Literally for decades now, there have been stories surrounding oil filters being junk. It seems to me it all started with the (in)famous "orange can of death". Now, those filters are considered by many to be some of the better ones available.
I've been cutting open both new and used oil filters myself for years, along with seeing videos on YouTube and reading here about other issues people have discovered. Last year I cut open a brand new MC oil filter and found the silicone ADBV had a razor fine slice going into it. There have been stories of the plastic E-core supports collapsing. Filtering media has been found torn, both before and after use. People complain about the "cheap", "junk" leaf spring some manufacturers use to support the media. Some filter brands that are typically held in high regard are then reported to do poor jobs of filtering. I could go on and on about the negative problems people (myself included) have identified, but I think we all get the point. Just recently I purchased a SuperTech and Ac Delco filter for the same application. Despite both having the same construction and manufacturer, I found the SuperTech doesn't have a bypass valve in the spring, yet the AC Delco does. Two filters for the same platform, but one doesn't even have a bypass valve? How is that possible?!
On the flip side, it would seem that oil filters SHOULD BE more critical now to an engines livelihood than ever before due to the technology of today's powerplants. Ford/Motorcraft just recently came out touting USCAR-36, and how excellent their oil filters are made and tested. Filter manufacturers promote even their most basic filters as being good for 5,000 or 10,000 miles, despite some of these filters using the deadly cardboard "paper" endcaps that are supposed to destroy your engine.
Despite all this, I've never heard of widespread engine deaths due to oil filters. Being a shade-tree mechanic myself, as well as knowing a lot of people in the industry, it seems most oil related issues are found to be the result of improper oil/OCI's. So exactly how critical IS the oil filter? Is the majority of this gloom & doom internet hype? I really don't know anymore.
II
I've been cutting open both new and used oil filters myself for years, along with seeing videos on YouTube and reading here about other issues people have discovered. Last year I cut open a brand new MC oil filter and found the silicone ADBV had a razor fine slice going into it. There have been stories of the plastic E-core supports collapsing. Filtering media has been found torn, both before and after use. People complain about the "cheap", "junk" leaf spring some manufacturers use to support the media. Some filter brands that are typically held in high regard are then reported to do poor jobs of filtering. I could go on and on about the negative problems people (myself included) have identified, but I think we all get the point. Just recently I purchased a SuperTech and Ac Delco filter for the same application. Despite both having the same construction and manufacturer, I found the SuperTech doesn't have a bypass valve in the spring, yet the AC Delco does. Two filters for the same platform, but one doesn't even have a bypass valve? How is that possible?!
On the flip side, it would seem that oil filters SHOULD BE more critical now to an engines livelihood than ever before due to the technology of today's powerplants. Ford/Motorcraft just recently came out touting USCAR-36, and how excellent their oil filters are made and tested. Filter manufacturers promote even their most basic filters as being good for 5,000 or 10,000 miles, despite some of these filters using the deadly cardboard "paper" endcaps that are supposed to destroy your engine.
Despite all this, I've never heard of widespread engine deaths due to oil filters. Being a shade-tree mechanic myself, as well as knowing a lot of people in the industry, it seems most oil related issues are found to be the result of improper oil/OCI's. So exactly how critical IS the oil filter? Is the majority of this gloom & doom internet hype? I really don't know anymore.
II