Beware WIX Filter #51394

[zkay]

Hello All

I have posted a thread over at BITOG, but I will quote it in full here. The rep from WIX is currently helping me try to resolve this problem, but I thought it prudent to post this here as well. WIX has done a stealth redesign on the #51394 filter for the Yaris and it is no longer compatible as far as I can tell.

Hello

I bought a 2010 yaris in April of this year and with the help of BITOG I chose an oil and filter combo that I thought I would keep for the life of the car before I ever even did my first oil change. That combo was Mobil1 A.F.E. 0w-30 and a WIX #51394. For the first two oil changes I did on the car, these worked fine.

Yesterday was my third oil change. I went through my routine, let the car cool off from a drive, drained the old stuff, took off the old filter, put the drain plug back in, screwed the new filter on as tight as it would go, then added new oil. Waited a couple minutes, and started the car. When I start it, I notice the oil light is staying on. The car ran for about 4-5 seconds and I shut it off. Climb under the car and almost all the oil I've just poured in is on the ground. Looking closer, I see it is spraying out from the filter mount.

I quickly took a long sheet of cardboard and laid it over the huge oil spill so I could get under the car, feel up the oil filter to where it meets the block, and there's about a 1/4" gap between the engine and the filter!

At first I think, what happened? I tightened it as tight as it would go. When I started threading it, it was tighter than I was used to, but not so much it made me question anything. It did thread on there, and I spun it until I couldn't anymore (with the help of a handful of sandpaper). So what happened?

I take it off and look at it. The threads look okay, as does the gasket. I then look at the base of the inside of the filter. There's some weird piece of metal I didn't think was there before. It's a circle about the size of a nickel with an elliptical hole cut into it, standing about 1/2" off the inside of the base of the filter.

I look in the garage for the older filter from a prior oil change and sure enough, it did not have this feature. I look at the filter I just took off the car, and neither did it. I take the boxes for all three and look at them, they are all identical except for the newest one with the valve, which has the filter number on the box in ever so slightly larger print.

I can take pictures if anyone is interested. But my big question is, what the [censored] happened? Did I just get a bum filter that, for whatever reason, didn't want to go all the way onto the block? Is this new valve feature preventing the filter from threading on all the way? Also, why was there no mention of a change in the design anywhere on the box? Even searching their site and google, I find no mention of this anywhere.

I ended up putting new oil in and the old filter back on temporarily. I bought a bosch 3311 in the meantime, was going to put that on today and leave it on until I can figure this out. Will also likely return the faulty WIX today, pending your input.

Thanks for reading all this, I appreciate any help.

-zkay

Link to thread: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...22#Post2799122

Link to image album with pictures of both the "old" #51394 and the "new" one: http://imgur.com/a/Utkqb

Image description:

The first image has both boxes next to each other. The newer, problem filter is on the right. Note the filter number and white text box surrounding it are slightly larger. This is the only difference between the two as far as packaging.

I accidentally switched sides for the subsequent images, in the second image the old good filter is on the right, the new one on the left. Note the stickers and stamps are the same on each.

The third image was taken trying to look down into each filter so you could see the difference between the two, though it was somewhat too dark to tell. You can however see that the stamping is the same on the top of the filters as well.

The fourth image has a clear view of the inside of each filter, as well as a clear view of the top of each filter. You can clearly see the piece of metal I am talking about in the problem filter on the left, and the lack of it in the good filter on the right.

Anyway, just thought you all would like to know. I will keep you guys posted as well.

Thanks,
-zkay