Champion oil filters

**Pussy** · 3rd March 2007, 17:40

I have just finished doing an oil/filter change on a friend's SV1000. Whoever had done the last service had put a Champion oil filter on the bike. It was quite easy to see where the small oil leak was.... the bloody filter!! The filter has a square section sealing ring, unlike the OEM Suzuki's round section one, and when I went to remove the old filter, the body rotated whilst the base stayed firmly attached to the bike (hence the small leak). Basically, this is a friendly reminder to not touch Champion filters with a large bargepole. They're shit. Stick with OEM, they fit and work the best

**Motu** · 3rd March 2007, 19:26

Who makes the Suzuki oil filter? Certainly not Suzuki,they outsource to a filter manufacturer....like Purolator,who also make Champion filters.Actualy they go to someone closer to home,but the US market are often Purolator.The type of sealing ring doesn't make much difference - but how you tighten them does.The square seal and the ''D'' seal are only turned 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn to tighten....but a ''P'' or tadpole seal is tightened until the can contacts the mounting face.If you overtighten a square seal they are really hard to get off.Personaly I wouldn't use a Champion filter,but there are better brands without paying for the Suzuki one.

**Pussy** · 3rd March 2007, 20:43

I hear what you are saying, Motu. Genuine Zook filters are actually made in China. The Champion filter I took off the bike looked like it was made by a play group in Otara. It was crap quality. There had been a small leak from the filter area, and I found when I tried to remove the filter that the main body rotated, and the base that holds the sealing ring didn't. the leak was coming from this joint

**Motu** · 3rd March 2007, 20:52

In my 37 years in the motor game I have probably removed spin on filters numbering in the thousands....as an apprentice I used to do over 16 lubes a day.But the number of failed filter housings could be counted on the digits of one hand.Mind you we didn't have so many different manufacturers as we do these days.I wonder about the previous instalation....there are tools made to remove filters,some people use these to install them as well....when your hand is ample enough.

**Pixie** · 4th March 2007, 12:54

The noddy that fitted the filter probably didn't bother to lube the seal before tightening.
I found champion airfilters to be equal in quality to suzuki OEM filters.All oil filters I've seen looked the same from the outside,difference in quality is only evident upon dissection.

**Motu** · 4th March 2007, 13:03

Originally Posted by Pussy

Genuine Zook filters are actually made in China. The Champion filter I took off the bike looked like it was made by a play group in Otara.

Quite possibly even made in the same factory - quality is a negociable item in chinese manufacturing.

**Pussy** · 4th March 2007, 15:41

Originally Posted by Pixie

The noddy that fitted the filter probably didn't bother to lube the seal before tightening.
I found champion airfilters to be equal in quality to suzuki OEM filters.All oil filters I've seen looked the same from the outside,difference in quality is only evident upon dissection.

The part of the filter that holds the "o" ring rotated indepently of the main body of the filter. Thats what a/. made the filter a bastard to get off, and b/.was the cause of a minor oil leak.
The diameter of the filter was smaller, too. It was crap