Melted oil filter!!!!

So last night I performed my cars first oil change. At 14970 kilometres, so on time.
I was horrified when I removed the filter.. It was melted and malformed.. :/

I have replaced many cartridge style filters on volvo's in the past, and although this is my first diesel oil change, it can't be right..

What would cause this to happen? It's a family car and gets driven very easy, it hasn't overheated to our knowledge "I need a temp gauge"

I see there is a new recall for the factory vw coolant heater, apparently we arnt to use it untill the recall is completed or the car could burn?:$

I'm really a loss here. I replaced the melted filter with a wix filter and filled the engine with Mobil 1 esp 5w30 and drove home.

I should prolly call the dealer about this? I kept the filter and took pictures.
I am going to replace just the filter half way through my oci on this fill.



Any input what may have caused this? Anyone seen this before?

Thanks
Curtis

I thought that was typical for these engines? I'm sure I have seen similar pictures here but don't know much more about it.

whitedog said:

I thought that was typical for these engines? I'm sure I have seen similar pictures here but don't know much more about it.

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It very well could be normal for these engines. It was my first tdi oil change. But the picture doesn't give it justice, the plastic end caps are melted.

I could see a cheap filter doing that maybe, but wouldn't expect it on the cars factory filter.

However if it is normal I will feel better about the whole situation

Thanks

Frost Heater is a specific brand of heater sold by member on the forums. Your recall is for the factory VW heater. Let's not confuse the two, especially when talking about fire-related recalls.

As for your melted oil filter, I remember seeing one other thread about that several months ago, but I don't remember any of the details or why it happened.

It's possible that there was a bad batch of filters that don't hold up to normal engine temperatures.

VeeDubTDI said:

Frost Heater is a specific brand of heater sold by member on the forums. Your recall is for the factory VW heater. Let's not confuse the two, especially when talking about fire-related recalls.

As for your melted oil filter, I remember seeing one other thread about that several months ago, but I don't remember any of the details or why it happened.

It's possible that there was a bad batch of filters that don't hold up to normal engine temperatures.

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My apologies in regards to the factory vw heater recall. I don't mean to spread incorrect information And I'll try to edit my original post.

I considered a bad batch of filters, could simply be just that. Either way replacing the filter at 5k miles is going to give me peace of mind I think.

Here is a little reading for you: (this is not a new phenomenon)
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=248796
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=340746
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=315619

Have Fun!

Don

The oil seems to swell the filter element a bit causing some deformation. The pressure differential across the filter element also causes some deformation.

If the small end with the o-ring is sealing properly and there are no holes which allow oil to bypass the element, you're all good.

I looked at the images in the links don posted, and they all look similar to mine. But not quite the same!
The end caps on the cartridge filter are plastic and mine are actually melted and warped.
The filters in the provided links have perfectly shaped plastic end caps still.

I don't want to make this out to be something more then it is. I really enjoy the car and want to for years to come.

Sorry for the bad picture. I still have it in a ziplock bag incase.

Looks worse than the ones I had.

I don't know if these work any better than the Mann filters, but they seem sturdier and less likely to collapse. I pay the extra $1 for these over the Mann.

Mine was the same. I wasn't sure if it was normal. I did my first oil change at 1000 so it was fine (from what I remember).
I just used a fram filter in there and at 10k it was malformed like your picture.

japedo said:

What would cause this to happen? It's a family car and gets driven very easy, it hasn't overheated to our knowledge "I need a temp gauge".

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For your information and provided the temperature sensor and ScanGuage II are accurate, I have seen coolant temperatures as high as the upper 90s C, certainly less than 210 degrees F.

Now I would expect an oil filter to be able to handle oil temperatures commonly found in an engine.

This is one reasons alone not to wait to 15K kilometers and to perform a check.

993er said:

For your information and provided the temperature sensor and ScanGuage II are accurate, I have seen coolant temperatures as high as the upper 90s C, certainly less than 210 degrees F.

Now I would expect an oil filter to be able to handle oil temperatures commonly found in an engine.

This is one reasons alone not to wait to 15K kilometers and to perform a check.

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Exactly, it's going to get a filter every 7.5k kilometres, and oil every 15k kilometres from now on.

In saying that I don't think my filters presentation was normall.. Looked pretty sick for a new cars first oil change

japedo said:

In saying that I don't think my filters presentation was normal.. Looked pretty sick for a new cars first oil change

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I can't really comment on my TDI oil filter till I do my first oil change and actually see it.

All I can say is any warping of the end plates does not look normal to me.

I had a drop-in filter in my E36 BMW and it came out just as it went it. Same for my BMW R100 GS oil filter.

993er said:

I can't really comment on my TDI oil filter till I do my first oil change and actually see it.

All I can say is any warping of the end plates does not look normal to me.

