Fram Oil Filters = Fail

[I'm BLUE]

Ok,

 

I have an L28 that started "ticking" a few days ago. I thought “no problem, time to pick up a valve cover gasket and adjust valves.” So I adjusted my valves, Cam looks just fine, and MOST of the ticking went away (since they were a bit out of spec ). I thought to myself, time for spark plugs anyways when I perform compression check. So compression is great =:D. I had the hotter burning NGK plugs in my L28. So I changed to cooler burning V-Power NGK plugs. Checked Ignition timing, ticking still there. At this point I was getting a bit worried. I didn't start the car unless I had too. I wen’t and T-off a new oil pressure gauge, and it was a bit lower than normal :blink: I always change my oil about 2,000-3,000 miles on my cars with nothing but either Valvoline or Castrol. (Usually Valvoline dedicated engines , but Valvoline has always kept my engines very very very clean inside after repairs/maintenance.)

 

Here's the key, I changed the Oil one week prior to this "ticking" starting to occur. Oil looks good (clean) and I used 10W-30 Valvoline since it isn't hot enough for me to run 10w-40 yet. This morning I started up the Z to see if the variation was any different. At this point I have a light Tick , and a "Rod-Knock" MY HEART SUNK , and I was sure that this engine was done for until I open up to see what failed/clogged/ or hopefully see the cause after ripping from car :blink: , and even then assess whether it is salvageable or not :-[

 

HERE'S WHERE I WAS A COMPLETE IDIOT ON JUDGEMENT, I HAD A CORRECT FUCKING FRAM FILTER IN MY GARAGE that I found from cleaning out 2 years worth of collection crap, not a lot of money to throw around and I thought "what the hell I'll use this one, and buy a Purolator/Wax/Napa Oil filter(s) for the rest of the car life. (BTW this is the one and only time I have used a FRAM oil filter on this car !)

 

Well Guess what , I put a bucket under the "CRAM" filter , spun that sucker off ( yes filter was full of oil but did not drain back much from head ? WTF ?) , whipped a "NAPA-GOLD" filter (probably made by WIX ) on there ( the oil was draining back from the head/gallery's into the filter so there was no dry start :cool: ) Fired that baby up for one last try and time , GUESS WHAT ? SHE PUUUUUURRRRRRSSSSSS!!!! No Knocks and No Ticks!!! I ran her at idle for about 10-13 minutes, then drove around the block to listen, then to the gas station. NOW in between I switch to the purolator brand , ran it for a minute or so then pull it off , and as I was pulling it off more oil was draining back from the top of the engine ( good sign ) , and same deal with the Napa Gold = win ! The Fram drained about ½ as much flow at most the oil that was draining back from the head through the oil filter stud as the Napa/Purolator Brands. ( there’s your sign , rolleyes: )

 

MY LESSON = I WILL NEVER EVER USE CHEAP FRAM OIL FILTERS ON MY CARS AGAIN! I DTP WILL ONLY BUY/USE/INVENTORY Purolator/Wix/Napa(gold)( never used K&N but might try ) filters for my cars or so help me I will use a toil paper roll wrapped up in a 2 liter bottle before using a FRAM product oil filter ever again !!! I tried the Purolator , and wax straight after and all of them flowed clear as day making my engine puuuuuuurrrrrrr EXCEPT FUCKING CRAM FILTERS :angry: <_< :roll eyes: So if you have them please believe me from my experience , FRAM FILTERS ARE SHIT AND THEY WILL RUIN YOUR ENGINE !!! spend the extra $3-4 and get a quality filter that is a good brand NOT JUST A WELL KNOWN FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT , they will fail on you once you are most dependent on them. An extra $12-$15 a year is absolutely pennies, just get a good oil filter! Believe the hype about Fram ! ( almost cost me my L28 to believe it 100% )

 

Now I just have to worry about a slight timing chain "growl" parts for that will be on order once I get paid Friday: D No biggie ;)

 

Thinking of writing "Farm" to change their name to "SHITZ" it will match in purpose of the filter right? , and the engine it is spun onto once it gets done limiting the oil!

 

Sorry for the length :lol:

[DISLEXICDIME]

Ok,

 

I have an L28 that started "ticking" a few days ago. I thought “no problem, time to pick up a valve cover gasket and adjust valves.” So I adjusted my valves, Cam looks just fine, and MOST of the ticking went away (since they were a bit out of spec ). I thought to myself, time for spark plugs anyways when I perform compression check. So compression is great =:D. I had the hotter burning NGK plugs in my L28. So I changed to cooler burning V-Power NGK plugs. Checked Ignition timing, ticking still there. At this point I was getting a bit worried. I didn't start the car unless I had too. I wen’t and T-off a new oil pressure gauge, and it was a bit lower than normal :blink: I always change my oil about 2,000-3,000 miles on my cars with nothing but either Valvoline or Castrol. (Usually Valvoline dedicated engines , but Valvoline has always kept my engines very very very clean inside after repairs/maintenance.)

