Difference between oil filters

[Hunky Dory]

The purpose of an oil filter is to remove contaminates and solids. I have had a 1957 Ford car for years and PH8A is the filter used, so it has been around a lot longer than a lot of people on this post. If this filter was of no use it would have removed from the market 60 years ago. I change my oil frequently on my boats cars and trucks and never had a oil problem. If you use a extra fine filter media it may actually plug up quicker if the engine is dirty. The purpose of oil is to lubricate and cool the internal parts of the engine, the more oil flow the better, so a filter that does not restrict oil volume is better than a higher filtering filter . With the quality of oil we have now, if you check a dirty filter that has been changed on time you will find them fairly clean. Back in the day, some people used toilet paper as an oil filter element. A better quality oil with a good additive package is the answer.

[jmschmidt]

There is a good video on the subject of oil filters quality.

[a64pilot]

Oil “times out” as in calendar time, usually I believe from acid build up, that reduces the TBN, unless your one of the people that don’t want TBN in your oil, you should change it at least yearly, even if it only has 20 or 30 hours on it.
Probably should change it ever 6 months.

The only good thing I have ever seen come from SOAP, which is spectroscopic oil analysis program in big fleets ( US Army) is that the oil is changed not on schedule, but when the oil analysis says it’s has lost TBN, which meant that many if not most of the Army’s trucks oil was changed not very often at all, saving the taxpayer millions of dollars yearly, and possibly better environmentally too, I say possibly because every drop is recycled, but there has to be some impact even if recycled.

But if your the typical sailboat motor that hold 5 qts or less, it’s a good idea to change it at least yearly regardless of the hours.

[a64pilot]

Oil analysis I believe usually triggers an oil change when the TBN number and the TAN number cross, if memory is correct.
TBN = total base number
TAN = total acid number

[Lepke]

The longer filter will clean the oil better. The oil flows thru the filter media slower and catches more dirt. Bypass filters clean much better because the oil moves thru very slowly

On Youtube search "oil filter comparisons". Then you can see the difference. There are several videos by different people. In the videos all the filter cans are cut open. Fram is easily the worst.

[rveldman1]

Originally Posted by cagney

I would not use the Fram filter, except for "get me home" in an emergency.
The reason is that PH8A (see the picture) is a hydraulic filter without a BPV (Bypass Valve) not suitable for engine lubrication.
Without a BPV the engine gets no oil if the filter clogs up.
You can't see a BPV, nor it's setting, from the outside. The only way is to check the documentation.

Thomas

I’m sorry, but I beg to differ with you. The Fram PH8A is definitely an automotive filter, Is equipped with a bypass valve and has a bypass rating of 12.

[NorthCoastJoe]

I have used Fram forever and had no problems.
The old VW air cooled engines had NO filter of any kind, just a screen at the oil pick up tube.
I rebuilt over 100 of these engines, most lasted about 40,000 to 50,000 miles before the main bearings wore to the point that a rod bearing would oil starve and you had a rod rap and no oil pressure fast.
The type 4 VW air cooled engine has a filter and could go over 200,000 before a rebuild.
So even with no filter the engine lived just not as long.

[SoonerSailor]

Looking at the WIX database, and comparing a filter designated for my Volvo D2-55A diesel, and a filter with the exact same mating size/thread that is not listed for this engine, the only difference I could see (other than cost) was bursting strength. This is even within the WIX brand range of filters. I've never heard of a filter bursting, FWIW.

For 10 years and over 100,000 miles, I ran an Isuzu Trooper (gasoline) without ever changing the oil. I did change the Mobil M1 filter every 10,000 miles or so, and topped up the Mobil 1 synthetic oil with a quart or so every 5,000-8,000 miles, and sent oil off for analysis with every filter change. This was not an economizing effort, just an educational one. The oil as tested always had an adequate TBN and low solids count and was never marked as needing replacement. Viscosity did tend to increase, so I would top up with a lighter weight of oil than the original fill. Does this translate to diesel engines? Not directly. Just interesting.

Another interesting story was that of a friend whose uncle never changed oil in his pickup truck, just topped it up as needed. I have no other details, but the truck was running fine past 200,000 miles.

Probably any mass market filter will do fine for recommended change intervals. It might only be for extraordinary or out of the norm conditions where a filter of superior quality or construction will prove its worth.

However, I do change oil and filter in my diesel auxiliary with the best quality parts I can source every season, even if still well under recommended change intervals. Cheap and easy "insurance" if you will, and makes me feel "better".

[Milko Berben]

Please use Donaldson or Fleet guard or the Luber finer is also good

And read the docs on oil from the API and use min CG or Higher CH or CI, 15w/40 is the thickness etc and should usually be alright.

[Exile]

Any opinions yea or nay on Baldwin? Or is this another re-labeled Wix product?

[ALLAN WARD]

Now l am going to throw a spanner in the works.

A filter and that applies to all makes of filters is at it's worse efficiency when it is brand new. Dirt filters dirt, in other words as the dirt cake builds on the media the filter becomes more and more efficient until the point where the media is so tight it won't allow the oil to pass through it.
The same applies to all filtration, air, fuel, water, hydraulic e.t.c.

