Fram Extra Guard 3980 4500 miles/2 years old

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 25, 2016
Messages
46
Location
Ohio
A coworker bought his fathers 2002 s-10 with the 4.3 last week. Apparently the father did not drive it too much, or too often. His son changed the oil as soon as he could, and gave me the filter to look at and see how well it held up from sitting so long. The adbv was very soft and pliable. The only thing that has me concerned is the buildup of the cardboard material on the underside of the adbv. I am unfamiliar with this exact filter, so is that buildup common with that filter, or is it just because it sat for so long and the end caps were breaking down slightly. Common sense sense says it is from sitting around for so long but, I figured one of you guys has seen it before and would chime in with better experience.

Enjoy!















 
Last edited by a moderator:
That aint no tough guard. That being said, it held up well considering the age and the fact that the pleats are wide and uneven.

This proves that Purolator could build a filter that doesn't tear even with wide uneven pleats
grin.gif
 
Given the info, I would say both the wavy pleats and the end cap residue had more to do with moisture water buildup from sitting than anything else.
 
My truck (SUV version) did some sitting before I bought it, but the filter never came out looking like that even when the lower intake manifold gaskets needed replaced.

That said, tell your co worker to check them out. Coolant mixing with the oil could be causing the wave in the media. Mine needed done (you could smell it and see small drips forming), but in the ~5k or so I drove it, I didn't need to top off much if any coolant.

Now that they're replaced, all seems good, but I am sticking with shorter OCI's. Right after the replacement, some crud from the gaskets got into the engine so I was changing the filter out on a weekly and bi weekly basis until I noticed improvement.

Also, it looks like the end cap stuck to and tore away from the ADBV. I don't think I've seen this before.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like the truck has been short-tripped a lot, the filter is in fine shape otherwise. I think a bit of excess glue bonded the ADBV to the endcap or a bit of moisture but if that was true the leaf spring supporting the dome end would also show the same signs.

I'd replace the lower intake manifold gaskets with Fel-Pro PermaDryPlus or updated OEM as a prophylactic measure - it's a ticking time bomb on those Vortec engines.
 
I see end cap nub wear. I don't know about those fiber, aka cardboard, nubs that center the element to the inside of the can. Combined with a small end cap to can gap, lot of flow through a narrow space ringed with fiber board, not the best design in the world.
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
Sounds like the truck has been short-tripped a lot, the filter is in fine shape otherwise. I think a bit of excess glue bonded the ADBV to the endcap or a bit of moisture but if that was true the leaf spring supporting the dome end would also show the same signs.

I'd replace the lower intake manifold gaskets with Fel-Pro PermaDryPlus or updated OEM as a prophylactic measure - it's a ticking time bomb on those Vortec engines.




I will pass that info on to him. He has some sentimental value with this truck and wants to take care of it.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
What is the small metallic looking specks on the ADBV?



No metal but cardboard that had seperated and glued itself to the adbv.
 
Originally Posted By: Lignums
Originally Posted By: nthach
Sounds like the truck has been short-tripped a lot, the filter is in fine shape otherwise. I think a bit of excess glue bonded the ADBV to the endcap or a bit of moisture but if that was true the leaf spring supporting the dome end would also show the same signs.

I'd replace the lower intake manifold gaskets with Fel-Pro PermaDryPlus or updated OEM as a prophylactic measure - it's a ticking time bomb on those Vortec engines.




I will pass that info on to him. He has some sentimental value with this truck and wants to take care of it.

It's a must do I consider on the 1996-2002 GMT400/300 platform trucks, it's a doable if not complex job. This is a good write up which I used to guide me when I did the IMGs on a Tahoe: http://www.handymanlyness.com/archives/a...e_99_Jimmy.html

If he also has the $$$ and wants to prevent some of the issues these trucks had with ethanol blend fuels, there's a retrofit fuel spider assembly from Delphi and ACDelco that will convert the truck from the current SCPI setup using 6 or 8 injectors on a manifold to a true multi-port sequential design.
 
A disintegrating fiber end cap is not a small issue, lucky this one has no bypass. Maybe put Purolator on the can to put away the broom and rug. I would rather have a filter with a hole in the media than this one. Not based on hate, based on pictures. It is surprising to see.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top