KN Filter BLOW OUT at the "nut weld"....

[ammolab]

My son started his Honda CR-V in the garage the other day and when he backed out he saw a Quart of oil on the garage floor. His K&N oil filter had Blown Out at the corner of the welded on "Nut" at the bottom of the filter.

I have read of this before on the net, and the fact that it happens at all is enough for me to avoid this type of filter.

He is so lucky this didn't happen half way between Ft. Stockton and El Paso on I-10!

 

[Turk]

Bummer!

Was the nut torque'd on to install it?

 

[HTSS_TR]

Yes, he was very lucky. If anything failed I rather has it failed around the house so it can be fixed easily. Cleaning up spilled oil is not fun, but if the oil filter failed in middle of nowhere is much worse.

 

[ammolab]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Bummer!

Was the nut torque'd on to install it?



DIY oil change, Hand Tight!

 

[brentalan]

pics!

 

[Pablo]

The nut is welded on, right? I suspect a lousy welding schedule, problem equipment, etc...

 

[2oldtommy]

Let us know what comments you receive from K&N after you return the filter. Thanks for posting. --Oldtommy

 

[yonyon]

Make enough of anything and you'll get a few that are flawed. That sort of defect would be difficult to pick up on short of filling it and simulating the operating environment. That would be very expensive to do on every filter and would also require convincing people that they should be happy to pay several times the price for a slimy "used" oil filter.

Don't let this one incident change your opinion of the filter, let it remind you that oil pressure light is there for a reason.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Was the nut torque'd on to install it?


Isn't the purpose of the nut to aid in installation & removal?

Originally Posted By: K&N
Most of our canister type automotive and marine oil filters come with a 1” nut welded to the top of the canister so they can be easily wrenched-off with a standard tool

 

[Sayjac]

Sorry for your issue, sounds as though it could have been much worse.

I'm most surprised it failed even though it was not used to tighten with install. As mentioned, must have been a bad weld or whatever is used to attach it. But, stuff does happen in mass production.

I hope you are going to box up the filter and send it to K&N/Champ. They need to be made aware of this.

 

[hardcore302]

Definately reach out to them and complain. I would bet they will pay for the next oil change, filter and oil and all! i would if i was quality assurance on the other end of the line.
tell em you post on here, they will flip the scrip~

 

[Mr Nice]

The nut is for removal of filter.

 

[BISCUT]

That my friend should be worth at the least a couple of free filters!!!!!!!! Yikes! I stopped using them and went P1 for what it's worth.

 

[Bandito440]

Pics!!!

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: scurvy

Isn't the purpose of the nut to aid in installation & removal?



Install, NO; removal, YES.

I hope this isn't the case, but it seems like he may have bottomed out the filter and kept on torquing. In other words, this may be the result of user error, and not in any way caused by a manufacturing defect.

 

[user52165]

Seems like the nut would be welded to a sealed can like a normal filter? So even if the weld were bad it would not leak.

 

[Garak]

I haven't actually looked at one of their filters up close, but I would agree. Wouldn't the nut be welded onto a sealed can after the fact? Unless the weld melted the can or excessive force tore the metal, it's hard to figure how this happened.

 

[Bandito440]

The nut is welded to a can, not part of it. Either it was torqued during installation or the weld was poor and damaged the can.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: Garak
I haven't actually looked at one of their filters up close, but I would agree. Wouldn't the nut be welded onto a sealed can after the fact? Unless the weld melted the can or excessive force tore the metal, it's hard to figure how this happened.


Depending on the welding technique and the materials used it is quite easy to embrittle the metal adjacent to the weld. An experienced welder will know how to deal with this sort of thing, but a robot that's programmed to make a good weld under normal operating conditions can be fed poor material or incorrect voltage or get distracted by a cute toaster walking by. These things happen. It hasn't got eyes to watch the colors and see that the weld is good every time and, should a questionable weld occur, correct it after the fact as a human might.

In an engine, the oil pressure coming out of the pump isn't dead steady. It fluctuates rapidly. Pulsating pressure in a can with a brittle spot....

[censored], I'd bet a shiny nickel that the best human welder you know could make at least one flawed weld in a million without noticing.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
I'd bet a shiny nickel that the best human welder you know could make at least one flawed weld in a million without noticing.


Agreed. If it's a weld flaw, it would have had to damage the canister itself. Personally, I wouldn't be using the nut until removal time, when damage doesn't matter anyhow.