car oil and filter

[nightvision]

Hi all,
I'm changing oil and oil filter on my car this weekend and was wonder what is the best oil brand out there and what oil filter are good. Is it worth it to spend a little more and get the double guard oil filter. I have been using Penzoil and Fram/Purolator filters. Thanks.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: car oil and filter

No Fram's, Napa filters are good for the money. What kind of a car, are we talking about?

 

[jeeperman]

Re: car oil and filter

Wix filter and Castrol oil.

 

[nightvision]

Re: car oil and filter

I have a 2000 Nissan Frontier that I use for towing. Just curious to know what oil brand and oil filters you motorheads prefer. Thanks.

 

[JB]

Re: car oil and filter

I have used nothing but Mobil 1 for about 20 years. Mercedes requires full synthetic and recommends Mobil 1.

Fram, I think, makes the oil filters they use.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: car oil and filter

Fram is the worst filter you can buy. Purolator's are good, and their "Pure 1" filter is very good. Oil brands are like chevy vs ford, everybody says theirs is the best. Any name brand will do you fine, they're all really about the same these days. Synthetic is of course better, if you want to go that route.

 

[ndemge]

Re: car oil and filter

Is LD still around?

---havn't been around myself much lately---

 

[bucky7680]

Re: car oil and filter

The brands I use are "Cheap" and "Onsale" in my gas vehicles and I have yet to get less than 200,000 on any motor. My 1993 Ford ranger 3.0L has 275,000 on it now and runs like a top. I'll get a new one at 300,000 The trick is to change the oil regularly every 3,000 miles.

Now, my 7.3L Ford gets nothing but Delo oil and motorcraft filters. 170,000 and dosen't use a drop of oil.

 

[JB]

Re: car oil and filter

Oil filters are like Ford vs. Chebby. Everybody says theirs is the best and the others are no good. Purolator is no better than Fram. The best oil filter I ever used used rolls of toilet paper as a filter element. I changed every 5,000 in those days and the oil invariably looked clean as when put in the engine. It was chemically contaminated, but zero particulates.

My MLs average 12-15000 miles before the 'puter says to change oil and filter. The reason they require synthetic is that the 'puter monitors electrical conductivity, among other parameters, to determine when it needs changing. Petro oil would screw up the readings. My almost exclusively highway mileage with the oil at full operating temp contributes to the long mileage between changes.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: car oil and filter

Oil filters are like Ford vs. Chebby. Everybody says theirs is the best and the others are no good. Purolator is no better than Fram.

Not really. There is considerable evidence to prove Fram's suck like a black hole. Internal parts are made of cardboard where others are steel. They can rupture and allow unfiltered oil to circulate. Cut one open and compare, the difference and lack of quality is obvious. In the Chevy vs Ford argument, Frams are a used Daewoo.

 

[QC]

Re: car oil and filter

There is considerable evidence to prove Fram's suck like a black hole. Internal parts are made of cardboard where others are steel. They can rupture and allow unfiltered oil to circulate. Cut one open and compare, the difference and lack of quality is obvious. In the Chevy vs Ford argument, Frams are a used Daewoo.

Totally agree. I used to cut filters open at customer sites to try and get them to use CAT branded stuff. When I saw a Fram I knew I was gonna make a sale. Only thing worse is Hastings. Donaldson made them for CAT then and even the Donaldson branded replacement was seriously inferior. For that reason I still usually buy OEM. They're the only ones who care. Why would Fram care if your filter fails internally? You'd never know . . .

 

[Scaaty]

Re: car oil and filter

Astro with 170,000 and nothing but Fram cheapy's..burns zip, runs fine. AND I stuck one up in my lathe and cut it open....posted pix a long time ago...looked fine..but do what you must (like fall prey to the power of advertising.)

 

[Bindernut]

Re: car oil and filter

Another strike against Fram from me...
I used to run em, but came across a bad batch one time about a dozen years ago where the spin-on threads were bad. It would spin on real easy and then tighten up...felt like the gasket was touching, but it was incomplete threading. As soon as I fired up the fresh-rebuilt engine, all the oil came shooting out and onto my shop floor. Tried the other two filters I bought that day and they were the same. Threads not cut all the way in so the gasket could seat. I wrote to em and they did good by sending me a healthy envelope of coupons for more filters but I never used em. Been running Purolator and Motorcraft filters ever since...with the occasional Walmart cheapie every so often. And most of all, I check that the gasket is seated every time.
I will use Fram air filters though...hasn't been an problems with them for me.

Oil...I grew up with everything on the farm running Quaker State, but most of my vehicles now run Cenex/HarvestStates Superlube 518 high-detergent ("diesel") oil now. That along with 2000-3000 mile oil changes keeps my engines nice and clean inside.

Everybody will have their personal favorites...and most of the time there won't be any difference between one brand or another. As others have mentioned, the big thing is keep a regular maintenance schedule.

To nightvision's question on the Frontier. I'm guessing you've got a V6 in your Fronty, so this really isn't as crucial as if you'd have a 4-cyl. But if you've got a KA24E four-banger, use nothing except the factory Nissan oil filter. It's the only one that has a good anti-drainback valve to keep some oil near the hydraulic timing chain adjuster. That chain will rattle like hell until the oil makes a circuit through the motor to pump up the tensioner. Really hard on the chain, guides, and where the chain slaps the timing cover. If ya let it go too long, it will chew through the timing cover into one of the coolant passages! I've had two D21 trucks and learned this the hard way on the first. The V6s are timing belt engines and don't have this problem.

 

[QC]

Re: car oil and filter

Another strike against Fram from me...
I used to run em, but came across a bad batch one time

My experience cutting open filters for years, is that there is a definite inconsistency to the quality and even style of Frams. It's almost like they pick-up filter "lots" on eBay and repaint them . . . (OK, there was no eBay when I was cutting them open, so, maybe the Goodwill)

I also agree with Scaaty in that you could go for years and never have an issue, possible even with never changing a filter Advertising is a big deal too as he says, but again, the only one who cares is the OEM. Maybe a rip off, but maybe not . . . hmmmmmmmm.

 

[tommays]

Re: car oil and filter

i allways find it amazing that fram is THE only company to ever produce a defective oil filter



When there is so much clear proof that all other filters are ALLWAYS perfect and better



When in fact there are only a few companys makeing everybodys filters


Tommays

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: car oil and filter

Could it be possible, that the other oil filter which is so perfect, may have also been manufactured by Fram?

 

[ZmOz]

Re: car oil and filter

i allways find it amazing that fram is THE only company to ever produce a defective oil filter

Like I said, cut one open and you'll see exactly why they fail so often. Fram cuts corners and has lower quality control than other filter manufacturers. It's not something subjective like oil, the evidence is very easy to see.

 

[Solittle]

Re: car oil and filter

I picked up 2-3 mpg after switching to Mobil-1.

 

[bucky7680]

Re: car oil and filter

This guy has a passion for finding out what's in an oil filter.



[http:/minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html]

 

[bucky7680]

Re: car oil and filter

I don't seem to be able to get this link to work.
[minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html]

Just Google "minimopar" and click on oil filter study.