• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

what oil filter?

P

PapaPump

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Hines, OR
the last time i did an oil change i used a k&n oil filter. i bought it because of the name. does anyone have a particular favorite and reason for using that one? i know they are not all the same, but i would like to use the best. thanks.
 
Wix brand. Always does well in actual lab tests but not expensive. Makes filters for a number of other companies as well, if I understand correctly.

Sarge
 
Purolator.

Like Wix, rates well in testing and not any more expensive than the others. Available at Pep Boys and Advance Auto.
 
I use Mobil-1 filters first, K&N second and Mopar OEM third in all three of our jeeps. No wix or hastings dealers around here or I would try them too. Did not like the time it took for purolators to build up pressure after an overnite shutdown which to me meant the anti-drainback did not work right on my 98's horizontally mounted filter, could have been a bad one but I never got around to trying it again. I tend to buy filters 6-12 at a time unless it's a new unknown brand that I have not used before, I still have a couple of Frams from my old troopers 4 banger that I never used. It's handy that the 4.0 and 2.5 take the same filter, now if we could just cycle the wifes olds out of the family and replace it with another jeep :D
 
In my experience, K&N is fine, so is Bosch, and so is Wix. I've been using Wix lately because my local parts store carries them and they're inexpensive. A few years ago I tried a number of different filters on my 87, and noticed that these three all seemed to give a little higher oil pressure readings throughout their life. I sawed open a number of filters I had hanging around and found that the K&N and Bosch both had more pleats than generic ones, and were made of stiffer material. The K&N was quite a bit stiffer and looked different from the usual filter paper. The outer case was also much tougher. Whether that adds up to anything I don't know, but K&N is not lying when they say their filters are different. Wix, by the way, is a Dana subsidiary.
 
DDCxj said:
Wix or Napa Gold which are made by wix.

Dean
Click to expand...
I keep forgetting that but our napa store here keeps bankers hours and is useless to me and most other shadetree's that work out of the area. Kinda like the small home supply stores here that bitch about home depot but they close their doors at 5pm anyway and are not open on sundays, go figure....
 
PapaPump said:
the last time i did an oil change i used a k&n oil filter. i bought it because of the name. does anyone have a particular favorite and reason for using that one? i know they are not all the same, but i would like to use the best. thanks.
Click to expand...

After using Fram for over 30 years I changed to a K&N on my XJ 6K miles ago... it has 160K. It made a BIG difference in sustaining constant oil pressure at the high end.

The other significant change I noticed is a major improvment in anti-drainback because I don't get those random dry starts I was getting with the Fram. The valvetrain is enjoying the change... at times I thought it was a stubborn lifter, but it was the Fram filter causing the problem.

Also, I don't know if it's related ... but the rear main seal has recently accelerated in its quest to seep Valvoline on the driveway... its gonna have to move out to the street if it keeps this up.

Keep in mind, the Fram worked fine until a few years ago. I'm still using a Fram HP filter on another application... but it's NOT a daily driver. I would try the Fram HP if it was available for the XJ... but its not, so I'll stick with the K&N for now.

Choosing an oil filter is kinda like choosing underwear ... everybody has a personal preference.

Take care.
 
Purolater PureOne ML30001 oversized filter. It's a great filter, and the extra capacity gets me up to 6 qts of oil. More oil + better filter = less breakdown and cooler oil.

YMMV. I'm also a freak who uses synthetic oil in my 4.0 ;)
 
Though I'm a little biased. Amsoil has the number 1 filter. However they do not make a total line for every car and truck on the planet so Amsoil sells Hastings filters. Now they could be biased, but they aren't. They have a comparison of filters and the Amsoil Filter is of course #1, BUT #2 is a MOBIL 1 Filter!, then Hard Driver #3 and then Hastings comes in at #4!. So I would guess that the Mobil 1 filter is a damn good filter if a competetor is willing to tell the world that it's better than the "other one" they recommend.

But then again....
BVD's or Fruit of the Looms?
Y front's or boxers?

Coke or Pepsi?
Miller or Bud?

The world may never know
 
all K&N filters i've looked at have been identical (except for the label, paint color and 1" lug on the end) to the mobil 1 filter for the same application. Something to keep in mind if your store has a significant price difference between K&N and Mobil 1 oil filters.

