I am not a purolator guy either. And I am not going to argue with you oppy. And just to let you know I got it at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Great engineering school.

 

2 final questions, if you will:

Would you please answer my question?

What brand of filters do you use?

 

The answer to the first question is companies can change and make a better product. Take Champion for example, they made bad spark plugs in the 80's and now they have changed and make a good product now. They actually supply AC Delco with some of their spark plugs. I don't particularly care for purolater but they make the filters for motorcraft so they can't be bad. And the answer to the second question is Wix.

 

motorcraft from walmart is all i use. Great filter at a very reasonable price.

 

Well I'll take a stab at a possible answer. Perhaps there is a possibility of the oil syphoning back into the pan. I don't think this is likely because it would have to go through the pump gears and the larger area were the filter mounts, but it seems possible, especially with hot, easy flowing oil.

 

Well, I can't argue with you on Wix, erik, I think they make an excellent filter also. When given the choice, that's the brand I'm likely to buy, but my local parts store's hours don't agree with my work schedule, so I usually end up at Farm & Fleet which sells Fram.

I doubt Purolator has changed its manufacturing process recently, but I really don't believe their product is inferior (nor superior for that matter) anyway. I have used Motorcraft oil filters and they seem like they are reasonably made.

Regarding the construction of Fram filters, here's a quote from a previous post by "Hired Gun": "Yes they are cardboard, but they are stuck to that cardboard better than Motocraft can get theirs to stick to the steel ends. I have cut plenty of both apart and there is little difference. Both will protect your engine fine. I have never found either one damaged from use in 20 years of cutting them open. The core looks the same as a Fram other than the steel ends which separates from the media much easier than the cardboard on the Frams." There are a lot of good products out there. IMO, Fram is one of them - not great, but good.

Actually, the question I really wanted you to answer is how does an oil filter plug up all by itself, but I think we both know the answer to that one - it can't.

TallPaul - oil is not going to syphon back through the oil pump into the pan. If your oil filter mounts hanging down, the quality of the drainback valve is meaningless.

 

oppy, motorcraft oil filters are made by purolator. fyi.

 

Yeah - I know. Thanks.

 

sloerik (I assume slo means San Luis Obispo)- I have a BSME from SLO, class of 1978. It is a great school. But on this oil filter thing I have to think that if Frams were so bad, large numbers of engines, from all manufacturers, would be failing. This does not seem to be so. Also, I cannot believe that Allied Signal would not test these filters before thay released them for sale. They have liability like anyone else, and don't want to face class action lawsuits if they can help it. I've used Frams for years and years on all different brands of cars without any issues at all. I just put a Toughguard on my 2003 F150 5.4 after using 2 Motocrafts and I sure can't tell the difference. I think this argument really gets down to personal preference, like Coke versus Pepsi. I think if you change oil every 3000 miles, with a new filter, you are just not going to have lubrication issues unless the actual motor or filter has a mechanical defect.

 

It looks like to each his own. Heck, none of them will cause engine failure, but some do filter out better than others. I will always be a Purolator/Valvoline man.

 

While reading this thread, I cant help but wonder one thing. If an engine had a failure because of a fram, or any other brand for that matter, of filter, HOW would you ever tell it was the filter and not normal engine wear? I've heard of people's engines throwing a rod at 50,000 miles, and some that go 300,000 miles.

I think the only way to see if a filter is causing a problem is to look at a real oil pressure gauge (not the new ford dummy gauge), and to listen to the engine. There are many instances where Fram filters caused valve train noise at startup. I know, my old '86 B2 was one instance of this.

I'm not saying that all the filters that Fram makes are junk, I'm just saying what I've observed.

My dad bought an old (used) '86 B2 and drove it for several years. During that time, he only used Fram oil filters. Approximately 6 months after he bought it it developed a valve lifter tick. A few years later, he bought a '92 explorer. I inherited the '86 B2. Not knowing any better, I used Fram filters. I switched to 20w50, and it went away for another couple months. Then it came back. I drove that thing for 2 years, until it finally lost all oil pressure. I had plans to rebuild, so I didnt just let it shuck out. I pulled the engine, and found that the thrust bearing had ate into the crank, and I could move the crank back and forth about 1/8". Additionally, the rod bearings were worn through to the next layer of metal, I think it's copper.

Was this caused by the fram filters? I think so, but how would I ever prove it?

In case anyone doubts this, the old B2 can be found at Rons Auto Salvage, near Allison Iowa, in the northwest corner of his yard with the engine partly disassembled in the back of the vehicle.

 

Nice post, ggarrahan - now I know there is at least one person on this site that agrees with me

 

Let me get this straight - you are blaming the oil filter for an engine failure on a 17 (actually 18) year old truck you bought used and drove for something like four years with valvetrain noise? That is one of the more creative stories I have heard.

 

The engine died in 1999, so it was 13 years old. Also, the oil filter that was on it when we bought it was a motorcraft, and it ran like a clock. Shortly after we changed oil and put the fram on, the valve lifter noise started. Coincidence? I think not. If I had known then what I know now, I think I'd still be driving it. It only had 164,000 miles on it when it died.

Edit: I drove it for 2 years, for about 40,000 miles.

More edit: Creative??? I can go take pictures if you like, the next time I'm up at Ron's.

 

Oppy I agree that 100's of thousand of people have been using fram for ever and haven't had a problem. They don't notice that there is anything wrong, they don't know that the oil pressure is lower in the engine, but how would they know becuase they have a dumby light and not a gauge. People also have been digging ditches for years with a shovel and that has been working, I personally would feel more efficient using a trencher, what about you?