I was 8000 KMS between oil changes and would add oil here and there to top up, changing the FS three times a year

But you're absolutely correct - oil analysis would further show the source of the problem. I wasn't doing oil analysis. I relied on the literature / marketing numbers.

The mechanic at DFC said, in his experience, he's never seen clear oil by customers using bypass filters - only new engines stay cleaner looking longer but they all divert to black oil eventually. He's rebuilt gads of ford, dura max and cummins engines. Again, I'm only passing in what he told me, his experience. Additionally, he said my cam wear was clearly metal on metal contact based on the wear pattern - likely a combination of degraded oil and my upgraded valve springs. Maybe without the springs and degraded oil I'd have not damaged my cam. Again, speculation. Theories.

I chose the FS2500 based on marketing and literature - the filter media was unique and said to be very efficient. I was going to do Amsoil but the kit wasn't so available at the time, and even if it was, my exhaust brake relay and multiple aftermarket lines are right where it mounts. As clean as the install is at the beginning this post (I'm impressed!), going through what I've gone through (oil fire) I'd never mount any oil apparatus above an exhaust manifold. It's not just the heat, regardless of protection of the heat shield, but an oil leak above a manifold that starts a fire is a very expensive fix.

As for changing the filter I find it easy to change the FS - or it is for me because I have a lift in my garage and can get it to eye level. If I slop a bit when doing it, the spill is on my garage floor or lift - not my engine or manifold.

Anyway, I no longer see the benefit of extending oil changes - but admittedly I haven't done the math of the cost savings. One saves on oil and filters, yes, but how much is oil analyses in addition to the cost of the kit? How long before recouping the costs? I have to wonder if it's like those milage improvers one adds to diesel. Do they really make enough difference to offset the cost of the product? Plus, is extending oil changes worth the risk of an engine with a shortened life?

Being a trained chemical technologist, I also have to ask: do the results of an oil analysis include the integrity of chemical components that are designed to prevent wear and bind up the soot? Oil analysis shows some of the oil quality, indicating where wear is, and a few other good pieces of info. But one really needs to compare apples to apples: an original oil sample (unused) to a used oil sample using GC-Mass Spectrometry analysis (a chemical fingerprinting) to see how well the oil molecules are holding up. Maybe extended oil changes are more forgiving in gas vehicles than diesel...just a thought. Another theory. There's a lot of technology in oil engineering and I don't think a basic oil analysis would cut it, not for me running a new engine now.

So with all that said, I believe the best "filter" is dumping the oil and replacing with new. It's just simpler. And if one has cash for a bypass? Cool. Mount it well, but in lieu of protecting a $12,000 engine - I am of the opinion now that there's nothing better than fresh oil.

I'm about to install the EFI switch that'll tap into these triple turbos with 5 tunes. Maybe I'll find them to be super great or not so great. I'm going to do a complete write up soon. As much crazy stuff as I have now on this truck, it's been an experiment. I've made tons of errors. I'm no drag racer. I'm no tractor puller. I tow a 7000 lb utility trailer for my business during the spring - fall season. I'm no diesel mechanic either...although my dad is if that counts, lol...

Anyway, I like sharing my failures with others so they don't go down the roads I have. I've paid for my education the hard way, like my dad has said, and I don't regret it to be honest. It's been an adventure...and I've learned a lot of practical things that can help others - successes and failures alike.