ST3614 Ford Focus 3k Miles

[defektes]

Car was sitting for a year when I purchased it from PO, so I did a quick 3k change with chevron 5w-30, this is the wrong filter for the car, it is for the 05 and up, but the only difference is the size so I saw no reason it would hurt the engine. No tears in the media, and end caps were on secure. Filter was sitting in my garage for 6 months before I opened it, btw.

 

[CharBaby]

Looks very similar IIRC, to the CHAMP filter that the Used Car Dealership used on my daughters 06 Mazda3 2.0L prior to her taking delivery in Aug'09. I cut the Champ filter open after I had changed the oil once more keeping the filter on. Total miles on the filter was 8000 miles(2 OCI's)

The end caps weren't metal but, the CHAMP end caps didn't look like the FRAM cardboard either. I did a writeup on this site as to what I saw after I cut open the CHAMP. No pictures but described very well what I viewed and it's similar to yours, defektes. The Champ filter was the same 3614 or what ever Champ uses as a X-reference# as the FRAM 3614 and Purolator 10241 are the #'s that the Mazda3 2.0 L uses.

The Champ, as the ST, looks the same.
The pleats were nice and straight.
The end caps were not metal but, not FRAMlike cardboard either.
Down the center tube inside the filter was a black plastic core like yours, defektes

Thanks for sharing

 

[Texan4Life]

looks great, thanks for posting!

 

[OVERKILL]

2nd last pic, 11:00, it looks like the media isn't well affixed to the end-cap here. Is that correct?

 

[Virtuoso]

Some of my cut e-cores looked like that too. That's where the seam is, and the pleats are so far apart you can clearly see the difference where they bond to the endcaps.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
2nd last pic, 11:00, it looks like the media isn't well affixed to the end-cap here. Is that correct?


Looks like there could be something going on there.

 

[defektes]

No that is where the ends of the media align the caps were on secure all the way around.