Originally Posted by CR94
Originally Posted by StevieC
I wonder if the buckling isn't caused by folks cranking the housing cap down far more than required and to the proper torque spec of 18ft-lbs / 25Nm. ... I guess folks forget it's the o-ring doing the sealing on the cap and not the threads.
If the cap is overtightened on those FCA cartridges, does that apply abnormal stress to the cartridge itself? On Toyota cartridges, and I assume most other designs, when the cap is overtightened, it bottoms out solidly against the metal base, so there's no additional stress on the cartridge (or the o-ring). The clamping force on the cartridge is determined instead by a spring. Foolish people have been known to put them on so tight they're very difficult or impossible to remove non-destructively.
I would agree with you on the first PentaStar filter design in the first couple of years but in the later ones with the revised filter over tightening could lead to this problem. I will test the theory with a used filter. I will look at it after it's ready to be changed to verify that it isn't buckled, reinstall and then over tighten the housing past the recommended 18ft-lbs but not too much that I damage my housing/cap and see what happens. I'm almost dead sure this is the cause.
OLD SETUP (Notice the spring loaded setup in the housing and the flat part of the filter that rides on it)
NEW Filter Design that doesn't ride on a spring any longer so over tightening it would cause it to compress the filter as there is no spring.
NEW FILTER HOUSING (No spring)