OEM vs. Fram oil filter O-Ring XJ550

So in the process of moving along on the XJ550 rehab, after the initial test run & carb clean, did the old earl change on her. Pretty sure there was a Fram filter in it and I bought a Fram, merely because it came with the o-rings.

New Fram bolt o-ring was significantly smaller than what was on there, so didn't use it. New Fram housing o-ring seemed way to thin for the groove as well, but put it in anyway. After first fire up, she started dripping so pulled it apart and went back to the o-ring that was on there, which seemed marginally thicker.

Run it some more and she still gets some drips, seems to go away once decently warmed up, which to me indicates that the o-ring is too small/thin. Clean the housing all up, played with small index adjustments, but now after a day or so, get some significant drips out of it still.

Can anyone confirm if the OEM Yamaha o-ring is definitely thicker/better vs. these Fram junkers? Only other thought was somehow the housing is slightly warped? Either way, need to address this leak.

 

I've used the Fram filter with the o-rings with no issues. Did you replace the crush washer?

 

I use the Fram filter, and have a similar issue. It's a slow drip, maybe 2 drops an hour, but constant. Unfortunately, I tossed the o-ring that came with the bike, as at the time I figured a new o-ring must be better.

In a previous forum post (I think it was somewhere in the WDYDTYYT thread) someone mentioned that they put the filter housing in their lathe and machined the rim down by .05 inches, and that it fixed the problem. I'm tentative to do it in case I mess the housing up, but also like the idea of being able to use the provided o-rings and not have to worry about rubber degradation.

 

Take the filter cover and sand it down on a sheet of sand paper on a surface plate or any flat surface?

 

or just order the correct o-ring from XJ4ever and continue to throw the Fram o-ring in the trash.

 

use some black fuel resistant rtv on the housing to seal it

 

Yes new crush washer used. Don't have a large enough piece of plexi or glass to 100% verify the mating face of the housing, but with a good known straight edge, it seems flat. Was curious mostly if someone had measured up an OEM o-ring and could verify it's 0.6mm thicker or whatever before simply ordering one to find out it's actually identical to the Fram stuff.

Last time I did an oil change on a XJ550 was circa 1987, so I really can't recall how well the o-ring fit in the groove or how far it stuck above the edge to seal. With only 12k on this bike, just find it hard to believe the housing is warped. Guess I'll order up an OEM o-ring and go from there.

 

here is a thread on that issue

https://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/1981-xj650-oil-filter-seals-from-fram-bad.115563/

 

This is a good time to go to a spin on oil filter conversion. You won't be disappointed.

 

The cross -section (thickness) of the OEM o-ring is 4.00mm.

 

FYI - I have used Wix oil filters (OEM type) since the bike was new. Always had good results.

 

I take back my previous comment. Turns out I was using a Wix filter too

 

Spin on oil filter conversion is the way to go!!!

 

I have been tempted to get a spin on oil kit for convenience, but in my case one owner bike is unrestored, all original (except cables, brake lines/shoes, tires, etc.). I am trying to keep it factory original down to the factory parts as much as possible!

The stock filter setup is a messy job to change the oil filter.

 

I also like the original filter system with a cover that matches the bike. The filters are also not much more expensive than spin on. $4.00 + ea. last time I bought.

 

I always felt like a spin-on was more vulnerable to rock damage, but I've never heard of that being a problem, so it probably isn't a real concern. I know the aluminum casting is more prone to cracking vs the steel casing (which would likely deform).
There is less filter area in the OEM filter, but you also replace only the filter with less casing material vs a spin-on.
Bottom line is I like the OEM look and it isn't a problem to change, so I use it.

 

not an issue with rocks flying up from road. spin on would be nice for those who do several oil changes a season.

 

And I kind of wonder what kind of built in oil cooling the stock housing does, particularly the 550 housing, which is significantly larger with deeper fins than its big brothers.

 

You can always swap out if you really wanted to go back . This mounts in same location as the stock oil filter .

 

Picked up an OEM Yamaha housing o-ring (heart stopper, a somewhat local dealer actually had 1 in stock!) and pulled the housing back off again. As suspected and as others have noted, a quick visual match and the OEM unit was clearly thicker. Cleaned up the fram unit and pulled out the calipers. Trying to be consistent in the measuring, put just enough pressure on the o-ring until there was ever so slight bit of drag pulling it through the jaws.

OEM Yamaha = 4.03mm thickness
fram = 3.45mm thickness

With the o-ring swapped and oil topped off, bike has been sitting for about 4-5 days now, no evidence of drips or leaks anywhere. Haven't hooked the aux fuel tank back up to test run it, but based on how quickly the fram unit started weeping, figure this new o-ring should solve it. Never been a fram user for many reasons, but figured "how could they screw up an o-ring"? Fixes my fram use forever now for sure.