Well, a lot to think about ( except the dye bit). How about this, how long does it take to fill the oil filter if just installed ( empty) at start up, or better yet just engine cranking without ignition. Regular HD filter.

 

Dan Moore from moores sensible parts used to make
And sell remote oil filter relocation kits and oil coolers.
I still run one of his on my bike and been on it now for 10yrs.
He did testing using clear lines and says less than a second.
This is a quote from his website.

 

Ok, I just watched a video that was part of the one posted. Looks like it took (4-5) seconds for a dry filter to fill on this guys v-8 chev motor. But that’s not a HD so kinda irrelevant as to what that time is for our motors. That particular video ( w/ oil samples,tests, etc.) showed no difference in engine wear if oil filter was filled, not filled, what ever. So I guess what I’m after don’t make a bit of difference, Hah…I fill my filters anyway. But it would still be interesting to know how long the entire amount of oil in the system completes a cycle through the oil filter under normal circumstances…… I know, I know WGAS. Well I do anyway.

 

That was a joke.. Just wanted someone to figure where you entered it and where you checked.

I said that because I figured you weren't being serious with the first post and it's winter.

However, now that I realize you need to know, I will see what you find out.

You could screw out the oil light switch in front. Screw a pipe nipple in it with a 90 deg ball valve.

Stick it in a opening in the side of a 5 qt clean oil jug.

Get to the desired rpm oil volume check your interested in.

Now with some one on a stop watch, open the valve for 5 seconds and measure the volume of oil.

May take a few tries at the time since not sure what's going to come out in 5 seconds..

Now more accurate way would be plumb it thru a meter and hose it back to the dip stick opening.

Be quick. You may be starving oil volume thru engine..

There numerous flow gages on Ebay and Amazon.

PS .. I ask a couple filter makers your question and also some in depth thoughts about how that pressure release works and size of filter media.

Interestingly how small some filters are. I alway run OEM branded filters since I assume they are made to a spec.

But I have three now, that two would fit in some filters I have used on older cars in the past.
Honda, Subaru and Toyota.

One comes to mind was one off Fords. A FL1 filter. But I guess the engines were 2 to 3 times bigger and passed huge volumes of oil thru them.

 

Thanks Buell 95. That is a good video. Looks like the oil could move pretty quickly, even with the engine with the small oriface and clearances to supply. Probably the biggest oil hog is the piston/ squirt nozzles ( guessing). I know the crank rollers use almost nothing, rocker arms probably quite a bit. Thanks again.

 

I don't think it's a matter of the filter getting blocked by gunk and dirt, but more the oil viscosity. Rarely is an oil filter going to get enough debris in it to blind the media. But, a thick oil will not flow through the filter media as easily as a thin oil. So the likes of a 20w-50 is going to be far more resistant than say a 5w-20 oil at going through the filter media. Especially if it's cold. And remember, it's not simply the oil pressure you see on the gauge, it's the oil pressure difference between the outside and the inside of the filter that pushes the oil through the media, or opens a bypass valve, if there is one there.

Fortnine did a video on oil filter medias, using non-bypass filters. It's interesting, and probably doesn't go the way you'd expect:

That kinda crazy Russian guy and his garage, the one who's always building crazy cars and such? He made up some clear housings for oil filters and stuck them on a junk car for fun. I can't really tell if the bypass valve(s) were operational or not, but it was quite interesting to watch the filters fill and flow:
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