Been hoarding a few oil filters I bought in bulk from a website. The filters sometimes accumulate a little bit of surface rust where the oil comes and gets filtered. A concern? I did a search and could not find anything.
This is not a problem. A little surface rust is quite common on the contact surfaces at the base. This is because that surface is bare steel and not protected by a painted surface like the body of the filter.
Originally Posted By: Roy Gutfinski
This is not a problem. A little surface rust is quite common on the contact surfaces at the base. This is because that surface is bare steel and not protected by a painted surface like the body of the filter.
I have never seen rust on an oil filter, let alone used one. My filter stash, while small in qty, is kept inside the house. I'd rather not take the chance of rust particles getting in the oil.
I had that problem once, and have eliminated it. I take a piece of clear plastic wrap, and tightly fit it over the base of the filter, and up onto the sides, then put the filter back in the box. They no longer flash rust, I have a few filters approaching 2 years old now, they look like new.
If I were you, I would take some WD40 and wipe the flash rust off and use the filter. If it is actually pitted I wouldn't use it. JMO