Harley#356’s How-To’s
Warning for Motorcraft Filters
Reason behind the Questioning:
The Ford Motorcraft filter has recieved excellent reviews for its filtering capability and quality, and I've always used motorcraft filters over crappy fram, or expensive K&N or Mobile 1 filters. Last year at L-Fest, from what I've heard, the probable cause of Frank5L's crash was the rubber seal on his motorcraft filter blowing out and spraying oil over the drivers side tire causing him to catapult across the track into yaegers truck with the drivers slick covered in oil and the passenger slick hooking. Whether that was the actual cause or not, its reason enough to take a 2nd look at Motorcraft filters. A few weeks later I was changing the oil in my DD, and the filter is BURRIED in an awkward spot, and the car is low and hard to crawl under even on ramps. Long story short, after I took the filter off, I didn't pay any attention to the rubber seal to make sure it was still on the filter, and I was in a hurry, and with the filter location burried, I didn't slide further under the car under the dripping oil to look up and inspect the filter seating surface. I put on a new motorcraft filter, and drive on my way. About 25 miles later that same day, I'm pulling into my driveway and notice the oil pressure gauge drop to ZERO just as I get in the drive. WTF? I get out and notice 6 quarts of fresh Mobile 1 all over my driveway! I throw the car back up on ramps, pull the filter back off, and what do ya know....the damn rubber seal from the old motorcraft filter stuck to the flange surface! With 2 rubber seals on, once the oil got hot and softened the double seal it blew out right between them. Yes 100% my fault for not checking lol, but I've never had a rubber seal stick like that with lubricating the seal before putting the filter on, and one lapse forgetting to check like that could be deadly! I decided to checkout a Mobil 1 filter's seal, and the difference in seal quality is NIGHT and DAY!
PHOTO # 1: :Thin rubber Motorcraft Seal...pulls right out of the filter body only held in my a few tiny crimps around the sides.
PHOTO # 2: :Thick rubber Mobile 1 Seal...fully crimped all the way around the sides, so its nearly impossible to pull the rubber seal off!
Next time you're at the parts store, checkout both filters for yourself. Take the Motorcraft, and the same model Mobile 1. The Motorcraft rubber seal is thinner, and you can pull it right off the filter housing. The Mobile 1 rubbber seal is thicker, and is very hard to try and pull off the filter housing! While you should still always check your oil filter flange before putting the new filter on, the better designed heavier duty seal will at least be a lot less likely to fall right out and stick like that, and with it being secured better and thicker, its a lot less likely to blow out when going down the track at 5,800-6,000 RPM's and triple digit speed!