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What's wrong with Fram oil filters??


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What's wrong with Fram oil filters? I've had 3 and never had a problem with the treads on it! And i've got the EA82 loyale motor!!! So idk? Anyhoo what brands do you think are better?

 

Let me know! Tom..........

 

Crocodial dundee proud owner of:

92 Loyale 4WD wagon

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FRAMs are just junk. Here's a good website for a decent study on oil filters: http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

 

Here's an excerpt:

Fram Extra Guard PH8A

 

This filter cartridge has a small outside diameter with a rather low filter element surface area (193 sqin), and features cardboard end caps that are glued in place. The rubber anti-drainback valve seals the rough metal backplate to the cardboard end cap and easily leaks, causing dirty oil to drain back into the pan. If you have a noisy valve train at startup, this filter is likely the cause. The bypass valves are plastic and are sometimes not molded correctly, which allows them to leak. The backplate has smaller and fewer oil inlet holes, which may restrict flow.

 

The telltale signs for a Fram Extra Guard are: It has 8 small holes for the oil inlet and a thin, cheap looking backplate, and is currently stamped with a "2Y". There are 5 very small crimps holding the gasket in place. If you look into the center hole all the way to the top of the filter, you will see a kind of "button" in the end cap of the cartridge (which looks like it's made of metal from there). This is the plastic bypass valve.

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What's wrong with Fram oil filters? I've had 3 and never had a problem with the treads on it! And i've got the EA82 loyale motor!!! So idk? Anyhoo what brands do you think are better?

 

Let me know! Tom..........

 

Crocodial dundee proud owner of:

92 Loyale 4WD wagon

 

 

Everything ..........

 

i use Purlotor myself, or OE or Wix.

 

nipper

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Frams suck, period. it's not that every single filter will ruin your engine or cause problems...so yes you can run them without experiencing issues, that's not how it works. of course if every one ruined your motor, they wouldn't be in business. it's about poor design and quality. you want filters with 99.9% reliability or 95% reliability..making those numbers up of course. i'll shoot for anything but fram or an aftermarket, repainted fram.

 

actually i use exactly what nipper mentioned...puralators and wix.

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I am a puralator mostly...OEM if I am lucky...I have had problems with Fram...not engine destoying problems but others. Plus sometimes I am not the greatest on the 3K mile rule...and I am not saying 3100 miles..itis 4K-5K...mainly with Bucky cause he leaks and lives on seafoam. I guess I am partial cause even back in the day with my Mustangs Fram was a bad word..but look at the oil conflicts..I run Castrol GTX in Rocky cause he doesnt leak...Bucky is whatever is cheapest cause he does leak..its all personal prefrence ( I just wont ever allow Valvoline in either on my cars)

 

 

See below ....tyhats what I had happen ..not once but twice from Fram

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there was a fram on the parts loyale i bought and the guts of the filter blew into the engine, giving it a really bad knock. frams are junk certainly.

 

^ Fram is the ONLY brand of oil filter that I've regularly heard of coming apart and filling the engine with paper.

 

On various boards, I've probably heard 5-10 stories of Fram filter failures. Zero failures from other brands.

 

I put Wix on my cars. It's a few $$ more per oil change, but engines are a lot more expensive than that.

 

-=Russ=-

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purolator as i recall is whats on subies out of the factory yes? so that would be number one on the list..

 

i use my number 2 on my list of choice filters.. mobil1.. they have come very highly recommended..

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go to napa and get a silver or gold 1361 or 21361 filter for subarus, which is tha same as wix 51361.

 

either way you go you will have the best filter for 3-5 bucks

 

supposedly ford 5.0 filters will fit. i have one on my 78 toyota.

 

once the filter gets old it will reduce oil pressure. run a can of sea foam in your oil (or a quart of ATF) and slap on some cheap filter, then change yourt oil within 100 miles with a good filter.

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I think frams will work if you are in a pinch and need to get a car back on the road... But OEM, WIX, Purolator, KFM, Mobile 1, Bosch and K&N (which is entirely overdone) will work perfectly, In the automotive world, You get what you pay for!

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To answer your question: Cheap paper, cheap glue, and cardboard bypass valves is what's wrong with them.

 

For me it's WIX (napa is the same) or OEM. The fact is that the WIX filter is nearly twice as large as the OEM, and Subaru's interval for filter changes is 15,000 miles (7,500 for oil). The WIX construction is excelent and the added filter area makes me more comfortable with the 15,000 interval.

 

GD

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Ford filters won't fit, they are a 3/4" thread, the Subaru uses an 18mm (I think) thread, might thread on, but won't be secure. Plus, I think the FL1A filter is physically too large to fit there. Might have to double check.

I run Napa filters on my Subarus since they and Wix seem to be the only ones that get more than 1/2 a thread to grab on, plus they are good filters. I run FL1A filters on all my Fords, they have the only approved check valve, and also the only way to keep a 300-6 from having a valve tick on startup.

As a further example of a junk filter, try a Firestone- I think it's a repainted Fram. When I worked there, I had TWO blow apart off Hondas in a single week. They had a recall a few weeks later for those ones and five or six other numbers.

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Hey all, I think i'll go with WIX from now on! Do you think my Fram filter will have a problem before i do my change a 3000?? I always put Moble clean 5000 in her and change it at 3000 or before. Anyhoo can i get a WIX filter at autozone or carquest??? And as for my filter i have the one in the orange box are those as bad as the other fram's?

 

Thanx alot for the help:banana:

 

Tom.......................

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Yes - that's the one.

 

You are doing yourself a diservice by changing the oil and filter at 3,000. That's really too often and is a waste of money and effort at todays oil prices. Some may argue, but Subaru sugests a 7,500 interval for the oil, and 15,000 for the filter.

 

GD

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Yes - that's the one.

 

You are doing yourself a diservice by changing the oil and filter at 3,000. That's really too often and is a waste of money and effort at todays oil prices. Some may argue, but Subaru sugests a 7,500 interval for the oil, and 15,000 for the filter.

 

GD

 

For the record, there is no such thing as too many oil changes. If somone is comfortable at 3000 miles, then thats what they should do.

 

Though considering the year of the car here, i dont know where you get those numbers

 

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_maintenance.html

 

nipper

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OEM Nissan filter number 15208-55Y00 (Made in Japan) most of the time on the 87 Brat, or Purolator PureOne. Recently I ordered 6 Nippon Denso filters (Made in Thailand) from Sparkplugs.com. I still have to use these on the Brat, but one is on my Nissan Altima.

 

I used the Fram PH2825 for the longest time on my 1981 GL (17 k miles to @150 k miles, sold in 2000) without any issues. I have used Fram PH3682 on the Brat a few times earlier on, but dropped using these several years ago, once I started reading about quality issues. I do still use the Fram Toughguard (TG4967) occasionally on our John Deere LX178. Have not had any issues, and the oil stays clean (visually).

 

Had one bad experience with a Fram (do not remember the part number) on our 1991 Legacy wagon (totalled by an 18 wheeler in 1993). Basically, the oil was leaking from the gasket area. I was lucky it was not a drastic leak.

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