FILTERS

HI GUYS. I JUST BOUGHT SOME FRAM OIL FILTERS FOR MY 1066 AND 1086 AND MY BROTHER IN LAW TELLS ME I AM CRAZY AND TO GO BUY CASE IH OR FLEETGUARD. ARE FRAM PH 39 THAT INFERIOR OR IS HE JUST BRAINWASHED? THANKS FOR THE HELP.

I.M.O. they are not as cr@ppy as BALDWIN, but are very close.

Fleetguard and or C-IH have a better filtering media inside them and they trap more dirt than the other brands do.

For what it's worth (no more than two cents) - - -

It's been years since I put a Fram on anything so I have no experience for what they are for quality these days. What I can say is that any thread that comes up on filters on these boards, few if any folks have a good thing to say about them.

I like FleetGuards (get them from CaseIH for my tractors and run them on the Cummins in my Ram, too). As for other brands, most threads speak well of Wix, who also make the NAPA branded filters.

Donaldson probably has the best commercial/industrial/ag filters. Fleetguard is up there too, as well as Wix and Baldwin. Fram's automotive line is pretty substandard. Don't really know how their HD line stacks up, but I'd be suspicious. You don't have anything to worry about in a normal OCI (oil change interval) just for one time, so go ahead and use 'em. But based on my experience, I'd recommend going Donaldson, Fleetguard, Wix or Baldwin in that order for next time. I don't know who makes the filters for CaseIH. It might be Donaldson or Baldwin, either of which is good.

To quote Jim Allen: "I don"t know who makes the filters for CaseIH. It might be Donaldson or Baldwin, either of which is good"

In this area, I get my H & M filters from CaseIH, as they are the same price, if not cheaper, than the local parts stores. That way, there are no guesses as to whether they"re good or not.

Fleetguard makes the filters for C-IH.

Strange...I keep hearing about how Fram sells such poor quality filters. I've been running them 20+ years in 8 or so vehicles with zero base engine problems so far.

I have engines with as many as 200k original miles, my newest vehicle (of 4) is at 142k currently.

While I do believe "you get what you pay for" I've gotta believe for lack of any other technical "first pass" or SAE filtration-efficiency test results, that filters of the same price range are putting about the same "stuff" in them.

I've never had a Fram (with a steel case) blowout or fail under the torque I put on them and I like to run them tight. Strangely enough one time I guess I had extra cash in my pocket and a bunch of soap bubbles in my head because I sprang for a high priced K&N oil filter. The threads were so poorly formed I could not get it on the threaded adapter without wrenching it all the way on (which I was not about to do). Being generally teed off I sent the filter back to K&N certified mail to their CEO explaining the problem and also telling them if they were going to make such poor quality parts the least they could do was to also pay for the scrap/disposal. Guess that fixed them 8)

Hello matt: Here is a link to a private study in which Fram is worst... Yes, it's just one test but I think this test has been mentioned here before. But just use Google to find more. The question I use is: Compare the cost of the engine to the cost of filters with much fewer internal failures? No contest? But to each his own. ag
Oil Filter Study

I dunno Ag, I've seen that and the guy does bring up some good points but the study isn't all-consuming and is mostly subjective.

The drainback valve's importance on a tractor isn't particularly clear to me...I know they can cause problems with some engines equipped with hydraulic valve lifters. Also if the drainback leaks somewhat, I'm also not assured that's a strikeout in terms of filtration quality. He mentions this allows dirty oil to flow back into the pan...but my personal thoughts are that the particles are so small that they are deeply entrained. For example...turning an oil filter upside down takes nearly forever to get the least amount out...and it is so heavy compared to a new filter...my thoughts are this is the weight of the entrained oil and not of the contaminants.

I've actually thought about doing the same study for my own information on a different sized filter but currently I'm not flush with the cash to do so.

I do still believe that you get what you pay for...but the Frams haven't proved themselves a disguised grenade yet in my testing. :shock:

I use the C/IH J934430 Ultra MicroLoc on my 97 Dodge/Cummnins. It has 310,000 on it now, and I change the oil & filter on it about every 7,000. The filter is supposed to be used for extended oil change intervals & severe service. I couldn"t find true Fleetguards around here, but found out they make them for C-IH, so just use those. The J934430 is a Fleetguard "Stratapore" painted black. About $11 bucks.

Yep, I use the Sttratopores and change about every 5k on my '03. Don't know how the price compares to what you're paying, but I get mine from Geno's garage, an outfit that caters to Ford and Dodge diesel owners. They have a 4-2-1 package that gives you 4 oil filters, 2 fuel filters and an air filter which will get you through 30k with oil changes at 7,500. I have them throw in a couple of extra oil filters, and I get out of it for about $85 with shipping.

I put very little faith in any of those oil filter or even motor oil comparison studies. I'm not saying that all of those tests are inaccurate, but we need to realize that those tests and studies are not cheap to conduct. Someone, somewhere has to pay for it, and if you dig deep enough, more often than not you will find the side by side testing was sponsored by the company who scored the highest in the results. Take it with a grain of salt.

I use Baldwin (made in the U.S.A) engine oil filters in my old tractors and have never had a failure.