Is the spin-on filter's days numbered?

[jongies3]

I work in the maintenance field and have noticed more and more canister style filters coming every year. I've especially noticed it on Toyotas, so far, every new Toyota I see no longer dons the old style spin on oil filter, instead they're all being phased out in favor of canister cartridge filters. And I'm seeing more and more of them on other makes as well. This is kind of a downer for me, I love the ease of installing and removing spin on filters, no special tools needed. All those new Toyotas have to have a special tool to take the filter out, can't just go down to the parts store and buy it either, they don't make them easy to get! Most other canister filters need special sockets to remove them as well.

So, what do you guys think? Is the spin on filter headed the way of the crank starter and the carburetor? I sure hope not! But it's starting to look and feel that way unfortunately.

 

[bdcardinal]

I think the spin on will be around a long time. The claimed advantage of the cartridge style filter is being "environmentally friendly" since you are just disposing of some paper.

 

[fdcg27]

The spin-on is probably going to be around for some time.
Toyota favors the cartridge, but so did Mercedes and BMW for most models over many years and cartridge filters were the norm long before spin-ons came along.
Special tools?
Well, you could change the oil filter on any MB 123 or either of the two BMWs we've had with nothing more than the sockets you already have.
This was also true of the Ecotec GMer I once gave an oil change although you did need a CV axle size socket to remove the cap.
The more things change, the more the stay the same.

 

[JHZR2]

IMO spin on is the best bet any time the filter is UNDER the engine.

Cartridge is perfect when it is up top.

These designs with a cartridge under the car are plain idiotic. Gravity is not in the design's favor.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
IMO spin on is the best bet any time the filter is UNDER the engine.

Cartridge is perfect when it is up top.

These designs with a cartridge under the car are plain idiotic. Gravity is not in the design's favor.

What do you know, we agree. Cartridge on bottom, not my fave design. Cartridge on top also great if one has a Mightyvac and desires not touching the drain plug each OC.

And no, I do not believe the spin on filter is going away any time soon. Fyi, it costs more per vehicle unit to add cartridge housing to a vehicle build.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jongies3
I love the ease of installing and removing spin on filters, no special tools needed. All those new Toyotas have to have a special tool to take the filter out, can't just go down to the parts store and buy it either,

The cartridge filters on my 530i and on wife's q5 are very easy to get to and only require a 36mm wrench socket. So special tools required. Blame toyota for poor design.

 

[Nate1979]

Well let's look at what the most sold vehicles have and that is trucks (by far). What do Ford, GM and Ram use? I believe they all use spin on right?

 

[NHGUY]

Remember the big removeable lid in the oil pan of Iron Duke 2.5s with a cartridge inside..???? Stupid design.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Well let's look at what the most sold vehicles have and that is trucks (by far). What do Ford, GM and Ram use? I believe they all use spin on right?

Not all. For example f150 2.7 ecoboost uses a cartridge.

 

[DemoFly]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
IMO spin on is the best bet any time the filter is UNDER the engine.

Cartridge is perfect when it is up top.

These designs with a cartridge under the car are plain idiotic. Gravity is not in the design's favor.

Cartridge on the bottom is fantastic when done right.

The 2.3L in the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 has a drain plug on the cap you remove first, and then you twist off the cap. No oil on your hands. It's awesome.

 

[Nyogtha]

The up top spin-ons I've worked with have anti-siphon valves as well as ADBV's.

So IMO properly designed spin-ons have just as much utility in up top applications as cartridge filters.

If one recycles the entire spin-on filter at such easy to find places as Walmart TLE or O'Reilly's, the "eco" spin for the cartridge filter is pretty well nullified. Walmart TLE accepts automatic transmission filters for recycling as well.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/OilFilterRecycling.oap

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Remember the big removeable lid in the oil pan of Iron Duke 2.5s with a cartridge inside..???? Stupid design.


I had one of those, i had a set of pliers that i used just for that car. The upside to that design , was the filter was fully primed with oil after you filled up the oil pan, no dry starts.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
IMO spin on is the best bet any time the filter is UNDER the engine.

Cartridge is perfect when it is up top.

These designs with a cartridge under the car are plain idiotic. Gravity is not in the design's favor.

Originally Posted By: Sayjac
What do you know, we agree. Cartridge on bottom, not my fave design. Cartridge on top also great if one has a Mightyvac and desires not touching the drain plug each OC.

And no, I do not believe the spin on filter is going away any time soon. Fyi, it costs more per vehicle unit to add cartridge housing to a vehicle build.

The easiest/cleanest/fastest oil change is with cartridge filter on top and utilizing a fluid extractor.

I enjoy doing oil change in my E430 and hate doing it with Honda and Volvo. Volvo V70 has cartridge filter under the engine, behind a large splash guard.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Heavy duty applications, trucks and police cars and such, continued to use the cannister type for some years after 1969 (using a bolt-on adaptor replacing the usual part) because it had finer media and more total flow capacity from its larger size...the passenger car size spin-on apparently bypasses a lot of oil in normal use.

 

[userfriendly]

I can just se it now; California bans the use of spin-on filters.

 

[bvance554]

If canisters were eliminated we would not have as many oil filter pics after they're cut open. People would pull out the old filter with their special tool (socket wrench) take a brief glance and say ho hum... Looks great, then toss it. At least that is what I do. But yea, cartridges on the bottom? Dumbest idea ever. My son has a Passat. His fitler gets changed every other OCI.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: jongies3
... All those new Toyotas have to have a special tool to take the filter out, can't just go down to the parts store and buy it either, they don't make them easy to get! Most other canister filters need special sockets to remove them as well. ...
Changing the cartridge filter of my Toyota requires the same size cap wrench that fits spin-on filters of many older Toyotas and Hondas. Auto Zone stocks one such cap wrench, and there are numerous other brands and models available through the internet. Cartridge oil filters were common long before spin-ons appeared. They were a lot larger and more metallic back then.

Does any new European car use a spin-on filter?

 

[AnthemBassMan]

The 151 Iron Duke I had in my 1980 Chevy Monza used the spin-on filter. But my Brother-in-law had a late 80s Olds Calais, one that looked like a Grand Am, with the Quad 4 in it. That one used the cartridge filter. What a mess when changing it. GM wasn't too smart putting it under the car, and you had to twist the filter out. And where did all of that oil go? Right down my arm!

L8R,
Matt

 

[GMBoy]

A few versions of the GM 3.6L actually have gone back to spin on filters from cartridge style. I was very surprised to see that.

 

[Branson304]

I sure hope not. The simplicity of spin on filters is the best thing, as you said, no special tools & impossible to mess it up unless you don't get the filter tight enough or something. I've heard of DIYers & quick lubes putting cartridge oil filters in incorrectly among other things. I hate cartridge filters, let's stick to the good old spin on if you ask me.

It's just one more way that car manufacturers are making it harder for you to work on your own vehicle.