I had a drop-in filter in my E36 BMW and it came out just as it went it. Same for my BMW R100 GS oil filter.

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Now, had I of brought it to the dealer for my first oil change, I am sure they would have just tossed the old filter in the trash and installed the new one. And I would never know it looked like it came out of a microwave...
If the wix filter looks healthier upon it's removal, ill be sure not to run oem vw filters ever again.
potentially just a bad batch.. but hard to change a first impression.

WHat OCI are you planning to follow? change oil and filter before 15K kilometres? or just an early filter change?

Curtis

japedo said:

What OCI are you planning to follow? change oil and filter before 15K kilometres? or just an early filter change?

Curtis

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I will do both at the same time.

When? I was planning to go the 15K kms, but might drop down to 10K kms. I do not buy the "more engine wear when using new oil" theory on here till I check that info with the test establishment I used to work for. They have a fuel and lubricants laboratory as well.

Hell, I just threw out 11.5 liters of Mobil 1 synthetic oil that had a mere 2000 kms on it, if that. My Porsche is worth it. That is what an oil change takes, by the way.

I just did my first oil change today at 9140 kilometers (5679 miles). Early because for some reason, my wrench icon was flashing and "service" was indicated.

This is what my oil filer looked like upon removal...





The ends certainly aren't "melted" but deformed as if the oil filter were compressed. It could be why the new VW oil filter that I installed looks like the one shown below. I may be wrong, but the zig-zag pleats look like they are there for more than just increasing surface area, they might allow for compression.

I'm surprised that there is no rubber seal between the end of the oil filter and the screw-on oil filter housing cap that the oil filter snaps into.



Also, my oil change took 4.75 liters to make it almost to the 2nd groove on the oil dipstick.

Looking at that very expensive funnel that is available on-line, I have to wonder why it is even necessary with the shallow built-in funnel that is part of the oil filler. I didn't spill a drop.

What brand was your original filter?

GD said:

What brand was your original filter?

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I looked it over and I didn't see a name on it. It was factory installed.

I change my oil every 8000-9000km in the winter (i just don't think the -20C to -40C weather is nice to engine) and about every 12000km in the summer and have never seen any of my filters look at bad as any of the pictures in this thread. I even had to take my last oil change interval to just over 15000km due to work and i don't recall it being this bad. I still have it in the garage so i can check on it in the morning. I use both the Mann and the VW Filter from the dealer.

I run my oil 10K miles 16K Km as recommended. I changed my PD early, but the CRs have no know valve train problems. My oil filter was deformed too.

I should have measured the length of the new oil filter element (not the overall length) and the length of the original slightly collapsed oil filter element.

I wonder if the no-name oil filters that came fitted from the factory aren't too long to start with.

My Mann replacement filter was deformed.

d2305 said:

My Mann replacement filter was deformed.

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If is also the type with the straight in-line filter pleats, just like the original filter that I removed.

So what do the PURFLUX filters with the zig-zag filter pleats look like upon removal?

993er said:

Original factory installed oil filter as removed...

New VW supplied PURFLUX oil filter...

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Note the difference of the oil filter at the insertion end, the end that gets inserted into the filter housing.

The factory installed oil filter has a step protruding out of it whereas the VW supplied oil filter is totally flat at that end.

That may not mean anything because it is the length between the filter ends that matter.

If someone has a MANN oil filter (straight pleats) and a VW / PURFLUX oil filter (zig-zag pleats), it would be interesting to measure the lengths.

993er said:

I should have measured the length of the new oil filter element (not the overall length) and the length of the original slightly collapsed oil filter element.
I wonder if the no-name oil filters that came fitted from the factory aren't too long to start with.

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I assumed the old filter "collapses" like that because of the dirt in the filter medium and the flow is now restricted. Hmm.

They pretty much all deform like that. It's completely normal and nothing to be concerned about. The zig zag style is probably better at holding its shape if it bothers you.

Outside is dirty inside is clean, the warped ends of the filter membrane are "sealed" so it's just the pressure differential causing the warping.

Of all the 10 filters I've changed never thought anything of it and kept on motoring on, I've used Mann filtesr as the FLAPS had them instock and had a nice online order coupon.

turbobrick240 said:

They pretty much all deform like that. It's completely normal and nothing to be concerned about. The zig zag style is probably better at holding its shape if it bothers you.

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When my filter collapsed like that, Katie Fox of VW contacted me and wanted the filter shipped back to engineering. She sent me a $50 voucher for doing it.

El Dobro said:

When my filter collapsed like that, Katie Fox of VW contacted me and wanted the filter shipped back to engineering. She sent me a $50 voucher for doing it.

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I bet the engineers weren't nearly as concerned as Katie. That filter is a bit more deformed than most, but still 100% functional in all likelihood.