 EcoBoost fits the 2.7, it would be a pretty easy install. I like the 1 micron filtration too. It is more expensive than Frantz, but appears to be less than Amsoil.

My brother can make SS braided hoses for me and it would be a great setup like I have on my 02 Ranger.

Do you know if Insane Diesel has been around for a while and is a very stable company?

If you find a mounting place under the hood with existing mount points I'd welcome the tip and photos. I could not identify one. There is space on the right side firewall, but I did not see any mounting points.

I'd love to have some stainless lines. I looked at using hydraulic hoses and having a local shop make some up for me. If you get something worked out I'd like to see the results so I could maybe upgrade mine.

Here's the Q&A on the oil filler cap from Insane Diesel.

Q: Does the following cap fit the 2.7 ecoboost? The cap I have is a Ford (F2GZ-6766-A) or EC-791.
Insane Diesel Cap fllc35fo

A: Yes, our Ecoboost cap will fit your 2.7 Ecoboost.

After looking at the compatibility list for the Boomba Racing Inc. FORD OIL CAP V2, I noticed it fit the 3.5L as well. I checked Insane Diesel and noticed their cap only said 3.5L so that's how I pieced everything together. My original path was going to be drilling and tapping the Boomba cap and then I found the Insane Diesel cap which is an off the shelf direct fit.

Boomba Billet Cap

There's a guy called Derek on youtube that had a 900k mile Powerstroke that he put on the Insane Diesel bypass filter at 100k miles. Insane Diesel also sells Lorenzo's oil (sort of like Amsoil boutique oil) that was started by John Lorenzo with his tribologist background.

The support and customer service from Insane Diesel is excellent in my experience. They stayed on the phone with me for an hour talking through various installation options and what the filter actually did.

Frantz is sort of old school salesy interactions and a very dated store front in my opinion. I exchanged messages with Mike (main sales person) at Frantz and it was a less than modern interaction.

Ultimate Setup

The ultimate setup would be if somebody made an aftermarket oil pan with aux ports (e.g. I have an spemotorsport pan on my Powerstroke). This would allow you to plumb in the return line directly to the oil pan eliminating the need to run lines on top of the engine and the oil filler cap purchase.

SPE Powerstroke Pan

I looked at drilling the plastic factory oil pan and using the bulkhead fitting in the Frantz kit for my return line. After looking at it further, you'd have to drain the front diff, pull the axle, and pull the electronic steering unit to remove the oil pan. That was too much trouble to take a chance on the factory plastic pan. If SPE or someone else would make an aluminum pan - especially if it held an extra quart - I'd do that upgrade and eliminate the oil filler cap return hose and cap. That combination would give you a total of 8 quarts of oil with the bypass filter.

The oil sending unit tee seemed to be the lowest cost, easiest, and most logical place to get the input/supply line plumbed. I looked at that Baxter spin-on converter above and it looks to have an aux port that you could tap in to instead of using the sending unit. That part is crazy expensive and the dry start issue is probably the reason why you'd want to buy it. That would drive the cost up to ~$1k though.

 

[u20251001]

Has anyone installed one of those Baxter spin-on converters and done a before/after oil analysis?

My Bronco has 16k miles on it now. It's had 3-5k mile oil changes (maybe 2 at the dealer and 1 at a kwik lube). I pulled the latest filter and took it apart. It's the one with the black plastic ends on it vs. the new filters without it. The filter had a couple of pepper sized aluminum particles on it. Basically every square inch of the filter had 1-3 aluminum particles on it and between 3-5 micro glitter/sparkle particles per square inch. It was really concerning to see that. I should have inspected the others but this result never occurred to me on a garage kept grocery getter vehicle. That prompted me to put the bypass filter on there ASAP.

I ordered three of the Frantz oil analysis kits and will do an analysis after I have 1k miles on the bypass filter. Then I'll do them at 5k and 10k then see where we are at from there.
Frantz Oil Analysis Kits

On my Powerstroke I used the Lube Labs kit from Insane Diesel.
Lube Labs Oil Analysis

I can post up the Bronco results when I reach the miles and get the results back if anyone is interested in seeing the results.

 

[gbub]

If you find a mounting place under the hood with existing mount points I'd welcome the tip and photos. I could not identify one. There is space on the right side firewall, but I did not see any mounting points.

I'd love to have some stainless lines. I looked at using hydraulic hoses and having a local shop make some up for me. If you get something worked out I'd like to see the results so I could maybe upgrade mine.

Here's the Q&A on the oil filler cap from Insane Diesel.

Q: Does the following cap fit the 2.7 ecoboost? The cap I have is a Ford (F2GZ-6766-A) or EC-791.
Insane Diesel Cap fllc35fo

A: Yes, our Ecoboost cap will fit your 2.7 Ecoboost.

After looking at the compatibility list for the Boomba Racing Inc. FORD OIL CAP V2, I noticed it fit the 3.5L as well. I checked Insane Diesel and noticed their cap only said 3.5L so that's how I pieced everything together. My original path was going to be drilling and tapping the Boomba cap and then I found the Insane Diesel cap which is an off the shelf direct fit.

