whos got a good deal on these filters now? i dont think they are on sale yet from riff raff, thats when i usually get them in the 2x!

 

I'm wondering the same. I'm tired of spending $40 at Napa. Though, I guess I do change mine a lot more often than some of the folks on here.

 

As low as $26.99

6637 Replacement Filter - Riffraff Diesel Performance

 

Thanks, Riffraff. I'll have to order a few.

 

I know that is a two year old question on the first page about Filter Minders. I bought my '96 F250 several months ago and the Filter Minder gadget showed that the filter was still clean. I opened up the housing (still have the stock filter system) and found the dirtiest filter I've ever seen. I think the Filter Minders are pretty much useless and by the time they show that you need to change filters you have way to much restriction and have been losing performance for a long time.

Bob

 

I agree, Bob. My filter had at least 30k hard miles on it and the minder never moved. I git rid of it when I switched over to the 6637 filter.

 

i ordered that fram one, hopefully i wont be disappointed, the shipping kills me on riff raff so i hit the amazon for free shipping, otherwise if riff raff has the 2x special i will order it thru them.

i hope that fram airfilter is better then the oil filters they sell.. we will see 32 + free shipping. they having a 2$ off discount. originally 34$ you can get them for 29$ if you have them shipped 1 every 6 months it says.

 

Yeah the shipping is a bit ridiculous. For now I'm just going to stick with the Napa Gold. Seems to be a damn good filter and with the family discount I'm paying around $35 each.

 

Though, I would be interested in how that Fram performs. Its probably just the picture but it appears to be a bit shorter than the Napa 6637.

 

awesome test. It's interesting to see just how much crap our filters clean out of the air.

 

After having the issue with my filter I change it every other oil change

 

I doubt the outside appearance of an air filter shows much about how effective it is. I also doubt the "light test" in the original post is any more valid.


It has been noted by filter engineers that a new filter does not filter as effectively as a filter that has some miles on it because the outside layer of dirt actually helps filter additional dirt from coming in. So, a "seasoned" air filter actually filters finer levels of dirt than a brand new filter. But this "filtering-dirt" factor has a limit to its usefulness, because a filter too dirty will present too much restriction to proper breathing of the engine.


As a result, the filter industry came up with the filter restriction indicators. The most popular ones are the "filter minder" types which show by color coding how much restriction a filter is causing. The original OBS trucks had them installed from the factory. It is not unusual for a filter that has a very dirty outside appearance to actually be filtering quite good with acceptable restriction. A filter minder is designed to show when that restriction level becomes too high.


I have a document indicating that Navistar specifies an allowable maximum air filter restriction to be about 30 inches of water, or 7.5 kPas, for their engines. Most filter minders seem to show the filter restriction to be in the "red" before this maximum level is reached. These devices are quite useful and, unless broken, are accurate ways of indicating when a dirty filter should be changed.


I don't think the visual tests are as valid. But, they are harmless to our engines, since changing air filters before necessary is mostly harmful to the owner's wallet.

 

well filter came in, and its actually not a fram but a duralite! heres some pics, yea!!

 

You want to be careful with what brand you purchase. Just because they cross-reference doesn't mean they are the same. The one you received doesn't have the inside metal mesh, so if anything happens to the filter media it does straight into your turbo...

Here is what it should look like inside the filter.

 

yes i noticed that, thats the reason i took the picture. so people would know what they are getting.

im not sure if its really a concern of the paper media getting sucked into the turbo as i have not personally whitnessed this on any vehicle ive owned or known.