Cold starts are hard on your engine, Baxter Performance offers an oil filter adapter to keep your engine lubricated and extend your vehicle’s service life.
One of the major concerns with a cartridge filter oiling system is the oil drain back. According to research done by Baxter Performance, a Subaru completely drains the top of the motor in 18 seconds. The average vehicle takes 30-35 minutes. A trip to the grocery store or going out to dinner is enough time for the oil in your engine to completely drain back into the oil pan. At startup, your oil has to travel the entire oiling system to reach every component the next time you start the engine. That’s a lot of potential wear and tear on an engine.
How do you protect your engine for the long term?
Number one is to buy quality oil. I don’t mean you have to use Royal Purple for every oil change but don’t go out and buy the cheapest oil at whatever weight is least expensive and forget to change it. Buy the oil that is recommended for your engine, change it regularly at the recommended service interval, and change your oil filter.
Number two is to prevent the oil from completely emptying the areas of the engine that are most prone to wear. That is where the Baxter Performance MS-201-BK adapter comes in.
For those of us who off-road this is especially important when you are hung up and lose engine power. Keeping oil in the valve-train and not letting it drain into the pan will definitely protect vital engine parts on start-up.
So how does the conversion work?
The Baxter Performance adaptor keeps your upper oil system flooded instead of allowing it to drain back following the engine shut down. The adapter contains a full flow check value to prevent oil flow back, combined with an oil filter that has an anti-flow back to keep the filter filled you have maximum protection for your vehicle’s engine. For applications like the 3.2/3.6 Pentastar in the 4WAAM Jeep, the adapter has a Schrader valve for oil evacuation. Apply the specified air pressure to open the valve allowing the oil to drain out of the adapter and filter allowing a mess-free oil change. A welcome addition considering the spin-on filter is upside down and would make a giant mess otherwise.
Build quality.
Made from precision-machined aluminum using anodized and polished finishes with OEM quality o-rings Baxter’s cartridge to spin-on adapter is built to outlast your entire vehicle.
The spin-on adapter uses a patented cleat system to lock it into place once installed and prevent the unit from spinning when removing the oil filter. The adjustable cleat misaligns to the threads creating enough interference to keep the unit in place.
Installation is easy but may require some light modifications.
I won’t get into every vehicle application and its different requirements. When this is installed on the 3.6 Pentastar in a Jeep Wrangler you have to remove a plastic tab on the intake manifold to provide enough clearance for the filter. Once the intake is trimmed the rest of the installation is quite simple.
Do a test fit of the unit to determine which side the Schrader valve is located on. There are two possible locations depending on your application. Once you have determined the correct orientation and valve location take the unit back out, use the provided plug to block the opposite side, install the o-rings with some lubricant, and reinstall the unit into the filter location.
Torque to the proper spec, lock the locating cleat, and then install the Schrader valve. The Schrader valve goes last to give you plenty of clearance to install the unit.
I do want to mention that the MS-201-BK does not fit the E-Torque 3.6 liter Wrangler. The generator is in the way and there is not enough clearance to install the filter. Baxter Performance is working on a remote filter kit to address this. No word on when that will be available.
We don’t have a verdict right now.
It’s too early to determine a verdict. We will definitely follow up after use, I will also have a short piece from a discussion with Kevin Baxter.
I did also want to mention that you can install this in between oil changes, during an oil change, or any other time. It does not impact your oil change cycle.
