2000 Nissan Frontier 4x4 Pickup Truck
With 3.3L V6 Gasoline Engine
AMSOIL Dual Remote By-Pass Filter System
Submitted by AMSOIL Dealer J. Henry Rowehl

Special Instructions: I recently installed a BMK-13 Dual Remote Bypass filter in my 2000 Nissan Frontier King Cab 4x4 pickup truck. Although the installation itself went relatively smoothly, the planning involved to determine a suitable location was another matter entirely. I wanted to mount the filters vertically, which would allow the filters to be pre-filled before mounting. The amount of space under the hood on the Nissan Frontier is extremely tight, especially when you have a 4 wheel drive. There simply isn't room anywhere to mount an oil filter.

I spent a lot of time looking for a suitable mounting location. I even went so far as to make a box to the largest dimensions of the BMK-13, and tried to test fit it under the hood, along the frame, and anywhere else I could think of. This was complicated by the fact that there is a front axle, automatic transmission, and transfer case occupying the most convenient mounting locations. I convinced myself that the only available mounting location would be behind the passenger compartment, under the pick up bed inside the frame rails. This would put the BMK-13 approximately 11 feet from the filter mount on the engine.

Since the BMK-13 is supplied with only 8 feet of hose, I contacted AMSOIL Technical Services to find out if my proposed mounting location would cause any problems. The response I got was that no problems should arise if I mount the BMK-13 12 feet from the engine. The reason for supplying 8 feet of hose is that most people simply don't need that much. So far, so good… now to order the supplies.

When I received the BMK-13 and filters (SDF-15 and BE-90), the first thing I did was to mount the filters on the bypass mount and fit check it under the hood, along the frame rails, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the BMK-13 fit in a location that my test fit box didn't, specifically, under the right headlight forward of the right wheel well. This location should be safe for the filters, as the windshield wash reservoir is in the same location on the left side of the truck. I assembled the mounting brackets to the filter mounting plate and test fit it again. It fit as if it were made to go there, with room to spare. There were two issues that became apparent, one being the electrical connector for the fog light, and the other being that the sampling petcock, if mounted on the filter mounting plate, would be inaccessible unless the full flow filter is removed. Here are pictures of the mounting location that I chose.

Top view of mounting location under right headlight.	Bottom view of mounting location.	Rear view of mounting location. Note that the wiring to the fog light has been removed from its original location, the white plastic clip under the letter 'R', and tie wrapped to the light bracket.

The next item on the agenda was to prepare the filter mounting plate for installation. This consisted of installing the adapter fittings, and the hole plug. Make sure that you use Locktite or thread sealant on the fittings, because it will be quite difficult to get to them once the mounting plate is installed. Once this is done, use one of the mounting brackets as a template and drill the mounting holes. I located the bottom edge of the mounting bracket approximately ¼ inch above the bottom edge of the wheel well. Don't assemble the mounting brackets to the filter mount, the whole assembly must be built in place, one piece at a time.

Start the mounting process by taking the large bracket and placing two bolts through the upper holes on the vehicle side of the bracket. Make sure that the bolt heads are towards the filters. Place two bolts through the holes that will be farthest forward on the filter mounting assembly, and place the bracket over the bolts. Place a bolt through the other two holes on the filter mounting assembly to make sure that all holes line up, and tighten the first two bolts. Mount the bracket to the vehicle finger tight. Make sure that all the mounting holes line up, and then fully tighten the mounting bolts. You may find it helpful to place the vehicle on jack stands and remove the right front tire.

Now get the small bracket, and place it in position. Put the bolts to the vehicle in first and finger tighten them. Then place the two bolts to the mounting adapter in the holes, thread a nut onto each one, and finger tighten them. This is the part where you discover that the human forearm doesn't bend in enough places to comfortably reach the top of the mounting bracket. The grillwork can be removed to allow a second person to help from the top. Tighten all four bolts a little at a time to relieve stresses on the mounting bracket. When all the bolts have been tightened, you should have something like this:

Bottom view of installed BMK-13 filter mount assembly. With the filter mounting adapter installed in this location, the fitting where the sampling petcock is normally mounted will be inaccessible with the filters installed.

