5 filters cut open

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
665
Location
Texas
I've been amounting a mass of used oil filters for the day when I finally get a filter cutter. Alas, that day hasn't yet come, and the need to clear some shelf space prompted me to just man up and hack these filters open with the tools on hand (chisel and tin snips).

So, I present to you a collection of filters that I ran on my 03 Ford Focus Duratech, with a straggler Fl-400s from an old camry (can also be used on focus, but more on that below). Pictures were taken with my phone...I'm a bit under the weather today, so wasn't in the mood to break out my good camera and go through the hassle of a manual PB upload.

First up is the group shot.
252907644_photobucket_38344_.jpg

From left to right, Motorcraft FL-400s, Fram XG3614, Napa Gold 1348, MC FL-910, M1 102.

The Purolator (MC) filters had the thinnest can, followed by the Wix. The Fram had a pretty tough can on it, but the hardest to cut open of the bunch was the Mobil 1. Real pain in the rear.

252907644_photobucket_38336_.jpg

FL-400s is the latest iteration of this filter. Its been shrunk by about half an inch compared to the old FL-400. It uses a silicone ADBV, and a threaded end bypass. Lots of media that was in reasonably good condition. I pulled this filter off my fathers 89 Camry, I estimate it had around 4k miles and 7-9 months of use.
This filter is almost identical to the new FL-910s, except its longer. Otherwise, they both share the same threaded end bypass and silicone ADBV. Unfortunately, I threw all my 910s filters away...so I only had the older 910 to cut open.
The new shorter 410s can be used on the focus as its still tucked under the car (older longer one hangs down too low).


252907644_photobucket_38333_.jpg

This is the older FL-910. Its got a little over 5k on it, and 4 months of use. Note, its been sitting on my shelf for over a year.
Its got a nitrile ADBV, its a bit stiff...appears to have hardened a tad. Probably due to sitting on my shelf for so long.
The media is a little wavy, but otherwise intact. The filter has a dome end bypass integrated into the filter element.

252907644_photobucket_38339_.jpg

This is a Napa Gold (Wix) filter. It has a little over 5k miles on it, and probably 5 months of use. Its been sitting on my shelf for at least 4yrs.
The ADBV is still very pliable and soft. The media looks in decent shape though it has hardened somewhat from sitting so long.
This filter uses a threaded end bypass that rests in the center tube of the can. There is no gasket or o-ring, and the metal on metal connection makes me think that a bit of oil could leak past the seam. However there is a great deal of spring tension on the filter from the coil spring at the bottom of the can.
Its worth noting that this filter had the smallest element...but I didn't measure pleat depth, so actual filtering area is unknown.

252907644_photobucket_38335_.jpg

This Fram Extended Guard has 7k miles of use in about 7 or 8 months. It was pulled off my car just yesterday, so has spent 0 time sitting on my shelf.
It uses a silicone ADBV and a dome end bypass. The ADBV is soft and pliable.
The bypass is integrated into the leaf spring at the bottom of the can, and seals up against the filtering element with a rubber gasket. The bypass was in good condition and worked fine when I tested it.
The filtering media was in great shape...and looked the best out of the bunch. Fram advertises a dual layer synthetic media with a wire mesh backing, and while I can't validate their dual layer claim, I can say it was very thick media and very very tough. Overall I liked this filter a good deal, just wished it used a threaded end bypass like the others. As for pleat count, it was the lowest of the filters. I didn't measure pleat depth however, so actual filtering area is unknown. Note, with synthetic media filter media thickness is also a factor, and this media is very thick.

252907644_photobucket_38341_.jpg

This Mobil 1 102 filter has approximately 5-8k miles on it, though it is a bit tough to recall as I did some long OCI's around that time. It has been sitting on my shelf for 3-4years...probably a bit longer.
This filter had a silicone ADBV, and it was soft and pliable. Apparently it also had the ability to walk, as I can't find it anywhere. Funny how I can loose a bright orange ring in a 2ft by 2ft area...
ANYWAYS, this filter uses a threaded end bypass.
The media was in decent shape, a bit hardened from sitting so long. As I mentioned briefly above, the can on this filter was the toughest of the bunch, and the threaded baseplate was also the heaviest. Overall this filter weighed the most and felt the most substantial.

252907644_photobucket_38345_.jpg


Anyways, my personal impressions.
Filter I liked the least...Napa Gold. Don't get me wrong, its a well built filter, but when I can get an FL-910s (or 400s) for $4 and they too use a threaded end bypass and silicone ADBV...the Napa's price doesn't make sense.
Second in line was the old style FL-910...fortunately they don't make them like this anymore. Nothing terribly wrong with it, but against this lineup it seems to come up a bit short. New 910s is much nicer.

What I liked:
Motorcraft FL-400s. Nice features and an even nicer price. 910s is a good filter for the Focus owner who is running reasonable oil change intervals.

Fram Extended Guard. Though it bares the name Fram, its a very well built filter. The media being perfect after a decent amount of use just makes me smile. I wish it had a threaded end bypass, but alas....it probably won't make much of a difference in use. I bought this filter for a tiny bit over $7, and I feel its worth it. I've come to find out that they are now $9 at Walmart, and at that price point, I'll probably be sticking with the Motorcraft for my somewhat short change intervals (5-7.5k).

