Examine Your Oil Filters

[Maximus Gladius]

Well, I do anyway and I’ll even keep them for a few years just to see if anything changes along the way. I keep an eye on wear metals and as in my case, the last 6 (from middle to right side) I’ve seen an abnormal amount of what the lab analyzed as “carbon” buildup in the filters.

The first 6 filters, in the early life of my second engine on the left side to the short stubby black filter in the middle all looked normal. All of these filters are Mopar brand EXCEPT for the short stubby black filter being AMSOIL, have a normal light tan appearance to them with nothing alarming in wear metals.

I started off using Quaker State, then switched to Mobil1. The anomaly in the “blackness” of the AMSOIL filter puzzled me and the filter looked all choked out when I pulled it and I then switched back to using the FCA filters. The FCA filters are thinner but longer and the AMSOIL filter is thicker and shorter. It also has a wire mesh attached to the pleates.

Several filters that followed the AMSOIL one all looked normal when I stretched them out and looked through them. They were fine and I tossed them. ….then I switched to Penzoil Ultra Platinum and the carbon showed up in the filter.

After seeing a couple of those, I then ran Sea Foam for 500 kms before their oil changes which caught a fair amount of carbon in the filter. The lab determined that the detergents in the 3 oils I used was higher in the last one, Prenzoil brand and it went to work cleaning up the crankcase.

The last filter on the far right is from using Mobil Super Synthetic and it appears the carbon is lessening. Will keep monitoring it.

The one filter that’s quite clean in the dark ones is from running Sea Foam for 500 kms and pulling the filter to see what carbon was getting cleaned out. That filter only had a short life of 500 kms.

So, for now, I am hopeful the carbon is getting cleaned out and isn’t plugging up oil gallows and places that need oil to flow and lubricate vital places.

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[LouisvEarlleJT]

What does your air filter look like?

 

[Maximus Gladius]

What does your air filter look like?

I’ve always used a K$N oiled filter, I have since the 80’s in high school so is cleaned and oiled properly. One other point of interest is to always take a sample of the oil change to the lab. Silicon levels in the reports range about the 7 -9ppm. This part also measures what dirt is getting through the air filter.

Another note to say is that my oil changes are done when the oil life metre hits 50% and that is typically at 5000 kms.

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

I’ve always used a K$N oiled filter, I have since the 80’s in high school so is cleaned and oiled properly. One other point of interest is to always take a sample of the oil change to the lab. Silicon levels in the reports range about the 7 -9ppm. This part also measures what dirt is getting through the air filter.

Another note to say is that my oil changes are done when the oil life metre hits 50% and that is typically at 5000 kms.

Interesting! Was just curious as that's a lot of stuff in those oil filters.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Interesting! Was just curious as that's a lot of stuff in those oil filters.

Yup. The lab tech took a small section of the filter and washed the “black” stuff out then dried it and put the light brown coloured powder into their equipment to read what it was and the main spike was “carbon” but it’s not burnt. He wasn’t able to tell me much other than it’s a hydrocarbon, which oil is.

 

[Viper]

Well, I do anyway and I’ll even keep them for a few years just to see if anything changes along the way. I keep an eye on wear metals and as in my case, the last 6 (from middle to right side) I’ve seen an abnormal amount of what the lab analyzed as “carbon” buildup in the filters.

The first 6 filters, in the early life of my second engine on the left side to the short stubby black filter in the middle all looked normal. All of these filters are Mopar brand EXCEPT for the short stubby black filter being AMSOIL, have a normal light tan appearance to them with nothing alarming in wear metals.

I started off using Quaker State, then switched to Mobil1. The anomaly in the “blackness” of the AMSOIL filter puzzled me and the filter looked all choked out when I pulled it and I then switched back to using the FCA filters. The FCA filters are thinner but longer and the AMSOIL filter is thicker and shorter. It also has a wire mesh attached to the pleates.

Several filters that followed the AMSOIL one all looked normal when I stretched them out and looked through them. They were fine and I tossed them. ….then I switched to Penzoil Ultra Platinum and the carbon showed up in the filter.

After seeing a couple of those, I then ran Sea Foam for 500 kms before their oil changes which caught a fair amount of carbon in the filter. The lab determined that the detergents in the 3 oils I used was higher in the last one, Prenzoil brand and it went to work cleaning up the crankcase.

The last filter on the far right is from using Mobil Super Synthetic and it appears the carbon is lessening. Will keep monitoring it.

The one filter that’s quite clean in the dark ones is from running Sea Foam for 500 kms and pulling the filter to see what carbon was getting cleaned out. That filter only had a short life of 500 kms.

