Many Racing parts suppliers sell oil filter cutters. Try, off hand, a Google for Pegasus (sp?) Racing not a recommendation, just a name that came to mind easily.. These are rather simple inexpensive devices that are similar to a large tubing cutter. A post that fits into the threaded center of your used oil filter and a small cutter wheel that you tighten as you rotate around the filter. It cuts the outer shell of the filter without creating a bunch of it's own metal filings.. I cut open my used filters, about every other oil/filter change, and check the pleated paper insides for metal bits. If you look carefully, and you have some bearing issues or something, you will see bits of metal trapped on the element of the cut-open filter..I've saved deteriorating engines from catastrophic failure using this procedure..On those times when I don't bother to cut the filter open, I do carefully look at the discarded oil before I re-cycle it and see if it "glitters" metallically... Don Hanson |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.