The Problem

The oil filter on the F1C engine is mounted upside down!  The genuine filter has a rubber flap inside to stop the oil draining from the filter while the engine is not running.  However, over the years I have seen a reduction in the effectiveness of this feature in the Iveco oil filters: on the first start of the day there is a five second delay from starting the engine until the oil warning light goes out.  I suspected this long delay could have been caused by a worn oil pump (after all… the engine has over 300,000 km!).  I replaced the oil pump but it had no effect, still five seconds on the first start of the day. 

The Solution

I decided to mount the oil filter the right way up so the oil does not drain from it while the engine is not running. I bought the parts (see list below) from Merlin Motorsports when I was last in UK.

The SUSA Oil Filter Take Off Plate, as supplied, has very sharp internal edges and narrow passageways.  I filed these out slightly and rounded the edges to improve oil flow. 

The spacing of the two ports on this adapter are too close together.  This means the AN12 connectors cannot be directly attached as the corners of the nuts foul each other!  I chose to use Setrab Oil Cooler Adaptors as these have smaller sized nuts (still needed the corners on one nut to be filed for clearance) and can be swivelled when fully tightened. This should allow for some movement when the engine moves under load without stressing the hoses or remote filter housing.

I chose 19mm (3/4 inch) inside diameter hose as that closely matches the size in the oil filter’s output. You may be able to use a smaller size hose and fittings, but I did not want to restrict oil flow.

The battery box has 4 bolt holes. I used the bottom two holes to hold a metal plate and fuel filter (in its original position) and the top two holes just for the metal plate.  The SUSA Remote Oil Filter Head is attached to the top of the metal plate.  There is enough space to independently install/remove the oil filter or fuel filter housing. 

I attached the grounding wire that normally goes to the fuel filter housing bolt, to the metal plate using one of the mounting bolts holding only the plate to the battery box.  I checked that it is providing a good ground to the filter housing bolts.  This means this wire does not need to be disconnected during fuel filter removal (during servicing).

I have routed the hoses with a generous loop so there is plenty of capacity in the hoses to allow for engine movement under load.

Result

On a cold start when the engine has not run over night, the oil pressure light now goes out in under 2 seconds instead of 5 seconds.  Hopefully this will reduce some wear on the engine in the long term.

List of parts

(bought from www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk )

• Qty 1, 18-CPNIP-22, SUSA Remote Oil Filter Head Replacement Thread Adaptor (Oil Filter Thread: M22 x 1.5)
• Qty 1, 18-RFHU20-22, SUSA Remote Oil Filter Head with M22 Ports (Oil Filter Thread: M20 x 1.5)
• Qty 1, 18-TOP22-22, SUSA Oil Filter Take Off Plate with M22 Ports (Oil Filter Thread: M22 x 1.5)
• Qty 2, 22-09478-01, Setrab Oil Cooler Adaptor -12 JIC to M22
• Qty 4, HEF97-12 90, Degree Oil Union -12JIC For 3/4 Push On
• 1 meter, M-100R6-12, Rubber Oil Hose 19mm (3/4 Inch) inside diameter
• Qty 2, 22-M22AN12-90, SUSA ProLine 90 Degree AN Adaptor Fitting to M22 x 1.5 SUSA Fitting Option: M22 to -12JIC (AN12)

Note:  The Iveco filter has a M22 x 1.5 thread, and the SUSA Remote Oil Filter Head was supplied with a M20 x 1.5 thread, so the M22 x 1.5 SUSA Remote Oil Filter Head Replacement Thread Adaptor is required.

For more modifications see here.

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