Cut Open - AC Delco PF47E

[Triton_330]

Well, this is the very first filter that I've ever cut open. Normally I wouldn't have any reason to want to do this myself, especially for new filters (I would rather save as much money as I can, you know; college is expensive)... Albeit this filter is for my dad's car (1998 Buick LeSabre; 3800 Series II), I do all the oil changes for my parents' vehicles and mine; I usually just ask them for 20 bucks or so, even though the oil and filter might have cost me more - but it's fair because they sometimes give me gas money. What can I say? I like taking care of our vehicles

The reason I cut this open is because there was a dent on the can, and I didn't want to use it on dad's car; didn't want to risk it. And, another reason is because this is an E-Core, and I have a few non-E-core filters in the garage for the next few changes already anyways.

I apologize if the focus/sharpness of some of these pictures is not all too great, as my camera isn't great at close-ups.

Video of me crunching the plastic center tube:

http://puu.sh/iTGBR/b927b21fe5.AVI

Having done this myself, I will now avoid using all E-core filters. Plenty of better non-E-core filters out there.

And before you ask - I cut open the can by first using a screw driver to punch a hole, and then with tin snips around the can. Some discoloration you may see on the outside of the media is just from the snips rubbing against the media. However, those few splotches of dark color you see in the pics where I have the media laid out on the floor were there already from the factory. No idea what that is.

~ Triton

 

[NMBurb02]

Good call on not running it with that dent. Could have easily affected the spring at that location.

 

[Triton_330]

Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
Good call on not running it with that dent. Could have easily affected the spring at that location.

Thanks.

Though, just to clarify, it's not a bypass spring. It just holds the filter in place. PF47's are not made with a bypass, because their applications (like the 3800 Series II in my dad's LeSabre) have the bypass in the engine.

But yes, it still could have caused problems with the spring , possibly weakening it, making the filter loose in the can.

My worry was just that the can may have been weakened where the dent is, and may possibly cause a leak.

~ Triton

 

[GM4LIFE]

I would stay away from e-core filters as long as they keep making them. The classic AC Delco filters are very good filters. Still wondering why GM went to all this trouble when there were nothing wrong with the classic filters to begin with.

 

[Triton_330]

Originally Posted By: GM4LIFE
I would stay away from e-core filters as long as they keep making them. The classic AC Delco filters are very good filters. Still wondering why GM went to all this trouble when there were nothing wrong with the classic filters to begin with.

I agree. I would say my biggest concern is the plastic center tube. With enough pressure it could break/collapse, and cause a bad failure... I definitely wouldn't want to see the outcome of that.

As far as the fiber end-caps go, I will say that I am more impressed by E-core's fiber end caps than Fram OCOD's. But, at least the OCOD has a metal center tube (right?).

I'm not a Fram basher, even though I'll never use an orange can, ever. But I do have a couple Ultras that I plan on using sometime (though not for this application).

Right now on dad's car I'm actually using a Motorcraft, hehe. IIRC, I think it's the FL321. I have a PF47 (non-Ecore) and a Microgard MGL51040 stocked for the next couple OCI's for it.

~ Triton

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: GM4LIFE
I would stay away from e-core filters as long as they keep making them. The classic AC Delco filters are very good filters. Still wondering why GM went to all this trouble when there were nothing wrong with the classic filters to begin with.


+1 ... these AC Delco escrapes don't impress. Look cheap and cheesy like the old SuperTech sold through Walmart.

 

[bvance554]

Take a German made cartridge filter with a platic center tube and it is considered top of the line. And i never will understand the fear of the 'fiber end cap.' People here just get behind certain things and fall in line with what is popular. I don't see any issue with that filter.

 

[Rat407]

Originally Posted By: GM4LIFE
I would stay away from e-core filters as long as they keep making them. The classic AC Delco filters are very good filters. Still wondering why GM went to all this trouble when there were nothing wrong with the classic filters to begin with.


Because the bean counters found a way to save money by making a less expensive filter that the engineers said it would accomplish the same task as the old filter.

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
Take a German made cartridge filter with a platic center tube and it is considered top of the line. And i never will understand the fear of the 'fiber end cap.' People here just get behind certain things and fall in line with what is popular. I don't see any issue with that filter.



ive used several without issue. Also people forget that GM dealers are putting these on new vehicles all over the country and we have yet to hear of new Cadillacs and silverados failing from the oil filter.

while it isnt the best filter on the market, it will get the job done. and for $3.97 no one can complain too much.