 

Here's the key, I changed the Oil one week prior to this "ticking" starting to occur. Oil looks good (clean) and I used 10W-30 Valvoline since it isn't hot enough for me to run 10w-40 yet. This morning I started up the Z to see if the variation was any different. At this point I have a light Tick , and a "Rod-Knock" MY HEART SUNK , and I was sure that this engine was done for until I open up to see what failed/clogged/ or hopefully see the cause after ripping from car :blink: , and even then assess whether it is salvageable or not :-[

 

HERE'S WHERE I WAS A COMPLETE IDIOT ON JUDGEMENT, I HAD A CORRECT FUCKING FRAM FILTER IN MY GARAGE that I found from cleaning out 2 years worth of collection crap, not a lot of money to throw around and I thought "what the hell I'll use this one, and buy a Purolator/Wax/Napa Oil filter(s) for the rest of the car life. (BTW this is the one and only time I have used a FRAM oil filter on this car !)

 

Well Guess what , I put a bucket under the "CRAM" filter , spun that sucker off ( yes filter was full of oil but did not drain back much from head ? WTF ?) , whipped a "NAPA-GOLD" filter (probably made by WIX ) on there ( the oil was draining back from the head/gallery's into the filter so there was no dry start :cool: ) Fired that baby up for one last try and time , GUESS WHAT ? SHE PUUUUUURRRRRRSSSSSS!!!! No Knocks and No Ticks!!! I ran her at idle for about 10-13 minutes, then drove around the block to listen, then to the gas station. NOW in between I switch to the purolator brand , ran it for a minute or so then pull it off , and as I was pulling it off more oil was draining back from the top of the engine ( good sign ) , and same deal with the Napa Gold = win ! The Fram drained about ½ as much flow at most the oil that was draining back from the head through the oil filter stud as the Napa/Purolator Brands. ( there’s your sign , rolleyes: )

 

MY LESSON = I WILL NEVER EVER USE CHEAP FRAM OIL FILTERS ON MY CARS AGAIN! I DTP WILL ONLY BUY/USE/INVENTORY Purolator/Wix/Napa(gold)( never used K&N but might try ) filters for my cars or so help me I will use a toil paper roll wrapped up in a 2 liter bottle before using a FRAM product oil filter ever again !!! I tried the Purolator , and wax straight after and all of them flowed clear as day making my engine puuuuuuurrrrrrr EXCEPT FUCKING CRAM FILTERS :angry: <_< :roll eyes: So if you have them please believe me from my experience , FRAM FILTERS ARE SHIT AND THEY WILL RUIN YOUR ENGINE !!! spend the extra $3-4 and get a quality filter that is a good brand NOT JUST A WELL KNOWN FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT , they will fail on you once you are most dependent on them. An extra $12-$15 a year is absolutely pennies, just get a good oil filter! Believe the hype about Fram ! ( almost cost me my L28 to believe it 100% )

 

Now I just have to worry about a slight timing chain "growl" parts for that will be on order once I get paid Friday: D No biggie ;)

 

Thinking of writing "Farm" to change their name to "SHITZ" it will match in purpose of the filter right? , and the engine it is spun onto once it gets done limiting the oil!

 

Sorry for the length :lol:

 

haven't you been paying attention we are always telling people not to use those filters .

[sssr20det510]

wix = napa, car quest both made by wix fram = :poop:

[Madness]

Orange cylinder of DEATH!

[datzenmike]

In Canada... Canadian Tire Motomaster brand oil filters are made by Fram. This year they changed and are now made in China. 'Nuff said.

[HRH]

You know why FRAM filters sell so well? They have the best advertising and they're cheap. I've converted so many people over to NAPA (Wix, built to NAPA specs (more paper, GOLD only)) it's not even funny. I know of two engines lost to innards of FRAM filters being sucked through them.

[hang_510]

cut it open and post the pix!

 

 

 

 

ive used K&N on the 4runner, usually mobil 1

[Madness]

on my toyota all i'll use is factory filters. In my eyes the company that produced the engine knows how to make a filter for their engine. I even have a hard time buying fram air filters even though thats all i can find for my yota, or i can get a factory one for 45 bucks.

