Oil Filter Manufacturing Defect

I bought my 1996 Thunderbird in 2003 with about 54,000 miles on it. Since then, I've been running full synthetic 5W30 engine oil in it, and changing the oil about every 4,000 - 6,000 miles. Now the car has 228,000 miles on it. It doesn't lose any oil between oil changes. I checked the dipstick before I changed the oil yesterday, and the oil level was at the full mark. I hadn't added any since I last changed the oil 6229 miles ago. I also like to pour new oil inside the new filter so that the oil pressure builds up much faster.

I like to use high quality oil filters because if a filter fails, it can kill the engine. So yesterday, I took my new Mobil 1 M1-209 oil filter out of the box and saw a potential engine-killing defect.

The clean oil is returned in the tube that threads onto the center of the baseplate. If I just screwed this filter on and that metal fragment came loose inside the filter, it could have gone into the engine and destroyed a bearing.

This defect was from machining the threads. I pulled on it and more came off. But I dropped the filter as I was taking the picture, and you can see I dented the side of the baseplate on the left. I'll have to watch for leaks.

Lot number and "country of origin"
You can see my reflection as I'm taking the picture.

The baseplate is machined before being assembled with the filter. Since nobody noticed, the assembly process appears to be highly automated. But I don't know if they have any kind of automated visual inspection on the threads since they missed this defect.

To prevent this kind of defect, they need to either improve their thread cutting process, or add a de-burring step after cutting the threads. That leaves me to wonder why a premium oil filter would be manufactured with such cost-cutting measures as skipping a de-burring process that is vital to product quality.

How to make your engine last longer:

1. Don't lose oil pressure by running too low on oil. 
2. Don't overheat the engine.
3. Don't run low on oil. This accelerates oil breakdown.
4. Fill the new oil filter with oil before installing it.
5. Use a high quality oil filter. 
6. Use synthetic engine oil of the correct weight.
7. Change the oil frequently enough.

Empty!? Troubleshooting a Brand New Fuel Sending Unit

This should help anyone who installed a Spectra Premium SP2098H fuel pump assembly in a 1989-1997 Ford Thunderbird or Mercury Cougar and found that the fuel gauge was stuck on empty.

My Carter brand replacement fuel pump on my 1996 Ford Thunderbird quit working after about 50,000 miles. Luckily for me, it was in the driveway and just wouldn't start. When I turned the key to 'on', there was silence. I didn't hear any fuel pump noise from the tank.

Tank Drop, Part One

I dropped the tank and pulled the fuel pump assembly out and found that the terminals were burnt on the inside-tank side of the connector. Hey, at least the fuel tank didn't explode. Maybe the fuel vapor concentration was above the upper flammability limit. The actual fuel pump was still functional, but since I bought it as an assembly, and it had a lifetime warranty, I took it back to the auto parts store and traded it out for a replacement assembly.

I thought it was a pretty easy fix, but when I got it all back together and filled the tank, the fuel gauge read empty.

Tank Drop, Part Two

After a couple weeks, I dropped the tank again and diagnosed the electronics. The sending unit read as expected, about 14 ohms when empty, and about 160 ohms when full. When I moved the float, gauge also moved, slowly as usual.

So I figured we're good to go and re-assembled my car. I filled the tank and guess what? It read empty. I decided the float wasn't floating. I was half right.

Tank Drop, Part Three

So today I dropped the tank again. It only took 20 minutes to jack up the car and take off the exhaust pipe and drop the tank down far enough to get at the fuel pump. I filled a bucket with gasoline to see if the float . . . floats.

Sure enough, the float floats. The only remaining problem could be that the float was binding against something, preventing movement. There's a baffle inside the tank that the fuel pump assembly sits in. This float is different from the original, and contacts the baffle. If you take a look at the Motorcraft part PFS185, you'll see that the float does not extend so far to the left.

I'm pointing to the side of the float that was binding against the inner-tank baffle.

First try at bending the float - didn't work

After bending the float, I re-installed the unit back in the tank and inspected it for proper operation. There is a vacuum line with what looks like a check valve on the top of the tank. Removing that check valve revealed a hole big enough to insert my inspection camera through. I lifted the float using the magnet on the end of the inspection camera. Here's what I saw on the inspection camera.

