evil fram

[Audi Dude]

Basically - the same here.  The filter media imploded and bits of it
were in the waste oil after the change.  It was a disheartening mess.
The car STILL ticks longer than it should.  I tried to pass it off as
vacuum pump but that only solved part of the problem.  I knew it was the
filter as soon as I heard the engine clamoring.  I am not sure that I
will ever be happy with the car after this.  I have a telephone number
to Honeywell that I am going to start calling first thing in the morning
to voice my opinions.  I hope everyone who has experienced the same or
are just mad as myself will call it tomorrow and waste some of the
resources that may go to more hype and ultimately to more damaged
vehicles.  I believe litigation is futile at best but a good old
fashioned jammed phone line in a corporate environment gets the message
across and affects pricing in the end.  If the Fram division is spending
earnings answering complaints from mad as heck consumers, it has to have
some effect.  In my theory it works at least.  The number is
800-890-2075. Option 2. Option 3.

The only technical info on the fram site states that oil pressure damage
ruptures oil filters and even eludes to the idea that the problem is in
the engine.  Not a flaw with the media.  My filter did not explode
outwardly - the engine tried to suck the filter media up into the
engine.  Wonder why they don't give that scenario?  Possibly because
someone in R&D keyed in the wrong filter in the cross reference manuals
or the designers neglected to prioritize the anti drainback valve or it
was just total negligence.  More likely it was a cost savings ploy -
paper filters are cheap to build and sell well because of the price
point.  If anyone is interested in a possible class action suit I would
not snub my nose at the idea.  Like I said before I am not sue happy and
have never been involved in a lawsuit but after all the aggravation and
incurred costs I have had to absorb and the fact that this one incident
took many miles off my car, I would seriously consider it.  Who knows a
lawyer that will take on a giant such as this?

Sorry the post is long.

Ben

-----Original Message-----
From: quattro-admin at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-admin at audifans.com] On
Behalf Of JShadzi at aol.com
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 10:44 PM
To: santoliquido at cox.net; quattro at audifans.com
Subject: Re: evil fram

Wow, so the filter media just came apart?  Unbelievable, I've never seen
anything like that.  Does Fram make a post oil-filter filter??  ;)

Javad

> I noticed when changing the filter that the filter media had collapsed
and was torn and protruding from the housing. Over the next two weeks I
noticed increased lifter noise. Then one fatefull day I got the low oil
pressure warning light accompanied by a sharp increase in lifter noise.
BTW no oil pressure gage on the '87 CGT (a design flaw soon to be
remadied).
> I dismantled the engine and found filter media packed in behind the
anti-drain check valve in the oil galley to the head. All other passages
were clear. Final damage assesment; Minimal. But I did source a recently
worked NG head at a reasonable price. So; in it goes.
> Steve
>
>
>
> Can you guys who've had failures explain exactly what
> happend to the filter=
> , what appeared to fail, how so, etc.
>
> Thanks,
> Javad