OEM Oil Filtration Efficiency 50%@27μ / 99%@50μ
 

FWIW - i've seen some threads here regarding "who makes the best 616/617 oil filter", and i have some contacts with OEM supplier MANN, so i inquired about the PF 1055/1x oil filter:

http://www.mann-hummel.com/mf_prodka...images/371.jpg

PF 1055/1 x

50% --> 27 µ
99% --> 50 µ

Mit freundlichen Grüssen / Best regards

i expect 616/617 filters, regardless of the manufacturer are probably built to filter at similar efficiencies.

IMHO - considering these efficiencies, it's even more amazing that so many 617 engines are running strong for 500,000 to 1,000,000 miles without rebuilds.

cheers!

Bypass or Full Flow?
 

Do you know if that spec refers to the Full Flow or the Bypass section of the filter?

What is a "good" paper filter and a "good" bypass filter rated at?

"Good" bypass filter's are rated at 5 microns or LESS....... Toilet paper types like I have are usually rated 1-4 microns, the cartridge types like ForcedInduction has are usually 0.5-1 micron, and centrifuges are rated at fractions of a micron...........

Centrifuge is by far the best way to go but they take up alot of space and require a large diameter gravity drain back to the pan. One benefit of a filter type bypass is that you can route the oil return wherever you like since it does not require a large pressure differential to move oil. That's a good opportunity to create a spray of clean oil directly onto the timing chain.

All the oil filters available except for two, the WIX 1364 and the "Made In Turkey" Fram filter, use cotton gin waste as the by-pass media. It is filled with debris and is very loosely packed. That eliminates any benefit of having a by-pass on the filter as it's already contaminated and allows the oil to create/follow channels around the cotton. Using a toilet paper or cartridge-type bypass filter gives the oil no choice but to pass through the filter media to be cleaned.

I use the full-flow WIX oil filter that lacks that offensive cotton gin waste. I also installed a small setscrew into the oil filter stem to block it's by-pass return since it's no longer needed.
http://www.wixconnect.com/images/filters/1364_1.gif

I know of only one legitimate case of an OM61x running to 1M miles without a rebuild. Several cars have reached 1M miles but all of them had at least 1 engine rebuild along the way, even the 4.6M km taxi had 5 or 6 rebuilds with at least one spare engine. I think 275-450K is a more realistic lifespan of these engines before a rebuild, which is still far above average compared to any g@sser and still good even compared to other automotive diesels.

Yah, once I get my supply of Mann and OE MB filters used up, I'll go to the full-flow wix unit.........

Doesn't the Baldwin filter also use paper (non-waste) as media?

Does MANN manufacture the fuel spin on filter as well? I've only seen Mahle and Bosch...

I'd be very interested in the filter efficiency of the fuel filter if you can dig this info up...

What does the OEM dealer/MB filter have in it....isn't it also cotton gin waste?


As for those turkish FRAM filters, I'd use one if I could find them.....but autozone around here doesn't carry them anymore. I might have them order me a couple just to see if they are indeed the wound string kind. (They can order them in) However I am worried that I will pay the $11 for them and find they are made in India or something. :rolleyes: I still have two Hengst filters and a Bosch filter laying around though. I have used Hengst, MB OEM, and Bosch for years with no issues....our 300D had a MANN filter in it when I changed the oil when we bought it....it now has a Hengst.

I've used Mann, Hengst, Wix, & MB-OEM....... Mostly Mann's............

Have 1 man and 1 MB-OEM hanging around...... Then it's full-flow wix.........

the OEM dealer/MB filter does have cotton gin waste.

I have 11 Turkey FRAMs waiting to be used in my garage back from the Pep Boy's $3.49 for each sale and 2 Mann filters. :D

So PEP Boys supposedly has the Turkish FRAM's? I was looking at autozone yesterday and in their updated filter catalog for this year it doesn't even list the FRAM filter as available anymore....just some STP filter, which I looked at, it actually doesn't look that bad. It was better than the last time I looked at an STP there....this time it was packaged in a plastic bag, included three copper washers and the gasket in another bag, and appeared to have a very fine paper material inside the upper section of the filter. Also, I couldn't find a trace of cotton gin waste in looking at it from the outside. My hengst had pieces falling off of it. :eek: :dizzy2: It was made in India, but I wonder if they improved them a bit? The package was brand new, they must have just gotten them in. The price was $9.29...a bit steep to buy/saw open....:rolleyes: I'll look at PEP boys and see if the Turkish Fram's still exist there....

I forgot to list that...... I've also used an STP once.......

None of em have killed my motor yet.. :D

I have used the STP filters a couple of times now, and it seems like a decent filter....

Is the setscrew into the oil filter stem necessary when switching to the WIX 1364 or equivalent filter?

