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Thread OP
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What's in a Name ....FRAM FILTERS are JUNK..?
Well, I got corrected big time tonight by my 34 year old, VW Golf owner/driver son.
You see I was under the impression that FRAM filters were on top of their game at making filters for autos and motorcycles. I used to use them faithfully on my GoldWings in the '90's, and continued using them on my autos, but man they are rated as junk junk junk by a large number of reviewers. Remember that ...."pay me now or pay me later" ad that was out years ago .....well apparently since being owned by Allied Signal the quality of these filters has gone down to the junk status. I was shocked to learn this and thought the word should be spread. I was naive to think that a name that once was solid, stayed solid. Oh, one other thing, I was told a few months back that CTC filters in Canada were repackaged Fram filters ....so that would make them junk status too I guess. If your older engine, like my 91 Accord, is giving an increased level of valve train noise at startup it could be corrected to some degree by changing to a better filter that has superior valving that does not allow oil to drain down into the filter after shutdown..! Here's a quote from the web site listed below... Quote ... "Years ago Fram was a quality filter manufacturer. Now their standard filter (the radioactive-orange cans) is one of the worst out there. These filters are manufactured by Allied Signal, Inc. Please do not buy these filters. By boycotting it, we may be able to cause some change. I have personally had one if these filters fail and actually cause engine damage due to bits of paper and glue floating around in the engine. " http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/oil_filter_study/ Bill |
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Thread OP
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..from the motorcycle viewpoint.. |
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I have used Fram exclusivley in my Toyota 4x4 and am up to 400,000 miles????
I would like to see someone that I know to be impartial (like consumer reports) to check out this story....... I mean Like some people pay $ 50 for "Hilfinger" jeans?????That don't make them worth it to me Jim |
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I can't speak for current production, but a few years ago I had a chance to see oil filter tests first-hand and the Frams were second only to VERY expensive German made filters.
Filter media was right up there but the relief valve bypassed on the Fram long before the German one did... Guess I'll have to cut one apart and see if they're still made the same way... |
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Never seen 'em used in motorsport in this country, it's either RYCO or genuine equipment from what I've seen and done (factory or dealer parts sponsorship...yea!! ).
And I've never heard a good word about them, but more than a few bad ones usually along the lines of "if they threaded the box you'd use that instead!" hugh |
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Last edited by Oneson1; Dec 18, 2002 at 03:50 AM.
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I've worked at an auto parts store for fourteen years, and we've carried Fram filters in all 800+ stores. The ONLY failures I've seen has been from people using the Ford filter (PH8A) in Chrysler applications. It fits fine, but for whatever reason I've seen two that expended, but fortunately didn't burst. That is it, and I'm sure if there was even a shred of a reason for some of our customers to blame a failure of any kind on a filter they bought from us, they would sure as the sun rises in the East. If an automobile or other engine manufacturer didn't use a anti-drainback valve in the filter specified for that application from the factory, the Fram won't either. GM didn't bother incorperating one into their standard V8 filters until the early 90's. Fortunately the new #, the PH5 is backward-compatible; I use it on my '70 Chevelle(will replace PH30 and PH13). Ford also revised it's V8/V10 filter in the early 90's as well(PH2), but as always seems to be the case with Ford, it isn't interchangable with older applications. Along the same lines, GM uses a cartridge style fuel filter in most of their carbureted applications from the late 60's on up. For the first four or five years they didn't have an anti-drainback valve in them, but from about '71-on, they did. The anti-drainback valve was put in place to keep fuel in the carb in the event of a roll-over accident, from what I've been told. The old and 'new' design are completely interchangable. But because the manufacturer didn't call for the later design to be used as a retrofit, Fram maintains the older spec filter so as to be in agreement with the manufacturers specs(for all filter applications). This happens all the time, not just with filters, for a bunch of funny legal reasons I'm sure. The bottom line is, you can bet that most parts made by well-known manufacturers are at least as good as the OEM, and in fact many ARE the OEM!
Rick |
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Oh, one last point...don't worry about the leakage past the bypass valve. In reality, the bypass valve built into the filter mount will bypass a fair amount of oil at any given time no matter what you do with your choice in a filter. It's been a while, but I think only about half the oil is going through the oil filter anyway...
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Thread OP
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..another interesting review of filters from a Honda owners viewpoint......and Yes, the Japanese save the best for themselves..!
(PS. AMSOIL and Mobil 1 are right up there) http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/filters.shtml ..quote from above website....(probably explains why you can get away with "junk filters" if you change them often) "Conclusions Essentially you will have to decide for yourself. How often do you change filters? If you answer is 3k miles or less, some of the cheaper filters are likely more cost effective and probably safe to use (like the Fram or domestic Honda). If the answer is 5k miles or more (say you use synthetic oil), I'd suggest a high-quality filter that should last longer like the Mobil 1, STP/Bosch, or Japanese Honda filter. If you race, flow is as important (if not more) than filtering. The filters shown here with higher total inlet areas, largest cartridge clearances and largest surface area are probably better bets. I would still recommend staying away from filters that use cardboard, simply from the consistently higher pressures in racing. I'd be concerned about the longetivity of the filter (cardboard) under those conditions. Then again, if you race, a higher capacity replaceable-media filter might be a better bet altogether! " .....(no lack of info out there..!) Bill |
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