I cut open these two filters that I took off my friend's cars. The Fram is from a Mk4 VW Jetta with the 2.slow, and the Purolator is from an old Dodge Ram with a very neglected 3.9L. The ram had a water pump fail, and there was a little coolant mixing with the oil. In addition to that, the engine didn't get regular oil changes (it was 2 quarts low on a 4 quart sump, and what was left was very black), so I really wanted to see how the filter held up. Anyway here's the fram from the jetta:
I tore a piece of the bottom endcap off to see how strong it was (hardly took any effort, it was actually quite brittle).
My biggest issue with the fram was that all the oil drained out easily when I left it on it's side. The rubber anti-drainback valve was pretty stiff and probably wasn't making a good seal anymore. This can was a little harder to cut into than the purolator's, however.
Next is the purolator from the ram:
Here's the waviest pleat:
Despite the waves, the paper was still intact after being on the engine about a year with a little coolant mixing through it. The rubber anti-drainback valve was also much softer and more flexible than the fram's, and this filter still had oil in it when I cut it open.
I tore a piece of the bottom endcap off to see how strong it was (hardly took any effort, it was actually quite brittle).
My biggest issue with the fram was that all the oil drained out easily when I left it on it's side. The rubber anti-drainback valve was pretty stiff and probably wasn't making a good seal anymore. This can was a little harder to cut into than the purolator's, however.
Next is the purolator from the ram:
Here's the waviest pleat:
Despite the waves, the paper was still intact after being on the engine about a year with a little coolant mixing through it. The rubber anti-drainback valve was also much softer and more flexible than the fram's, and this filter still had oil in it when I cut it open.