I just looked at WIX's web site and found this for part # 1364
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/results.asp?PartNo=1364&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0

Its not necessary but it reduces the amount of energy wasted pumping oil straight back into the pan without it doing anything.

going through the WIX application guide, I found the part #51385



Part Number: 51385
UPC Number: 765809513853
Principal Application: Mercedes-Benz Cars (76-85)
All Applications
Style: Cartridge Lube Metal Canister Filter
Service: Lube
Type: Full Flow
Media: Depth
Height: 7.611
Outer Diameter: 3.469
Inner Diameter Top: 0.434
Inner Diameter Bottom: 0.965
Nominal Micron Rating: 32

Notice the micron ratinghttp://www.wixconnect.com/images/filters/1364_1.gif

If it was not for the fact that these engines seem to do just fine with the above mention filters I would be concerned. I have a gear pump with a filter head on the outlet. I wonder how insane it would be to periodically topsider the oil out and then pump it through a filter back into the engine. I have a 25 micron, a 17 micron, and a 1 micron filter to choose from. All are absolute rated (99.5% effecient). Seem like overkill???

-Jim

That's funny the timing of this post. I wanted to swap to 0w-40 or 5w-40 so go by autoparts store they normally carry wix filters for everything in a pinch so i wanted to change my oil really bad sad huh? anyhow i got a wix as stated and noticed it does have the little hood on outside in horror i got online to see how bad these things are. Now people are saying the finner paper "bypass" part is junk i'm assuming that it comes apart or simply doesn't do crap? the setscrew i'm wondering exactly are you talking about putting it? i'm not familar with how this filter bypass's looks very simular to a TDI 99-? when it gets full i'm assuming it might move off the base i can't recall if there was clearance on the underside or not i had to fight the vacum lines? not sure exactly where your getting with the screw other than holding it down i noticed the o-ring on top of the wix was alot tighter than the mahle replacement. Wix was 13.85 at local source not a cheap filter when autohauz i think has 8 for ~50$ bosch or mann mahle one i forget

About 8 or 9 years ago Wix use to have the by-pass on the bottom of their filters. Don`t know why they quit, maybe to cut corners for more profit. So for the past bunch of yrs I have been using Mann or Hengst.

Plus I added the Amsoil full flow bypass setup. EAO26 full flow filter, along with the EABP90 By-Pass filter for added filtration.

Charlie

Our local Pep Boys went out of business 2 months ago. :o We bought the last 4 Turkish Fram filters they had at 50% off....but now I don't know if I will be able to locate any here....there is still a pep boys within a "reasonable range" of my house (about 17-20 miles away or so) and they probably have them. Its one of only TWO locations in all of Michigan! :eek: The other is 55 miles south....

We have like 5 left....and a Bosch one from online....so it will be a while yet before I need to seek out more of them....I may just go back to Bosch ones.

I have found the Bosch filters to be the best made out of all the on-line ones available. Heavier construction, good rubber o-rings, and no junk coming out of them. Plus they are only like $8

I have a version of the Mann catalog from 2004,and the om616 fuel spin-on was listed "no longer available"...
Now,it`s back again and has some "Bio-xxx" label...Bio-Diesel compatible??? :cool:
http://www.mann-hummel.com/mf_prodkata_eur/index.html?ktlg_page=6&prdsl=6416&ktlg_lang=1&ktlg_01_mrksl=26&ktlg_01_mdrsl=72&ktlg_01_modsl=12&ktl g_01_fzkat=&ktlg_01_fzart=1&ktlg_subpage=2&gobackToPage=1
However,the label lacks in the american version of the catalog:
http://www.mann-hummel.com/mf_prodkata_usa/index.html?ktlg_page=6&prdsl=6416&ktlg_lang=1&ktlg_01_mrksl=579&ktlg_01_mdrsl=1&ktlg_01_modsl=1&ktlg _01_fzkat=&ktlg_01_fzart=1&ktlg_subpage=2&gobackToPage=11
P.S. the current wk 716 replaces the old type WK 814/1:
http://www.mann-hummel.com/ukmf/upload/doc/HBEES3gdOMP.pdf

...The completely synthetic
Multigrade filter media from
MANN-FILTER is a milestone
in the development of fuel filter
media. Multigrade removes
more than 90 % of the
finest particles (under 5 μm)
from the fuel mix. The separation
efficiency of this filter
media therefore surpasses... page 3:
http://www.airnowsupply.com/catalogs/fuel_filters.pdf

The following .pdf says 8 to 10 microns for inline WK fuel filters(probably the Micro Top filter media): ...page 16
http://www.mann-hummel.com.sg/EN/industrialfilters/doc/MANN%20Filters%20for%20Liquids.pdf

Does someone have a part number for the "Made in Turkey" Fram oil filter?

Also what makes this filter better?

