Not impressed with PureONE relief valve

[sunfire]

My first time disassembling a PureOne PL14476 old style (blue can) for my 05 Corolla today. Everything seems fine, except for the relief valve.

The relief valve is not the spring loaded type you see in the WIX and Amsoil filters. Where it's an actual spring holding a small relief valve closed.

I don't even know how to describe the spring type the PureOne uses but lets just call it the Purolator spring. As this style spring is used in all Purolator filters and clones like the AAP and Bosch filters. I am too lazy to take any pictures but this is exactly what my PL14476 looks like:

I wanted to test the condition of the relief valve to see if it would actually open or depress with some force. I had to push down on center of the cap attached to the Purolator spring so hard that it eventually opened. And the Purolator spring was deformed and relief valve stayed open.

My first thought was... did this relief valve actually open when required to by cold winter starts or at high speeds where there is more pressure in the can? Second thought was... how come I have to apply so much pressure on the valve to get it to even budge that it broke the spring and left the pressure relief valve open.

I would like to hear what you think and your experience. As I'm sure some of you have the same Purolator spring in your oil filters.

 

[crinkles]

I would be interested to know too as I am running a PL14477 at the moment...

I am using durablend 10w30 and at the moment it is a pale yellowy colour, I have never seen that before... seems really clean though so it could be that the filter is working well?? usually with the OEM oila nd filter the oil gets dirty pretty quick, brown wiht some suspended particles...

 

[KA426]

I've used these filters for years with no problems.

 

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: KA426
I've used these filters for years with no problems.


I too have never had problems with Purolators in my car. But that doesn't answer why the relief valve or by-pass valve doesn't appear to even open in these Purolator filters. With all the oil filter reviews on the web and oil filter experts I am just shocked that nobody has point this out. If the relief valve doesn't open it can cause a lot of engine wear in a short amount of time.

It appears to be dummy relief valve thats not meant to open. At this point I have lost faith in Purolator/Bosch.

 

[sunfire]

I took a set of needle nose plyers and bent the gray circular Purolator spring seen in the original post. The spring had no elasticity/recoil and appears to be just a hard thick piece of metal. I still don't see how the relief valve would have opened under these conditions. It look at lot of force to bend it. I basically folded the spring in half, now it's stuck inside the inner tube.

I am putting Purolator dead last as far as filters go... for putting on a fake relief valve that doesn't even open.

 

[KA426]

I wonder if this is widespread or contained to this filter? I use the PL-30001 filter.

 

[sunfire]

The innards of the Prem Plus L14476, L14477, PureOne PL14476, PL14477, and the Bosch 3311 all appear to use the same style spring. The 14477 filter is just a longer version of 14476 with the same Relief Valve P.S.I. rating of 1,000,000.

You should take apart your PL-30001 filter next OC then you'll know how angry I feel right now.

I felt that somehow I've been robbed.

 

[globey]

Cartridge filters are so much simpler

 

[KA426]

I'm running a thin oil (0w-30) in my truck right now. Do you think I should change filters?

 

[Gary Allan]

No.

 

[ziggy]

So, what other filters have this flaw?
What filters, would be better, or best, compared?

 

[rocketmangb]

The flat piece of metal only holds the element to the top of the filter !

The bypass valve only comes in to play if the filter plugs !

Typically @ around 8 psi of pressure differential between the outside and inside of the filter !

What part of this dont u get ?

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: rocketmangb
The flat piece of metal only holds the element to the top of the filter !

The bypass valve only comes in to play if the filter plugs !

Typically @ around 8 psi of pressure differential between the outside and inside of the filter !

What part of this dont u get ?


Actually the bypass valve also comes into play in extreme cold starts as well.

The leaf spring that holds everything together isn't flat, it's curved - a LEAF SPRING. The bypass valve is a flat disc covering a hole in the bottom baseplate with a funky spring.

Yea, I've had concerns about this as well but never had a problem. The bigger issue with Purolator - I've purchased 2 Purolators now where the leaf spring was installed upside down and the element was moving around in the filter can!

 

[glenncof]

Look into the large hole on the mounting plate. At least on my Puralators, the spring is inside the center tube.

 

[Shannow]

If you pressed on that metal "rivet" in the middle of the relief, you would be almost guaranteed do stuff the spring, leaving it in the open position.

A couple of small screwdrivers poked through the slots in the spring should have demonstrated it's function.

As a design, I don't think it's too bad.

 

[rocketmangb]

The bypass will only work when a pressure differential exist's !
8-11 psi generally.
has nothing to do with the temp.

 

[Jonny Z]

Originally Posted By: rocketmangb
The bypass will only work when a pressure differential exist's !
8-11 psi generally.
has nothing to do with the temp.

Cold oil is thicker and builds up more delta pressure with the same pump volume vs hot / thin oil.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Jonny Z
Originally Posted By: rocketmangb
The bypass will only work when a pressure differential exist's !
8-11 psi generally.
has nothing to do with the temp.

Cold oil is thicker and builds up more delta pressure with the same pump volume vs hot / thin oil.


True. But bypass still only occurs if there is a differential that exceeds the bypass pressure. Whether the oil is hot or cold does not change this fact.

 

[sunfire]

Originally Posted By: rocketmangb
The flat piece of metal only holds the element to the top of the filter !

The bypass valve only comes in to play if the filter plugs !

Typically @ around 8 psi of pressure differential between the outside and inside of the filter !

What part of this dont u get ?


The problem is that the leaf spring is just a stiff piece of metal and has no recoil at all, unlike a normal spring. This will result in the relief valve closed, sealed shut, never opening, PSI of 1,000,000, oil will never flow through the relief valve. Thereby, nullifying a critical function of a full flow spin on filter.

I believe the Purolator Premium and clones like some of the new Bosch filters have the same problem.

 

[OVERKILL]

Quote:
The Purolator filter elements generally have the highest surface areas out of all the filters in their price range (and in general). This filter cartridge has an impressive surface area of 316 sqin. It features a spring-loaded metal bypass valve and a nitrile rubber diaphragm-type anti-drainback valve, which doubles as the seal between the backplate and the cartridge. The bypass valve is stamped right into the bottom end cap of the cartridge, so it is all one piece.

Sometime before 2008, the cartridge seems to have changed slightly. The bypass valve moved from the front to the back of the cartridge. The shape of the plate at the front is slightly different, but not in any obviously meaningful way.

Are you confusing (and PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong here) the leaf spring used to hold the media against the drain-back valve for the bypass?