Oil filters?

Supra gets Toyota Filters $5 at the dealer, cant argue with that! BMW gets mann or whatever similar quality german filter.

Wix for me - I found a good local jobber here in Ottawa that sells them cheap.

Over the last 40 years that I have driven I have used a number of different brands including Fram and can remember only one oil filter ever going bad and that was a bad gasket. I change oil at various intervals from 3-7000 miles on my vehicles depending on oil used (Syn. or conventional oil) and vehicle use and every one has or will go over 100K miles. One that I later sold went over 200K and another 170K and both were still running fine. Current DD is at 107K andit runs great! I do try to buy Motorcraft filters for my Ford SVT Contour and Mann for my VW race car if I can get a good price. For my Ford van which I drive very little (About 2500 miles a year) I use Fram or Quaker State brand filters. On the last vehicle I once went 2 1/2 years between oil changes with no ill effects.

Bosch on the Trooper and the (13B powered) Jensenator. Contrary to popular opinion, they are not German made, most of their SKUs are made here in the States by a company called Champion Labs. But you can heft the damn thing and feel the difference between it and, say, a Fram. I used to use Frams but after seeing a few pics of those cut open I dropped them like a hot potato.

The Jensen Healey gets K&N's. Those have the best quality anti drainback valve which is important with 9xx's that don't get driven a lot.

At work, having pulled many a filter from many a box we pretty much stick with MANN filters. The '112 engine' pop in cartridge filter is a particularly good comparison point, the manufacturing quality is evident.

For domestic brand filters (as opposed to domestically produced) I prefer WIX.

I own all GM built cars, they all get Bosch filters except my Camaro, which gets a K+N. That 1" nut on the bottom of the filter makes it easy to get off

neon4891 wrote: In the million or so miles that my father and I have used frams for, never an issue. Including car filters on motorcycles, 7k miles with synthetic, ect.

Whenever there is an oil thread or an oil filter thread started, without exception Mobil 1 oil and Fram filters are mentioned as the brands to avoid. Many stories of blown engines and spun bearings are brought up along with websites showing test results of how bad and how poorly each has performed. I don't know who or what is right but both have been around for years and both must be top selling brands so it's hard to imagine they can be all that bad.

Stay tuned for the inevitable horror stories to follow.

I put whatever on the GTI and I always use a K&N on the Miata. The only reason for the K&N on the Miata is the bolt on the back of it makes it so easy to take of in the tight space.

Hey JM, A Toyota filter for a RN Truck, say a 1986 22R Truck, works on a 9XX motor. That's what I'm using on my 910. It is slightly shorter than the Lotus filter, so you can actually get to the thing. Otherwise, the specs are the same. A lot of Bosch EFI guys use the WIX equivalent filter because there's no room to get to the larger ones. That Toyota filter is also a direct replacement for Harleys.

Usually I've been using Purolator filters on most of my cars. When I got the BMW, though, it seems all I could find were Frams. On the other hand, I'm a bit less worried about using Frams on the BMW - they use a cartridge filter, so the drainback valves and such are not part of the filter element, and with the filter media in plain view, there's fewer places to hide corner-cutting.

Walmart Super Tech.

turboswede wrote: DO NOT USE FRAM! I've witnessed more than one car using a Fram and having issue with oil volume, etc. YMMV of course. Also, many filters are sold under other brand names. http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html <--not definitive, but a good overall idea on differences in construction. When you pick out filter, look for a metal cap and anti-drain back valve at the end of the filter media at the bottom of the filter (look down the mounting hole)

There is nothing wrong with Fram. They may have had problems at one point in the past, but I have never seen or heard of a problem(first hand account) with them. Are you telling me all the parts stores are selling a junk filter that will destroy your engine?

In terms of shear volume, frams outsell every other brand sold at autozone by a large margin. If every brand had the same failure rate there would be more defective fram's because of shear volume.

YaNi wrote: There is nothing wrong with Fram. They may have had problems at one point in the past, but I have never seen or heard of a problem(first hand account) with them. Are you telling me all the parts stores are selling a junk filter that will destroy your engine? In terms of shear volume, frams outsell every other brand sold at autozone by a large margin. If every brand had the same failure rate there would be more defective fram's because of shear volume.

Tell that to the customer who comes in with a ticking noise. Put a new OEM filter on it and the noise goes away. Hmmmmmmmmmm...... NAH can't be because it had a Fram on it can it be?

