I've read alot about Fram oil filters on FTE. Well I quit using them on my vehicles a while back. My brother was getting oil and filters for his van this week end and I told him not to get the Fram he had in his cart. Told to get the moto craft. He just called me and said his oil pressure went up by 20 lbs. He was a bit worried because he had low pressure. So any ways just thought I'd mention this to you guys. One more person that will not use Fram filters.

 

It is unbelievable. I was a Fram user for years and never even knew I was using an inferior quality product. All of the major retailers in my area sell the orange nightmare almost exclusively now, with the exception of the motorcrafts at wally world.

Makes me angry that they get sooo much shelf space..

 

if you spend five minutes in the oil forums they all rag on fram filters real bad. They are really a terrible product, that I won't even put in my beater.

Motorcraft filters are a no brainer for these cars, they cost the same as a fram and the quality is night and day.

 

I have used Fram filters for over 20 years, and I have never had any problems with them. (Thats not to say I never will). I have used them in 4, 6, & 8 cyl. engines with routine oil changes. Micgang- you said you used them for YEARS. They must have performed to your satisfaction. What made you stop using them?

 

Ok two big reasons for me.

I started on the frams because they were cheap, and I made a mistake.

I put frams in my 89 Jetta GTI winter beater, and every single time I cold started the car it would dryknock for 2 seconds. The second I put a wix filter on it with a good drainback valve, it stopped this.

I also had drainback valve problems on my 4.6 that were solved by putting on a motorcraft filter.

Now all my fords get motorcraft filters, and all the non fords get wix.

JH

 

BillC

Please read this forum:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...252Bbad%25253F

 

BillC, I also used Fram filters for over 20 years, BUT no longer. I think like so many other name brand products, the stock holders needed thier money so Fram down graded thier product. I do believe Fram used to be #1. I went to my machinist who does my machine work on engines and talked to him about filters. He went to the back room and brought out several filters that were cut in half. The difference was unmistakable. Fram was half the paper element. He told me about the the drain back valves in them but not sure what he said so won't quote him, but not good. I recommended Fram for 20 years like you but never again.

 

Read this.

http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfi...lterstudy.html

This article is very informitave. It convinced me to ditch fram once and for all.

 

I'll say this about Fram. Wal-Mart was my first pit job changing oil. Their sponser is Pennzoil with a Fram filter. I worked that job for a little over a year. I changed oil day in and day out. I quit that job to get a better paying job with better hours at a local Texaco Xpress Lube. They sponsered Havoline Filters and Havoline oil. The havoline filters worked far better than the Frams. Reason:

1.) When I drained the oil, I always took the Fram filter and dumped the dirty oil out of it. Almost none came out. When I did this to the Havoline filter, twice to 3 times as much dirty oil came out, and it wasn't with just 1 filter. I was every single time.

2.) I experienced more leaks first hand with Fram filters. Occasionally it was the vehicle and not the filter, but I almost never saw a leak with the Havoline filter.

3.) And this is the biggy! When I worked at Wal-Mart, the oil pressure of every Fram user would be lower than average. At the Xpress Lube, the Havoline users pressure was exact to specs. I know this because they had to call out the pressure when the vehicle was started to check for leaks.

Just a little bit of first hand facts on Fram filters. In all I've had about 5 years experience with first hand oil changes.

 

Some interesting stuff on Fram including one whose testing indicated Fram was better than Mobil1 filters and another who claims to have worked at Fram and from what he saw would never put a Fram on his vehicle: http://www.noria.com/message_boards/...essageid=10637

 

BillC - I did use FRAMs in the past and always had noise at startup that I could not explain. Never thought that much about it until I learned a little bit more about the nastyness that can occur at start-up. Also, in the past when I was using FRAMs I always was changing my oil at 3,000 mile intervals. I switched to the motorcraft filters when I started using Mobil1 as I extended the drail intervals and did not feel comfortable with the FRAMs past 3,000 miles.

I do not use Mobil 1 anymore, but will not switch back to FRAM. Lets face it, for the money, there are so many better choices!!!

Mike

 

How come you don't use Mobil 1 anymore? I was thinking of switching over to it next oil change.

 

There is nothing wrong with Mobil1. In fact it is a great product. For me, I felt that I could get an adequate level of protection from using a high quality group II oil (Havoline) and changing at reasonable intervals at a fraction of the cost.

Oil change with Mobil1 (Motorcraft filter) runs $25.85 plus tax
Oil change with Havoline (Motorcraft filter) runs $8.82 plus tax

That is just a personal decision that i made based on the fact that dino oil has been improved so much over the last few years...

 

You have a good point there. I really want what is best for me and my wife's 97 Ranger XLT, and figured Mobil 1 would be great.
The cost of using Mobil 1 and replacing every 7,500 miles with a Motorcraft filter over 30K miles would cost you about $110. If you use, for example, Pennzoil dino with same filter with 3K intervals, over 30K miles that would cost you actually about $7 less.

I just changed the oil last week at 70,200 miles with Pennzoil 5w-30 dino and Motorcraft filter. I may stay with that, maybe not. Still debating seeing as I have some time to decide, lol.

What's the difference between groups I-IV and such?

 

I remember using a Fram oil filter once on a '80 Mustang. I purchased the car new and it was on the second oil change when i used the Fram. I also noticed that the oil pressure had dropped slightly using the Fram filter. On the next oil change i switched back to Motorcraft and the oil pressure went back up to reading what it was before i used the Fram. I had the same problem with a Fram air filter....it would restrict the flow of air at wide-open-throttle.