Boomba Billet Cap

There's a guy called Derek on youtube that had a 900k mile Powerstroke that he put on the Insane Diesel bypass filter at 100k miles. Insane Diesel also sells Lorenzo's oil (sort of like Amsoil boutique oil) that was started by John Lorenzo with his tribologist background.

The support and customer service from Insane Diesel is excellent in my experience. They stayed on the phone with me for an hour talking through various installation options and what the filter actually did.

Frantz is sort of old school salesy interactions and a very dated store front in my opinion. I exchanged messages with Mike (main sales person) at Frantz and it was a less than modern interaction.

Ultimate Setup

The ultimate setup would be if somebody made an aftermarket oil pan with aux ports (e.g. I have an spemotorsport pan on my Powerstroke). This would allow you to plumb in the return line directly to the oil pan eliminating the need to run lines on top of the engine and the oil filler cap purchase.

SPE Powerstroke Pan

I looked at drilling the plastic factory oil pan and using the bulkhead fitting in the Frantz kit for my return line. After looking at it further, you'd have to drain the front diff, pull the axle, and pull the electronic steering unit to remove the oil pan. That was too much trouble to take a chance on the factory plastic pan. If SPE or someone else would make an aluminum pan - especially if it held an extra quart - I'd do that upgrade and eliminate the oil filler cap return hose and cap. That combination would give you a total of 8 quarts of oil with the bypass filter.

The oil sending unit tee seemed to be the lowest cost, easiest, and most logical place to get the input/supply line plumbed. I looked at that Baxter spin-on converter above and it looks to have an aux port that you could tap in to instead of using the sending unit. That part is crazy expensive and the dry start issue is probably the reason why you'd want to buy it. That would drive the cost up to ~$1k though.

There is an area on the right side (passenger side) that many people mount an on board air compressor. That is where I want to mount the bypass oil filter. I will probably need to make a mounting bracket or use one that is designed for the air compressor. Designing and fabricating a mount is probably what I will do since I have access to equipment for this.

Glad to know I have an oil return cap source. I was thinking about making my own too but needing a leak proof swivel concerned me. I appreciate you verifying that.

I have used a return to the pan on two engines, but when I saw the plastic pan on my Bronco, I felt very uncomfortable putting a fitting in it. I am pretty sure there is an after market aluminum pan for the 2.7L EcoBoost, but the install is more than I want to take on. I can live with the return to the oil fill cap just fine. I just hope having oil flow in there all the time when the engine is running does not create a problem.

I intend to use the oil sending unit tee for this install as I have in the past. It is a lot more accessible on the Bronco than it was on my two Rangers. Never had a problem with the tees with almost 200K miles on my 89 and 307K miles on my 2002 Ranger.

It will probably be a while before I do the install on my Bronco. My Brother lives in Kansas and I live is SoCal. I go back there once a year in October and probably next October is when I can get the SS lines installed. I will have the filter mounted before I go.

I will take some photos for you when I have it installed.

 

[u20251001]

There is an area on the right side (passenger side) that many people mount an on board air compressor.

That's a really great idea to use an air compressor mount!

I looked at this thread and found a list of mounts

Barnes ARB Dual Compressor Mounting Bracket Kit 2021-Up B4WK12781
$73.47

SDHQ ARB Air Compressor Mount: 21-24 Bronco
$284.95

KR Off-Road Air Compressor Engine Bay Kit for 2021+ Ford Bronco
$249.99

Grimm Offroad ARB Twin Compressor Mounting Bracket Kit
$249.95

ARB Compressor Engine Bay Mount for CKSA, CKMA, and CKMTA Compressors 3580030
$279.95

I may either buy the mount only or get the single compressor and mount and put an Insane Diesel HX1SHBK kit on it just for the fun of it to see if I can get an even cleaner setup with shorter hoses. I really have no use for the compressor other than bicycle tires since the Bronco is an errand runner and I already own the portable twin air ARB in the suitcase.

The question becomes should I get:

1. Barnes bracket since it's very low cost
2. ARB/SDHQ/KR/Grimm bracket only
3. ARB single compressor and bracket

Does anyone know if the ARB/SDHQ/KR/Grimm brackets

1. use the same mounting points
2. have any material differences (apart from Barnes which is powder coated carbon steel)
3. have the same amount of mounting and free space
4. are easier/harder to mount than any of the others

Option #1
If I end up doing this I'm going to put a quick disconnect hydraulic coupler set between the oil sending unit and the input of the bypass filter. That way I could build a small hose for the air compressor that would allow me to purge the bypass filter with air before changing it to totally eliminate any chance of making a mess.

Option #2
The Baxter adapter has a Schrader on it already. It may be cleaner and make more sense to get that and purge the main and bypass filter before changing eliminating a mess. I'm checking with Baxter to see if the aux ports on their adapter can still flow enough air to purge the bypass filter after the main filter has drained. My concern is the main filter drains then there's a large open hole where all the air escapes and nothing flows through the aux port after that.

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