Weird oil filter problem and my rambling on again.

I had a really strange thing happen the other day with the oil filer in my 924s. About 3 weeks ago I started noticing a buzzing noise while driving my car. It would happen at random times. Random RPM loading temp ect. Eventually I noticed that if I touched the accusump in my car it was vibrating with the buzzing.

The long of it is I eventually tracked it down to the oil filter (using a combination of a mechanics stethoscope and a screwdriver) for sound and feel.

So since I had a new filter on the shelf and a case of oil and the car was due anyway I changed the oil and viola the problem is gone. I decided to see what was going in the filter and was surprised to see that the drain back valve was completely broken up and the spring was bent. I assume that this was what was causing the buzzing noise. I also found a whole bunch of small plastic particles in the oil that I drained. I am assuming that the drain back valve failed and broke up and was vibrating / buzzing in the filter housing.

Anyway this is the first time I have ever had this happen. I have cracked filers. I have had filters explode, seams let go, gaskets blow out, filer media disintegrate but this is a first. The noise it was making I can only describe as horrific. I really thought I had serious engine damage by the sound of it.

Now this got me thinking. The filter was an STP. I had never used their filter before but I was in a pinch. Last fall I was doing an oil change and I thought I had a filter on the shelf. Turned out I was wrong (Ya I know) so I had to get one from the local auto parts store and it was all they had that fit my car. I thought I would just use it and then do a "short change" of the oil after a couple thousand miles.

But, as I am sure everyone can relate to, life got in the way and the next thing you know I realized that I had not changed the oil since last fall making the mileage close to 4K (maybe more!!!!!!). This is not good as I am only running dino based oil. I have found that if I run full synthetic the seals on my motor start to leak. If i run a blend or strait dino juice the leaks go away. This is particularly a problem with the gasket at the back of the cam tower.

Anyway back on topic. This whole thing got me thinking about filters. I have never been a oil filter connoisseur as some people are. Some swear by this and others want that. I just never had really been all that concerned. When we raced Toyota's we only used Toyota filters (people said they were the best) When I tracked the Porsche it got MAHLE but now that it is mostly a street toy It get WIX/NAPA, Bosch, and yes even the bright orange ones on an occasion. I never really have worried about it. And this is why:

When you check your oil do you really check your oil? In other words what does it actually look like? What does it smell like? I usually clean the dipstick with my fingers and then rub them together. Any grit? How "smooth" is it? How slick is it? How about the viscosity? My old man would actually taste it!!!! I have seen so many people check their oil and it is black as tar but as long as it is at the proper level and they have not gone the prescribed millage they are ok with it. Checking your oil to me has always meant you are actually looking at the condition of the oil that is in the motor. My dad taught me to do this. Time and millage should not be the sole determining factor of when to change the oil and more to the point if you oil looks like sludge and feels like water with a touch of grit in it you should change it no matter what the millage/time. So this brings me back to the filter selection. Since I change my oil based on its condition and not millage does the filter matter as much? I have always thought that it did not. If you are changing solely based on a prescribed millage than I guess it would but since don't do this and have actually got away from the synthetic oils is the filter as important? I am not saying use the cheapest one out there. Far from it! Using a good brand name can never hurt but the last filer I got cost almost $20 (for the NAPA/Wix) Where as I can get MAHLE or OE Porsche or Bosch for around $8-$10 and Fram for about $5 . And just to stir the "Fram is bad" pot . I here and see everyone saying bad things about them but I have never actually heard or seen of a motor failure that can be blamed on a Fram filter. I have had them split and explode but that was operator error not the filters fault. Can anyone actually show me a motor that has failed and it can be directly attributed to using a Fram filer?

Over the years I have probably used more Fram filters than all others combined. I have used them on virtually every car I have had and never had an issue but again I actually check my oil so that may be the difference.

Anyway, Thanks for reading my ramblings!!

German car = MANN filters. Period. End of story. But here's a tip... go to one of the big parts chains and look up the Purolator filter for your application. Open the box. Find a MANN. Purolator discontinued their own filters for oddball cars a while back, and just re-boxes good quality stuff. For German cars, you will find a MANN in the box.

I don't know, I found Hengst filters to be better than Mann. The hengst filter used heavier stainless end caps. By fare the best filter I've found in sturdy construction is the WIX. For the price I think the WIX is going to be my future filter choice. The only problem is they don't come with the crush washers for the canister and oil pan, so I'll add another 1$ for those.

benzbaron wrote: I don't know, I found Hengst filters to be better than Mann. The hengst filter used heavier stainless end caps. By fare the best filter I've found in sturdy construction is the WIX. For the price I think the WIX is going to be my future filter choice. The only problem is they don't come with the crush washers for the canister and oil pan, so I'll add another 1$ for those.

When my son had his diesel Ford (6.0 PSD) in the shop, the Service Manager swore up and down that the Motorcraft filter was THE filter that would keep all the oil related problems from happening. He also wanted a full synthetic and a complete change every 3500 miles, instead of testing and refreshing the additives as indicated by the test results. I thought he was full of it then, and do now. I've never had problems with Wix or Fleetgard, and only a couple with Fram. None with Purolator. STP, I have no experience with, so I can't say.

IMHO, get a filter you've had good experience with and keep the habit. If Wix or Purolator is what you have, use it. I'd be willing to bet that STP would love to hear your story, because it's a chance for them to improve their product if they chose to act on it.

If you want to be semi-scientific about it, cut open a few filters and examine the filter media, the anti-drain-back valve, and the end caps, as well as the general assembly quality. If you do it when you pull them off the car, you can see what's getting caught in the filter. This is where you'll see things that will make you never want to use a Fram filter again, and which will quite possibly haunt your sleep for weeks to come.

