By Standard®
Sponsored by Standard®
Oil Filter Housing Assembly Overview
Modular Oil Filter Housings are becoming more common on today’s vehicles. One modular unit contains the oil filter, multiple sensors and serves as an oil cooler. Like many new OE designs, there have been problems, especially with some of the earliest versions. It is very common for the lower seals to fail causing an oil leak around the base of the housing. In some instances, the housing may look okay, but it’s still a good idea to install a new housing while the vehicle is apart. A new housing with new seals is the best way to help prevent future leaks and get your customer back on the road.An OE Issue
Chrysler (FCA, or Stellantis) vehicles powered by 3.2L or 3.6L engines frequently encounter oil leaks around the housing. In some cases, the oil leak is caused by the cap being overtightened after replacing the oil filter cartridge, causing the housing to crack. These leaks can appear after an oil change during which the technician has misplaced the O-ring seal on the cap, or overtightened the cap. In reality, the leading issue with the housing is that the housing gaskets fail, resulting in an oil leak. However, there are reports of these units failing months after being properly torqued, and sometimes before ever being serviced at all.
Standard® Vehicle-Specific Drop-In AssembliesStandard® Oil Filter Housings come assembled from the factory and include everything needed for a complete and correct installation. The oil filter and cap are an exact OE-match and are already installed. All Standard® assemblies include new oil temperature and oil pressure sensors, gaskets, seals and hardware so you won’t have to reuse any of the old, worn pieces.Standard® Oil Filter Housing Assemblies come with new housing gaskets and sensors already installed.
Standard® Housings are vehicle specific, not universal, and designed to use the correct oil filter cataloged for the vehicle. Now, that may sound obvious, but many available housings are universal, and may not use the oil filter designed for the intended vehicle. You can imagine how much confusion that will cause when it’s time for an oil change.
Inside the Standard® box you will also find detailed installation instructions with torque specs to make installation faster and easier. Standard® Oil Filter Housings are assembled, ready for installation, feature vehicle-specific filtration, and most importantly, match the OE cooling characteristics; a true quality drop-in solution.
Beware of Low-Quality Replacements
Some aftermarket replacement units are made of aluminum, which may at first seem like an upgrade, but these units present other issues. First, utilizing metal housings changes OE form and function. Of course, metal has very different heat retention properties compared to synthetic materials. Think about the difference between touching a metal and synthetic handle on a hot pan. Second, these units typically come bare, requiring the technician to transfer the coolant fittings, sensors (oil pressure and temperature), oil cooler, oil filter, cap, and bypass valve. The potential for damaging these components or the threads on the new unit as they are transferred from the old to the new is very high. Many times, the coolant fittings and sensors will be damaged in the removal process. This transfer requires a fair amount of labor, and in the repair bay, time is money.
Designed to Keep the Oil Cool
On that note, it is critical to remember that these are not just oil filter housings, they are also oil coolers. Vehicle manufacturers designed these housings to help keep the oil cool, meeting the strict cooling requirements of today’s engines. That is why vehicle manufacturers use high-temp synthetic materials (rather than metal) for oil filter housings. To improve on the faulty OE design, Standard® Oil Filter Housings are made from a high-strength, glass-filled nylon housing, maintaining the same heat-dissipating properties as OE.
Standard® Oil Filter Housings are assembled and ready for installation; a true quality drop-in solution.
For more information on replacing these units, search “Oil Filter Housing Assembly” on the Standard Brand YouTube channel.
To learn more visit: www.StandardOFHA.com
