How do you open an old filter?

[TallPaul]

Just opened my 9600 mile Wix filter with the Harbor Freight pipe cutter. Worked great. No more hacksaw metal shavings. Thanks again, Monumentoiler.

 

[MADMIKE]

How'd it look inside? Any media tears or separations? Any visible particle loading between the pleats?

 

[TallPaul]

Media was intact and in fine order (no wavy or bunched pleats) and that's pretty good for a 7" filter. I spread the media out and it looked very good. Did have little hard sludge chunks about 1-2 mm in size in the depth of the creases, but I've noticed that in my filters before this OCI. So there was nothing here to indicate the filter had been in use double my normal amount. Held the media up to a fluroescent light and could not see light through it. On a 3000 or 4000 mile oci I would ususally see a lot of light areas.

 

[MADMIKE]

Thanks TallPaul! The more info shared from filter "autopsies" the better! (I've cute a million new filters open but only a few used filters due to the mess)

 

[TallPaul]

Yeah messy is right. I drain them hot off the truck. Screw into the antidrainback and the oil mostly comes out. Maybe two tblspoons left. Wear the nitrile gloves and have a large cardboard and a pan. THen it works pretty good.