Fuel Filter Service Life

[Turbo Terry]

Mom and pops sell fuel filters ? Hard to find amom and pops these datys

 

[Turbo Terry]

Sorry couldn’t help it

 

[Grumpy8811]

Yes one of the joys of traveling the alaska Hwy. but sometimes you have to get fuel when you can. I would always carry spare. fuel filters on that journey

that I did.. I had fuel filters, a belt, a gallon of oil etc..

I couldn't imagine what those filters would have cost in BFE Canada or if they would have had them and how long I would have waited, for instance I ripped a tire to shred near the Yukon BC border and drove several hundred miles before I found the first tire store on the route south, it was in Fort Nelson.

I also had the bolt back out of my EGR cooler and sprung a coolant leak on the Yellowhead Highway,
I tried the Mack Cummins distributor in Smithers BC first, he didn't have them
then I ended up getting 2 new EGR o rings at the Frontier Ram Dealer in Smithers BC.
these parts list for $2.50 USD,
but I had the luxury of paying 38 dollars each for 2 o-rings at Fronteir Ram in Smithers.. thieves.
https://www.frontierchrysler.ca/
fixed the truck in the campground in Smithers BC.

 

[Grumpy8811]

I believe in it, virtually everything has a shelf life as it starts to degrade right after production. Why should it be different for a filter.

lets put it this way, if it filter shelf life was important the manufacturer would print " BEST IF USED BY" somewhere on the packaging.

 

[Tuesdak]

lets put it this way, if it filter shelf life was important the manufacturer would print " BEST IF USED BY" somewhere on the packaging.

Filter makers state the shelf life VERY CLEARLY when you can find it. Baldwin 5 year shelf life example attached. They will also not warranty a filter used longer than a normal service interval and in the case of 6.7 Cummins RAM fuel filters this is ONE YEAR clearly stated in the owner's manual.

I have gotten my money back from shop.cummins when they sent me aged out fuel filters for a vintage Onan generator due to Fleetguard's 5 year shelf life policy. I have had to order Baldwin filters due to said bad habit of shop.cummins to get filters that are not aged out.

 

[Grumpy8811]

Congratulations, you found one example of shelf life from one manufacturer which amounts to them not warrantying the filter if it is older than 5 years.... think you can find another example from a different manufacturer?

 

[AH64ID]

Congratulations, you found one example of shelf life from one manufacturer which amounts to them not warrantying the filter if it is older than 5 years.... think you can find another example from a different manufacturer?

For such a naysayer you’re very happy letting others do your research.

Put some of your negative energy into your own research and you might be surprised.

 

[slowmover]

Filter makers state the shelf life VERY CLEARLY when you can find it. Baldwin 5 year shelf life example attached. They will also not warranty a filter used longer than a normal service interval and in the case of 6.7 Cummins RAM fuel filters this is ONE YEAR clearly stated in the owner's manual.

I have gotten my money back from shop.cummins when they sent me aged out fuel filters for a vintage Onan generator due to Fleetguard's 5 year shelf life policy. I have had to order Baldwin filters due to said bad habit of shop.cummins to get filters that are not aged out.

View attachment 142106

I hadn’t given it too much thought. I buy from Dodge or Fleetpride for the most part. Glad to see this.

.

 

[Ozymandias]

Reminds me on HP Barlow....

 

[AH64ID]

Reminds me on HP Barlow....

Very much so.

 

[Grumpy8811]

For such a naysayer you’re very happy letting others do your research.

Put some of your negative energy into your own research and you might be surprised.

well, so far I learned from you that Baldwin doesn't warranty their oil filters 5 years after the date of manufacture.
that seems to be about as far as it goes for anything in writing.
I actually have been looking to see if any other company says anything about shelf life and basically it seems to be a moot point or it is so obscure a data point that subject doesn't exist except on forums and places like Reddit..

 

[Turbo Terry]

Now boys remember when they started putting best if used by dates on food. My one step son 35 now wouldnt eat it if it was past date . He would go thru our cupboards and throw everything away . His mom put a stop to it .Maybe something similar is happening to filters. Sure sells more grocery’s and filters doesn’t it. Like why does old cheese cost more than new cheese. My 2 cents

 

[Ozymandias]

Now boys remember when they started putting best if used by dates on food. My one step son 35 now wouldnt eat it if it was past date . He would go thru our cupboards and throw everything away . His mom put a stop to it .Maybe something similar is happening to filters. Sure sells more grocery’s and filters doesn’t it. Like why does old cheese cost more than new cheese. My 2 cents

Be careful, you had lot more preservatives in the food in the past then you have nowadys.
Many of these are even banned now for health reasons.
Doesn't mean you have to throw away all and everything, just be aware of it.
"Best if used by" are a suggestion, "use by" is a limit.

