Fram Oil Filter


RALPHIE

GT Owner
Mar 1, 2007
7,278
In addition to the Motorcraft and Mann oil filters, one can also get a Fram filter for our GTs.

http://www.framcatalog.com/PartDetail.aspx?b=F&pn=CH8081
 
Not personally big on Fram, Ralphie. I get Mann in gross on eBay
 
Not personally big on Fram, Ralphie. I get Mann in gross on eBay
Me neither.
 
Fram- Pass - NO Way, Never....


Purolator Gold, yes.....
 
Hey Mad, HHGT and GTdrummer, for my edification, could you share with the Forum members WHY you vote thumbs down on the Fram filters?

I am not formally for or against, just interested in your thoughts and personal experience in forming your anti-endorsement...
 
Nice cross reference to other brands.
 
Hey Mad, HHGT and GTdrummer, for my edification, could you share with the Forum members WHY you vote thumbs down on the Fram filters?

I am not formally for or against, just interested in your thoughts and personal experience in forming your anti-endorsement...

In 1984 I bought a Mitsubishi truck. At 20,000 miles the cam seized. Mitsubishi would not cover the repairs under warranty and the Truck needed a new head. The dealer was left with many unhappy customers with similar problems and an observant young dealership mechanic noticed all the damaged trucks were using Fram. The dealer hired an independent engineering company and found out that all the Fram filters that were installed on the disabled similarly engined vehicles had significant oil restriction. Fram was contacted and provided the independent engineering firm's findings. Neither Fram nor Mitsubishi ever stood behind their product and I boycotted both. Weather that was a bad batch or bad design, it left a horrible taste in my mouth.
 
I use BMW part # 11 427 512 300. It is identical to ford filter with same markings.

In 1984 I bought a Mitsubishi truck. At 20,000 miles the cam seized. Mitsubishi would not cover the repairs under warranty and the Truck needed a new head. The dealer was left with many unhappy customers with similar problems and an observant young dealership mechanic noticed all the damaged trucks were using Fram. The dealer hired an independent engineering company and found out that all the Fram filters that were installed on the disabled similarly engined vehicles had significant oil restriction. Fram was contacted and provided the independent engineering firm's findings. Neither Fram nor Mitsubishi ever stood behind their product and I boycotted both. Weather that was a bad batch or bad design, it left a horrible taste in my mouth.

For a fraction of Fords price. BMW part # 11 42 7 512 300
 
In 1984 I bought a Mitsubishi truck. At 20,000 miles the cam seized. Mitsubishi would not cover the repairs under warranty and the Truck needed a new head. The dealer was left with many unhappy customers with similar problems and an observant young dealership mechanic noticed all the damaged trucks were using Fram. The dealer hired an independent engineering company and found out that all the Fram filters that were installed on the disabled similarly engined vehicles had significant oil restriction. Fram was contacted and provided the independent engineering firm's findings. Neither Fram nor Mitsubishi ever stood behind their product and I boycotted both. Weather that was a bad batch or bad design, it left a horrible taste in my mouth.

I have read that some Fram filters have a flakey/leaky drain back valve that can cause low pressure on startup. Not all cars will have the problem. Some cars have the filter mounted at a low point so the valve isn't needed.

I used Mann filters ordered from Germanfilters. Best price and they are the same as OEM less the expensive Ford box.
 
Fram makes at least one good filter for all out racing engines. The HP6.

Great flow and it keeps the rocks out. It has a screen over the bypass valve too.

Not designed for getting your engine to 6 figure mileage. Race or very HP applications only.
 
Quotes from the web site shown below. Many other sites have similar reviews on F:

"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 bonded in place using a thermal adhesive. The rubber anti-drainback valve seals the rough metal backplate to the cardboard end cap. In practice these seem to leak, causing dirty oil to drain back into the pan. If you use this filter and have a noisy valve train at startup, the filter is likely the cause. The bypass valves are plastic and are sometimes not molded correctly, which allows them to leak when they should be closed. The backplate has smaller and fewer oil inlet holes, which may restrict flow.

Fram Tough Guard TG8A

This filter has an improved filter element with more surface area (248 sqin), a heavy silicone anti-drainback valve with a good sealing surface, the same plastic pressure relief valve but with an integral screen to keep out large particles, and enough inlet holes for good flow. In my opinion, the only real drawback to this filter is that it is capped on each end with cardboard instead of metal.

Fram Double Guard DG8A

This was one of the most expensive filters you could buy in 1999. Inside is a basic Fram Extra Guard (PH8A) filter element that has larger diameter holes at the end and has been preoiled. You can see this in the picture above (far left). I assume this is to hold the Teflon particles in the filter element before the unit is installed. Don't put Teflon in your engine. It does not belong there! DuPont does not recommend using their Teflon product in internal combustion engines.

Fram High Mileage HM8A

This is another trendy Fram filter. I don't see the Double Guard around anymore, as the Teflon craze has long gone out of style. The new trend in oil lately are these "high mileage" oils. It seems that Fram didn't want to be left out. This filter is a regular Fram Extra Guard filter with a plastic cartridge suspended inside the inner tube filled with some sort of goo. It is supposed to help those high mileage engines. The goo cartridge is on the clean side of the filter and is blocking the filter outlet. The oil can get around the cartridge, but it has to pass between it and the core tube which is a small gap. I don't know how long it takes for the goo to dissolve and I'd be concerned that it could exit the filter in a big glob. That could cause all kind of problems if an oil passage became blocked by this stuff. Even after the goo dissolves, the plastic cartridge will continue to block the oil flow exiting the filter. This may not be a problem for Fram however, since they employ such small oil inlet holes in the first place.

Leave the lubrication to the oil companies and the filtering to the filter companies. If you want to run a special "high-mileage" oil, buy a high-mileage oil and use goo-free filters instead."

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/reference.html
 
Are you concerned with oil filters make of cardboard and glue?

IMO the OEM filter fits that description. I would not fault Fram filters based on that. I don't see a tons of BMWs failing due to dirty oil.
 
Kinda my thoughts too.

What makes this construction "bad"?