First try

After lifting the float, it didn't fall back down, but got hung up on the side of the baffle. I didn't bend it far enough. So I had to take it out again and bend the float some more. Here's what the float looked like after bending it again.

Float orientation that worked

 After re-installing the pump assembly again, the camera showed sufficient clearance between the float and the baffle. I used the magnet on the end of the camera to verify that the float moved up and down freely when installed in the tank.

I put the fuel I used to test the float, and the rest of that can into my tank. After filling the tank at the gas station, it showed full. Yay!

Why didn't I just return the unit? I figured it would be way more hassle than it's worth to try and find another brand that fits. This got the job done. Oh, and I wore my safety glasses the whole time while working on this (for those of you who read my post on safety glasses).

Safety Glasses and Guardian Angels

I own seven pairs of safety glasses. None of them are perfect. Even so, I should have been wearing one of them even though I wasn't using power tools.

I think this is the first selfie I've uploaded. I got grease splattered on my eyelids. Here's how it happened.

On Saturday, I was changing the front wheel bearing on my daughter's Subaru. I had the wheel knuckle on the ground and was trying to remove the inner grease seal with a screwdriver. I bought a seal remover years ago, but lost it before I could ever use it. I bought a new seal remover a few months ago, but haven't used it yet. It's for removing seals when the shaft is still there, so it wouldn't have worked well for this application.

So without the proper tool, I was improvising with a hammer and screwdriver. I was hitting the side of the screwdriver with a hammer to pry the seal out. I think I was tired and not thinking properly. It was getting close to 9:00pm. I know better ways of popping seals out. One of my favorite ways is to drill a hole in the front through the metal part, put a screw through the hole, and pry it out with the claw of a hammer.

Impatience combined with being tired doesn't make for good decision making. Hitting one side of a lever makes the opposite side go the opposite way. I know this fact well. Why I didn't think about it remains a mystery.

So after a few hits with the hammer, the seal was slowly coming out. A nice solid hit should pop it out. Smack! The first thing I noticed was getting hit with grease in the eyelids. Lucky for me, I was blinking as it hit. The seal went flying, and so did the grease. I got it in my hair, on my clothes, and on the car.

This is about the time I thanked God for saving me from injury. I wonder what my guardian angel thinks every time I start working on cars. I keep a good attitude even when bolts break because I don't want to upset my guardian angel, or develop bad habits.

I think you're kept alive as long as your work on earth is unfinished, and you don't do something exceedingly stupid. Staying free from injury is a little above and beyond the minimum requirements. Getting hurt is part of life. It's going to happen. But proper precautions like well-fitting safety glasses can prevent an injury, especially the permanent kind.

Years ago, I was asked by a customer at Checker Auto "do you ever not get hurt when working on a car?" We both agreed that we usually end up with something hurt. We usually don't get hurt on the small jobs, but changing a transmission is almost guaranteed to draw blood.

Why do I have seven pairs of safety glasses? I keep trying to find a pair that fits better. As you can see, almost all of them ride way too high on my nose. I can look down at my work area and see underneath the lenses. That means there's no protection from that angle. But my eyebrows are well protected. You wouldn't want to get hit in the eyebrow, would you?

This is my only good pair of clear lens safety glasses. They protect my eyebrows very well, and protect my eyes from stuff coming downward.

This is the shaded version of the above set. They don't fit right either.

I can't remember where I got these. Yup, they don't fit right either.

Daisy brand glasses. I'm beginning to think it's just me.

Or maybe all these manufacturers use the same model.

This is my only pair of safety glasses that has an adjustable nose. The only problem is I don't have another pair like these that aren't shaded. And they still ride a little too high.

Yes, I know how ridiculous I look in these.

 So if you already have seven pairs of safety glasses and your wife asks you why you need another pair, say that you'll be more likely to wear them if you like them, and that keeps you safer. Plus, you can have enough to share while watching fireworks up close.

I'll be heading to the local home improvement store soon to hopefully find a nice new set of well fitting safety glasses. And I'll wear them while working on the car. That should make my guardian angel a little less stressed. Oh, and don't let me forget to pick up a nice seal remover tool while I'm there. And maybe then I'll find that old seal remover hiding in the garage, like the radiator pressure tester kit that I have two of now. And two impact screwdriver sets . . .

I can just see when I'm old and gray, my grandkids coming over and asking why I have ten pairs of safety glasses. Let me tell you a story . . . See if this pair fits.