🔍 Key Concepts

• Trace the oil flow arrows from the pump to the engine bearings and notice whether the main flow must pass through the filter element. • Understand the difference between full‑flow (filter in series with the main oil gallery) and bypass/shunt (filter in parallel, only part of the flow) systems. • Consider the purpose of an internal bypass relief valve inside a filter and how it protects the engine if the element becomes clogged.

💭 Think About

• Follow the arrows and ask yourself: under normal conditions, does every drop of oil going to the bearings go through the filter, or only a small portion of it? • Look at where the filtered oil rejoins the system: does it return to the sump, or does it continue directly on to the bearings and other lube points? • How would the oil still reach the bearings if the filter element plugged—what path would it take according to the diagram?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether the line from the lube oil pump to the engine bearings passes through the filter housing as part of the main circuit. • Check if there is any separate line that takes a small side stream through the filter and then dumps it back to the sump (typical of bypass/shunt systems). • Note that an internal bypass relief valve inside the filter does NOT necessarily mean the entire system is a "bypass" type; confirm how the oil normally flows when the element is clean.