What brand of Oil Filter do you use?

[Ozsum2]

I use Purolator filters. Stay away from Fram, just cut one open and look at the cardboard end caps and center tube, that was enough for me. Motorocraft are a private label filter, some one else makes them under contract and paints them with the Motorcraft logo.

The other filter mentioned above is Wix, also a good brand. I have not heard to much about the K&N filters but, they are pricey.

Here is a sort of highjack, I hope nobody has invested in a Filter Magnet. Some idiot showed up at my shop trying to sell me on these things, what a joke. He told me that he had put one on his car over 3000 miles ago, and if I wanted I could remove that filter and cut it open to see the results. Well, I agreed to his challange. After cutting open the old oil filter we discovered absolutely no evidence of anything captured by the magnet. So, keep your $60 these things are not worth the money.

But then mags on the drain plug are another issue. To quote Martha, "It's a good thing."

 

[Hack]

I've been using Pure 1

 

[66HertzClone]

But then mags on the drain plug are another issue. To quote Martha, "It's a good thing."

No arguement there, catch the larger items b efore thay could reak havok in the oil pump. It does not take much to jam a pump up and twist the pump drive shaft all up. But, really any particle small enough to pass thru an oil filter is smaller than than the clearance between the bearings and journals.

 

[Ozsum2]

No arguement there, catch the larger items b efore thay could reak havok in the oil pump. It does not take much to jam a pump up and twist the pump drive shaft all up. But, really any particle small enough to pass thru an oil filter is smaller than than the clearance between the bearings and journals.

True. When I change oil, the substance on the magnet is sort of sludge looking micro -metal-grease stuff. But it is metal and that would cause wear.

 

[Swede958]

Motorcraft on mine as well, even use a motorcraft on my dodge (THe FL-300 is the same thread as FL1A and the PH/S16 filters that dodges use).

I also read the minimopar report... one of the reasons I am now personally trying to bring down FRAm one filter at a time at autozone. Everytime I see someone with a Fram and I know the number right off hand it's "'Scuse me, would you mind a little advice about that filter..."

Also, I believe there was an email sent to the guy who did that filter test by someone who worked at Fram.. said the only kind of testing they do is burst test... no flow or anything.

QUICK STORY: Former manager of mine used to manage an o'reillys... hs kid bought a Fram and put it on his 454 he was building up, about an 8K doller motor. He built this all through hs... fired it up the week after graduation. Ran good then died for apparently no reason. Well, apparently the filter material had disentigrated and clogged the pick up, starved the thing for oil.

Oh yeah, filters are just as important as oil.. sure you can run mobil 1 or amsoil and be good on that, but when it picks up crap in the engine with out a good filter to catch it it's just gonna circulate it... = bye bye engine eventually.

Just some parts monkey rantings...
THe Swede

 

[nds03]

wow, ive been usin fram for as long i can remember. ill change it tomorow

 

[MustangMatt1966]

hummm better go check on mine now...........

 

[Ozsum2]

I use FL1-A now, but used Frams for over 20 years with no mechanical breakdown or oil useage.

 

[1320stang]

I too used Fram's because that's what my dad always used and I've never had a problem, but I'm just considering myself lucky and not using them anymore. Running any filter 9k to 12k before changing oil, you're probably bypassing the filter after about 5k-6k and getting unfiltered oil. Cut one apart to see.

In my '92 Mustang GT, I began to use Castrol synthetic (on a by note, if synthetic clothing is made from petroleum products, what is synthetic oil made from? ) and after the first oil change at 3500 (used to change at 3k but decided to go the extra 500 on the synthetic), the oil came out about as clean as it went in. Kinda freaked me out, it even "felt" new. Regular oil after changing sorta feels broke down. So the next oil change I bought a filter (Fram) and a quart of synthetic and replaced the filter only and added the quart to top it off. At 7k from the last full change, I changed the filter and oil and it was only about half as dirty as the normal dino oil was at 3k. I never pushed it beyond the 7k, but that's what I did from then on. Poor college student and all.

 

[Stang_1973]

I remembered we used fram all the time. Not anymore though. We usually get WIX or Motorcraft. Any body ever used Bosch? Any studies on their filters?

Oh and I usuaully go to Oreily's. They have never let me down. Advance screwed me on a rebuilt alternator. Autozone is so understaffed around here. And alot of the employees have been real jerks.

 

[allcarfan]

I have been using Pure1 filters on all of my vehicles since 1997.

 

[Pbum5]

I use Fram HP-1 and the K&N's. They are about the same price and I havent had any problems. I think (hope) the HP are built much better than the stock Frams. I get over 100psi of pressure at speed and no problem with my filters. The nice thing with the K&N's is the bolt at the tip wich can help with removal. $9-10 might be a high price for a filter but it is cheap comapred to the price of a new motor.

 

[The Dan]

I always use K&N and the magnetic drain plug. They cost a little more, but it's cheap insurance.

 

[Sicarius428]

I use K&N too. Supposidly they outflow all the others out there at high rpms which is where you need it the most. Dan has it right. If im going to use 5 dollar a quart oil, an extra 5 bucks on the filter is cheap insurance for me.
Kevin

 

[69 302/351c]

I use the Motorcraft and change the oil and filter every 2000 miles or every 4 months, whichever comes first. An oil and filter change is cheap insurance. I've got 173000 miles on my 302 and the internals still look like a brand new motor.

 

[mdjay]

K&N

 

[Cobain03]

hey guys i was told a purlator was a good one because it has a check value that stops drain back mainley to help my pecking on start up that goes away in less than a min is this true ????

 

[D.Hearne]

that sucks d00d. yeah, advance auto parts is crap. they don't know anything in there. lol i usually go to autozone or o'reilly.

Well, it's just the opposite here, Advance is the best of the three ( auto zone and O'Reilly ar ethe other two) Auto Zone has a bunch of former burger flippers there, same is true for O'Reilly's here. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I use Motorcraft filters on my Fords, Fram on the wife's Toyota. I'd use Motorcraft there too, but they don't make em for a 2001 Prius.

 

[66HertzClone]

hey guys i was told a purlator was a good one because it has a check value that stops drain back mainley to help my pecking on start up that goes away in less than a min is this true ????

I think that valve is required on the filters that fit Ford engines. Easy enough to tell, look at the holes where the oil enters the filter, there should be a flap of some kind on the inside of the filter that covers these holes. That is the anti drain back valve, once the oil gets past that flap it cannot drain back out. This valve serves no function when the engine is running, only works when there is no oil pressure. The big question here should be the quality of this valve. Tests I have seen say that the Fram design was one of the worst.

 

[eric n]

I use K & N. I blew up (came apart at the seams) about 5 generic filters . Since switching to K & N I have had not problems.