Motorcraft FL-500 C&P...with a tear!

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Originally Posted By: Dyusik
Why the surprise? I have not seen anything that implies that Purolator has admitted fault, therefore no need for corrections. The flashy package relabel is a marketing department thing, nothing to do with actual filter construction.


The crazy part is Motorcraft knows this happens, yet it seems they haven't forced Purolator to fix the problem. It gives Motorcraft a bad name. If I was Motorcraft it would be "Purolator, if you can't fix the tearing problem on our oil filters, then we will find a diffetent supplier who can".
 
Originally Posted By: Onug
I’m not happy about having the MC filter on there now, but I’m going to wait for my UOA to come back and see what the oil looks like. I’m planning another cycle similar to this last one, so if the oil isn’t wasted I might leave it. We shall see. My OCD might cook off next week and I’ll swap it out

The UOA will probably look OK, but IMO a normal Blackstone type of UOA isn't good enough to see a big difference unless your engine was eaten alive and has a big jump in wear metals. What you need is an ISO Cleanliness particle count test.

A UOA that doesn't look bad with a torn oil filter isn't a good reason to keep using oil filters that can tear. Still possible for fragments of media to shed off the torn edges and do something bad.

The real fix is to use a filter that doesn't have such a bad record of failures.
 
Onug, look at the center tube of that torn Motorcraft filter. Does it have louvers? Probably does since it's not very old.

Are the louvers opened up a good amount? If the louvers are choked down it can cause more delta-p across the center tube, and therefore also more delta-p stress across the media which might contribute to the tearing.

Choked down louvers add another contributing factor to stressing out the media.
 
That is some sad pleat spacing, especially on a newer Puro made filter. So much for my theory that the metal crimp seam causes the tearing, or cold conventional oil, or failure to warm up the oil first, etc., etc., etc! Just sad unmitigated garbage, Ford should be ashamed to have their name on it! Waiting for the Purolator shills to try to defend this piece of junk!
 
Originally Posted By: MParr
The stress may be from the seaming machine.

Quite possible. This one appears torn early. Maybe weakened during assembly. The filter should go the OLM.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Onug, look at the center tube of that torn Motorcraft filter. Does it have louvers? Probably does since it's not very old.


It has louvers. I checked them thoroughly and they’re all nicely open.


I just think it’s the horrible pleat spacing at the seam...look at this mess
 
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Yeah, those louvers look good. So just brittle weak media combined with bad pleat spacing in this case. Closed up louvers would just add to the problem even more.
 
That pleat spacing is quite common on many oil filter brands. Leads me to believe what many here have already speculated, filter material that becomes too brittle and tears at the adhesive line.

Thanks for the cut & paste op.

I'd shorten the OCI if I had an FL-500S installed, then use something else.

I've gone from FL-500S to Napa Gold 7502, Wix 57502, or Fram Pro FPS10575.
 
WellOiled
Go back in the time machine. Take a look at past C&P photos of Purolator made filters. You will see tears in the seam area of the glued filters as well. I just went back and checked a Bosch Distance + and there was a tear very near the seam.
 
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I don’t think the filter media is too brittle. I did a bad job cutting through it to check out the center tube and it felt nice and strong as I tore it out. The only time the filter media tore was when I got to a point where my cut wasn’t deep enough, then it tore lengthwise. I guess it could be a problem on other filters.

The nicely spaced pleats will be strong when they’re in that “zig-zag” formation. I just think when you have a section of the media opened up and “out of formation” like that it changes the stress. You’ll get a weak point right next to the glue where it’s impossible to move/flex with the forces. Not sure how the seam plays a part; would need some fluid dynamics to map that stuff out.
 
Originally Posted By: Onug
I don’t think the filter media is too brittle. I did a bad job cutting through it to check out the center tube and it felt nice and strong as I tore it out. The only time the filter media tore was when I got to a point where my cut wasn’t deep enough, then it tore lengthwise. I guess it could be a problem on other filters.


Try pushing hard sideways on the media right where it's glued to the end cap. I've did that on some PureOne filters, and it tore pretty easily.

Obviously, your Motorcraft tore from sideways force on the pleat due to the delta-p across the media, so the media must be pretty weak. If the bypass valve is set to 12 psi for instance, then the wide pleats could have seen 12 psi pushing them sideways.
 
How hard did you have to push the pleat to make it tear?
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That tear is irrelevent. It's a Purolator product and some will tear. I stay away from them now.
 
Originally Posted By: Lubener
That tear is irrelevent. It's a Purolator product and some will tear. I stay away from them now.

This is making Motorcraft/Ford look really bad. And, it makes PUROLATOR look even worse! You would think that they would get a clue by now, right? It makes you wonder, what are they waiting on to fix these problems?
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Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted By: Lubener
That tear is irrelevent. It's a Purolator product and some will tear. I stay away from them now.

This is making Motorcraft/Ford look really bad. And, it makes PUROLATOR look even worse! You would think that they would get a clue by now, right? It makes you wonder, what are they waiting on to fix these problems?
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They probably won’t ever fix the issues. I’m shocked my fl-400S and MC FL-910S never tore
 
Originally Posted By: car51
Originally Posted By: BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted By: Lubener
That tear is irrelevent. It's a Purolator product and some will tear. I stay away from them now.

This is making Motorcraft/Ford look really bad. And, it makes PUROLATOR look even worse! You would think that they would get a clue by now, right? It makes you wonder, what are they waiting on to fix these problems?
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They probably won’t ever fix the issues. I’m shocked my fl-400S and MC FL-910S never tore

Yeah, same here! That's why I continue to use the FL-400S.
 
Originally Posted By: car51

They probably won’t ever fix the issues. I’m shocked my fl-400S and MC FL-910S never tore


Maybe being smaller filters with the filter media not being stretched as much as say the FL820S helps with the tearing issues SOMEWHAT. After April I'll try to cut open the 3 used FL910S' I'll have by then.

Whimsey
 
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