TheSamba.com :: View topic - First Oil Change '01 EV: What happened to the last filter?

Sun Dec 06, 2015 4:19 pm

Just did my first oil change on my new to me 2001 Eurovan GLS.

When I opened the filter housing the element was mishapened, distorted and was obviously no longer working as a filter.

Old unknown filter brand (said made in Poland) beside the new Mann filter (made in mexico).

What could have caused this? Cheap filter, overdue oil change, improper installation? The quality of the filter looks to be very poor in comparison to the new Mann but I can't understand that it would deteriorate so badly.

I'm wondering if the oil change place that the previous owner was frequenting ignored changing the filter during each oil change due to the pain of removing the pan....

Yipes...

Sun Dec 06, 2015 4:26 pm

on looks alone I'd say it was a quality issue -- that polish one looks like the butt of a polish joke... (zing!) though the slight accordian-ing of the thing makes me think install issue as well/lazy oil change monkey...eech. glad you got that out of the way.

I guess you'll know more the next time you do an oil change - if the Mann filter is distorted then something is awry...

those Mann filters are the only way to go, though -- same for the cabin air filter, imo.

Mon Dec 07, 2015 6:12 am

It kin of looks like the old one is crushed due to improper installation-like it didn't sit properly on the bottom ring?

Mon Dec 07, 2015 1:49 pm

Both of you might be right on improper installation with the crushed look of it.

Plastic caps at top and bottom were also distorted. Yipes

So strange to see when changing it is so simple....

Tue Dec 08, 2015 7:02 am

Has your Eurovan had the belly pan modification done? Makes make oil changes easier.

http://www.rialtainfo.com/model_info/modifications...520101.pdf

Sat Nov 17, 2018 2:52 pm

Another year, another vehicle purchase (don't worry I still have the 2001 GLS)

First Oil change on my new to me 2002 Eurovan.

Another nearly collapsed filter element. This time the filter is Fram China lol..

The filter housing was so stuck, I don't think it was opened in a long while.
Strange the next oil change sticker hadn't even reached the odometer change km..

If you are having someone change the oil on your Eurovan at least provide the proper Mann filter to them and confirm that the filter gets changed.

Sat Nov 17, 2018 3:08 pm

Wow, that's a double whammy! It's a Fram AND it's made in China

Sat Nov 17, 2018 4:08 pm

GMByers wrote: Has your Eurovan had the belly pan modification done? Makes make oil changes easier.

http://www.rialtainfo.com/model_info/modifications...520101.pdf

The new to me Eurovan Weekender has this update!

Sat Nov 17, 2018 7:09 pm

Using power tools to open the belly pan made oil changes a snap on my EuroBuss.

Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:05 pm

That snout must be removed before the oil filter is installed. The snout is only there to hold the o ring. I have no idea why VW would be this stupid, but if you don't remove that snout the filter will be crushed like that.

It's not a manufacturing problem, it's a freaking VW design stupidity.

Sat Dec 15, 2018 10:26 pm

copper_90680 wrote: That snout must be removed before the oil filter is installed. The snout is only there to hold the o ring. I have no idea why VW would be this stupid, but if you don't remove that snout the filter will be crushed like that.

It's not a manufacturing problem, it's a freaking VW design stupidity.

Holy crap, I thought I was doing well using Mann filters when I didn't even do the job properly...

http://www.rialtainfo.com/vw/oil_change.htm

Special Note:On the filter for the AXK, 24 valve engine, the picture on the left below shows how the filter looks out of the box. The "snout" may be removed before installation, as shown on the right, otherwise the filter may get deformed when installed. Some of the cheap filters copied this wrong and the stem isn't removeable, so it has to be cut off. It's only there to hold the small o-ring for the drain plug on the filter cap. (Click on photo for larger version.)

I've never experienced anything wrong with the Mann filters but starting next change I'll make sure I do the filter change properly.

Thanks Copper!

Sun Dec 16, 2018 3:16 am

The snout has nothing to do with the drain oring on the bottom of the housing.

I suspect earlier VR6 engines don't use the snout while the later 24 valves do.

If you are in a cold climate it could behind cold oil pressure deformed the filter pleats , but they look to be filtering well with no sludge.

I went looking for info on the webs about the T4 oil change and about 80% of them had bad information btw.

The 24 Vr6 has a separate drain plug integral to the 36mm cap that lets you drain the filter before removing it. It has its own oring. I think it's a 6 mm hex plug

Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:09 pm

Abscate,

The filter for the 12V AES engine is different from what you see here. The snout isn't there.

What you see here is for the 24V AXK engine. You must remove the snout before installing it.

By the way, just like you said, there are lots of misinformation out there. The drain plug on the oil filter cap is not just for the AXK engines. The AES engines have them too.

Mon Dec 17, 2018 4:47 am

I've installed every single oil filter on my T4 with the snout, and it came from the factory with the snout. Is there any doc on this from VW?

This is what I have

Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:30 am

Abscate,

What you show there is also what I get from the Bentley manual, but the filter gets crushed every time I left the snout on, and those are filters I got from the VW dealers too.

If you can install with the snout and without crushing the filters, I need to know which brand of filter you are using.

Thanks

Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:09 pm

It would be helpful if you would provide a photo of the inside of your plastic cap. Back in November of 2015 there was a thread 'Oil Filter Pleats Crushed' on the ev_update list. The OP provided this photo of his cap: https://www.flickr.com/photos/goat_mountain/23303213705/in/album-72157625677878424/
If you know what the bottom of the cap is supposed to look like, you can see the problem. There is a piece of an old filter still stuck in there. The OP thought this was a correct, integral part of the cap - a 'bottom disk' he called it. But no - it's just garbage left behind from a filter that came apart. Check your cap for something like that. In this guy's case he used a couple of screws to yank out the garbage piece: https://www.flickr.com/photos/goat_mountain/23053855040/in/album-72157625677878424/ (This was an AES engine.)

Fri Sep 27, 2024 1:43 pm

Just performed an oil change on my 2001 weekender and I reviewed this thread after pulling a slightly squashed filter (that I installed previously) from my housing.

I've installed a new Mann HU719/7X filter, and compared it with the old one. Looks different and the snout on the old filter isn't removable. In my vehicle log, I wrote a comment that the prior filter was also a Mann filter but can't find my receipt for it and it's definitely "the same" filter in overall appearance but is constructed differently.

Without attaching the new filter to the bottom cap, I inspected the filter housing and then pushed the new filter into it -- with snout on and snout removed. The depth that the filter could fit into the housing was not limited by the snout. So me thinks this is a non-issue as long as you order the correct filter!

Thu May 29, 2025 6:35 am

I am following a post/conversation over on the Facebook "Eurovan Camper" page where a tech is stating that the post MUST be broken off before installation. So, reviving this conversation here. My 2003 VR6 24 filters always come out crumpled as shown in the OP's pic.

Thu May 29, 2025 9:21 am

Apologies for the slight digression - in Abscate's diagram above, what is that rectangular housing above the number 7? Is there anything there that needs maintenance during the course of an oil change?

Thu May 29, 2025 9:31 am

Endopotential wrote: Apologies for the slight digression - in Abscate's diagram above, what is that rectangular housing above the number 7? Is there anything there that needs maintenance during the course of an oil change?
If it's the bit with the two hose connections, it's an oil cooler.