So, for now, I am hopeful the carbon is getting cleaned out and isn’t plugging up oil gallows and places that need oil to flow and lubricate vital places.

Thanks for posting this. I have been diligent at frequency of changes and keep an eye on filters. I didn't think about laying them flat for inspection. Sounds like pennzoil was the best for cleaning deposits. I ask because my JT is down for right side rockers and intake cam.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

I just downloaded the report from the lab on the filter. I'll try to upload it here so y'all can see it.

The break-down of the oils used is:
1. 20k kms Quaker State 0/20
2. 20k kms Mobil 1 EP 0/20
3. 16k Penzoil Ultra Platinum 0/20

4. I am now running Mobil Super Synthetic 0/20

Some of you know I split my viscocity in my oil changes to be 3 - 0/20, 2 -5/30. This allows the viscosity to ballance and thin as it does down to that of what the viscosity is fresh from the 0/20 bottle.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Here come my questions -
You talk of "higher detergent" in the 3rd oil (Pennzoil) - but does that matter if the first oils had adequate amounts of detergent?
More can simply mean "you can go longer between changes before the detergents (or other additives) are depleted".
Detergents are to keep things in suspension, prevent them from precipitating to the bottom of the sump and other areas, so they can be filtered out. Once that additive is gone, things settle and harden in the engine.
Bottom line- more detergent may not mean more cleaning since it's not really a "cleaning additive" but an additive to keep things in suspension, it may mean simply longer oil life. Additives get "used up" or "age out". So we have sort of a big question here - and I'm along the lines of it's not really cleaning more, just keeping things suspended better for filtering out - or, it's not making a real difference and going back may still see the same amount of "carbon".......... meaning maybe the amount of it is increasing, not to do with the oil or filter itself.

Where are you getting carbon from in the first place?
The crankcase is semi-sealed. The only points of entry for "carbon" (a very very generic term) would be past the rings, or, somewhere the oil is baking - getting really hot.

IS the carbon "harmful"? Carbon itself, no, and not even in a number of forms. But - some forms of carbon can be. Without knowing the form - we can't say where it's coming from, the cause, or what, if any, harm is being done.

Another thought - is there really a problem here? Or is it that "I've never looked before so have no idea if this is normal or not".

For mine - my take on my engines -
Oil doing its job.
Filter doing its job.
Lab results coming back fine.
No weird noises, no failures, to ticking or clicking, performance of engine just fine.....
All means - I'll just keep tossing the filters as normal

 

[Gatorized]

Here come my questions -
You talk of "higher detergent" in the 3rd oil (Pennzoil) - but does that matter if the first oils had adequate amounts of detergent?
More can simply mean "you can go longer between changes before the detergents (or other additives) are depleted".
Detergents are to keep things in suspension, prevent them from precipitating to the bottom of the sump and other areas, so they can be filtered out. Once that additive is gone, things settle and harden in the engine.
Bottom line- more detergent may not mean more cleaning since it's not really a "cleaning additive" but an additive to keep things in suspension, it may mean simply longer oil life. Additives get "used up" or "age out". So we have sort of a big question here - and I'm along the lines of it's not really cleaning more, just keeping things suspended better for filtering out - or, it's not making a real difference and going back may still see the same amount of "carbon".......... meaning maybe the amount of it is increasing, not to do with the oil or filter itself.

Where are you getting carbon from in the first place?
The crankcase is semi-sealed. The only points of entry for "carbon" (a very very generic term) would be past the rings, or, somewhere the oil is baking - getting really hot.

IS the carbon "harmful"? Carbon itself, no, and not even in a number of forms. But - some forms of carbon can be. Without knowing the form - we can't say where it's coming from, the cause, or what, if any, harm is being done.

Another thought - is there really a problem here? Or is it that "I've never looked before so have no idea if this is normal or not".

For mine - my take on my engines -
Oil doing its job.
Filter doing its job.
Lab results coming back fine.
No weird noises, no failures, to ticking or clicking, performance of engine just fine.....
All means - I'll just keep tossing the filters as normal

MY question is - if the carbon is only showing up with the Penzoil, is the Penzoil ‘creating’ the carbon? Is it baking on somewhere and then flushing itself off that surface to the filter?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

MY question is - if the carbon is only showing up with the Penzoil, is the Penzoil ‘creating’ the carbon? Is it baking on somewhere and then flushing itself off that surface to the filter?

and if Pennzoil, since that's what MOPAR oil is and what many use - why aren't others seeing such deposits in the filter?

I've tried to imagine - where could such things form - and so far, at a loss.

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