With the SDF-15 and BE-90 filters installed, there is still plenty of room left for mounting the larger SDF-26 and BE-110 filters. One of my major concerns was being able to pre-fill the filters and install them without losing any of the oil. This mounting location allows that to be done easily.

This shows the SDF-15 full flow and BE-90 bypass filters installed on filter mounting assembly. Note that there is approximately 5 ½ inches of room below the filters, allowing installation of the SDF-26 full flow and BE-110 bypass filters if desired. With the larger filters installed you still have plenty of room to pre-fill the filters prior to installation.

The next item to be accomplished is mounting the filter adapter on the engine. Mount the adapter fittings to the filter adapter using Locktite or thread sealer. Drain the oil, remove the oil filter, and wipe off the mounting surfaces on the filter mount. The following photographs show that space is severely limited by the lower alternator bracket. The alternator bracket must be moved out of the way to allow mounting the filter adapter.

	This shows just how close the alternator bracket comes to the oil filter. The alternator bracket must be moved out of the way to provide room to mount the filter adapter.
	Second view showing just how close the alternator bracket is to the oil filter. The filter in this photograph is an SDF-13.

Once the alternator bracket has been moved, select and install the correct thread adapter (in this case, the blue adapter), install the filter adapter to the filter mount and tighten it. Make sure that the hose fittings will not interfere with the alternator bracket. Replace the alternator bracket and tighten it.

Filter adapter installed on filter mount. The alternator bracket has been returned to its original location.

Now comes the task of routing the hoses. Nissan has provided what appears to be a custom route for the hoses. The splash guard located in front of and just below the radiator has a cutout that the hoses fit into nicely, the rubber splash guard under the radiator has a T slot already cut, and the front frame rail just behind the radiator has a depression that lines up perfectly with the T slot.

There is a skid plate that must be mounted once the installation is complete. The hose fittings supplied with the BMK-13, by themselves, are about 1 inch longer than the available room with the skid plate installed. I purchased two 90 degree fittings, a running tee, a triple-lock to NPT adapter, and a radiator draincock that fit the NPT adapter. Since the normal location for a sampling petcock is not available without removing the full flow filter, the tee, NPT adapter and draincock allow oil sampling by removing the skid plate.

I started routing the hoses by assembling a fitting to one end of the hose, and routing the hose from the engine compartment, over the frame rail, through the T slot, into the depression in the splash guard, and up to the filter mounting assembly. Place a 90 degree fitting on the discharge side (oil supply to the BMK-13, marked with red paint) of the filter adapter along with a hose fitting. Route the hose to avoid sharp bends or stresses, and mark the length needed. Remove the hose, cut it to length, install a hose adapter on the other end, and re-rout it. Make sure that you route the hose from the red colored 'out' fitting on the filter adapter to the fitting on the filter mounting assembly with the arrow pointing IN. Finger tighten all the fittings to verify that the hose fits without being twisted or stressed. Use two wrenches to tighten all the fittings.

Install the draincock into the NPT adapter using thread sealant, and mount it on the 90 degree fitting of the running tee. The straight through fitting will be used for the return hose. Place a 90 degree fitting onto the return side of the filter adapter, along with the running tee, and the remaining hose adapter. Route the hose from the engine compartment to the filter mounting assembly following the same path as the other hose. Avoiding sharp bends or stresses on the hose, mark the length needed. Remove the hose and hose adapter, cut the hose to length, and install the hose adapter onto the other end of the hose.

Route the hose following the same path as before. Finger tighten all fittings to make sure that there are no sharp bends or stresses on the hose. Use two wrenches to tighten the hose onto the filter mounting assembly. Tighten the 90 degree fitting onto the filter adapter. Orient the draincock so that it points slightly to the rear of the vehicle and tighten it onto the 90 degree fitting. Tighten the return hose fitting to complete the installation.

On vehicles with automatic transmissions, the transmission cooler lines are located directly above the hoses where they run from the engine compartment under the radiator. Verify that the hose clamps for the cooler lines do not interfere with the oil hoses. Place a small piece of insulating material, such as 1/8 inch thick rubber, between the oil hoses and the transmission cooler lines, and secure the oil hoses to the coolant line nipples with a tie wrap. The completed installation should look something like the following photographs.

