10 Scary Examples Of Clogged Oil Filters

Have you ever wondered what a really clogged oil filter looks like? Luckily, you don’t have to skip a few oil changes to find out. There are some pictures floating around the web that show how bad an oil filter can get. We rounded up 10 of these photos for your viewing pleasure… or horror:

1. The Shop Replaced The Oil Filter… Or Did They?

A Reddit user’s mechanic friend had a customer come in with their oil filter looking like this. The customer told the mechanic that her local big box store has been replacing her oil filter for years. A user in the comments quipped, “The store had been using her same filter for years, as well.” Another user said, “I’d be getting [the big box store] to pay for a new engine.”

2. Oil Filters Should Not Look Like Burnt Marshmallows

A Reddit user was horrified to find a customer’s oil filter in this shape. Who wants to bet that this is the original oil filter that went into the car before it rolled off the assembly line?

3. Oil Filters Also Should Not Look Like Chocolate Fountains

“Clogged oil filter” would be an understatement. A Reddit user found this in a Hyundai i40 1.7 diesel motor. We want to know how the customer managed to drive their truck into the shop without any clean oil in their motor. Another Reddit user commented, “I’m no filterologist, but I suspect that may be past its useful service life.” Hmm, we may be inclined to agree.

4. Don’t Let The Housing Fool You

An oil filter may look OK on the outside. But when you cut it open, you’ll see what shape it’s really in. A shop in Bolivia cut open this oil filter and found this mess inside. The housing looks great, but the filter media shows that the oil was in bad shape due to poor combustion. It’s caked in oil and soot, so it’s no longer able to filter anything.

5. This Came Out Of A New Truck

The Bolivian shop also cut open this oil filter. They took this filter out of a Toyota diesel truck with only 2,000 km (or 1,243 miles) since the last oil change, so they were pretty shocked to find the oil filter in this shape. This is proof that you can’t always trust aftermarket brands to produce quality oil filters that can last until the next oil change.

6. Oil Change? What’s That?

A Reddit user pulled this oil filter of a Chevrolet Malibu. Only 1.5 quarts of oil drained out of the pan. It was supposed to have 4 quarts of oil. The filter media also had a big hole in it. We would hate to see what those pistons and cylinder walls looked like.

7. Warranty Claim Denied

This is what happens when you change your oil only once in 40,000 miles. It’s a miracle the engine survived this long.

8. How Has The Engine Not Blown Up Yet?

Wondering what an oil filter looks like after 40,000 miles of service? Well, this is it. We shudder to think about how long the engine had been running on unfiltered oil. Chances are good the customer needed a new engine soon after this oil change.

9. The Oil Filter Never Lies

That’s not black licorice chewing gum. It’s an oil filter that hadn’t been changed in 15,500 miles.

10. Another Chocolate Fountain

Change your oil filter, boys and girls!

Are You Worried That Your Oil Filter May Be Clogged?

Oil filters should last until the next oil change. Yet, it’s common for a cheap oil filter to clog up before the next oil change is due. If the filter does get clogged, its bypass valve will open, allowing dirty oil to circulate through the engine. The problem is, there’s no way to tell if the filter is clogged without cutting it open. But you can check the state of the oil by looking at the dipstick. The state of the oil will tell you a lot about whether the oil filter is clogged or not.

With A Lifetime Oil Filter, You Don’t Have To Worry About Clogged Fuel Filters

If you have a high quality lifetime oil filter in your engine, and if you clean it on a regular basis, you never have to worry about dealing with a clogged oil filter. Your filter’s performance will be consistent, and there’s no guesswork with quality like there is with disposable oil filters.

Pure Power! is one of the leading brands for lifetime oil filters. Check out Pure Power! oil filters here to see if we have one for your vehicle!