Tempest AA48104 Oil Filter – Engineered for Advanced Aircraft Filtration

The Tempest AA48104 features the company's SPIN EZ proprietary solid-lubricated seal, which addresses one of the most common and time-consuming problems in spin-on oil filter maintenance: filters that bond to the engine mount pad and refuse to come off cleanly. On turbocharged and geared engine platforms – the high-performance Lycoming and Continental engines this filter serves – heat cycles are more intense than in normally aspirated engines, which accelerates the migration of traditional liquid lubricants out from under the filter seal and worsens the bonding effect. The SPIN EZ solid lubricant is bonded to the gasket itself during manufacturing and stays in place between the seal and the mount pad surface throughout the service interval, ensuring the filter can be removed cleanly at the next oil change without specialized tools, damaged cans, or frustration. No DC-4 compound or other liquid lubricant is needed at installation.

The Tempest AA48104 uses a 13/16-16 female thread, which distinguishes it from the AA48108-2 and AA48109 models that use a 3/4-16 female thread. This thread size corresponds to the filter mount configuration on specific high-performance Lycoming and Continental engine families – including the TIO-541, GTSIO-520, and IO-720 series – that require a larger-diameter threaded connection. Installing a filter with the wrong thread type will prevent proper seating and can result in leaks or damage during installation, so it is critical to verify the thread specification against the aircraft maintenance manual before ordering. The 13/16-16 thread on the AA48104 is the same configuration used on the AA48103-2, and the two are physically interchangeable per a Tempest Letter of Engineering Concurrence – though compatibility with a specific engine application should always be confirmed in the approved application guide.

The AA48104 is rated to withstand burst pressures of 600 PSI, exceeding the ARP 1400 aerospace oil filter standard by 50% through significant improvements to the canister's roll seam construction. High-output turbocharged and geared engines like the GTSIO-520 and TIO-541 generate demanding thermal and pressure cycles that place greater stress on filter components than naturally aspirated engines, making elevated burst strength particularly relevant for this filter's specific application set. The strengthened roll seam design ensures the filter maintains structural integrity during cold-start pressure spikes, thermal transients, and the elevated operating pressures characteristic of high-performance powerplants.

The Tempest AA48104 incorporates a magnetic filtration system designed to capture fine ferrous particles that are too small to be retained by the primary filter media but can still cause progressive wear on critical engine components, such as bearings and gear surfaces. This magnetic secondary filtration stage acts as an additional line of defense, retaining metallic debris that would otherwise continue circulating in the oil stream between filter changes. For high-time or high-performance engines where early detection of ferrous wear is particularly important, the presence of ferrous material on the magnet during filter inspection can serve as an early-warning diagnostic indicator before wear progresses to a more serious condition.

The AA48104 uses a resin-impregnated, cellulosic full-pleat media with 312 square inches of filtration surface area – among the largest media areas available in aviation oil filters. The full-pleat configuration distributes oil flow uniformly across the entire media surface, rather than concentrating it in localized areas, reducing the risk of media collapse under high differential pressure and maintaining consistent filtration efficiency throughout the service interval. Resin impregnation adds structural rigidity to the media itself, maintaining pleat geometry under the elevated pressures and thermal conditions characteristic of the turbocharged and geared engine applications for which this filter is designed.

The Tempest AA48104 includes a patent-pending PC (protective) housing integrated around the bypass valve, a design feature that sets Tempest filters apart from most competitors. In the unlikely event of a bypass valve component failure, a filter without this housing could see the failed valve partially or fully obstruct the oil outlet port, restricting oil flow to the engine at a critical moment. The PC housing houses the bypass valve assembly in a dedicated enclosure, so that even a failed valve does not block or reduce flow through the main oil outlet. This redundancy is built into the filter's physical construction rather than relying solely on the bypass valve's component reliability.

Tempest recommends following the engine manufacturer's specified oil filter replacement interval when provided in the maintenance manual or service instructions. When no engine manufacturer recommendation exists, Tempest's general guidance is to replace aviation oil filters every 25 to 50 hours of operation. For the high-performance, turbocharged, and geared engine applications served by the AA48104 – including the GTSIO-520, TIO-541, and IO-720 – which may operate at higher oil temperatures and sustained high power settings, erring toward the shorter end of that range supports more frequent monitoring for wear debris. Installation torque for the AA48104 is 16 to 18 ft-lbs, or hand-tighten and add a quarter turn using a calibrated torque wrench.

The AA48104 is available in six-pack packaging for operators and maintenance shops that regularly service multiple aircraft, offering the convenience and cost-per-unit advantage of bulk purchasing without the handling challenge of a full case. Tempest aviation oil filters are manufactured in a dedicated aviation oil filter production facility built solely for that purpose – the only such facility in the industry focused exclusively on aviation oil filter production. This total process control environment supports dimensional consistency, documentation, and quality standards required by aviation maintenance regulations, and it underpins operators' confidence that a replacement filter meets its specified performance parameters at every oil change.