Fram Oil Filter

[jimsky]

I know I've read about of Opel owners using Fram oil filters, I have myself. Well while looking for oil filter "ratings" for my motorcycle, I came across the following link. This guy bought a bunch of oil filters from several different manufacturers, cut them open and evaluated the materials used and construction methods. The link below shows the report on the Fram oil filter, not very good. There are links provided to other oil filters tested on this page. Check out the K&N oil filter for comparison sake. Just looking at the pictures says a world of stuff.

http://www.twocreeks.net/toby/oil_filters/fram.shtml

This evaluation project was done on motorcycle oil filters, I don't know if this corelates to automotive oil filters at all, but it does get one thinking. I did cut open a motorcycle Fram oil filter I had, looked just like the picture in the report. I'm not using Fram oil filters on my motorcycle anymore.

Has anyone out there ever done a similar comparison themselves of automotive oil filters? Inquiring minds want to know.

[greensmurf20]

i seen 3 cut opens in autozone, worst was some generic one, fram seemed to be OK, and puralator had the most internal "paper filters" or whatever you would call the paper filaments inside.................

[GT-Freak]

I've read several filter studies. Fram is pretty bad. Most of the studies are done by import people (mostly Honda), followed by Mopar. With these cars the correct oil filter is critical. I've known several Honda owners who have problems with Frams. Some had their crankcase foam up. Most switched to STP (damn good for the money) or back to factory filters. I've had problems on Mopars with maintaining correct oil pressure, even on a Jeep. On my Opel I use Purolator. I can get easily.

[jlthunder]

I have had good luck with Fram oil filters. I ran my 87 chevy S-10 4 cyl up to 200,000 miles using Frams. I changed the oil every 6,000 miles up to 100,000 and then every 5,000 miles after that. The rocker arms still looked new at 200,000.

The only problem I ever had is when I bought one for my wife's Honda Accord and the Fram was smaller than the factory filter. I didn't use it and use a new factory filter.

[namba209]

One thing to consider on filters, make sure to get the filter for the car/engine. Some of the filters for newer cars have the bypass relief valve in the filter housing and as a consequence the filters do not have a bypass valve in them. I saw this first hand on the display at my local Auto-Zone. All my wheels, except the 1.9 Opel engine use Frams, all with over 150,000 on the odometer. I blew the seals on two Frams on the Opel, so I used Purolators on the Opel engine.

Ron

[GT-Freak]

The problem with the Hondas and Mopars is the bypass relief valve used in the Fram filter is designed is poorly. I used the correct part number in my Jeep. Some worked OK, some didn't. So I changed brands. This is when I researched oil filters.

Another problem is HV oil pumps. Some cars with HV or HP pumps will rupture a standard Fram filter. The Ford 351C really complain about it. (Modified Boss 302/351C will turn over 7000 rpm.)

I've had Toyotas and Chevys use Fram filters for 200,000 miles. Their oiling systems differ from many Hondas, Mopars, and Fords.

[Old Hippie]

According to some professional mech friends of mine, the trouble with the Frams is that they lower oil pressure with their filtering process. Not good if your motor has a low pressure system. I like to spend a extra few bucks for critical systems.

[opelgtman1973]

Just did an oil change with a Fram filter before reading this thread and other posts elsewhere about how Frams aren't so good. I'll probably be changing again at less than 1000 miles since the car was in storage for a few years.

I want to switch to a Purolator. After a couple of bad experiences, I just wanted to double-check the part number: L10028.

Can one of you Purolator users confirm this for me? Thanks

[opelgtman1973]

I think I found the answer myself from a few other posts. It seems the Fram PH966B and the Purolator L10028 are interchangeable from the few posts I could find. That corresponds with what they told me at Kragen, so I'm pretty confident of that.

If I'm wrong, please correct me.

[opelgtman1973]

Just noticed something else from Kragen. They actually have a K&N filter HP1002. I know K&N are tops for air filters, and I'm guessing the oil filters are just as high in quality. I'd love to use one of these, but that nut on the top, which could be a blessing, seems like it will be a curse for a GT. I already have such a small amount of clearance with normal filters, I can't imagine this filter would actually work on a GT. Anyone using K&N for their GT?

[bosco]

I was using Bosch oil filters for my 1.9 but probably won't now that I've read this article.....

http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/filters.shtml

From the earlier posts it looks like Purolator is a good bet.....is the correct number L10028?
Also......will the K&N HP 1002 work?

Any suggestions appreciated.

[Dmcbrass]

There's only one correct way to evaluate oil filters. That is to do a filtration test utilizing ASTM test dust mixed in the actual oil used in your car. In general, automotive filters are poor, they won't hold a candle to hydraulic and lubricating filters used in industry. That being said a high quality industrial filter will cost at least 10 times the cost of a Fram. I doubt that any of us would be willing to pay that kind of price. Cutting filters apart and examining filter media is useless, because how they look doesn't equate to actual performance. Any evaluation of filter quality should generate three numbers, filter efficiency at a given micron size (beta ratio), dirt handling capacity at a given flow rate, and pressure drop across a clean filter at a given flow rate. One of the largest variables in lubricant filtering is the lubricant itself. Some oils filter well while others tend to plug filters. I don't have any recent data on automotive filter testing; however, Mobil did some testing around 15 years ago that found Fram to be the best of the popular filters made at that time. After that study, all of the major filter companies began to introduce better filtration. Isn't competition great!

[namba209]

If my memory hasn't gone too far south the 10028 Purolator is the correct one for the Opel 1.9 engines, but then I haven't changed the filter in over 8+ years when I blew the engine and parked the car. It may behoove you to double check the part number with the filter catalog just to be sure.

[greensmurf20]

i Run a STP filter. seems to work better than the fram, and i wont even try the valuecraft. i plan on trying the K&N next time around, altho its double the price.

[ski-doug]

I've been running the K&N HP1002 on my 2.2 for over a year and it's a daily driver so it's been changed four or five times. I love the filter and the nut on the end is not a problem. Might even come in handy if you get a stuck filter. It is also the same filter that is used on my two toyota trucks so I keep a couple in the garage all the time. My oldest Toyota (250,000 miles) suffered some oil related problems early in it's life so I don't skimp on oil any more.

Only Mobil One and K&N filters. It costs a little more but then again I'm getting tired of pulling the engine and spending two weeks replacing all the shiny parts inside.