FL-500S'...new and old designs...side by side

[Onug]

My oil filter cutter finally arrived...

Everything looks good to me. The louvers are all well formed and open. I didn't know the louvers are both "up" and "down". From the pictures I've seen recently, I thought they only opened up one direction.

 

[Onug]

 

[warrior]

Which one is which?

 

[53' Stude]

In last pic, old hole center tube is left
New style "louver" center tube: right

 

[ZeeOSix]

Newer version has the louvers. Nice photos ... thanks for the comparison.

 

[hatt]

What did the pleat spacing at the glue joint look like?

 

[KingCake]

thanks for the pics

 

[AirgunSavant]

Nice job, thanks!

 

[warrior]

Thanks for the great pics! I have used 400s & 500s many times! Hope they stay great filters...

 

[Onug]

You're welcome everyone. Glad to contribute back to the forum. Figured this would be a fun test with the distrust of both Motorcraft filters and louver designs.

I should have stated; I took the filters apart one at a time and kept the parts separate. So anything on the left is the old design and the right is the new, louvered design.

With the exception of the metal screen, all the parts look/felt the same between the two filters. The pleats at the glue joint were solid. As you can tell in the last picture, I pulled the filter medium apart to open it up. No tears or anything of concern on either filter.

If I can find a way to reasonably measure the opening of the louvers, I'll try and estimate the overall area that's covered by the louvers. Just looking at the two, the new design seems to offer maybe double (or more) area for oil to pass thru. Das is good yah

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: Onug
Figured this would be a fun test with the distrust of both Motorcraft filters and louver designs.

If I can find a way to reasonably measure the opening of the louvers, I'll try and estimate the overall area that's covered by the louvers. Just looking at the two, the new design seems to offer maybe double (or more) area for oil to pass thru. Das is good yah


Keep in mind that one filter example doesn't mean every Motorcraft with louvers is going to be made correctly. We've seen louver opening size vary all over the place on the same exact brand & model of oil filters.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Originally Posted By: Onug
Figured this would be a fun test with the distrust of both Motorcraft filters and louver designs.

If I can find a way to reasonably measure the opening of the louvers, I'll try and estimate the overall area that's covered by the louvers. Just looking at the two, the new design seems to offer maybe double (or more) area for oil to pass thru. Das is good yah


Keep in mind that one filter example doesn't mean every Motorcraft with louvers is going to be made correctly. We've seen louver opening size vary all over the place on the same exact brand & model of oil filters.


The MC filters that I have cut apart with louvers look like the one in the photo. It appears the louvered one has more even flow space. Just bought a MC FL910 today.

 

[ZeeOSix]

^^^ Sure ... properly opened up louvers will have more flow area. BUT, there is no guarantee that every filter coming off the production line will have properly formed louvers. If the filter has louvers, always visually inspect to decide if you like the way they are opened up or not.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: Onug
... If I can find a way to reasonably measure the opening of the louvers, I'll try and estimate the overall area that's covered by the louvers. Just looking at the two, the new design seems to offer maybe double (or more) area for oil to pass thru. Das is good yah
Very nice photographs!

Why bother measuring the area of the holes, when in even the old design their restriction to flow is insignificant in the larger scheme of things? Also, area of the holes alone doesn't determine their delta P at a given flow rate and viscosity, although it's obviously a major factor.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
^^^ Sure ... properly opened up louvers will have more flow area. BUT, there is no guarantee that every filter coming off the production line will have properly formed louvers. If the filter has louvers, always visually inspect to decide if you like the way they are opened up or not.

And there's not, 90% of the filters I inspect the louvers are 50% closed and more, Unacceptable.

 

[OPR4H]

Why haven't you take pics of the media installed first?

 

[SirTanon]

If you ask me, the filter with louvers (assuming they're all, or really even 50%, formed well) should flow a LOT more through the center tube compared to the old style with the holes. It should also flow a lot more uniformly, compared to the relatively limited spacing of the holes in the old style.

 

[Joenpb]

Originally Posted By: SirTanon
If you ask me, the filter with louvers (assuming they're all, or really even 50%, formed well) should flow a LOT more through the center tube compared to the old style with the holes. It should also flow a lot more uniformly, compared to the relatively limited spacing of the holes in the old style.


A voice of reason.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

Keep in mind that one filter example doesn't mean every Motorcraft with louvers is going to be made correctly. We've seen louver opening size vary all over the place on the same exact brand & model of oil filters.
It doesn't look like louvers would be that difficult to manufacture. Do they buy whatever thickness and grade sheet steel was on sale that day and run it through the machine?

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: hatt
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

Keep in mind that one filter example doesn't mean every Motorcraft with louvers is going to be made correctly. We've seen louver opening size vary all over the place on the same exact brand & model of oil filters.
It doesn't look like louvers would be that difficult to manufacture. Do they buy whatever thickness and grade sheet steel was on sale that day and run it through the machine?


They use coiled steel and they have parameters they follow.