Busted volvo cartridge filter

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2004 Volvo xc70 with around 110k. Oil last changed at valvoline instant oil change, using their filter and I'm guessing conventional 5w30. Probably around 2k on the oil and filter at the time it was changed.

My dad brought the car to a local volvo specialist to have the timing belt done, and decided to have the oil changed as well while it was in the shop. When we went to pick up the car, the guy showed us the filter, and says he sees stuff like this happen all the time with cheap korean filters. I haven't had time to look into who makes this filter and such, I just wanted to post this up since I thought others might find this interesting.

http://home.comcast.net/~dsmphotos/filters/viocvolvo/viocvolvo.html
 
Looks like a service champ filter quick lubes use. My shop uses them too. Champ labs make em. I've used there canister filters for a long time never seen anyything like that. Other then the media being really wavy after a long oci. You never know the tech might have done that by accident its a pretty clean tear
 
Those rips look somewhat 'mechanical' in nature... and the rip areas still look clean of oil... did it happen when the filter was being removed from the housing?
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Those rips look somewhat 'mechanical' in nature... and the rip areas still look clean of oil... did it happen when the filter was being removed from the housing?


+1 That was my first thought. It is strange. Why do the torn ends over lap like that? Why are they all pushed in the same direction? I hope we can rationally discuss this with nobody jumping to conclusions.
 
2333751849_e0b89ea8e7.jpg
 
My thought is these particular pleats had more bow in them, and maybe with use the bow became even more. If the pleat is continually bowed, there is some continuous stress in the material. Could be that with time/use, the media just stressed out and let go. Look at the pleats that are broken ... they all seem longer than the other around them. Also see the one pleat where there are two partial let goes starting. Could be that one never severed because the partial let goes relieved enough stress so they didn't actually separate totally like the others.

3.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: labman
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Those rips look somewhat 'mechanical' in nature... and the rip areas still look clean of oil... did it happen when the filter was being removed from the housing?


+1 That was my first thought. It is strange. Why do the torn ends over lap like that? Why are they all pushed in the same direction? I hope we can rationally discuss this with nobody jumping to conclusions.


Agree....cut area would have been soaked with oil. I think the cuts were made after the filter was removed (possibly accidently).
_____________________________________
2003 Ford Focus SE (2.3L) / 83K
Valvoline MaxLife SYN 5w30 / OCI 7,000 +/-
Pureolator PureOne
 
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+1 labman. Looks as though the filter pleats were broken AFTER removal as it appears no oil is present on the fibers. Filter looks decent if you ignore the broken clean pleats. Ed
 
Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Originally Posted By: labman
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Those rips look somewhat 'mechanical' in nature... and the rip areas still look clean of oil... did it happen when the filter was being removed from the housing?


+1 That was my first thought. It is strange. Why do the torn ends over lap like that? Why are they all pushed in the same direction? I hope we can rationally discuss this with nobody jumping to conclusions.


Agree....cut area would have been soaked with oil. I think the cuts were made after the filter was removed (possibly accidently).


One way to find out is put some used oil on half the tears and let it sit a few days to see if they look different or not. Could be that those tears still look lighter color even if soaked and after disbursement.
 
Originally Posted By: SuperBusa
Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Originally Posted By: labman
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Those rips look somewhat 'mechanical' in nature... and the rip areas still look clean of oil... did it happen when the filter was being removed from the housing?


+1 That was my first thought. It is strange. Why do the torn ends over lap like that? Why are they all pushed in the same direction? I hope we can rationally discuss this with nobody jumping to conclusions.


Agree....cut area would have been soaked with oil. I think the cuts were made after the filter was removed (possibly accidently).


One way to find out is put some used oil on half the tears and let it sit a few days to see if they look different or not. Could be that those tears still look lighter color even if soaked and after disbursement.


Absolutely!! Especially if you want to get a "free ticket" chance at concluding that it was just a lousy Champ filter failing again. The first scratch off was a loser.

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There's that insatiable human nature shining through again and again. Fanboyism
 
Great pictures. Looks like was struck with hard object from left to right. Doesn't look like tears happened before filter removed, or tears would be pushed in from oil pressure following path of least resistance, especially with the cage tube. Korean filters I have seen look fine, although I don't like them for other reasons. I bet the guy does see a lot of them that way.
 
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Originally Posted By: Gary Allan

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There's that insatiable human nature shining through again and again. Fanboyism


You're losing it.
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Science man, it never lies.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Those rips look somewhat 'mechanical' in nature... and the rip areas still look clean of oil... did it happen when the filter was being removed from the housing?


Thanks for the comments everyone. To be honest, I have no idea when or how it happend. I am leaning towards the filter either being damaged before it was put in, or after it was taken out. I never did, and still don't believe this occurred during the oci while the filter was in use.
 
About the only thing that the interior of the media doesn't see vs. the exterior is the in process thermal curing in a (would be) oven/kiln.

That said, with the dissection of many filters, the media was dark throughout the material. I've never seen virgin looking material. This does add a curios element to the mix. It would require you to have an oil so clean that anything that would discolor it was stopped at the surface level.

That also said, lots of people drain oil that is pretty much new(er) looking.
 
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