And not to do anything more than contribute to the civil discourse (I say this because oil is one of those oddly near-religious topics that gets the Intarweb burning readily), but the only effective way to check oil is to have it analyzed by a specialist lab. The color of the oil, how it feels in your fingers, how it tastes, etc., are imperfect measures at best. Pitch black oil may still be fine - it's just holding combustion byproducts in suspension as it's supposed to - if it has not been contaminated, has not sheared too badly, and still has adequate TBN (<1.5 or so). Grit could have been picked up on the inside of the dipstick tube on the way up. (I'm not even going to get into taste.)

I think the filter discussion isn't about only how clean your oil is, although I agree with what you have said about actually checking its condition. I think most of the oil filter hate (especially the bright orange ones) comes from the actual destruction of the filter. I have seen cutaways on the internet with various bits of cardboard etc that I would not want touching my oil for fear of their eventual destruction and fine dispersion into my engine. That's all I can offer, though.

I used K&N filters exclusively on my sportbike.

I've already done the research on '10 Speed 3 for the oil, seems as though though Pennzoil synthetics are better against shear/fuel dilution which the MZR is known for.

Haven't read much about filters for it, but I'll stick with the Mazda filters from the dealer for now.

dean1484 wrote: And just to stir the "Fram is bad" pot . I here and see everyone saying bad things about them but I have never actually heard or seen of a motor failure that can be blamed on a Fram filter. I have had them split and explode but that was operator error not the filters fault. Can anyone actually show me a motor that has failed and it can be directly attributed to using a Fram filer? Over the years I have probably used more Fram filters than all others combined. I have used them on virtually every car I have had and never had an issue but again I actually check my oil so that may be the difference. Anyway, Thanks for reading my ramblings!!

Working for McQuiks back in college they used green painted frams. They actually came in teh same fram cases that are used elswhere. I know of 6 different split cases, about twice as many that had the filter media come loose/disintegrate and clog the holes, blown seals....

Many years later I'm working for the Hyundai dealership. we had several Elantra's roll through making serious top end noise, sounding like a lack of oil pressure. Every one had a fram filter. Replaced the oil and filter with oem and the noises went away. Not a month later Hyundai releases a bulletin about this. There was one engine fatality off that alone.

One of the Elantra board members took multiple filters and tested them ON CAR and showed that the Fram would drop 11 psi when it was new causing a decent sized restriction that only got worse with age.

So yeah.... No fram's for me.

The same people seem to make filters for all different kinds of companies. It is kind of like cheap bikes nowadays. Pacific Cycle makes everything. No sense fighting over whether a Schwinn or a Mongoose is better. That battle ended long ago.

Yep, Fram's are notorious for causing top end noises on my 2.2 and 2.5L Chrysler motors. I've experienced it several times myself.

Edit: Case in point: Bought a decently built-up 2.5L (head studs, Cometic, forged pistons, etc) and the guy mentioned oil pressure issues when cold that went away when it warmed up. Noted that and mentally figured I'd have to put new bearings in it. So, I loaded it up in my Rampage and took it home. After unloading, I notice the bright orange Fram filter (it was dark and the engine is painted orange). I'm going to put the motor in my Dad's minivan and expect to not have the oil pressure problem once I put a new Purolator filter on it.

Bottom line, I look at the filters I get off the shelf before leaving the store. If the drainback valve is metal, the end cap is metal, and the media looks decent with a good looking seal then I buy it. Otherwise, it is E36 M3 and needs to stay on the shelf.

Also, I typically run the largest filter I can fit on my cars. The Chrysler V10 and Ford V8 filters work great on my 2.2/2.5L motors and assuming I have room, will also work great on my 924.

Personally the Hyundai's get hyundai filters, the swift gets Suzuki filters and the truck gets wix.

When I bought my 89 Shelby Dakota the pressure read low on the dash gauge. It came with I think a Carquest or no name filter. I did an oil change using Redline 10w40 and a K&N filter and it was back to normal. Now I just use Mobil 1 oil and filters

I use either Wix/NAPA Gold or Purolator PureOne oil filters on my RX-7.

z31maniac wrote: I've already done the research on '10 Speed 3 for the oil, seems as though though Pennzoil synthetics are better against shear/fuel dilution which the MZR is known for. Haven't read much about filters for it, but I'll stick with the Mazda filters from the dealer for now.

The OEM Mazda filters work well with the MZR engines. On my '07 MS3 with the cartridge oil filter (coughPAININTHEASScough) I went through Purolator PureOne and Wix filters before settling on the OEMs. All three have good filter media, but I settled on the OEM mainly because they are cheaper than the Purolators and the Wix didn't fit.

Note to anyone with a cartridge oil filter-equipped Ford or Mazda - Do NOT use the Wix filter or it will break your plastic oil filter housing. Ask me how I know...

I used Fram filters for decades without any problems. After hearing all the horror stories, I cut a used one open. Lets just say they look like something out of a Cracker Jack box. Maybe they are made out of old boxes.

For the last several years I have been using NAPA filters on the personal stuff. The work vans get what ever Jiffy Lube has in stock for filters and oil. That suggests to me that simply changing it is more important than what you change it with. All four of them have over 230K miles on them. Oil changes happen at 5000 miles on everything except the Abomination, the RX-7 and the Big White Beast (tow van). They get it once a year at well less than 5000 miles. I just don't buy into all the hype. Even the lemons car went 16 hours at 7000 rpm on the cheapest oil Walmart sells.