 

I bought a bosch for my datsun and thats probably what ill use on it every oil change. I used them on my VWs for years and never had an oil issue.

[datsunaholic]

on my toyota all i'll use is factory filters. In my eyes the company that produced the engine knows how to make a filter for their engine.

 

Very few, if any, of the auto manufacturers make their own filters. The dealer ones are just a rebranded (and usually more expensive) filter from one of the major manufacturers. Toyota dealer filters are rebranded Purolators in North America, at least where I've read.

 

 

Frams used to be an OK filter, but they got real cheap. They were OK back when there was a specific Datsun filter, which ended in the early 90s and was superseded by the PH8A "Ford" filter.

 

I generally run either a WIX (NAPA or Carquest branded) or a Purolator (masquerading as a Motorcraft FL1A since I get them by the case).

 

When I was in the Navy we tended to get whatever filters the supply system sent us. They all came in plain brown boxes but the contents could be anything. When we got Baldwins it was great... then we got Frams. You could see the Fram filters flex (bulge) with the oil pressure changes when warming the engines up (these were big, 7" diameter, foot-long spin-on filters). Then one cold morning we split one of the Frams. What a mess. 3 GALLONS of oil in the bilge. The canisters were so much thinner than the other brands it was scary.

 

The biggest issue with the Frams are the really cheap bypass valves (cardboard) and insignificant anti-drainback valves, which cause all that nice cold morning valve clatter.

 

Remember, Pennzoil and Quaker State branded filters are just cheap Frams.

 

Oh, and Nissan "OEM" filters? They're FRAMs too, at least here in the US. Be forewarned.

[I'm BLUE]

haven't you been paying attention we are always telling people not to use those filters .

 

Well in that sense a lot of people told me not to touch the z I bought last summer , and I did so apparently not soooooo well :rofl: :D

 

That's true , but it is soooooooo much different from hearing about it and experiencing it :unsure: , and now I will for sure listen :D , maybe I should just paint the filter black and pre-tend it is a Napa gold :lol:

 

Thanks , and Yes I am scared straight to using quality filters no matter what ( Purolator , Wix , K&N I think are safe , and from what was said above Bosch seems to be in the same pool ! :D ) :cool:

[I'm BLUE]

Very few, if any, of the auto manufacturers make their own filters. The dealer ones are just a rebranded (and usually more expensive) filter from one of the major manufacturers. Toyota dealer filters are rebranded Purolators in North America, at least where I've read.

 

 

Frams used to be an OK filter, but they got real cheap. They were OK back when there was a specific Datsun filter, which ended in the early 90s and was superseded by the PH8A "Ford" filter.

 

I generally run either a WIX (NAPA or Carquest branded) or a Purolator (masquerading as a Motorcraft FL1A since I get them by the case).

 

When I was in the Navy we tended to get whatever filters the supply system sent us. They all came in plain brown boxes but the contents could be anything. When we got Baldwins it was great... then we got Frams. You could see the Fram filters flex (bulge) with the oil pressure changes when warming the engines up (these were big, 7" diameter, foot-long spin-on filters). Then one cold morning we split one of the Frams. What a mess. 3 GALLONS of oil in the bilge. The canisters were so much thinner than the other brands it was scary.

 

The biggest issue with the Frams are the really cheap bypass valves (cardboard) and insignificant anti-drainback valves, which cause all that nice cold morning valve clatter.

 

Remember, Pennzoil and Quaker State branded filters are just cheap Frams.

 

Oh, and Nissan "OEM" filters? They're FRAMs too, at least here in the US. Be forewarned.

 

Good short story , and thanks for the tips :D I am a big fan of Purolator as well ;) That is very interesting on the Nissan "OEM" filters being "Crams" too !

[I'm BLUE]

cut it open and post the pix!

 

 

 

 

ive used K&N on the 4runner, usually mobil 1

 

Actually , I would like to find there corporate headquarters , drive there , throw the filter through the window and then take pics :lol:

 

Mobil 1 I have had no problems with either :)

 

Thanks

[I'm BLUE]

You know why FRAM filters sell so well? They have the best advertising and they're cheap. I've converted so many people over to NAPA (Wix, built to NAPA specs (more paper, GOLD only)) it's not even funny. I know of two engines lost to innards of FRAM filters being sucked through them.

 

Yeah , I think Domestics use the same method :lol: ( more marketing/advertising = less quality control = more shit ! ) I have owned both Chevy/Ford so I can knock on em:rofl:

 

Thankyou for your service of converting us lost DIYselfers to GOOD OIL FILTERS :D I just about went :frantics: when I found that out about the crap oil filter THE HARD WAY

[Skib]

see Radio?

