Has anyone ever taken apart the oil filter on a properly running car and found any "stuff" in it? I've cut open a couple and there was nothing in the filter to speak of. The very bottom of the pleats had a very small amount of "gunk" and of course the pleats were somewhat discolored. With all the talk about filters and how much they hold, etc, I have a hard time seeing where there's a problem, as far as capacity, with any of them.
I sure have; mostly 60's cars that'd been let sit for a long time and then resurrected. I definitely found debris in the filters; apparently sludge that had built up in the engine, baked on to a crisp, and then had been washed free by the newer, more detergent oil that had been used since. Subsequent removal of the intake and a peek in the lifter galley on at least one engine confirmed that the engine had been sludgy and was being washed clean.
I didn't see any evidence that there was a *problem* mind you; I more cut the filter apart out of curiosity just to see what I'd find. And you could make the argument that just because the car was running well, the long period of hibernation and buildup of sludge didn't exactly meet your intended criteria, and I couldn't argue that too much.
nate
Nate Nagel wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news4.newsguy.com:
It's called winter clothing .
I cut open the original filter of my SO's RAV4 at the first oil change. There were some metal shavings in the element. It was the first time I'd ever seen anything that big in a filter. I was worried, so I cut open the next two filters off the engine as well. Never saw anything else. At 50k miles the engine runs like new, no smoking, no oil consumption, no strange noises. I assume the metal shavings were either left over from some machining operation, or early life wear.
I have cut open many filters from all of my vehicles including farm tractors. Except for that one time, I've never seen anything large in a filter. With the old cartridge style filters, it was not uncommon to find some sludge in the bottom of the outer canister, but generally, I don't find anyting in the can of spin-on filters. My assumption is that most of what the filter removes is very small and trapped in the filter media. I've considered ways of evaluating how much stuff was caught, but not come up with a workable solution that doesn't involve a lot of expensive equipment. Since I never seem to have any oil related engine failures, I can't see spending a lot to come up with a measuring method.
Ed
You are all looking in the wrong place. The best place to look, is at the bottom of oil pans! The stuff I have found at the bottom of pans is unreal ... nuts, washers, machine screws, gaskets, pens, pennies, and a guitar pick for christ sakes! I'm half expecting to find a pair of sunglasses or a pair of dentures next!
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