Fram XG9018 @ ~11,600 - media failure

[MinamiKotaro]

The XG9018 fits GM's Ecotec 2.0/2.2/2.4 family. This one was in Mom's VUE for about 11,600 miles, probably 9 or 10 months. Two OCIs of QSAD 5w-30.

Looks good so far. Not smooshed at all.

Wait! What's this? A hole?

Why, yes. That is a hole.

It's almost like someone shoved the tip of a #2 pencil through the media. Note that the perforation occurred in the only widely spaced pleat on the entire filter. I haven't cut it apart and stretched out the media to check for other failures as I'm certain the act of doing so would cause a lot of damage itself.

 

[AKhan87]

That perfectly circular tear looks like it was there during assembly, I doubt that happened during use.

 

[Roob]

Hard to fault Fram if the damage occurred during use, as the Filter went 1600miles past the products intended design.
Maybe it was a quality control issue? Who knows...
Per Fram website:

Xtended Guard (XG)
10k Mile Engine Protection
Specially engineered filtering media reinforced in two plies and reinforced with a metal screen provides up to 10k miles of engine protection.
High Capacity - traps and holds more than double the dirt of leading economy oil filters average.

Either way, I'd stick to the parameters that the product is designed for.

 

[MinamiKotaro]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
That perfectly circular tear looks like it was there during assembly, I doubt that happened during use.


I inspected it carefully before installation. I could have not noticed it but I doubt it. My guess is the material was thin there. It may not have been evident when the filter was new but oil pressure caused it to fail during use.

The point is not that Ultras are junk. I still have a couple of Ultras I fully intend to use. The point is that any filter can fail, even one as tank-like as an Ultra. Something to keep in mind if one intends to really push the limits of a filter over two (or more) OCIs.

 

[AKhan87]

Originally Posted By: Roob
Hard to fault Fram if the damage occurred during use, as the Filter went 1600miles past the products intended design.
Maybe it was a quality control issue? Who knows...
Per Fram website:

Xtended Guard (XG)
10k Mile Engine Protection
Specially engineered filtering media reinforced in two plies and reinforced with a metal screen provides up to 10k miles of engine protection.
High Capacity - traps and holds more than double the dirt of leading economy oil filters average.

Either way, I'd stick to the parameters that the product is designed for.


Ooooooh that is the older extended guard and not fram ultra?

 

[MinamiKotaro]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
Ooooooh that is the older extended guard and not fram ultra?


It's an Ultra.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
Originally Posted By: Roob
Hard to fault Fram if the damage occurred during use, as the Filter went 1600miles past the products intended design.
Maybe it was a quality control issue? Who knows...
Per Fram website:

Xtended Guard (XG)
10k Mile Engine Protection
Specially engineered filtering media reinforced in two plies and reinforced with a metal screen provides up to 10k miles of engine protection.
High Capacity - traps and holds more than double the dirt of leading economy oil filters average.

Either way, I'd stick to the parameters that the product is designed for.


Ooooooh that is the older extended guard and not fram ultra?


Good question. IIRC, the XG16 is current spec'd ultra for my Jeep.. But that's not to say all of them inherited the XG designation from their predecessor.

 

[SilverC6]

Originally Posted By: MinamiKotaro


The point is that any filter can fail, even one as tank-like as an Ultra. Something to keep in mind if one intends to really push the limits of a filter over two (or more) OCIs.


Bingo.....

We have a winner!!!!!

Oil filters are made, like peaches, in a factory by a man.

Even with this "failure," the filter was very serviceable.

 

[TriboGeek]

I do find this failure more consistent with a defect than a service condition extreme.

Is this not wire backed media? Is not this precisely what wire backing is designed to prevent?


11kmi is not very severe at all, for something so presumably well built. Will this destroy the motor? Probably not, but I would not run any filter that developed substantial holes in the media.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Email Fram customer services and/or PM Motorking about this defective Ultra filter to see what they say.

 

[FFeng7]

I was thinking also that the filter should have a wire backing. Do the hole in the material also go through the wire backing?

 

[901Memphis]

So you admit you stabbed it with a number two pencil?

 

[SatinSilver]

Maybe an accountant did it. Since the primary rule in accounting is to always have two number two pencils with you at all times.

