Tips on cutting filters open..........

[97f150]

Cutting the filters I take off of my vehicles open is something I have always wanted to do but was limited by space as we have been renting an apartment for almost 5 years.
Recently we have purchased a house and I now have space to not only comfortably change my oil (not the rush before someone comes lol), but open up my filters as well. I will be changing out the oil on my wifes F150, and want to use the FL820s as sort of a practice run this afternoon. Im not sure of the actual miles on this oil but it is a Mobil 1/ FL820s combo with somewhere between 3-5k on it. Somewhere between my daughter drawing all over everything and my wife cleaning it out the paper I wrote this information on disappeared, but I know I changed it in March.
I have a dremel that I plan to use to open the can. Any other tips on drying out the filter as much as possible and actually cutting the media to spread it out? Tips on not getting the camera (cell phone) oily while taking pics?

I am putting Mobil 1 5w20 with a Mobil 1 filter back in the truck. I also plan on cutting the Mobil 1 filter on my Ram when it reaches its 5k mile OCI next week sometime. Thanks in advance.

 

[A_Harman]

Don't use a Dremel tool or a hacksaw to cut open the filter. You'll get so many steel chips from the canister that you'll not be able to distinguish between actual wear particles and the debris from cutting. Look for a large diameter tubing cutter which has a rolling blade. I bought a dedicated oil filter cutter from Lane Automotive in Watervliet, MI and use it to cut open my filters. It does a great job.

My process:
1. Thoroughly clean out an oil drain pan, then cut the canister open, and pull out the element.
2. With my fingers, I break the individual pleats away from the upper and lower end caps and completely separate the media from the central tube. The unrolled media is several feet long.
3. With spray cans of brake clean, I spray the media and catch whatever comes off in the clean oil drain pan.
4. Drain the pan through an extra-fine coffee filter to catch the debris. Then you can inspect the debris.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: 97f150
Any other tips on drying out the filter as much as possible and actually cutting the media to spread it out?


Fold an absorbent paper towel to make 4+ layers, and then wrap it around the media and secure with a few rubber bands. Let it sit for a couple of days, and the paper towel will draw all the oil out of the media. Works great for me anyway. Then you can cut the media out of the filter and lay it flat for inspection.

 

[OnTheWaterfront]

http://www.amazon.com/Longacre-Oil-Filter-Cutter/dp/B000BO9KSS

 

[A_Harman]

The Longacre filter cutter is the one that I have.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The Longacre filter cutter is the one that I have.


You seem to have the right expensive tool. What is your address for us BITOGs to mail the filters to you at?

 

[cp3]

A rotary tool isn't that bad, if you have one and don't want to spend the $ for a purpose built cutter. If you cut against the rotation, most of the shavings come out. The shavings are usually pretty local to the cutting area so fairly easy to tell, with the few that I've cut open at least. Guess it depends on how particular you are about it. I'm doing it more for fun and curiosity and to post.

 

[97f150]

Originally Posted By: cp3
A rotary tool isn't that bad, if you have one and don't want to spend the $ for a purpose built cutter. If you cut against the rotation, most of the shavings come out. The shavings are usually pretty local to the cutting area so fairly easy to tell, with the few that I've cut open at least. Guess it depends on how particular you are about it. I'm doing it more for fun and curiosity and to post.


Both of these points. I am not particular, if I didnt already have the dremel I would just toss them in the trash like I have always done before. If I happen to open a filter and see a bunch of sludge then I know that I need to do something different lol. As far as shavings go, before you open a filter with a bunch of shavings chances are that you already know you have a problem.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The Longacre filter cutter is the one that I have.


You seem to have the right expensive tool. What is your address for us BITOGs to mail the filters to you at?


No problem. I only charge $100 per for oil filter cutting and debris inspection.

Gotta pay for that expensive filter cutter somehow!

 

[widman]

The trick with the cutters is don't try to tighten too much per turn. Real easy after the first couple of hundred. The only hard one to cut is a Fram. the metal collapses under the blade.

 

[steve20]

I've actually had more Purolator's crush than Fram

 

[david_ES2]

i cut my first oil filter yesterday it was m1-110 and a m1-104. i just used a 5" c-clamp from harbor freight for 5 bucks and a hack saw i had lying around. wasnt very hard at all. barely got any chips inside the filters either. i thought i needed one of those special tools.

 

[97f150]

I used my dremel with a cut off wheel for the 2 I cut open and didn't find enough shavings from this method of cutting them as I expected.

 

[NavyDood]

Originally Posted By: OnTheWaterfront
http://www.amazon.com/Longacre-Oil-Filter-Cutter/dp/B000BO9KSS

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The Longacre filter cutter is the one that I have.


I also have this one and it works great. I can grab the filter the tool and can literally have the filter opened up in a minute.

 

[zorobabel]

What's the C-clamp for?
I've cut a filter with just the saw and it took a while...
Originally Posted By: david_ES2
i cut my first oil filter yesterday it was m1-110 and a m1-104. i just used a 5" c-clamp from harbor freight for 5 bucks and a hack saw i had lying around. wasnt very hard at all. barely got any chips inside the filters either. i thought i needed one of those special tools.