Identifying the different types of oil filter on Nuffield Tractors

I have just come across the article below which is an advert taken from ‘The Country Gentleman’ magazine, which is an American agricultural magazine which ran between 1852 and 1955. I am not sure which year this page from the magazine was printed in, but we do know that Purolator filters were founded in New York in 1923. My guess based on the models of tractors in the other parts of the magazine is that this advert was from 1954.

Seeing this article for Purolator filters from the 1950s made me think about the three different filters that are fitted to the earlier Nuffield tractors, where both Purolator filter housings and Vokes filter housings were fitted.

When we are talking to customers, we regularly have to ask which oil filter they require because Nuffield used three different filters on their range of engines and models including the Nuffield 342, 3DL, 460, 10/42, 10/60 and the Nuffield 4DM with the BMC diesel engine.
I hope that this blog will help customers to see what the difference is between these filters.

Identifying the different types of oil filter on the Nuffield Tractors

The easiest way to establish which filter is fitted to your engine is to measure the length of the old filter, also look at the filter head to see if it has Purolator or Vokes stamped on it.

If you want to purchase a filter prior to removing the old one you can always check the length of the straight part of the canister, which will give you a good indication of which replacement filter you will need.

Purolator used two different filters which measure a length of 139mm  8G2000 or 110mm  GFE102. The Vokes filter is the shortest of all with a length of 99mm 17H1784. The Vokes filter also has a small hole in one end and a larger hole in the opposite end.

Please see picture below of all three filters side by side. I have just noticed that all three are different colours this cannot be used to identify the oil filter as suppliers change the colours over time.

Note: All the filters have the same outside diameter of 72mm

Take care when removing the old filter.

When removing the canister to change the filter it is important not to lose any of the internal components which are inside the canister as these are not always available to replace. One problem that we see time and time again is that the previous person who changed the filter pulled off the canister and tipped all of the contents into the oil bucket – not just the oil, but the springs, clips and seals etc. Then they assembled the filter back without these components. The result is that the canister is missing important components and oil is not forced through the filter and it does not filter properly.

Always ensure that all the springs, washers and clips are put back in the correct order, failure to do so will result in improper filtration of your oil and possible damage to your engine.

We have some very useful videos on our YouTube channel showing the internal parts and the order in which they should be assembled.
Press here for YouTube Video on changing the Purolator housing with filter GFE102.
Press here for YouTube video on changing the Vokes filter housing with filter 17H1784

Please see your workshop manual for more details or open link to purchase from our website Nuffield 10/42, 10/60, 3/45, 4/65 or Nuffield 4M, 4MP, 4DM, 3DL ,342, 460

Oil seal

The filters come with a replacement O-ring (oil seal) which should be changed at the same time, these seals go hard and are unlikely to seal the canister causing unwanted oil leaks, they can often be mistaken for part of the filter head, it is always good idea to check the groove that they fit into, is clear of any part of the old O-ring.

There is also a small seal at the bottom of the canister that fits on the bolt that comes up through the canister (part no 7H1759) which is available to purchase separately from our website.

After you have changed the oil filter and the O-ring it is always a good idea to keep a note of the date when they were replaced, you could keep a record with your log book or insurance papers as it is important to regularly change the oil and filters to prevent premature wear to your oil pump and other engine components, it is amazing how quickly time passes.

See future blogs for more information on oil.

Nuffield M4, M3, PM4, MV3 (Petrol/TVO Models)

These models used an oil filter which has a larger diameter than the other Nuffield models, part number AAA6074.

This Filter has an outside diameter of 96mm (3.3/4"), inside diameter 34mm (1.3/8"),116mm (4.1/2") long.

Take care when changing the filter on your Nuffield DM4 with the Perkins P4 engine as the large O-ring used with this filter is no longer available and you will have to reuse your old one.

Why is it so important to regularly change the oil and filters?

Over time the oil picks up tiny carbon particles, dust and fine pieces of metal which need to be filtered out of the oil, so that they do not do damage to the moving components in the engine, like the oil pump or crankshaft bearings which can be a costly to repair, therefore it is better to filter these out.

The oil is pumped from the sump up through the filter where it passed through a series of small holes and through a porous material which collects any contaminates before the oil goes back to the top of the engine. Therefore, the filter does a very important job in reducing the amount of bits that go round the engine. But you need to change the oil filter regularly in order for them to keep working.