I figured, with Oil filters being a topic, of much debate, I took time to take pictures of 2 common brands, cut them open, So everyone can come to there own conclussions. I will try to post more. The 2 Brands used are Fram PH8A, and NAPA Gold, made by WIX...

 

Glue Holding Fram element in place

 

 

Old old old news!

 

The old saying... Theres 1 in every crowd would apply here...

This display is as a result of a conversation today

 

The display box (1st picture) was what I noticed. Did you custom cut it? I like how the filter parts are recessed into it.

 

This started off as an actual display... It has grown. A couple guys I race with, own a repair shop. When they do repairs, they always offer 3 grades of products. Is it a quik fix, or are you gonna keep the car for 10 more years... You know. So. They/We disect things, test things. I have seen much debate over which filter is best. Infact in the S/D section, a guy used a wix filter, and Ford wont honor a waranty becauseof it... Then, another guy "Thats why I only use Fram"... I question motives sometimes, But figured, not only do I give my recs but want to show how I came to that conclussion...

Basically it is for people, like me, who ask why? Now they can see why.

 

Hi there:
It's probably good to cut apart filters periodically because they do make running changes in design or manufacture. I really like your display box.

Ed White's filter site has a ton of photos of oil filter guts (click on the filter names in the right hand column). Some of the info here is probably getting a bit dated, but it's a great starting point. Your photo of the glue on the Fram end cap, though a bit out of focus, is clearer than what's on Ed White's site, and scary.

http://home.mindspring.com/~cewhite3nc/index.html

Fram filters scare me...

George

 

Wix has picked up on this. The local marine supply store has a Wix filter display showing a cutaway Fram and Wix filter.

The thing that has changed significantly since Ed White did his study is that Champion Labs went to a completely different design with a plastic core.

Jim

 

Who is Ed White? and How long ago did the study take place?

The reason for these questions are, this is a current display, and as things change, or new designs that effect us happen, we also check them.

I have seen plastic, inside filters, when I have looked in them, and to me that is a definate no no. Plastic becomes brittle when it is repeatidly subjected to extreme heat, and cooled... The catastrophic failure that could come from, a peice of plastic, that has broken away from the structure, as a result of it becomeing brittle, and then getting lodged in an engine oil passage would be horrible...

I also cut a Hastings filter open, (theres and old name), and its insides looked like the wix, or NAPA gold brand.

This is not my personal prefference as for what brand of filters I choose. My self, I use Mobil 1 filters. SO I am not selling or trying to sell filters, but offering info, and pictures... My second or third choice is NAPA gold, with the NAPA brand, "GOLD" is the key, then Hastings.

 

Hi again...

Not sure who Ed White is or how old his study is, but it is (was) fairly comprehensive and was the first page I found on the Internet showing oil filter guts. (Only reason I remember the name is that I have a friend with the same name, and a Google search on Ed White oil filter will get to his page.)

Per his study, Mobil 1 filters are the same as K&N and Bosch in construction, certainly with minor diffs, and are likely Champion Labs filters. Here's another study as well, this one for Mopar apps, and updated through 2008--showing that Champ labs is the source of Mobil 1 and K&N:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html

Please note that I am delighted to have you post your findings as well; I know how OEM's change their suppliers often, sometimes to save a few cents. Hard to tell the players without a program, for sure. And I also dislike the idea of plastic in oil filters... It appears that Mobil 1 or K&N filters do not use a plastic core like the other newer Champ Labs filters.

My preference for my Ford van is Motorcraft 820s, due to the bypass valve design. It is different from other Purolator-made filters, despite being made by Purolator. But I have a Bosch on it right now (free when I bought some oil) and I have a Pure One in the garage for the next oil change (also free when I bought some oil).

George

 

Mobile 1, and WIX are both made by DANA corp... Here is where it gets tricky. Most Auto parts MFG have learned, that they cannot survive on simply offering a better filter. So they were loosing market share, from the cheaper products, because people buy price most of all, while a few buy quality. Oil while being the life blood of an engine, and filters, are only in an engine for between 3 and 5000 miles. Dana and other corps recognized this, bought out the cheaper companies, to make filters, and be cost effective. Holley corp did this to a few years ago, buying Lanaticams, which was once a great company, with many Union machinists, now all thos machinists are gone, and kids are mfg the cams.

My point is DANA has 2 or 3 different lines, or product grades. SO Duecths or however you spell it, STP, bosch. are also made by DANA but at a lessor quality level... Bosch, while a once great company ( German) is one that sucumbed to there competition, and is now a TwilightZOne type quality, or lack of quality product. But the owner is riding the wave, however it is shwrinking, of a name. Years ago Bosch could only be bought at foreign exclusive stores, Audi, BMW, Volkswagon,prosche ect...

 

Right you are. Its tricky. Mann and Mahle were the OEM filter suppliers to German car companies. Bosch was not even in the filter business, just ignitions and fuel injection. They invented both. Bosch has grown by aquisition into a full-line auto parts business.

Purolator, inventor of the oil filter, has had many owners. The last one was Arvin Meritor, a spinoff from Rockwell, my former employer. Currently it is 50/50 owned by, you guessed it, Bosch and Mann. That is why current Bosch oil filters are constructed just like Purolator, because they are.

Jim