Collapsing oil filters

[StephenB]

The pressure gauge needs to be able to read over 100 psi to know where things are at.

Make that a 160PSI gauge. I just mounted one and the oil pressure cold is up to 160PSI, sometimes higher, depends on the rpm. And that is using 5W30 oil!

I can't contribute to the original question but OEM filters and the right mix of white O-rings, black square O-rings and metal shims does it for my CS engine with added oil cooler.

[barndeadr80]

Thanks for all the input and ideas. I was hesitant to ask in the first place due to the fact that this really makes no sense. Worth a try though. An oil pressure gauge is in my future. If I do figure this out before a catastrophic failure occurs I'll be sure to put the word out as to what it was.
No idea how this picture thing will work. Maybe not at all. If it does you can see how close the BMW filter was to having a good portion of it end up inside with the moving bits. The pleated paper had begun to tear at the ends and the sleeve inside was folding inwards and opening up a nasty gap.
Again, thanks.
http://picasaweb.google.com/10639702469 ... tK9pPzpgQE

[Deleted User 287]

This thread on the R65 forum might provide some insight:

http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaB ... 1284601425

And your photo link worked great.

[Kurt in S.A.]

I'm not sure I ever read if the OP had an oil cooler set up on this bike. The -570 filter is for non-cooler bikes. It's about 119mm long. The cooler filter is something like 135mm long.

Kurt in S.A.

[The Veg]

If any of you notice a nasty black stripe from a locked up engine/sliding back tire on I-85 and see Matt parting out a Mono R80 less engine with severe post-mortem damage from a 3lb hammer...you will know how it went.

Sounds like you live nearby...whereabout? I'm in Lawrenceville. Lemme know if you need a hand.

[The Veg]

This thread on the R65 forum might provide some insight:

http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaB ... 1284601425

Tell Justin that we miss him around here.

[ME 109]

To me, the cause of a collapsing oil filter is much greater pressure on the outside of the oil filter, than on the inside.
Perhaps caused by the oil pump creating too much pressure, or a major leak in the oil circuit after the filter.
I don't know if it is possible for a particular oil pump to create excess pressure.

So I'm going for the loss of oil pressure 'somewhere' after the filter.
What other condition besides differential oil pressure could cause the filter to collapse?
The pressure relief valve is exactly that. It is also a pressure creating valve. If it fails to create pressure, the oil filter become a pressure creator. (as well as the crank bearings, big end, cam bearing etc, etc )

Hope I don't sound too opinionated, but I love a mystery!
Most willing to accept criticism of my theories.

[mattcfish]

http://picasaweb.google.com/10639702469 ... tK9pPzpgQE

That is certainly a squashed bunch of filters. On my /6 they could not get that flat because there is a metal tube running up the middle of the filter. That must be missing on this model bike....? I know there are a lot of configurations, but I've only worked with my /6 and older airheads. I'm not sure why they left the /6 design behind. It seems so simple and fail safe. No shims or $1000.00+ o-rings.

[barndeadr80]

That was my band-aid for the problem. When the current filter went in a longer tube went in. These came with the short one. Maybe 1.5" long and way back in there and most of the length of the filter is unsupported. I should have left the new one a little longer. Got one for a bike with a cooler and cut it off and cross-drilled it. Maybe an inch of unsupported filter now and less fiddling to get the filter in there. My hope is that in the event of another crunched filter for any reason it will not be able to fail so horribly and contribute to the self-destruction.

[Garnet]

To me, the cause of a collapsing oil filter is much greater pressure on the outside of the oil filter, than on the inside.

I gotta agree with Jeff on this.

It only take 15 or 20lbs DIFFERENTAL acrose the filter to crush it on a later bike. This happens EVERY time you start it cold. That is why there is an oil filter presure relieve valve built into every oiling system out there.