Subaru 15208AA12A with 4,061 miles

[Soobs]

This is the Subaru of America OEM oil filter for H4 engines. It came off a 2008 Subaru Forester 2.5x (Normally Aspirated) with 57,000 miles. This car sees a good bit of stop and go rush hour traffic and highway miles. This filter ran for 4,061 miles which was accumulated in just over 2 months. The oil used was Chevron Supreme Conventional 5W-30.


I let it drain for a couple hours and still the ADBV held back a considerable amount of oil. As I cut it open oil began spilling out everywhere.

Here's the components. Everything was put together very well and there were no defects observed.

Ahh yes, the dreaded 'engineered media' endcaps!

Actually, the endcaps are sealed extremely well to the media. This is the fourth Subaru OEM filter I've opened and they've all been excellent.

Here's the typical gap at the connection point. All of the pleats are sealed in-place and no ripping, deformations, or media collapse was observed.

 

[dgee]

looks great

 

[Nick R]

See, now if all Frams could be this good, then I wouldn't mind them so much. Still prefer metal endcaps myself, but I wouldn't reuse the last filter before put a FRAM on like with the current ones.

 

[Herz]

looks very good, thanks for the pics. Chevron is a very good oil.

 

[mechanicx]

It looks good for a Fram but I don't know how much faith I have in the plastic bypass valve and the nitrile ADBV keeping a tight seal against the cardboard end caps. You can see the indentation where the seal looked to make good contact, but that's just it. The carboard indents and might not keep atight seal allowing unfiltered oil to seep into the filter inside and exit.

 

[sw99]

yes, for a FRAM, that filter held up great. Is that the ones that claimed to have a silicon ADBV?

 

[mechanicx]

No I think this is a rebranded extraguard. The Fram toughguard has the silicone ADBV and silicone ones are usually orange.

 

[Soobs]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
It looks good for a Fram but I don't know how much faith I have in the plastic bypass valve and the nitrile ADBV keeping a tight seal against the cardboard end caps. You can see the indentation where the seal looked to make good contact, but that's just it. The carboard indents and might not keep atight seal allowing unfiltered oil to seep into the filter inside and exit.


In regards to the ADBV: I attempted to drain this oil filter for a couple hours and almost nothing came out. When I did the same to the PureOne PL14610 today it dumped almost all of its oil and it was pouring out from the inlet holes (where it's not supposed to when a ADBV works).

 

[Soobs]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
No I think this is a rebranded extraguard. The Fram toughguard has the silicone ADBV and silicone ones are usually orange.


It's very similar to the ExtraGuard PH9715. The noticeable differences are a stronger pressure relief valve, p-mold gasket that's sealed with a 360 degree lip, and the ADBV has a different part # on it (but has the same dimenions) vs. the ExtraGuard.

 

[SuperBusa]

Originally Posted By: Soobs

In regards to the ADBV: I attempted to drain this oil filter for a couple hours and almost nothing came out. When I did the same to the PureOne PL14610 today it dumped almost all of its oil and it was pouring out from the inlet holes (where it's not supposed to when a ADBV works).


Sounds like the ADBV wasn't sealing 100%. When I buy a filter, I give it the "ADBV seal test" by blowing into the center hole to see if the filter holds air pressure - if it does, the ADBV is sealing well. I've found a few leaky ones before.

 

[Sayjac]

Looks good. That said, IMO 4k miles in 2 months wouldn't be a huge stressor (severe service) on any filter, even if it saw 'a good bit' of stop and go. At those average miles it must have seen an equally good bit or more highway miles, eliminating/seriously reducing any fuel dilution conditions common with short trips, which is tougher on a filter.

I point this out, because a stealth Puro/P1 hater pot stirrer recently dismissed a solid looking cut open Pure One here with 2700 miles on it, saying it should look good. So, in the interest of being fair and balanced, I thought I'd point that out.

Just curious what the Subie filter costs?

 

[Soobs]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Looks good. That said, IMO 4k miles in 2 months wouldn't be a huge stressor (severe service) on any filter, even if it saw 'a good bit' of stop and go. At those average miles it must have seen an equally good bit or more highway miles, eliminating/seriously reducing any fuel dilution conditions common with short trips, which is tougher on a filter.

Just curious what the Subie filter costs?


Pretty equal highway and stop & go actually. Straight shot on the highway in the mornings and stop & go in rush hour on the way home plus around town city driving. Subaru recommends OCIs at 3.75 months or 3,750 miles for severe service and I stick close to that.

These OEMs go between $5 - $6.50 depending on the dealership.

 

[webfors]

Nice looking filter! I would use that filter with confidence, and may do just that after my current stash of filters run out.

 

[Silver02ex]

Looks just like the Honda OEM. Much better than the orange can.

 

[edhackett]

Nobody spots the obvious flaw in this filter and thinks it's great?!

Take a close look a picture number 4 (end cap and center tube) and tell me what you see. Hint: Widman has posted pictures of Frams with this same fault.

Ed

 

[Sayjac]

Now that YOU mention it, I did see what you are talking about and Widman's pics have shown numerous times. With this OCI it's not as noticeable. Good catch though.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: edhackett
Nobody spots the obvious flaw in this filter and thinks it's great?!

Take a close look a picture number 4 (end cap and center tube) and tell me what you see. Hint: Widman has posted pictures of Frams with this same fault.

Ed


I'm taking his word that it's well attatched, and it doesn't look nearly as bad as plenty of other Extraguards/TGs we've seen.

 

[mechanicx]

I know soobs says the filter held oil and his P1 didn't. But my experience has been that all the P1's held oil. Anyway, I don't care for the filter's construction. The whole basis of the filter sealing the unfiltered side form the filtered side is based upon a the assembly stacked against against nitril ADBV against cardboard that indents and the leaf sprng at the bottom. If you look at the ADBV to thread plate it is totally flat there. On a P1 the silicon ADBV has a potrusion into the threaded plate amonong other things. What I see here is a $2 filter marked up to ~$6, IMO.

 

[Sayjac]

'I'm taking his word that it's well attached'

It, being the media does look that way in this case. The pic of the metal centertube from the top looks to be another matter. It still seems that while the 'engineered media' endcap(s) may attach well to the media, the metal centertube attachment is questionable. I've seen worse (Widmans pics and others) but it's there.

 

[Soobs]

Guys, this wasn't intended to be a Purolater vs. Everyone else [censored] match like just about every other thread here lately. Use what you like and what holds up well for you. The OEM Subaru filters work well for Subaru and will keep the oil filtered. That's all.