 

[WiskyBadger]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: bvance554
Take a German made cartridge filter with a platic center tube and it is considered top of the line. And i never will understand the fear of the 'fiber end cap.' People here just get behind certain things and fall in line with what is popular. I don't see any issue with that filter.



ive used several without issue. Also people forget that GM dealers are putting these on new vehicles all over the country and we have yet to hear of new Cadillacs and silverados failing from the oil filter.

while it isnt the best filter on the market, it will get the job done. and for $3.97 no one can complain too much.
You are right, there's million's of these e-cores that have been used at not only GM dealers, but also places like Firestone and by people that do their own changes and never think twice about a oil filter as long as it's a AC Delco for their GM. A survey or study on how many have actually failed would be nice. I think the number of failures would probably be less then the Purolator tears. Only us at Bitog would think about these things. I will say I have a bunch of e-cores I got pretty cheap off of Rockauto and will use them eventually and will cut them all open for everyone to see.

 

[goodtimes]

What keeps the ADBV steady on the baseplate so it doesn't move side to side? The dealer doesn't care about your new 50K car, he wants to sell you another one. If the filter causes problems under new car warranty, GM pays for the repairs, and the dealer makes money on that. If the filter fails after warranty it's likely you pay for repairs, because the dealer will say it is the gas you used and try to sell you a new car besides. it looks like a junky filter because the end caps obviously come off and the whole think looks cheap.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Rat407
Because the bean counters found a way to save money by making a less expensive filter that the engineers said it would accomplish the same task as the old filter.

What really bugs me is that back in the day, Walmart Canada was selling AC Delco filters (classics, obviously at the time) for about $2 to $3 a piece. They absolutely spanked every other filter on the Canadian market. They obviously could have still made decent money off the product without cheapening it that much.

Ironically, the AC Delco for my G37 still seems to be a classic, whereas many real GM applications are the stupid e-cores.

 

[Bgallagher]

get the PF52 classic design. Much better filter and is interchangable to the PF47

 

[HerrStig]

OCOD or that Delco.... Hobson's choice.

 

[gregk24]

I ran one of these on the Uplander once. When I took it off and cut it open it looked like one of the fiber end caps had started lifting up and coming off. I have NO problem with fiber end caps. I have used them before, but these aren't even glued on. They use some heat sealing method that doesn't seem to adhere as well as glue.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
I ran one of these on the Uplander once. When I took it off and cut it open it looked like one of the fiber end caps had started lifting up and coming off. I have NO problem with fiber end caps. I have used them before, but these aren't even glued on. They use some heat sealing method that doesn't seem to adhere as well as glue.


Yep, notice that both end caps looked to come off pretty easily in the photos of this PF47E. That was one thing on the SuperTech filters that was an issue, the end caps were hardly attached to the media.

 

[robo339]

Yea they do pop off pretty easy I've had one half way separated on a truck I work on
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3664431/1
But on the same note I've had a few go 13k and be perfectly fine other than adbv being fossilized

 

[Scum_Frog]

That filter looks like a piece of [censored]!
$50K Caddy's and Silverado's and that the filter they slap on!
GM will never learn!

 

[Triton_330]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: bvance554
Take a German made cartridge filter with a platic center tube and it is considered top of the line. And i never will understand the fear of the 'fiber end cap.' People here just get behind certain things and fall in line with what is popular. I don't see any issue with that filter.



ive used several without issue. Also people forget that GM dealers are putting these on new vehicles all over the country and we have yet to hear of new Cadillacs and silverados failing from the oil filter.

while it isnt the best filter on the market, it will get the job done. and for $3.97 no one can complain too much.

For 20 cents less I can get a better filter.

Why use the ACDelco when this Wix-made Microgard is cheaper, and has metal end-caps?

---

Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
get the PF52 classic design. Much better filter and is interchangable to the PF47

I don't know if it would hang too low to the ground... The filter on the LeSabre's engine hangs down at a slight diagonal. If someone could tell me that they have used a PF52 on a LeSabre 3.8L before, I would use one, but otherwise I'll stick to the smaller filters: PF47, FL321, Wix/Microgard 51040.

Have you used a PF52 on a LeSabre before?

---

Originally Posted By: gregk24
I ran one of these on the Uplander once. When I took it off and cut it open it looked like one of the fiber end caps had started lifting up and coming off. I have NO problem with fiber end caps. I have used them before, but these aren't even glued on. They use some heat sealing method that doesn't seem to adhere as well as glue.

I couldn't tell if it was glue, or some other adhesion method like you mentioned... but these felt/fiber end-caps came off easy.

~ Triton

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
I ran one of these on the Uplander once. When I took it off and cut it open it looked like one of the fiber end caps had started lifting up and coming off. I have NO problem with fiber end caps. I have used them before, but these aren't even glued on. They use some heat sealing method that doesn't seem to adhere as well as glue.



The endcaps on the E-cores do look considerably less sturdy than a Fram orange can, which are tightly glued and thicker.

I wonder how many Fram hating GM owners are running E-cores while scoffing to their buddies about how bad Frams are with paper endcaps