I currently use Bosch filters and haven't had any problems.
 
cbremer said:
all K&N filters i've looked at have been identical (except for the label, paint color and 1" lug on the end) to the mobil 1 filter for the same application. Something to keep in mind if your store has a significant price difference between K&N and Mobil 1 oil filters.
Click to expand...

Just curious ... did you cut these open to see if they're identical ?

I wouldn't be surprised if there are only a handful of factories that have the manufacturing capability and capacity to make oil filters ... competitively. I also wouldn't be surprised if Mobil and K&N outsourced these functions to a contract manufacturer... could possibly be the same supplier.

But I would be surprised if they're share the same exact design and materials internally... or maybe K&N pays Exxon Mobil royalties for their internal design with a slight exterior change and then re-brands it as a K&N.

The possibilities are endless .. and as far as "price" is concerned, the K&N may enjoy a higher GP than the Mobil brand ... or visa versa. It's all predicated on volume, scale, COGM, distribution rights, brand recognition, etc.


Like the man said: "the world may never know".
 
bchulett said:
Just curious ... did you cut these open to see if they're identical ?
Click to expand...

nope. i don't think the counter monkeys at kragen would have been too happy :) what I could see internally, and even markings on the filter housing(numbers, tool marks, etc.) were the same. i ended up buying the K&N, since it was a little cheaper. i think the prevailing thought that there are only a handful of oil filter manufacturers being sold under all kinds of brand names is most accurate. does anyone know who might make the Bosch filters? the only real reason i have for using Bosch is, it's either Bosch or Fram, and I ain't buying Fram ;) i'd like to buy Wix- they seem to have a good reputation, but as mentioned before, the local NAPA keeps terrible hours.
 
ASAIK the Mobil-1 and K&N are the only two that use synthetic filter material that filters out finer particles than you can with the same paper that the others use. As for that 'nut' on the end of the K&N it's ok on the TJ's 2.5 cause the filter sits almost verticle but on the 4.0 it can be a bitch getting the wrench on and it's really a shocker to drop the wrench on the starter terminal.... I have been using those socket type filter wrenchs and the nut on the K&N also prohibits that. Little things but they all add up.
 
cbremer said:
nope. i don't think the counter monkeys at kragen would have been too happy :) what I could see internally, and even markings on the filter housing(numbers, tool marks, etc.) were the same.
Click to expand...

Well, that's probably a good sign K&N chose Mobil to partner with ... Mobil 1 products appear to have a good reputation.

As far as Fram filters go ... I'll continue to use Fram HP filters where high oil pressures are present. Like in the 60psi - 80psi range. They're changed out so frequent anyway. A HD can is good insurance to prevent blowouts in specific race applications.


But we're talking XJ's so this really doesn't apply ...
 
Personally i prefer the nut on the end of the K&N filter. Its way easier than trying to monkey my giat a$$ hands down in there to get it loose. I just toss a 1" socket on a wrench and go to town. They seem to filter well too.
 
I prefer Wix, but like RichP said, hte bankers hours are a pain to deal with. If you have the HO 4.0L, the stock filter (Fram PH16-sized) can be replaced with one twice the size. Double-check the cross-reference tables at your favorite local parts supply, but here's what I've got so far:
Fram PH8A / TG8A / DG8A
Wix 51515
Purolator PER-1
K+N HP3001

I'm sure of the ones above, but these were included on one of those oil filter study sites. They should be the same size...
AC Delco Duraguard PF2
AC Delco Duraguard PF2L
AMSOIL SDF15
Car And Driver SF-1A
Deutsch D539
Deutsch D545
Hard Driver HD01
Mobil 1 M1-301
Mopar 4105409
Mopar 5281090
Mopar 3549957
Mopar 53020311
Motorcraft FL-1A
NAPA Gold 1515
Pennzoil PZ-1
PowerFlo SL30001
ProLine PPL-30001
Purolator Premium Plus L30001
Purolator Premium Plus L390001
Quaker State Q58A
STP S-01
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
rock it filter
Replies
5
Views
315
Mgtawt
M
T
Oil In AIr Filter/Not Passing CA Smog
2
Replies
22
Views
4K
cruiser54
C
A
1987 4.0 oil pressure problem
Replies
1
Views
1K
RCP Phx
R
O
0331 Strikes Again...?
Replies
11
Views
296
Ol Blue
O
M
The Infamous Oil Filter Adapter
2 3
Replies
46
Views
8K
Bent
Bent
Back
Top