Melted oil filter

[jesse.rizzo]

Originally Posted by TomO

Where is the filter located on your car?

Is it vertically mounted or horizontally mounted near the firewall?

It's mounted at about a 45 degree angle facing forward on the front side of the engine. Not near the firewall.

Originally Posted by TomO

What is the clearance like around the filter?The "Grippy" stuff that is missing; is that from you taking off the filter or was it like that already when you went to take if off?

There is pretty good clearance around the filter. The grippy stuff was already missing I'm pretty sure.

Originally Posted by 99LeCouch

It's a Fram on a 90's era Hyundai engine. The two do not mix. Hyundai has a TSB warning specifically against using Fram filters. The bypass valve settings on those Frams are too high, and will starve the engine of oil in certain situations. DO NOT RUN ONE!

Run anything but a Fram, or anything that looks like a Fram. Hyundai OEM filters are very nice, and about $4-5 a pop. If you want to go cheap, go to Pep Boys and get a Purolator-made Proline. Or a Champion Labs-made SuperTech. Name-brand Purolator and Wix filters work very well also.

Yeah, except it happened on a MicroGard filter also. And them sell them alongside Fram filters at O'Reillys. So I'm assuming the MicroGard isn't just a rebranded Fram.

[99LeCouch]

On cold starts when the oil is really thick and not flowing well some will bypass the filter so the engine has lubrication. IIRC what Fram did was cross list a Honda oil filter with a bypass of 11-16 PSI for a Hyundai application with a bypass of 7-11 PSI because the filter happened to match all the other dimensions and was marginally within spec for bypass PSI. Lo and behold, it bit Fram on the ass when Hyundai Elantras started dying because of insufficient oil pressure. They did not have a filter for Hyundai engines for several years while they figured out what to do.

It looks like they still are having problems with Hyundai engines.

jesse, check the filters. If they look the same, chances are they are the same.

[jesse.rizzo]

Purolator makes MicroGard filters.
WikiAnswers - Who makes microgard oil filters

I hope it turns out to be as easy to fix as "don't use a certain brand", but I'm worried it's more than that.

[Frank Lee]

Google "collapsed oil filter" and the symptom cuts across many makes and models, and many brands of filters.

As noted, it happened to you on other than a Fram. I realize Fram bashing is popular sport, but it appears to me to NOT be a Fram issue.

[tasdrouille]

I never understood why people do not stick with OEM filters.

[TomO]

Informative article here about collapsed oil filters

[drew1d]

Originally Posted by TomO

Informative article here about collapsed oil filters

I like that article and tend to agree with it.

The bypass valve is there incase your filter gets plugged. (or can't handle the volume) But when it gets plugged = bad time.

Do you use normal oil? (rated for your engine?) You could try gunk out or one of those "potions."

Personally, I'd get an OEM filter (to eliminate that as the cause) and change the oil with the thinnest your comfortable with. (Like 0-20w) Run the car for like 20 miles, then change the oil again. I'd hope, that the deposits get free'd up. Otherwise, take it in. Good luck to ya.

[Funny]

Originally Posted by tasdrouille

I never understood why people do not stick with OEM filters.

Because what the manufacturer often recommends is the bare minimum of what the engine requires for filtration. Aftermarket is almost always better at filtration. The cheaper the filter, the poorer the construction. There are a bunch of filters that have great construction and piss-poor filter media in them. The best filters on the market are Mobil 1 (Synthetic media) and Fram Xtended Guard (also Synthetic). They provide great flow, great construction, great filtration, and long drain intervals. Baldwin has excellent construction, good media. Most Frams have cardboard end-caps, with the exception of the Xtended Guard. This debate will go on forever I'm afraid.

But I will never, with the exception of the very first oil put in a vehicle's engine, run a vehicle with a stock filter. The car manufacturer (pick your poison) wants to sell more cars. They want the cars to last just out of warranty, then have people buy a new one. That's just business, they are in it to make money. It's your car, therefore it's your responsibility to make it run as long as it can, unless you can afford a new car every couple of years, so take care of it and just do regular oil changes and maintenance.

[Old Tele man]

Originally Posted by Funny

They want the cars to last just out of warranty, then have people buy a new one.

...ie: "planned obsolescence."

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Funny

Because what the manufacturer often recommends is the bare minimum of what the engine requires for filtration. Aftermarket is almost always better at filtration... The car manufacturer (pick your poison) wants to sell more cars. They want the cars to last just out of warranty, then have people buy a new one. That's just business, they are in it to make money. It's your car, therefore it's your responsibility to make it run as long as it can, unless you can afford a new car every couple of years, so take care of it and just do regular oil changes and maintenance.

That is just plain ludicrous.