Looks like my stock of cartridge filters is low. Don’t see any of my suppliers with much good NOS, and the new stock is going to be off shore junk I wont trust.
Time to move to spin on? Or do the old cartridge have any advantages?
I suspect if I can put my hands on a case of good cartridge filters I will go for it.
Comments appreciated 
For me, depends on access, but my first choice would be spin - I have never had any luck in getting a BMC cup to seal first time 
I’ve had three Elan’s, two with spin-on, one the old cartridge style.
Spin-on every time for me.
I like the spin on too
One has spin, the other cartridge
Of course the spin is easy.
I recall reading about the cartridge being of some benefit. Can’t find the link or article now of course.
Cartridge style is ‘greener’ in that less waste goes in the landfill. But if you are into unnecessary hobby cars that leak and burn petroleum products while you drive it around just for fun (like me), that probably isn’t a top of list concern for you.
And is there really any comparison between 60 year old oil filtration technology and present day?
Probably, I wondered about this.
My plan is to cut open the spin on, and check it out.
There are a bunch of good YouTube that show the internal differences of MANN vs RedLine or Lucas or whatever, about 12.
Most of the paper is the same quality, synthetic filters are the new - not 60 year old paper. Again, they are all still using paper for conventional oil.
So while newer technology is better most likely. Donaldson, Baldwin, Wix, Fram etc still use paper. Sort of doubt there is much difference between top tier papers (off shore is not in question).
The video highlights capacity etc.
youtube.com/watch?v=VzCqjZgIMBk
I know for a fact, in my 10 or so diesel trucks which run many 1000’s psi, is that the cheap paper does not work. It tears up, and plugs pumps and injectors.
So to me, the question comes back to filtering capacity. There are some small capacity Fram, larger Wix (made by Donaldson) or the Ford OEM which are about the same.
I will have a new Baldwin here in about an hour and will know about them soon.
The main point I probably should have asked in the beginning. Is the cartridge filter is about 5" tall and 3" wide. The largest spin on is much smaller. Also, much less capacity if the car has been sitting for immediate scavenging. Though I don’t know how much that would be or if it has any effect.
Baldwin same size
The spin on time pump is also a better pump than the cartridge style. Ford increased the width of the rotors slightly for more flow rate capacity when they went to the spin on type pump.
Recommendations on supplier please
You may find the Wix XP series of filters interesting. Wire backed modern synthetic filter media.
Or if you’re really OCD, check out Canton-Mecca filters. Spin on housing with removable filter insert to allow filter media inspection. Basically a modern take on the old school canister style. It’s what I run on my E and Elan.
Interesting discussion. My Toyota (2008) has a spin on but the next generation (2010+) of it is cartridge. My suspicion is that going cartridge takes a few parameters away from the filter supplier. Bypass and drain back valve are now within the OEM’s control.
The change back is probably driven environmental regulations. As cartridge type make easier to process waste.
I do not seem to be able to find an Elan version, or pre 67. All paper in frozen Canada.
Any chance you can offer a part number please.
And most manufactures have special tools for oil filter removal, and oil fill. Though only about 12 different types.
question, if oil supply of a high volume pump is too much, and the early ones not enough. What is the formula. Did the 68+ with the wider rotors change because newer oils were on the market and the wider rotors were better for a reason do you suspect? please
Kind Regards
Many of my diesel trucks are paper cartridge
There’s 3 rotor widths that are used in those Ford oil pumps:
Ford used the 16mm and 19mm rotors in standard production pumps. Can only guess as to why they made the change form 16mm to 19mm. Probably as engines aged and clearances increased they found that pumps with 16mm rotors could not keep up with oil demand under certain conditions.
Interesting point. I generally service my own cars when they get past the end of the guarantee period - I have had some bad experiences with main dealers. We have a couple of newish BMW minis my children use, they both have disposable cartridge filters within a plastic screw on cover. Its a pretty neat arrangement with a captive O ring, and can be changed from the top of the engine. I had assumed this was just BMW, but from the above it seems there has been a general shift.
VAG has gone down the same route of replaceable cartridge recessed in the engine with a plastic cap sealed by an O-ring. I guess it cheap and compact in crowded modern engine bays. The plastic caps have a limited life and can crack especially if over tightened so you can buy after market billet alloy ones! Moving the cartridge to the top of the engine seems to be a more recent change which I guess means less oil spilled and easier access especially with all the under body shields on recent cars.
On the question of why did Ford increase the pump capacity with the move to spin on filters in the late 60’s I suspect it related to the introduction of multi grade oils into popular use around that same time. Conventional mineral oil based multi grade oils thin over time with use as the viscosity improver is chopped up into smaller molecules every time it passes through the bearings and pump. The viscosity improver is actually polyethylene mechanically chopped into relatively low molecular weight strands so that it is soluble in mineral oil. The smaller the polyethylene molecules the less viscosity improvement effect they have. This means that oil pressure can drop during use between oil changes and I suspect Ford put in a larger pump so this would not be as noticeable and attract complaints.
cheers
Rohan
By contrast those Triumph Spitfires had a 25mm rotor on early 4 cylinder engines, later increased to 29mm. The 6 cylinder versions of the same basic engine design had even wider rotors again in their oil pumps.
I’m not quite sure what the reason was for Triumph requiring such large rotors when only 16mm was sufficient in a Ford engine. They must have been designed with a massive internal oil leak somewhere!! - it certainly wasn’t a better engine. You can fit the Triumph 25mm rotors into a Ford oil pump to convert it to the High Volume specification.