 

 

did we not tell you fram was shit, yet you insisted on buying a whole fuckin case of it :rolleyes:

[I'm BLUE]

see Radio?

 

 

did we not tell you fram was shit, yet you insisted on buying a whole fuckin case of it :rolleyes:

 

Yup ! You hit right on the head Skib :) That's exactly why I wanted to write this giant story at the top to help convince more people Fram = :poop: by my own personal experience too ! Hell even Super-tech filters at Wal-Mart I haven't heard of failing ? WTF ?

 

Radio , if you read this just E-Bay the cursed things ! Take a loss now and you will be wwwwwwaaaaaaaayyyyyyy ahead in the future ! seriously man , this experience scared the shit out of me ( especially with a strong running motor )

[Duke]

I know this has been posted before, but I will do it again.

 

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

 

Very good insight into the build quality of most brands of oil filters.

[banzai510(hainz)]

I was at Schucks getting a Felpro head gasket set 35$ This is a good deal and has alot of gaskets!!!

http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=FEL&MfrPartNumber=HS21178PT3

 

The guy next to me was getting a Fram filter I said Dont get it!!!!!!!! Get a Wix and might even be cheaper!!!!!

 

 

All my Nissan OEM filters are made in Japan and you can feel the difference

 

But on my 521 I run whatever filter I have handy but not Fram

[HRH]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but just in case. When you're getting your quality NAPA/Wix filter, they might try and sell you a 1452. Get a 1515 Ford V8 filter instead.

 

I have personally examined the specs, AND THEY ARE IDENTICAL! Size, micron filtering rating, drainback, etc. The 1452 costs twice as much however. All L motors can fit a 1515, the only one you run into problems on is the Z24, IIRC.

 

Oh, and I saw a meticulously maintained 240Z on craigslist here in Spokane. 80k miles rebuilt everything, just gorgeous. And in one engine bay picture....yup....Fram filter. :(

[OpelWagenGT]

 

 

 

nuff said...

[paradoxx]

I use Bosch filters, I never used FRAM since maybe 8 years ago, when reading, "This product is not for US market" and I said, WTF? I dont really know about bosch, but it seem to work for me.....I cant find those brands you say, maybe purolator, I will try those.

[sssr20det510]

dont know if you can read this

 

[moparvwfreak]

 

Oh, and Nissan "OEM" filters? They're FRAMs too, at least here in the US. Be forewarned.

 

this scares me.... ALOT! maybe thats why my 620 sounds like its dieing. i wonder who makes Motorcraft filters.... my mercury never had an issue with em, and i have a few filters for the 5.0 laying around.

[benzo]

yeah this makes me a bit curious as I do use Fram and for me to date have not noticed any issues but maybe something is going on I can't see. well there is a napa not too far I will go buy some gold filters and try it out and see what happens or if I notice anything. This is a good topic. no one wants to see a motor killed by a 5 dollar part

[I'm BLUE]

yeah this makes me a bit curious as I do use Fram and for me to date have not noticed any issues but maybe something is going on I can't see. well there is a napa not too far I will go buy some gold filters and try it out and see what happens or if I notice anything. This is a good topic. no one wants to see a motor killed by a 5 dollar part

 

convert brother , I was in your shoes ( using Fram a little bit ago on my past cars ) with the same idea too , it only takes one and was restricting flow ( some ) on 1990 ranger too just a bit :blink: <_< :rolleyes: I guess it really is more of a pro-active ( switch before it gives it a chance ) type deal. It's not that I didn't believe the hype about Fram since I am very religious with my oil changes , it was thinking the last one on the shelf (leftover) couldn't hurt then I'll go buy better brand filters :blink: :o :angry: Well this last one about did me in :unsure:

 

Thanks man , and if you don't notice a difference your probably in good hands knowing it won't restrict or collapse on you :lol: Best of Luck to you !

[I'm BLUE]

Hey Ratsun,

 

Thanks to all for the info , ideas and opinions on this as well as luck with types of filters and experiences. I know this has been covered extensively before , but it helps to keep it fresh in the mind for those of us ( like me ) willing to use that last one on the shelf to "use up" inventory. ( Since I used it before it was a very crappy filter , and holy crap I that was a stupid call :lol: :o :huh: ) ( Might as well machine yourself a plate where the oil filter goes to completely block of the oil ! yeah , makes that much sense to use a Fram !!! :mellow: )

 

Appreciated ,

 

DTP

 

P.S ( I think it would have been easier on my car to rip through the gears to top speed ! if anything else at least the damn thing would be getting oil !!! F$ck^ng Fram Filters :angry: )