Oil Filter Study Frequently Asked Questions
Here I will try to answer many of the questions that are asked in
regards to this page:
Why are you doing this (are you crazy, etc.)?
Who are you and what are your qualifications?
When are you going to look at filter "X"?
Are you going to look at filters for other
cars (Hondas, Motorcycles, RVs, etc)?
Why was this page taken off the web for a while?
Why are the pictures so lousy?
Can I see the "original" page?
What is the future of this study?
Why are you doing this?
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 short comings. These include issues such as anti-drainback
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 infamous "two eyes and common sense" approach
may not be the most scientific, it is the best I could do considering there
was no personal return on the investment of time and money I put into it.
Who are you and what are your qualifications?
Quite frankly, I am just a concerned automotive enthusiast that is tired
of being toyed with by these manufacturers. In reality, I am an Electrical
Engineer with no qualifications in the area of filtration analysis. However,
I have eyes and some common sense, which has proven to be enough to accomplish
what I set out to do.
When are you going to look at filter "X"?
If the filter is not listed at the top of the main page as an upcoming
filter, then it probably won't be. New brands will always be coming on
the market, but I really want this whole project to come to a conclusion.
Obscure filters, such as toilet-paper or wire-mesh filters, cannot be fairly
compared to mainstream filters using the means at my disposal. This also
includes bypass filters, which are in a league of their own.
Are you going to look at filters for other cars?
Again, if the filter is not listed at the top of the main page as an upcoming
filter, then it probably won't be. Filters of the same brand but for different
vehicles will not be looked at, nor will OEM filters for other vehicles.
Such filters are beyond the scope of this project. If you want to see the
results for a different vehicle, then you can always repeat a similar study
of you own.
Why was this page taken off the web for a while?
On 8/11/99, I received a rather threatening letter from a corporate lawyer
for an automotive parts retailer (not an oil filter manufacturer) threatening
legal action if I did not take the page down within 7 day (they cannot
make such a demand via unregistered mail and have it mean anything). Suprisingly,
this was not in regards to Allied-Signal manufactured oil filters. It was
in regards to Champion Laboratories manufactured filters. I requested that
the retailer send me the information from the manufacturer that caused
them to *demand* that the page be removed from my site. Since the lawer
had no apparent knowledge on the subject, I did not try to reason with
her. I do not have the resources to take the battle to court, even though
I am well within my rights, so I opted to take it down in that form in
good faith. I have since updated the page so that it now only carries the
hard data that I aquired, and what I saw while doing it (which is backed
up by the pictures). I removed most of my opinionated comments as well
as any data that came from the manufacturer (SAE numbers). Thanks to all
those that sympathized with my problems.
I received the document from the oil filter retailer on 8/16/99, which
was originally from a quality engineer at Champion Laboratories. It was
obviously in response to a query the retailer had made to Champion Labs
in regards to my web page. The document made some very valid points, which
I took to heart. They were concerned because even though they sell several
brands of oil filters, they are almost all made by Champion Labs. What
really annoys me is that rather than work with me on the issues presented
in the letter, they simply chose to demand I take the entire thing down.
I am always open to input, but I don't respond favoribly to blind threats.
I will not reveal the name of the company that threatened me unless they
decide to do it again. This is for their own sake and not mine.
Why are the pictures so lousy?
They were taken with a 35mm camera that is not good at close-ups and scanned-in
with a junky scanner. 'Nuff said.
Can I see the "original" page?
Contrary to what you may think, the opinionated and entertaining content
that was part of these pages is still here. I have simply moved it to a
seperate page to avoid any confusion. This page is now called the Oil
Filter Overview page. If you REALLY REALLY want to see the old page,
with all of its inaccuracies, rumor has it that a few folks mirrored the
page right before it went down. I don't have any links, though.
What is the future of this study?
After I finally get the remaining filters measured and written-up, this
study will come to an end. I have no doubt that these filters will change,
particularly the clones, however I never intended for this to become a
perpetual project. New brands (probably more clones) will undoubtedly come
on the market. I challenge anyone out there to continue this effort.
This page is maintained by Russell W. Knize and was last updated 06/20/00.
Comments? Questions? Email
minimopar@xoommail.com.
