First Oil Change '01 EV: What happened to the last filter?

[HeyCrutch]

[kourt]

Brian, can you determine what brand of (crushed) oil filter came out of your housing? Was it snapped into the housing cover? Is there any blockage in housing itself, in any part, including where the stem goes, that would cause the filter to not seat fully?

I have a spare Mann filter you can have for the right kind of beer.

I'm looking at Erwin for AXK and it clearly shows the stem intact on the filter. The "special note" about the oil filter insert talks about metallic particles in the oil and what to do about it. The special note does not mention anything about snapping off the stem.

Looking at the box for my Mann filter, the lore about snapping off the stem, because it is merely a vehicle for the o-ring, seems unbelievable. That stem makes the box larger, and introduces all sorts of cost and inefficiency into the product. The filter ships with the small o-ring installed on a grooved plastic stem, and it is not easy to remove. If they had intended for the o-ring to be installed somewhere, they would have presented it as a ready-to-install component by putting the small o-ring in a plastic bag with the large o-ring for the housing cover already included in the Mann filter package.

I look at all the aftermarket filter products. Same design--with the stem--when they would have had the chance to make them more efficient, but they didn't.

So the "snap off the stem" theory does not stand up to the sniff test.

Below are three youtube videos that show the AXK oil filter change, with the stem intact.

Let's put this stupid myth to bed.

kourt


Link



Link



Link

[67rustavenger]

Thanks Kourt. Now we have the correct answer to this mystery.

That Auto Resource video, when he started the engine post oil change.
That thing was loud.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!
Don't let your bad ideas remain, ideas!

[kourt]

I think what's happening is a few things:

1. this is a myth that has some plausibility, because people regard VW (a German car maker) as pedantic and therefore liable to design a so-called "snap-off stem" on their oil filter just for the purpose of serving it up to the customer, even though that idea just doesn't pass any test of careful reasoning or history with regard to the auto industry.

2. the actual factory documents (VW Erwin) for the AXK are somewhat challenging (but not actually hard) to obtain, so many folks are left guessing what the actual procedure is, and don't have a factory reference. The Erwin docs are unambiguous--the stem is part of the oil filter and is not meant to be snapped off.

3. poor aftermarket filter designs by the dozens of companies who want to sell oil filters may mean some design problems, but I doubt this is very significant. Copycatting parts is common and it's easy to manufacture a facsimile oil filter that would work.

4. poor filter housing design on behalf of VW. The post in this thread from JBM3 on 18 Dec 2018 states that the owner in question found remnants of an old filter base in the housing cup. This makes sense for a cause of filter crushing, as the oil filters are meant to snap into the housing cup, creating a potential "left behind" part when an old filter is removed. Rather, this isn't poor design so much as it needs a service note, "check for prior filter parts in housing cup."

5. samba member "copper_90680" has five posts, all made within one week of his Samba join date of 10 Dec 2018. Not a lot of credibility, despite confidently pandering a myth.

6. samba member "abscate" needs no introduction, and slammed the door on the myth by being the first to change his filter after the factory installed it--all with stem on.

7. the Rialtainfo site about AXK oil changes is wrong. That is a good site, but they are perpetuating the myth with bad information. The fact that they use the phrase "The 'snout' may be removed before installation" is enough cause to doubt their credibility.

Looking at the Erwin diagram, the AXK filter housing cup ("Oil filter lower part") has a note:

With short circuit valve, Opening pressure: 2.50 bar (36.25 psi)

My guess is that the stem on the actual oil filter is part of this filter bypass system. But that's just a guess, which is about is good as the myth we're trying to kill in this thread. The engine oil filter will likely work with the stem snapped off, as it is likely part of the failsafe bypass design of the filter housing.

kourt

[HeyCrutch]

For visual comparison, VW filter next to a Hengst and a Wix:

_________________
-2003 EV MV Wk - Forest - 51k
-2002 EV Camper - Ghost - 82k
-2003 EV GLS - Fluffhead - 176k

-1997 EVC - 12vVR6 (SOLD 5/2025)

[1988M5]

For comic relief from my old shop, Wix is Wack.

BK
_________________
1991 tin top GL
2002 Winnebago Vista. VW VR6 24V Eurovan front clip powered class C 21' RV.
Some BMWs.

[xEVC]

I just changed my filter on my 2000 (12V) engine, which I understand is totally different - no "stamen" so to speak.

But the design is more or less the same: a plastic cap you screw off, and a paper filter that is separate.

However, when replacing the filter I had a question: do you seat the new filter in the plastic cap, and screw the (filter+cap) combo back on?

Or do you slide the filter up into the housing, and then screw the cap back on solo?

Is there a similar issue with the 24 valve filter / cap combo?
_________________
2000 Eurovan Camper (Winnebago)
Upgraded with 16" wheels

[kourt]

On my 2001 AXK, the filter snaps firmly into the cap, and you screw the set into the filter housing.

kourt