Back to the filter - all plastic, paper, foam, glue, fabric degrades by age - we all know that and have seen it before. So - why should a filter be any different then? It has all these materials in it.

 

[Turbo Terry]

Yes I know about degrading with age I’m 74 plus now and degrading rapidly so Amsoil says oil is good for 5 years if properly stored in unopened containers. I assume atf fluid and gear oil would be much the same. Antifreeze don’t know but what’s in the truck new is ten year 100000 miles so ok. Filter stuff I don’t know do outlets like genos that doesnt sell some of their filter products just throw them out. . We know grocery stores give to the food banks put stuff on sale but still throw a lot in the trash .

 

[Ozymandias]

I've been at Genos Warehouse several times and they don't have a huge stock, instead it turns rather quickly and if resupply is delayed they run out of stock.
Like it should be, stuff in the Warehouse is dead money sitting.

 

[JR]

Interesting discussion RE filter shelf life.

How does one know exactly when a filter was manufactured? I just looked at a new FS53000 and don't see any dates. There does appear to be some type of code on the top of the filter that I can't read without removing the sealed plastic.

Then there is this Donaldson primary. No mystery numbers anywhere.

It does have a clearly marked spot for noting in service date/mileage.

 

[Turbo Terry]

But then once you put a filter in service all that changes depending on the quality of the diesel fuel

 

[johnmyster]

I think this discussion is past its expiration date.

 

[slowmover]

What I see is warranty provision. Has to be an installation cutoff point on the product (shelf life).

https://www.donaldson.com/content/d...ket/Engine-Aftermarket-Australia-Warranty.pdf

Donaldson won’t accept warranty claims past date code expiration of (5) years (Air & Liquid Filters). Four years from date for installation (except types where resins impregnated deteriorate and it’s shorter).

Fleetguard said to be same.

From a 2014 IRV2 Moho thread (can find Gary K7GLD still perking along):

“While at the Freightliner service school in Gaffney SC last year we discussed storing filters and such. Of the main concern is most have a paper filter media vs high humidity. It was suggested to use a vacuum food saver system to seal the filters as it removes the air and prevents ambient moisture from affecting the media”.

That looks to me like the easy way thru. Code okay at purchase and trouble given for storage of a spare. (Cool, dry, sealed, out of sunlight, etc). As manufacturer can’t control for those.

I’d imagine I’m in the majority in wanting spares for short interval unexpected changes. And to keep it running SHTF scenario where any filter is difficult to acquire.

Is my engine still under warranty? Then date code matters most.

A curiosity encountered was AD issuance of 500-hours on typical gasoline aircraft engines (Lycoming IO-540) where length-of-service is limited. And only three approved manufacturers.

We don’t have the space/weight considerations, but we also don’t have $60k rebuilds either. That said, I would’ve thought altitude precludes dust to a great extent.

Then my son (owner of a 2024 and ex-C130J driver) reminded me:

Welcome to Kandahar!

“Oh, yeah, . . type-rated for short, unimproved strip performance”

And HT Barlow was half the reason to read TDR back in the day. Y’all forget this country was once a wilderness. It was suns-a …. like that had the grit to take it on. Echo chamber forums ain’t much fun. And it’s an unavoidable phenomenon past a certain point.

Filters? If it says Baldwin or Donaldson I’m pretty happy. MoPar past that. Now I know to seal it up once confirming it’s both real and not an antique.

Thanks.

.

 

[Grumpy8811]

Now boys remember when they started putting best if used by dates on food. My one step son 35 now wouldnt eat it if it was past date . He would go thru our cupboards and throw everything away . His mom put a stop to it .Maybe something similar is happening to filters. Sure sells more grocery’s and filters doesn’t it. Like why does old cheese cost more than new cheese. My 2 cents

yeah, lot of food stuff says Best if Used By... doesn't mean its spoiled but common sense should prevail. I think in the case of an oil filter there is some common sense in that little article, do not use it if it is dented or rusty , or if it has been removed from the packaging for a long period of time, same as on a can of food.. anyway, it isn't something I am going to worry about.