 

[Brybo86]

odd the difference between this and pure one failure thread....

pure one thread people are vowing to boycott all purolator until they work it out....

fram ultra thread everyone is saying any filter can fail, ya ya ya, ok so when the OLM can go over 10k on my car I cant use an ultra? what does fram recommend then?

a failure is a failure and they should be treated the same.

 

[Sayjac]

^^^^Funny/ironic how that seemed to work here with this filter.

'And feel free to correct me if I'm wrong', but when I look this application up using several sources it shows as an Ultra. Afaik, Ultra's are rated 'up to' 15k miles, 11,600 would be well within that fci. XG is just the prefix used for the Ultra, and was carried over from the Xtended Guard. That aside, 11.6kmiles over "9-10 months" doesn't seem excessive to me for premium synthetic filter like the Ultra.

Whether from usage or mass production effect, stuff happens. It is what it is.

Thanks to the OP for posting.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
^^^^Funny/ironic how that seemed to work here with this filter.

'And feel free to correct me if I'm wrong', but when I look this application up using several sources it shows as an Ultra. Afaik, Ultra's are rated 'up to' 15k miles, 11,600 would be well within that fci. XG is just the prefix used for the Ultra, and was carried over from the Xtended Guard. That aside, 11.6kmiles over "9-10 months" doesn't seem excessive to me for premium synthetic filter like the Ultra.

Whether from usage or mass production effect, stuff happens. It is what it is.

Thanks to the OP for posting.


If Ultra failures become as wide spread as purolator, then yes it is an issue. Until then, the 2 aren't even comparable. I'm am also willing to bet Fram will own up to this unlike purolator who just seems to raise the middle finger.

 

[901Memphis]

Keep in mind this is one failure to how many Purolator failures? Yes any filter can fail but I'm playing an odds game and Ultras still produce better uoas.

 

[Roob]

Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
Originally Posted By: Roob
Hard to fault Fram if the damage occurred during use, as the Filter went 1600miles past the products intended design.
Maybe it was a quality control issue? Who knows...
Per Fram website:

Xtended Guard (XG)
10k Mile Engine Protection
Specially engineered filtering media reinforced in two plies and reinforced with a metal screen provides up to 10k miles of engine protection.
High Capacity - traps and holds more than double the dirt of leading economy oil filters average.

Either way, I'd stick to the parameters that the product is designed for.


Ooooooh that is the older extended guard and not fram ultra?


It's the new Ultra/extended guard premium lube canister filter, model XG9018, only designed for maximum 10,000miles.
You can confirm it on the Fram website. I was surprised it wasn't 15,000miles also...

 

[Sayjac]

Must have touched a nerve. The poster I responded to said "a failure is a failure", which is an accurate statement. I have no interest in, nor did I attempt to compare anything.

As I said, it is what it is. Stuff happens.

Originally Posted By: Roob
It's the new Ultra/extended guard premium lube canister filter, model XG9018, only designed for maximum 10,000miles.
You can confirm it on the Fram website. I was surprised it wasn't 15,000miles also...

Not to doubt you, but do you have a link for that fci? Every link I've found here says 15k miles for the cartridge too.

 

[99Saturn]

Originally Posted By: Roob
Originally Posted By: 01_celica_gt
Originally Posted By: Roob
Hard to fault Fram if the damage occurred during use, as the Filter went 1600miles past the products intended design.
Maybe it was a quality control issue? Who knows...
Per Fram website:

Xtended Guard (XG)
10k Mile Engine Protection
Specially engineered filtering media reinforced in two plies and reinforced with a metal screen provides up to 10k miles of engine protection.
High Capacity - traps and holds more than double the dirt of leading economy oil filters average.

Either way, I'd stick to the parameters that the product is designed for.


Ooooooh that is the older extended guard and not fram ultra?


It's the new Ultra/extended guard premium lube canister filter, model XG9018, only designed for maximum 10,000miles.
You can confirm it on the Fram website. I was surprised it wasn't 15,000miles also...


Is there some difference between the Ultra Synthetic and Ultra/extended guard? I see the reference to 10K on the specific part number (as well as on the filter the SL2 we have), but 15K on the landing page. I also pulled out one of the ones's I have in my stash XG9018 and the box only says 15K.