Mileage ratings on filters are baloney.

[jhellwig]

That's right. Of course the filter manufacture is going to give you a easily measurable limit to the life of their filters but ultimately it is up to the vehicle and conditions they are subjected to.

The is also no way your eyeball can tell how much life is left in a filter unless it looks like this...

It has been boring here lately.

 

[Ga129]

So what's the story behind that filter?

 

[AKhan87]

kind of looks like the head gasket failure I saw recently, where the oil and coolant mixed together, had deposits similar to that of what I can see from the picture.

 

[tinmanSC]

What in the world???!?!? Not really sure that could be the filter's fault in that specific case. But in general I think you are correct, most oil filter mileage ratings are kinda best-guess or just throw a dart at the dartboard and see where it lands... *toss* *thunk* 7500 miles!

 

[jhellwig]

Hrmmm. I should have thought this trough better. That filter is not out of a vehicle but from a hydraulic skid at work. I was meaning to use it as an exaggerated example. I was simply meaning that mileage ratings are [censored]. That is all.

 

[LotI]

Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Hrmmm. I should have thought this trough better. That filter is not out of a vehicle but from a hydraulic skid at work. I was meaning to use it as an exaggerated example. I was simply meaning that mileage ratings are [censored]. That is all.

About 100 miles on that then?

 

[Rolla07]

Its an estimated guess at which the filters will work fine until. Seems to be more of a liability protection thing than anything else.

 

[Nate1979]

So this is just a rant thread with nothing backing it up? I think there is definitely some baloney in this thread but its not the filter ratings.

 

[ZeeOSix]

At least some filter makers give a "good for up to X miles" rating. It's all based on holding capacity and delta-p testing, and of course a very safe estimation on how many miles a pretty dirty engine will contaminate the filter.

 

[loneryder]

There are plenty of people on here who will look at a pic of a dirty oil filter and say it "looks great".

 

[fisher83]

I don't see any tears in the media! Looks great

 

[ZeeOSix]

It looks like a pure wire mesh filter.

 

[Nick1994]

If it were a Purolator there wouldn't be any sludge on the filter.

That's because it would have been circulating throughout the engine

 

[KrisZ]

I'm sure they are, but they are treated like gospel here. I asked a similar question not too long ago and most of the answers were: "because that's what the box says".
The exception is Fram. It's irrelevant what the orange Fram box says, it's still a piece of garbage. Go figure

 

[dnewton3]

Mileage ratings on filters are no more or less accurate than fixed duration OCIs. They are the OEMs best guess at an interval that will protect their butts in regard to warranty claims, and are typically VERY conservative due to that risk they seek to avoid.


There will always be engines/trannies/gearboxes/diffs that end up neglected, or trouble-prone, that may challenge the normal O/FCI mantra, but generally most equipment in the last few decades is easily and well protected by normal products, well past where we BITOGers would ever fear to tread.
There exists a very large excess capacity in most products. But there are always exceptions to every rule that can be found.



There are three ways to run a maintenance program:
1) preventative maintenance
2) predictive maintenance
3) panic maintenance
Most OEM schedules are based on system #1; they are preset for expected conditions of "normal" loading of the oil and filter, and set with a very sizable margin of error, not to protect you, but them. Those who use system #2 use UOAs, PCs, gages and visual inspections to actually monitor the lubes, filters and equipment, and can predict anticipated wear trends and shifts, as well as the finite life-cycle of lube and filter. And then there are those who just run stuff 'til it breaks.

 

[jhellwig]

Originally Posted By: Nate1979
So this is just a rant thread with nothing backing it up? I think there is definitely some baloney in this thread but its not the filter ratings.


It is backed up by logical thought.

 

[jhellwig]

Originally Posted By: fisher83
I don't see any tears in the media! Looks great

The two on top of it in the stack looked fine but were plugged to the point that the motor driving the pump burnt up(it would have tripped if it had been hooked up right). The filters hadn't been chnged since 08 and the thing runs constantly filtering hyguard.
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
It looks like a pure wire mesh filter.
It is wire mesh on the outside and inside. There is media in-between.

 

[goodtimes]

Mileage rating are for marketing and I bet no one here has entered into one of these hypothetical high drama court cases with a filter company, so often talked about. Mileage ratings are baloney I agree, now I am hungry. Isn't that interesting.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Hrmmm. I should have thought this trough better. That filter is not out of a vehicle but from a hydraulic skid at work. I was meaning to use it as an exaggerated example. I was simply meaning that mileage ratings are [censored]. That is all.



So what is the full story? Hrs of use etc.

If that is a hydraulic filter, your workplace abuses and neglects their equipment.

 

[WankelRotorHead]

Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Hrmmm. I should have thought this trough better. That filter is not out of a vehicle but from a hydraulic skid at work. I was meaning to use it as an exaggerated example. I was simply meaning that mileage ratings are [censored]. That is all.


If you want to make a point, use actual evidence of automotive filters not lasting their "up to XX,000 miles" claims to back it up.

All you did here is made this thread a useless example of sensationalism that we see all too often in online forums. But I'm sure you've at least managed to placate the aluminum foil hat wearing crowd.