Its the same part number as the mexico and indian made ones, you have to open the box and look at the stamp to tell the difference.

What about the Gold NAPA brand filters? I thought they were made by WIX.

John

They are the exact same fitlter... just a different look and box. This is why they have almost the same part #. The wix has an additional prefix digit.

I confirmed this with a WIX tech.

What about the Mahle OX 78D as an oil filter? Diesel Giant recommends these.
I'm still waiting to hear from the manufacture regarding the filtration efficiency.

I also spoke with Fram about the CH2930 and the said it has a 25 micron rating.

I forgot to add what I found on the WIX oil filter. The tech confirmed the 32 micron rating and admitted this is a bit high. They added that an oil filter is usually around 19-22 microns. When I asked for the efficiencies, they said they had not tested this filter for that kind of data.

I pulled my filter cap off and looked at the stem; after the oil is filtered through the upper (by pass) half of the filter (the part with the cotton) it all passes through 1 hole drilled in the hollow stem (that is I guess a little larger than1/16 of an inch in diameter). The oil that goes through that little hole dose not go through the eingine but back to the oil pan.
When the hole is plugged it has no place else for the oil to go but through the lower full flow part of the filter and into the engine (slightly different flow when the oil flows through the oil cooler but ends up in the same place).

NAPA Gold/Wix filters for the 616/617 (except air filters, for some reason) are available at a decent discount from fleetfilter.com. I believe one of our number owns the business.

I got a batch of oil & fuel filters from them, they were NAPA Gold as advertised, the service was fast, price was better, I had no complaints.

Huh....at least the Fram's have a better rating than the other ones.

I wonder what the Micron rating is on the Bosch filter....

I just recieved this from Mahle.

This type of oil filter, which is comprised of pleated paper (upper half) and cotton depth type media (lower half) is rated at 22 microns nominal on the pleated paper media. The depth type media because of it's design and material will generally be a finer filter.


I'm on the fence between Mahle and a Turkish Fram

It's called a bypass filtration system for a reason.
 

You've made two critical mistakes here. One is assuming it is not a good idea for the oil going through the upper portion of the filter to go back to the pan. It was engineered that way for a reason and results in better filtering than simply passing all the oil through the filter once on its way into the engine. Oil is recirculated many times through the upper section and returned to the pan resulting in cleaner oil before it gets pumped into the engine. That's why the upper part of the filter is a finer filter than the bottom part. The bottom part of the filter is more coarse because it expects to receive pre-cleaned oil. Disabling the bypass filtration will result in much dirtier oil.

Secondly just because you blocked the return passage for the bypass does not force more oil into the engine. The oil filter has two sections separated by a seal and disabling flow back into the oil pan simply disables the bypass and doesn't put more oil into the lubrication system.

Read section 18-005 of the service manual for a description of how the oiling system works and then Google 'bypass oil filter' and read up on the concept. This document http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPrevention/upload/bypass-oil-filters-fact-sheet.pdf does a good job of explaining the concept. Mercedes was nice enough to put a fantastic filtering system on your engine that is only offered as an expensive aftermarket add-on for other engines. Don't modify it without fully understanding what you are doing.

Incorrect. Blocking the bypass section DOES put more oil into circulation. Instead of pumping through the bypass and into the pan it pumps through the full flow and into the lubrication system.

Look at the disassembly pictures of the oil filters and try and tell me again it actually cleans the oil.

The answer to that could be to have the oil filter analyzed when it is changed to see how much waste has been trapped. I do know that when I send in my oil to get tested that something is keeping it clean and doing a good job of it.

An actual test could probably be comprised where a known level of contaminants is introduced into a motor with fresh oil and the oil then analyzed after a fixed length of run time with both filter configurations. Since I'm not willing to alter the bypass on my engine I won't be volunteering to perform the test. If someone is willing to do the test I'd be very interested in the results. In the meantime I'll be relying on a filtration system designed by people who know way more about it than me and field tested in hundreds of thousands of vehicles.

Certainly not the loosely packed cotton gin waste and its dirt, rocks, sticks and insects. It might absorb some contaminants but it sure isn't filtering anything meaningful. The cotton is precontaminated before you even put it in the engine, dirt definitely isn't something I want my oil mingling with. It is loosely packed and the orifice is only ~1/16" so the oil moves slowly enough that it can form channels around the cotton, completely defeating the reason for its existence.

Amsoil's EaBP90 is over 99% efficient at removing 5-20 micron particles and 98.7% at 2 microns. I seriously doubt dirty cotton can come remotely close to that.
http://www.fourseasonsynthetic.com/p...p90_250pxw.jpghttp://www.allsyntheticsgroup.com/im...test-graph.gif

Not only that but it adds an additional 1qt oil capacity to the engine.

I have a wix in my var now. Sounds like Ill be sticking to them.

