What do you suppose happened here?

[fastfredracing]

2005 330 i in for oil change, and to find and stop the oil gusher.
Appears to be leaking oil from the oil filter housing area ( common on these cars) , however, should have zero effect on the oil filter. The filter looks like a cheapo. From poland . I have never seen one like this before.

[Scott R]

I've seen one other filter that looked like that and it was because the owner put brake fluid in the oil. (put washer fluid into the radiator as well)

[kach22i]

The paper element came out cut like that?

Very weird.

Did a Google image search and found this, a 2007 post.

non-BMW oil filter on new to me 330i ......

Originally Posted by dembooks

William, Good start to a healthier motor
using BMW MANN filter specific to synthetic
oil and extended oil change intervals.
That plain paper thing you removed would
eventually turn to a brittle, crispy, black,
fractured mess. The BMW Mann filter is:

"MANN+HUMMEL developed and introduced the above mentioned Long life-Filters - equipped with a new advanced filter media that allows the increase of service intervals paralleled with better filter efficiency, especially when using synthetic oils. They are also resistant against the new generation of synthetic oil. Please see the car owner's manual for the service intervals, which applies for the specific car.
MANN-HUMMEL (better known with its brand MANN-FILTER) is an OEM supplier for BMW"

A word of caution about using oils other than SAE 5W-30,
ACE A3/B3. Your VANOS cam timing system depends on instant
reaction times in all temp. Other 'thicker' oils will decrease
VANOS performance and possibly create poor engine running and
electronic fault codes.

Welcome to the E46 family.

c.d.

Also found this Pelican Parts tech article which may have some information buried in it.

BMW Oil Change
Wayne R. Dempsey
Pelican Technical Article: BMW Oil Change

[onewhippedpuppy]

Wow. Is it possible that its been in there for a long time? Lots of horror stories out there of Jiffy Lube type places that change the oil but not the filter.

[cockerpunk]

id get a new filter in there pronto, dont want the guts of that filter running around in your oil any longer.

[herr_oberst]

Fram?

[kach22i]

RE: What do you suppose happened here?

I think the bottom of the filter stuck to the gasket because it was not primed with oil upon installation, and when pulled on for removal, the oil soaked filter sheared in half.

Just my guess, based on the image in Wayne's article.

Was a lot of pulling force required to remove the filter?

[Rick Lee]

That was torn while installing or removing. Bottom end didn't want to spin when screwing the housing cap off or back on.

[T77911S]

i think non mercedes filters can do the same thing if left in too long. MB does a 10k oil change and if you dont use the MB filter i have heard it will come apart.
the fitlers are very easy to change so i just change mine about every 3-5k miles

[nocarrier]

Cheap aftermarket filters. I've seen this plenty of times.

[Steve Carlton]

Does it say "Cheap Aftermarket Filter" on the filter?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by T77911S

i think non mercedes filters can do the same thing if left in too long. MB does a 10k oil change and if you dont use the MB filter i have heard it will come apart.
the fitlers are very easy to change so i just change mine about every 3-5k miles

Yep. I use the in-the-box, from-the-dealer fleece M.B. oil filter every 10k miles on mine and the quality is pretty obvious right out of the box (filter and o-rings). I wouldn't ever trust an aftermarket one. The car runs superbly and the oil is honey color for at least 7 or 8k miles into each change interval. The quality is very, very good.

Sometimes aftermarket is good but there's no way I'd ever put anything else into my M.B. They're extremely good and well-made and they work (car doesn't lose or burn a single drop of oil with 120k miles on it now).

I was originally a bit intimidated by the 10,000 mile interval but after reading up on it, I trust it completely now. It's no joke. Good synthetic oil (Mobil-1 with the correct API ratings) and the factory filters are more than adequate for that interval.

[nocarrier]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Does it say "Cheap Aftermarket Filter" on the filter?

No, you can usually spot them as them come out in two pieces.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Wow. Is it possible that its been in there for a long time? Lots of horror stories out there of Jiffy Lube type places that change the oil but not the filter.

This was my first thought, because I've seen it before. If you want to save a couple bucks on vehicle maintenance, do it anywhere other than filters.

[creaturecat]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Fram?

My first thought.

[mattdavis11]

Oil light came on, owner added oil creating too much pressure and the filter exploded. Change the sending unit, it's bolted to the bottom of the oil pan. Common problem with 330's.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Yep. I use the in-the-box, from-the-dealer fleece M.B. oil filter every 10k miles on mine and the quality is pretty obvious right out of the box (filter and o-rings). I wouldn't ever trust an aftermarket one. The car runs superbly and the oil is honey color for at least 7 or 8k miles into each change interval. The quality is very, very good.

Sometimes aftermarket is good but there's no way I'd ever put anything else into my M.B. They're extremely good and well-made and they work (car doesn't lose or burn a single drop of oil with 120k miles on it now).

I was originally a bit intimidated by the 10,000 mile interval but after reading up on it, I trust it completely now. It's no joke. Good synthetic oil (Mobil-1 with the correct API ratings) and the factory filters are more than adequate for that interval.

i have used filters from here. mann or other top names. they are easy to just pull out and replace the filter before the oil is due.
the last one i pulled early did not look that good. the MB filter is the bomb.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Does it say "Cheap Aftermarket Filter" on the filter?

yes, fram

[Steve Carlton]

What does Fram stand for, by the way?..

[A930Rocket]

FRAM = Found Ripped And Mangled