Fram is not a high volume OEM supplier to anyone. Proof enough for me to believe in never using them. Honeywell is very good at marketing, not so much at manufacturing.

Brian

Funny this thread should come up, for I recently changed the oil and filter on the Protege and used a Fram. For the first time in 6 years of ownership, I heard a "tick, tick, tick" upon start up, after the car sat just overnight.

A WIX goes in this weekend. I've got enough problems with that Mazda as it is, don't need oil starvation on start up.

YaNi wrote:

turboswede wrote: DO NOT USE FRAM! I've witnessed more than one car using a Fram and having issue with oil volume, etc. YMMV of course. Also, many filters are sold under other brand names. http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html <--not definitive, but a good overall idea on differences in construction. When you pick out filter, look for a metal cap and anti-drain back valve at the end of the filter media at the bottom of the filter (look down the mounting hole)

There is nothing wrong with Fram. They may have had problems at one point in the past, but I have never seen or heard of a problem(first hand account) with them. Are you telling me all the parts stores are selling a junk filter that will destroy your engine? In terms of shear volume, frams outsell every other brand sold at autozone by a large margin. If every brand had the same failure rate there would be more defective fram's because of shear volume.

You're actually wrong on this one. There's a service Bulletin from the early 2000's pointing this very problem out from Hyundai. The fram's restricted oil flow to the point of oil starvation.

Add to that, I worked for McQuiks oil change joint that used ONLY Fram filters (painted green). I had one blow out on my personal car 50 ft from the bay. Literally split the case. Add to that the dozens I watched come in with the cardboard filter media loose, soetimes wedged into the holes..... Yeah. Fram has been off my list for a long time.

Another vote for dealer-supplied OEM filters. I spent years mucking around, figuring out who made what, etc. Then I realized, that for most any brand of car, some dealer in town is selling filters for around $5. Why go anywhere else?

Dr. Hess wrote: Hey JM, A Toyota filter for a RN Truck, say a 1986 22R Truck, works on a 9XX motor. That's what I'm using on my 910. It is slightly shorter than the Lotus filter, so you can actually get to the thing. Otherwise, the specs are the same. A lot of Bosch EFI guys use the WIX equivalent filter because there's no room to get to the larger ones. That Toyota filter is also a direct replacement for Harleys.

Didn't know some bikes use screw on filters. Good to know.

About 10 years ago (so this may be outdated) I bought 5 or 6 oil filters and cut them in half. By far Fram was the worst, with the least amount of filter material and at least in the case of the model I bought, no anti drainback valve or bypass valve. They may be better now, but the brands that were good then still are also, so I have no incentive to by Fram filters.

DH, oil filter access on a Jensen Healey is actually pretty good, unlike Colin's brainchild.

I ran WIX filters on it for a while and was happy with them except that after the car sat a couple of weeks (unfortunately too common ) it took about ten seconds for oil pressure to build. I put a K&N on it and it now jumps up within 5 seconds or so. The oil pump is so high above the pan that every little bit helps.

I run Prime Guard on all my cars. We have sold literally THOUSANDS with absolutely no defects. They are a good thickness of metal and have the anti-drainback valve. They also happen to make their Legend oil filter a bit longer than most other companies. Shorter than the NSX filters and longer than the OE.

Anything made by Ford gets Motorcraft. Anything else gets Wix.

In reply to YaNi:

BullE36 M3.

I've had the 3TC in my Corolla balloon two consecutive Fram filters, the media inside then comes loose and does nothing.

I've since used a Bosch and a Wix filter without trouble.

No more Fram garbage for me.

Cut a comparable filter open, then cut open a Fram. See if you'll use a Fram ever again.

Shawn

oem toyota filter for my all trac

thatsnowinnebago wrote:

Dr. Hess wrote: That Toyota filter is also a direct replacement for Harleys.

Didn't know some bikes use screw on filters. Good to know.

On my Father's Nighthawk, the filter is on the front of the block. It took the same filter our old accord. The auto filter was larger so I had to drop the header to get it in and out of there. The smaller bike spec filter fit inbetween the header pipes.

I go for the K&N oil filters simply because they have 1" nut on top that makes it easy for my weakling self with tubby arms to change it in the Miata. :D

Google "Bob is the oil guy" if you want years of reading. Open a used filter (hammer a nail hole in it to drain, then buzz the flange seam on a belt sander) or borrow a filter cutter, either way - just keep all ten fingers attached. It is amazing how crappy the low end filters are !