Stay away from Purolator oil filetrs.

[Wolfen]

I know that this is not news to plenty of you but for those who may not know let this serve as a warning.

I changed my oil yesterday and when i went to open the filter housing, the filter was separated into 3 pieces. The top plastic and bottom plastic came completely off the paper filter element. Unbelievable. It means that for God knows how many miles i drive with no oil filtration. I was running Mobil 1 for about 5-6K. Needless to say it came out black as anything.

Now, why would a filter like that separate? Bad materials, bad workmanship, sludge, varnish? My engine was pretty varnished on the inside. After this change there were noticeable clean spots in the engine. I think the varnish clogged the filter up. Being that they don't have a bypass valve, it just blew.

So my conclusion is that it was a combination of factors.

1. Filter of lower quality
2. Filter element sufficiently clogged.
3. Intra filter pressure rose very high
4. No bypass valve = filter blowing it's upper and lower rings.

Needless to say this should not happen this easily. I expected the filter to be more robust.

[Boondoggie]

I would too, considering Purolator is one of best filters you can buy at the average store... (Mann and Mahle not being usually available retail... next best choice is NAPA Gold, which is made by Wix.) I'd take pics and send them to Purolater, see what they say...

Mobil1 ALWAYS comes out "black as anything".

Filters don't cause varnish, old oil and heat cause varnish. Is this your first oil change on Mobil1?

[POS VETT]

Well, to be honest, I don't think filter elements for most BMWs have a bypass valve (or at least the ones for my E36) from they way they are constructed. The bypass valve maybe somewhere else.

It is hard to blame Purolator only, just because there is no side-to-side comparison. I guess most filters could "blow up" if they are sufficiently clogged up and there is no way of relieving the pressure behind it.

I'd take this occurrence as being lucky. If that filter didn't "blow up" and it was indeed clogged up by varnish, your engine could have been oil-starved.

[Wolfen]

Agreed on the varnish clogging it up. Yes this was my first Mobil 1 change. I bought this car from the original owner and it had 40K on it. Dyno oil from day 1 with the usual service intervals. The inside of the engine looked like it was made out of tarnished brass. Now some spots are looking like small scabs have peeled off/dissolved away and it's very mirror like shiny underneath. Especially the cam chains. They were Gold 5K ago. Now they are more like polished stainless steel.

I guess it was expected for the filter to burst then. Still rather strange but not unheard of, i guess. I was glad the mobil 1 came out very dark because i know all synthetics do mild cleaning inside the engine. To be on the safe side i will change to a Mann filter in a few weeks of driving. I have a few coming frm BAV auto.

[ezbmr]

Mann is the only filter for a BMW

[Mekihead]

I think that's a fluke. I've been using Puralator oil filters for 109k miles and I swap them out every 3000 miles. That's 36 different filters from the same company. (Wow! That's alot!) I have yet to see a busted filter. Maybe someone manhandled it or dropped it at the store.

[motorwerks]

I always get mine form the stealership.

[Wolfen]

I think that's a fluke. I've been using Puralator oil filters for 109k miles and I swap them out every 3000 miles. That's 36 different filters from the same company. (Wow! That's alot!) I have yet to see a busted filter. Maybe someone manhandled it or dropped it at the store.

Maybe, but i did install and inspect it myself, so i doubt it. I hope it was because of the devarnishing detergent action of the motor oil that finally clogged it up and it burst.

[Kevlar]

Techs from the dealerships tell me all the time that this happens if you do not use the recommended OE filter. It's not just this brand, it happens to make brands of filters.

[Stealthauto]

There are other oil filter other than mann or mahle ??? humm...

seriously just get the OEM replacement it's not that much more expensive. Been using them on all my BMW's and racecars for over 18 years now and not one problem.....

[ADbimmerCausey]

Wolfen.....I too have used Mobil 1 and a purolator oil filter. After removing the cap, filter element was in peices, and I had to pry the bottom and top portions from the filter cavity as they were stuck. I know that I installed without a torque wrench, and could possibly have done some distruction myself by possibly over tightening. But, my tech guy told me that the cheaper oil filters fail a lot because they dont have the solid seal like the Mann filter. If you look on the inside you can see a seal reinforced by metal spring. This oil change I used the Mann, but changed the oil to something other than Mobil also.

[ezbmr]

Does Purolater even make a filter for our cars???

Mann Filters Every time

[4500 RPM]

Mann Filters Every time

+ one million. That's not the place to save a few bucks...plus they're cheap enough at BMA, etc.