Shocking - Engine Oil Filter Study!
By RUSS KNIZE

Warning!

These pages are NOT to be taken as gospel.  The primary motivation behind this study was to provide information about what oil filter brands are made by which manufacturers. 

The secondary motivation was to uncover some of the obvious internal construction issues of these manufacturers.  This "study" is not a "test".  The SAE J806 and J1858 tests were designed to test the filtration capability of these filters, but unfortunately they have several shortcomings.  These include issues such as anti-drain-back valve functionality (valve train noise, etc.), filter element containment capability (how long before it blocks and bypasses--related to surface area), and many testimonials that appear to point in the direction of certain manufacturers.

It has been my hope to shed some light in the direction of these issues.  While my perhaps unpopular "two eyes and common sense" approach may not be the most scientific, it is the best I could do considering there was little personal return on the investment of time and money I put into it.

The primary shortcoming of this study is the small sampling size.  I only tested the Ford 5.0L filter.  Some brand names use different manufacturers for different applications.  Another shortcoming is the lack of testing of the filter element media itself.  Unfortunately I have neither the time nor resources to do this.

I invite anyone with the means to take a larger sampling size and conduct a more complete study, which may include private SAE tests.  I also invite anyone to repeat a study similar to this one on other model filters.  It's really not that difficult.  Just cut them open, take measurements and pictures, and are methodical.

With all of that said, please make your own judgments.  Use this study only as a source of some information that may give you a better idea about which filter brands to steer clear from.  It should be obvious that some manufacturers are not being honest about their product.  The next time you buy a filter for your car, buy two and hack one open to see what you have.  My intent was to give you some information and alert you to some little-known issues, not to tell you what to think.

Description

One weekend I set out to every auto parts store in my area and bought every brand of oil filter I could find.  I chose to get the filter for the early Ford 5.0L V8 engine.  The reason is that this is a popular filter; it is large so that I can unveil any fake miniature internal components, and it fits on the Chrysler 2.2L and 2.5L engines.  Design-wise it is fully compatible with the 2.2L/2.5L oil systems and is an excellent replacement for the pathetic filter that was designed for our engines.  I was able to find 20 different filters spanning several brand names.  To see the final results, click the links below. They are in alphabetical order:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters.html