Therefore if you are changing your oil on low hours or on a regular basis inside the recommended service interval, you should be using the best quality filter you can afford as you are not allowing the media to blind. In the case of an air filter, some of you might have noticed a small visual indicator mounted near the outlet to the engine. As the media plugs with dirt the initial restriction rises to the point when it reaches the manufacturers specification i.e. my Perkins Prima M50 is 25" water guage, then you need to change out the element and replace it. In other words, the media with a reasonable dirt cake built up on it becomes so efficient that it won't even allow air through.

I was a Donaldson distributor for many years in South Africa and l also carried the Fram range ( cheaper ) for the customers that my staff couldn't convince to pay a little extra to buy the higher quality filter to protect their expensive engines. If you equate the cost of an engine overhaul compared to the difference between the Donaldson and the Fram equivalent in price, it is a no-brainer.

Although most marine diesels don't experience harsh conditions such as earthmoving equipment, a quality filter still justifies it's cost. I run synthetic media on my filtration compared to cellulose, higher specification at a lower restriction.

As many of you have mentioned before me, matching the thread size and gasket diameter does not mean you have the right filter. Internally there are valves, some set to dump at certain pressures, others to prevent the filters from draining when the engine is shut-down. These are important features with specific engines, my Perkin's oil filter sits head down so a high quality anti-drain valve is critical.

Lastly, fitting OEM filters does not necessarily mean high quality. Fram in South Africa manufactures many OEM brands off the same production line, same canister, different colour and part number. Vehicle manufacturers make huge margins on parts, why would you want engines running for thousands of hours/miles without experiencing any wear. From a business point of view it doesn't make sense.

My advice would be to find the correct filter of the highest quality you can afford to protect your engine, if possible go the synthetic route with filter and oil.

Sorry about the long speech, but once l got going it was difficult to be brief.

[sailah]

Originally Posted by Exile

Any opinions yea or nay on Baldwin? Or is this another re-labeled Wix product?

Baldwins are good filters.

[Jon Hacking]

Note that Fram sells several versions of this filter. The base model is orange (as pictured) but they also sell higher-quality silver & gold versions. We use the gold & change it every hundred-ish hours, but we also have an adjunct (not full flow) JackMaster oil filter from Oz that uses a roll of toilet paper.

Also, the OP wants to use SAE 40, & folks have been saying 15W40 is OK. I always used to use 15W40 in all my engines, as I thought it was 40 weight oil with some additive to thin it down when it was cold. WRONG! 15W40 oil is 15 weight oil, with additives to thicken it up when it gets hot! Worse, those additives break down with time. So by the time you change your oil, you may only have 15W25 in there. So now I use the best quality 40 weight oil I can find, not a multi-grade. (But I also cruise the tropics, so I don't really need a winter-weight oil)

[Rhwins]

I had an unusual problem on a car that may apply. Does your filter mount over a tube that goes into the filter? A short filter blocked the end of the tube and restricted the flow of oil, so don't rely on the catalog, make sure the filter is long enough to not interfere with the flow of oil.

[hellosailor]

Sooner-
"For 10 years and over 100,000 miles, ...The oil as tested always had an adequate TBN and low solids count and was never marked as needing replacement. Viscosity did tend to increase, ..."
That's actually odd, viscosity usually falls on multiweight oils as they age and break down. Or was yours single vis?

It used to be easy and affordable, anyone could order a ten-pack of oil sample kits from a Shell or Pennzoil commercial distributor for a whole $20 FOR THE 10-PACK! as compared to $20-25 each from Blackstone. Alas, Pennzoil got borged into Quaker(?) and both programs went away in the 80's IIRC.

"...just topped it up as needed. I have no other details, but the truck was running fine past 200,000 miles." That's actually quite common practice. There are some engines, like the old Mercedes diesels, that were intentionally built (or so they claimed) to burn oil rather than have tight rings that wore the cylinders. They'd burn one quart per thousand miles, totally unacceptable and alien to US owners, but if you figure one quart every thousand miles, versus maybe six quarts in the engine...You've done a complete oil change every 6000 miles just by "topping it up"!
I have a friend who used the same logic on a number of old oil-burners. I can't totally disagree with the logic, it IS keeping fresh oil in there.

Documented "burst" failures of oil filters are not uncommon, especially on counterfeits in the auto market. And sometimes, quality control is simply bad and the crimp lets go. But simply using "well, it fits" could be a problem is one filter is designed for low pressure, and another is designed for high pressure, and someone doesn't realize that. The filter makers could put numbers on the boxes, but you know how it is: All those Arabic numbers have pointy corners on them, and you could get hurt. Even worse, it encourages open competition and that drives down profits.
The dean of our engineering school used to teach a course on technology for liberal arts students. He was outright afraid of where things would go, when no one understood how the basic things around them worked. He was right...I just had a major lighting manufacturer trying to tell me my "ten year guaranteed" LED household bulbs were not suitable for use in a ceiling fixture, that I should be using A15 bulbs instead. Uh, no, that's an appliance bulb, or a medium base candelabra bulb, and I think I've changed enough light bulbs to know the difference. ("Grandpa, why would you ever need to CHANGE a light bulb?") But, they all try the FUD routine...people are scared by those pointy Arabic numbers.
I figure, if no one cross-lists an oil filter part number with the OEM one, there's a reason why no reputable brand wants me to just grab something else "that fits". Saving five bucks and risking an engine loss, just isn't my kind of odds.