Motorcraft FL820s fail

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
1,713
Location
Watertown, New York
First experience with a Motorcraft oil filter.
This was on my 2008 f350 for about 10 months and 2500 miles.
2 fails in 1 can. 1st the dome end metal endcap wasn't bonded to the adhesive and fell off. I can live with that, the leaf spring held it all togeather.
The 2nd and most unacceptable failure was a pleat completely torn down both sides of the v.
It was torn completely away and looked like the pleat was being pushed down against the center tube.
I'm glad I got an Amsoil filter for it to put on this time, won't make the mistake of running a Motorcraft again.

20190323_154959.jpg


20190323_155005.jpg


20190323_155101.jpg


20190323_155058.jpg
 
Sorry, poked a hole through the date code to drain it.
All I can make out is 18, so a am assuming it was made in 2018 at least.
 
Originally Posted by cronk
Sorry, poked a hole through the date code to drain it.
All I can make out is 18, so a am assuming it was made in 2018 at least.

It is the pleat next to the seam. No doubt it is a tear, totally torn from the potting glue.
 
I never did understand why people swear by Motorcraft filters. The bypass valve on the intake side and a silicon drain back valve are pluses but the media construction and spacing seems noticeable shoddy compared to a standard $5 red can Purolator.
 
Been running FL 820's on my freestyle and had no issues with filters as far as I know ,, I have some used ones laying around in my recycle bucket, to take to the shop will have to cut a few open to see
 
Originally Posted by cronk
Originally Posted by cronk
Sorry, poked a hole through the date code to drain it.
All I can make out is 18, so a am assuming it was made in 2018 at least.

It is the pleat next to the seam. No doubt it is a tear, totally torn from the potting glue.


It's the classic "Tearolator" media failure mode.
 
Yikes!
I'll be sticking with Fram Ultra and Mobil1 oil filters for cars and light trucks -- both available at Wal-Mart.
For everything else and as a good backup for the above, the standard Wix filter.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by cronk
Originally Posted by cronk
Sorry, poked a hole through the date code to drain it.
All I can make out is 18, so a am assuming it was made in 2018 at least.

It is the pleat next to the seam. No doubt it is a tear, totally torn from the potting glue.


It's the classic "Tearolator" media failure mode.


Yup, torn just like so many other Purolators we've seen over the years. Many thought the Motorcrafts were better, but we've seen plenty of evidence to the contrary now. Definitely won't be another on my Superduty!
 
Originally Posted by SteveG4
Yikes!
I'll be sticking with Fram Ultra and Mobil1 oil filters for cars and light trucks -- both available at Wal-Mart.
For everything else and as a good backup for the above, the standard Wix filter.


I am running the Amsoil Ea filter, built like a tank!
Fram Ultra and Mobil 1 would be good choices as well.
I like Wix very much, they recently switched the filter for this application to thread end bypass location like the oem filter. I almost went with Wix but decided since I only change the oil in this truck once a year, it spring for a premium filter.
 
What oil viscosity grade, and what was the lowest temperature at which the engine was started with this filter?

Of course, even if the cold viscosity was high, the filter shouldn't have torn, assuming the bypass valve was functional.
 
Originally Posted by stanlee
I never did understand why people swear by Motorcraft filters. The bypass valve on the intake side and a silicon drain back valve are pluses but the media construction and spacing seems noticeable shoddy compared to a standard $5 red can Purolator.


I think they used to be quite good and at a reasonable price. Now they seem to be junk with the tearing.... Surprised Ford has not addressed this.
 
Originally Posted by stanlee
I never did understand why people swear by Motorcraft filters. The bypass valve on the intake side and a silicon drain back valve are pluses but the media construction and spacing seems noticeable shoddy compared to a standard $5 red can Purolator.

The thread end bypass is what seems to be the biggest hangup for some, because of some theoretical ability for dome end bypass to 'suck' in particulate on the bottom of the can and ruin their main bearings. Never mind that nearly every other filter made, run by every other car made has dome end bypass and this issue either just does not occur or to be so rare that its may as well not. So the 'fix' for this 'issue' is to run the one filter with thread-end bypass that also happens to soon develop a constant-bypass mode after installation, all on its own! Genius!
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by stanlee
I never did understand why people swear by Motorcraft filters. The bypass valve on the intake side and a silicon drain back valve are pluses but the media construction and spacing seems noticeable shoddy compared to a standard $5 red can Purolator.

Because at one time, they were a very decent filter and were for many years until recently.
 
Originally Posted by CR94
What oil viscosity grade, and what was the lowest temperature at which the engine was started with this filter?

Of course, even if the cold viscosity was high, the filter shouldn't have torn, assuming the bypass valve was functional.

5w30 synthetic was used.
Truck was kept in a heated garage, and the truck was used very little over the winter. May have been a couple cold starts at 10-20 degrees.
 
What bothers me the most is, this filter has been on 10 months. I wonder how long ago it tore? If it tore a month after install, I have been driving the truck for 9 months with substandard filtering.
This is a new to me engine , and I did see some flakes of what looked like carbon in some of the other pleats. Wonder how many flakes went through this filter and recirculated through the engine.
Ford is so worried about dirt going through a dome end bypass valve, but use a manufacturer with a history of poor media quality that tears and leaves you with a full time bypass valve for dirt to go through.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top