Now I don't know WHAT to do.

When it comes to second guessing the mb engineers I am very reluctant.

I would like to be confident that the filters I use don't put junk in the oil though.

Tom W

Why are you so sure that the bypass media is precontaminated in all filters except the Turkish Fram?

I'm investigating with Fram and Mahle.

Take them apart and you'll see. The Turkish Fram is the only one taken apart that uses something other than cotton gin waste.

Seems like they've been using the gin waste contaminated filters for 25 yrs and going 200-300-400K miles i seriously doubt mb would build something that isn't gonna do some good the idea of more oil going thru the engine isn't a concern if u use 5w-40 synthetic anyhow i doubt the flow rates back then aren't nearly what they are now anyhow i agree amsoil stuff or something like that is probaly better but something i bet is better than nothing at all.. besides i seriously doubt it would shorten the life or do any difference in power or functional wise degrade performance so blah i'll get whatever is at a decent price which seems to be bosch or mahle or mann at moment. The fuel filters by wix are like 7-8$ i'll stick with those but just thinking about it for a bit i really doubt it matters since the removal of the bypass part is a new thing i'd tend to side with the old vs the new concepts..

Do a search- one of the members cut apart several brands of filters and found what I guess is raw cotton as it comes off of the plant when picked. I had other parts of the plant and occasional bugs in some of them. Better to look for yourself.

The companies can tell you how many microns the pleted paper part will filter but none seem to know how many micron the by pass part of the filter will filter down to. I seems as if they followed the OEM spec but never tested them.

Has anyone tested them?
 

I understand it is disturbing to find a boll weevil carcass in something that is supposed to keep your engine clean but has anyone found out if it really makes a difference? Has there been a test that shows decreased filtering efficiency due to contaminated media?

Even if the commonly available filters are not as good as they should be or used to be I still don't see how disabling bypass oil filtering (as suggested by another poster) would help that. Since bypass filtering is a multiple pass system it should help to mitigate the effects of poor quality filters. Of course I do not have test data to back that up so it's just my opinion for whatever that is worth.

What I want to see are some oil analysis tests of 5000 miles on a 617 with synthetic oil using a Turkish Fram filter, a Bosch Filter, a Hengst Filter, and a Dealer Filter. Just to see if there is any real difference in how clean the oil is between the three. In "theory" the Fram should be cleanest, as it uses the most physically clean material to begin with, and its much more densely packed.

That would be tough for someone like me who seldom drives over 5000 miles a year and I bet I change my oil at least 3 times a year (if it starts looking really black I change it).
The companies that make these filters should be able to tell us how many microns both parts of their filter will filter out. I dose not appear that they actually know (except for the wix which is all pleated paper) the performance of the bypass part of their filters.
For myself I am going to install a bypass filter system and I am waiting for the filters to arrive right now. That way I will not matter what the upper part of the stock filter dose.

I'm quite amazed that MB sells filters with a good tablespoon or better of pure dirt in them, instead of forcing the makers to copy Turkish Frams, which I understand to be the original design.

Has anybody written MB and enclosed the pictures this site has generated? I wonder if they know what is really going on. I find it astonishing that a company that built its reputation on fine engineering could let such a practice continue. There's no Pep Boys close, so I use Wix. At least I know I'm not dumping dirt into the engine.

During one of the first oil changes I did with my 240D, I replaced the little o-rings on the filter housing shaft, and was obeying instructions read on this site for blowing out that shaft with compressed air. Sticking out of the top hole in the shaft was a tail of cotton fibers - maybe .75" long when I pulled it out. That's for those who think the junk in those bypass sections stays there & it's OK to use them because MB says it is. That's when I changed to Wix.

I'd stick with the Turkish Fram if you can find them. My buddy and I just recently changed oil on his 617 and we pulled out a Mahle Filter. After reading this I decided to open up the Mahle. Twigs, bugs, seeds and dirt!

In case your wondering, the other filter in the first pic is a Mann Volkswagon 2.0 TDI Filter

I think it would be awesome if Roy or Phil could source the Turkish Fram filters and sell those here on fastlane along with the others...even if they carried a slight price premium over the ones featuring Twig n' Dirt technology. :D ;)

I'd buy them....is it possible to source those?

I luckily do have a Pep Boys within reasonable range....but not everyone does....especially since they closed some stores recently. (Including one 3 miles from my house :o )

I think I will head out to the one further away from here soon and see if I can clear the shelves of some more Frams.....I am going to start building an inventory so I can have as many as possible for the future. They usually carry 4 at a time....maybe I could get them to order in more....like 8 or 10 or something.

Great Pictures. Guess in about 3K Miles I'll open mine and post them.

I especially like picture #3, notice the cotton is just sitting in there. No compaction, no uniformity and no way to force the oil through it.