Lastly we are left with the M1. At its regular price point, it simply isn't really worth it unless you have a specific need for an indestructible filter. However, this filter is commonly available on sale with various oil specials...and if purchased that way, is a nice buy. In fact, I just bought the $28 Synpower deal at O'reillys a couple days ago
smile.gif
.


There you have it, a collection of old oil filters. Most people would think its trash, but I know the bitog crowd can never resist a filter in the buff.
What's even more interesting is that last night I took a hand file to my filter mount, and an now fit the wide can ford filters (FL1a/FL-300). The FL-300 is just short enough to be safe under the car, but increases oil capacity enough to let me run a full 5qts in my car. So, I'll have to start cutting open FL-300 equivalents now.
 
Last edited:
thanx for the posting! any way you could remove the media with out too much damage for a fold out pick? im wondering how well the double layer from the fram XG will stack up against the M1. im also wondering if it has two thin layers or just two normal thickness
 
Sorry you're not feeling your best.
frown.gif


Excellent pics and write up!! Thanks for taking the time to share all of that with the rest of us junkies!
 
Originally Posted By: electrolover
thanx for the posting! any way you could remove the media with out too much damage for a fold out pick? im wondering how well the double layer from the fram XG will stack up against the M1. im also wondering if it has two thin layers or just two normal thickness


Ya, I can do that. Probably be sometime tomorrow, I'm down for the night.
The media is pretty thick, but that's usually the case for synthetic media. This stuff is very similar to what is used in the Royal Purple, Stratopore, and Amsoil filters, except that its not white colored when new. The media is very strong, as it has a steel mesh backing that holds it all together. They do this with synthetic media, as it doesn't have any sort of structure on its own, unlike paper elements.

The M1 media is advertised as a cellulose/synthetic blend, and it lacks the fuzzy texture of the Fram media. In all honesty, it feels identical to the rest of the paper element filters I cut open. It did seem to hold its shape better then some of the others though, and its appearance is more uniform. You can look at some of the others and see how the texture of the media changes, but not on the M1.
 
Last edited:
Yes, I do agree I wish NG/Wix were cheaper than they are. OTOH, I see Bosch Premium/PureONE has gone to $6.99/filter locally at AutoZone, AAP etc. I suppose it's based on if you can get either at a good price, much like the highest end filters in the oil change deal specials.

The M1 in a solid filter, IMO. I'd personally like to try a run with an M1 and then a K&N for comparison, same oil etc.

The Fram XG seems like an attempt at melding several worlds of oil filters together. Multilayer media(not sure if all of it is synthetic or just 1 of the layers?), strong mesh wiring for inner core support/structure. Is that then mounted around the center tube?

Overall, you probably couldn't go wrong with any of those filters. The M1 and Fram XG the best candidates for OCI's exceeding 10k of the group.
 
Ok, I lied...I'm not done for the night. Just hacked up the Fram's media, and it is indeed two layers, and both layers are synthetic. Best way to describe the texture is fiberglass mat. The outer layer is darker and more course then the inner layer. Both layers are loosely bonded together, then all of this is backed by the steel mesh. The media is simply placed on the mesh, there was no adhesive of any sort...at least that I could discern. It seems when they make the filter media, they bond the two layers of mat, then place these layers on the mesh and then the whole thing is fed through the crimping machine to make the pleats. This crimping action keeps everything together long enough to have the end caps bonded to the media, and once that happens, nothing is coming loose.

The mesh is super critical, as the media lacks any sort of integrity on its own...the same applies to any synth media filter.
I took a quick video of me showing the two layers of media and how they are bonded together. I'm uploading it to photobucket right now...be a couple hours though as its in HD
smile.gif
.


Since I was out there, I also took some depth measurments. There is a pretty good correlation between pleat depth and media height, with shorter filters having deeper pleats.

The FL-400s has the shallowest pleats at only 4/16ths. Mind you, they are also the tallest by far and there are lots of them. The FL-910 has pleats that measure 6/16ths, as does the Mobil 1. The Wix (napa gold), which has the shortest media section, has the deepest pleats at 8/16ths. The Fram is right behind, with pleats that are a tad over 7/16ths. This makes sense, as there are fewer pleats on the Fram than any of the others, though its media is still taller then the Wix.

I also had an E-core filter from STP. Direct cross reference with the part number 3614. Filter came off the camry I described earlier, and probably had 3-4k of use. Been sitting on the shelf for about a year. Anyways, it was in decent shape. Bypass was just starting to stiffen up a bit. Pleat depth was 5/16ths, and its media section was just a touch taller then the FL-910, so I reckon their filtering area is pretty close. There was no damage to the filter, no blow outs or anything on the media, and the nylon center cage was in good shape. The end caps which are that fuzzy stuff were firmly bonded to the pleats. I won't bother with pictures as all Ecores pretty much look the same.

I have two more FL-910 filters, and one more M1 and Fram I can cut open. I already hacked open another Motorcraft, and overall it was similar to the first. It hasn't been sitting as long so the ADBV was still supple and soft. The media however was very wavy, and when looking at it from the side its apparent that the whole media section of the filter has been squashed on one side (the wavy side). By squished I mean the end plates are closer together on one side then the other. I'm not sure if this happened during manufacturing or during use. The media was otherwise fine however. Filter had 5k of use on it, been sitting for 1 to 2 years.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top