The parts dept at work was clearing out old stock today, and suddenly I'm the lucky recipient of 4 older Mopar oil filters. #05012968AA - used on the old AMC V8s. They are obviously Puro Premium Pluses with a different paint job, and were made somewhere around 2000-2003. The nitrile gaskets are still quite flexible, but I haven't cut one open to check the rest of the guts. Do you think I'd be ok using them? (Assuming they fit my car)
OK to use old filters?
- Thread starter Wampahoofus
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Why wouldn't you? They're just filters. What's going to go bad?
I worry mostly about the rubber drying out or the glue used in the media weakening over time.
Just follow your nose; it always knows.
I still have 3-4 oil filters I bought in 2003-2004 for my Honda S2000, I will use all those in the near future 2015-2016.
I was under the impression that filters had a shelf-life of 3-5 years depending on storage conditions. Even accounting for a generous safety factor, I'm not sure I would trust a filter that is 10+ years old, when a brand new one is $3.97 at Wally's.
Coupla years ago I asked three engineers who work for filter manufacturers what the shelf life of a filter might be. From two I got PC answers, since our discussion was on the record. Basically, it boiled down to 3 years, with one hedging that 5 might be OK. Another, who was in a position where he didn't need to be PC, said 8 years or more. He went on to say the shelf life of a filter stored in a clean, temperature and moisture stable environment is quite long. He said if you don't see signs of moisture, you are likely good to go. Excess moisture can be harmful to cellulose media and that's something you really can't check. The signs of moisture, he said, was rust on the tapping plate. He said that was the sign he personally used to decide the risk of an old filter. The more rust he saw, the higher the risk. I think many older filters would be perfectly fine and there is anecdotal instances of people using REALLY old stuff (like WWII surplus) and having no problem. You have to gauge your willingness to take a risk based on the age of the filter. THe soft parts and glues of the filter are probably subject to aging as well but I didn't get into detail on those elements with the three engineers. With no signs of moisture evident, I wouldn't be afraid to use '03 or '04 filters personally but I also prefer to use the latest and best filter technology, not 10 year old tech.
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