	Top view showing the supply and return hoses exiting from the filter mounting assembly. The hoses pass under the receiver/drier for the air conditioning with about 1 inch of clearance.
	View showing the supply and return hoses coming out from under the receiver/drier to the cutout in the splash guard under the radiator.
	View showing the hoses coming from the cutout in the plastic splashguard to the T slot in the rubber splashguard. This routing path existed when the vehicle was manufactured - no modifications were necessary during the BMK-13 installation.
	This view shows the hoses entering the engine compartment. The transmission cooler lines, just above the supply and return hoses, are connected to hose nipples on the radiator. When routing the hoses, make sure that the hose clamps on the transmission cooler lines are turned so that the sharp edges do not come into contact with the supply and return hoses. Place a small piece of insulating material, such as 1/8 inch thick rubber, between the transmission cooler lines and the oil hoses. Then tie wrap the oil hoses to the hose nipples on the radiator.
	This view shows the filter adapter with all fittings in place. Since the normal location for a sampling petcock on the filter mounting assembly is inaccessible, a sampling draincock has been placed in the oil return line. The draincock should be oriented so that it points slightly towards the rear of the vehicle, so that it doesn't contact the skid plate. Also verify that the draincock is clear of the steering linkage during full left-to-right operation of the steering, as well as full extension and compression of the suspension.

Now you're ready to install the filters and refill the engine oil. Verify that the oil drain plug is installed, and that the sampling draincock is closed. Locate something that you can use to support the filters with while pre-filling them. This can be almost anything, such as an empty box, wood blocks, or a small stick driven into the ground that you can tape or tie the filters to. With the full flow filter supported, fill it with oil until it is nearly full. Place a light film of oil on the gasket on the filter. Remove it from its support, raise it into position and secure it to the filter mounting assembly.

Do the same with the bypass filter. Be aware that since the bypass filter uses a much finer filter media, it will take a relatively long time to pre-fill it. You may find it helpful to hold the anti drainback valve open while pre-filling the bypass filter. The anti drainback valve is the rubber gasket that is visible through the series of small holes around the threaded mounting hole on the base of the filter. Something like a wooden toothpick should work fine. Do not use any sharp objects, and do not open the valve more than necessary. Holding the anti drainback valve open will allow air to escape while pre-filling the filter. Since the oil will rise very slowly, a small opening is more than sufficient to allow the air to escape. Take your time, and fill the bypass filter until it is full. Place a light film of oil on the mounting gasket, raise the filter into position, and secure it to the filter mounting assembly.

I prefer to have the largest filter possible, and changed from the BE-90 to the BE-110 bypass filter before I completed the installation.

	This view shows the BE-110 and SDF-15 filters mounted. There is sufficient clearance so that the filters can be pre-filled and installed without spillage.
	This view shows the final result of the installation. The BE-110 filter is about 1/2 inch above the bottom of the body, providing some degree of protection from objects that may be thrown from vehicles ahead. The SDF-15 filter will be replaced with an SDF-26 at some point in the future.

Now fill the engine with the normal amount of oil. The Frontier with the 3.3L V6 normally takes 4 quarts for an oil change. I put 4 quarts, plus the approximately ½ quart left over from pre-filling the filters into the engine.

Start the engine and let it run for about 1 minute. Shut the engine off, and inspect all fittings, filter mounts, and the filter adapter for any obvious signs of leakage. Don't forget to check the hole plug, adapter fittings, and hose fittings on the filter mounting assembly. Since these are now hidden from view, it would be easy to forget that they're there. Also check the entire length of the hoses, paying special attention to where the hoses are fastened to the transmission cooler lines, for any cuts or other damage that may have occurred during installation. Check the engine oil level to make sure that the level isn't below the full mark.

If all is well start the engine again. With the engine running, carefully check the fittings and hoses for any leakage. Inspect the draincock to make sure that it is fully closed and not allowing any oil to seep out. If you haven't found any leaks after about 5 minutes, shut the engine off, the installation is complete. Re-mount the right front tire, replace the skid plate, and lower the vehicle from the jack stands. Drive normally for about a day or two, and re-inspect for any leakage. Inspect again after about a week of normal driving. If no leakage is detected after the first week, then everything is correct and should require no corrective maintenance.