Multiple filters cut open: Wix, Motorcraft, Fram

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Ive had these pictures kicking around for quite awhile. Most of them are from 2012 when I first got my filter cutter. Ive been meaning to upload them for some time just never got around to it. So without further ado here they are.

Main fuel filter from my 84
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Water separating fuel filter from my 84. This is a filter I added to replace the stock water separator.
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FL1995 oil filter from my 84. This filter is about 1 quart bigger in capacity from the stock filter. The stock filter is an FL784. The second picture shows a close up of the pleats. I remember there was a slight tear in the pleat. Its not really visible in the picture but I know that's what I was trying to get a picture of. This was also before the issues with purolator were known.

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This is a filter from the lawn tractor we used to have. It was a John Deere with an 11 HP Kohler Command. Engine ran great but the transmission had problems so we ended up selling it.
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This is a 4070 coolant filter I had added to my 84. This was the first filter to be run on the truck. I'm not sure what it had for miles on it but it was on roughly one year. I had flushed the cooling system prior to installing it so the system was somewhat clean.

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This is the filter that came off of my 92 when I bought it. Promotive PH1A Unknown miles on the filter.
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This is a Fram PH8A that was on my brothers ranger when he bought it. He bought the truck from another family member who isn't very good with vehicle maintenance. The truck was over 2 quarts low on oil when he got it. If I had to take a guess the filter probably had over 8000 miles on it. Hard to say though. None of the pleats were torn or separated from the end disk.
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This is the most recent one. Its an FL400 from my brothers ranger. It was used for about 7500 miles witch is the factory OCI for normal use. Oil used was Motorcraft syn blend 5W20. The pleat is torn at both ends. The one end it only partially tore the other end it tore all the way and the pleat was actually flattened from the oil.
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Thats going to be the last motorcraft we use in our fleet. No more Motorcraft or purolator filters for me.
 
Originally Posted By: howie2092
that Fram is a sorry looking filter.

Maybe, but no matter what it looks like after 8K miles at least it did not tear.
 
Agreed, the Fram did it's job and did not tear. Still a sad looking filter. Probably better suited for short OCI's.
 
Hello,
1) Yes, "tear", the word the OP used, is correct.
2) I don't want to jump on the OCOD bandwagon but I gotta agree with the critics. The media seems thinner and there seems to be less of it compared to any of the others.
That it's not torn is small consolation. They were always the cheapest, lightest filters on the shelf. Kira
 
Yeah I missed it. I have about 500 miles yet on my short winter OCI for the Jeep. After looking at this, I might take it off sooner and cut it open. It'd be interesting to see the condition since it would be such low use.

Ill probably go back to the TG16/8A.
 
I do find autopsies of filters interesting and admit to being slightly obcessed with these forums. However, I am not sure what cutting open a filter proves. I know some measure the amount of media ect but what does that really prove? Wouldn't the real issue be how good is any particular media at filtering not how much of it there is? There could be a mile of [censored] media in a huge filter and a smaller filter with a tiney amount of high quality media could do a better job? It doesn't concern me if pleats are glued or crimped, straight or wavy ect. It doesn't have to look pretty to get the job done. I' buy filters in bulk--read cheapest for application or OCI-- and over the years have used hundreds of the OCOD on my heavy duty diesel wreckers and never had an oil or engine failure directly related to the oil or filter. I did loose an engine ine thst was off road and the filter was punctured.....I don't rememeber thr brand of filter as it was years ago but thr puncture was such no filter in that case would have made a difference. Anyways. Just chiming in. Hope that's ok.
 
Originally Posted By: ToadU
I do find autopsies of filters interesting and admit to being slightly obcessed with these forums. However, I am not sure what cutting open a filter proves. I know some measure the amount of media ect but what does that really prove? Wouldn't the real issue be how good is any particular media at filtering not how much of it there is? There could be a mile of [censored] media in a huge filter and a smaller filter with a tiney amount of high quality media could do a better job? It doesn't concern me if pleats are glued or crimped, straight or wavy ect. It doesn't have to look pretty to get the job done. I' buy filters in bulk--read cheapest for application or OCI-- and over the years have used hundreds of the OCOD on my heavy duty diesel wreckers and never had an oil or engine failure directly related to the oil or filter. I did loose an engine ine thst was off road and the filter was punctured.....I don't rememeber thr brand of filter as it was years ago but thr puncture was such no filter in that case would have made a difference. Anyways. Just chiming in. Hope that's ok.


Welcome. (I chimed in on your hrs. vs. mile thread for you too btw.)

Why cutting open filters is a good thing:

Purolator Classic and Purolator PureOne filters currently have tearing issues. Poor design, crimped seams as opposed to glue, sever v shaped media by the seam? Cheaper media? We have a bunch of good theories. Mopar, and Motorcraft filters are also made by Purolator and in this very thread you will see a Motorcraft FL400s with torn media. Thats a good reason to cut them open. Who in their right mind would knowingly run a filter prone to failure?

You can also learn a lot about the engine's condition too. If it has sludge, usually the media will have sludge deposits between the pleats. Depending on how sludge'd the engine is, it could be packed with sludge.

Also people just mainly want to see the overall condition of the media once it has been used x amount of miles. Straight/ crooked pleats etc.

I am sure I missed some stuff, others feel free to chime in.
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Good point. I do have a large stock of motorcrafts I used on my wreckers in stock. Maybe I'll have my shop cut a couple open. Tearing is a valid concearn for sure and no Bueno.

I really like the full flow black can Fram heavy duty filters. That's what im stocking for my cummins engines right now. I haven't ever seen one cut open but they look awesome.

My international MaxForce 10s have the biggest filter ever....lol.....takes over a gallon just to fill the filter.....doing 30k OCIs and using WIX XP at the moment. Retail on the filter is $121 or $127 somthing like that and im paying $39 and ch she for them.
 
All the Wix made filters look excellent as usual.

The orange can is ugly, and typical, the PH8A and PH16 are usually some of the ugliest looking filter autopsies you'll find, yet they seem to always hold up. All orange cans are not created equal for some reason, the PH3600, PH3980 and PH9688 for example generally look much, much better when cut.

Ugh! A torn FL-400s! You are breaking my heart I am running one now in fact I have not been spooked off Motorcrafts by Puro's quality issues but it is getting that way.
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Thanks for the cut and post!
 
Originally Posted By: howie2092
that Fram is a sorry looking filter.


+1....

Does that FRAM OCOD have 7 or 8 pleats total?

It looks like it was in bypass 80% of the time.

At some point, FRAM's obsession to "value engineer" their products and put as little as possible in the can hurts the functionality of their filters.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
They were always the cheapest, lightest filters on the shelf. Kira


I believe E-Core filters have taken that honor these days
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Originally Posted By: dlundblad
There's no way of knowing for sure.
The way the end caps were pulled in by the badly misshapen pleats, it would have been in bypass all the time-no way those end caps were sealed!
 
The upper end cap is supposed to allow oil to pass though. That's how it goes into bypass.

The bypass valve/spring mechanism would have likely been held tightly in place not allowing unintentional bypass.

I don't see it.
 
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