Why can't I find the right oil filter??

[Eagle]

The Mini-Mopar oil filter study attempts to tell you who makes what filter. I suspect the list changes, however. I'm pretty certain that whoever makes Mopar filters now isn't the same company that was making them a few years ago.

 

[Sarge]

Fram may have looked poorly in the cut-up study but if any filter is made for a specific vehicle and used on that vehicle and the motor suffers an oil related failure then the filter company is on the line for the results. In other words search all you want you wont find many failures due to bad oil filters correctly fitted to a vehicle. The only real time it would make a difference is most likely if you knew you were someone who knows they should change their oil at 3000, 5000, whatever but always forget and may not change it for 10,000, etc.

Sarge

 

[Matthew Currie]

Fram may have looked poorly in the cut-up study but if any filter is made for a specific vehicle and used on that vehicle and the motor suffers an oil related failure then the filter company is on the line for the results. In other words search all you want you wont find many failures due to bad oil filters correctly fitted to a vehicle. The only real time it would make a difference is most likely if you knew you were someone who knows they should change their oil at 3000, 5000, whatever but always forget and may not change it for 10,000, etc.

Sarge

I'm sure that's true as far as it goes, but that liability doesn't cover the question of long term engine longevity, which seems relevant considering the high mileages that seem routine for XJ's. If you needed new bearings at 175 thousand miles, it would be a bit premature for an XJ, but you'd have a hard time suing a filter manufacturer for it, wouldn't you?

 

[sidriptide]

what about swapping the filter adapter from an HO to a non-HO? i'm tired of having two diffent filters for my XJ's.. i like the 90 deg turn the newer style makes...
mike

 

[Yucca-Man]

Just to throw a little mud into the works, with the HO-style fitting you can use a larger filter as well; instead of the PH16-sized critter you can fit a PH8A on there for a much larger filtered area.

 

[RichP]

The most important thing on the 4.0 filter is the drain back valve. I bought a full case of Mopar filters the same day I picked up my 98XJ as well as a FSM. I then tried Purolator and noticed that my oil light came on every morning when starting, never did that with the mopars, tried K&N and they were fine but I noticed they loosened up by themselves so I stopped using them for a while. Then I found that Kmart carried Mobil-1 fiters so I bought a bunch of them and they worked great till kmart started biting the dust and stopped carrying my model number, went back to K&N and Mopars then an advanced auto store on the way to one of my customers started carrying Mobil-1 so thats what I am back to.
I also run mobil-1 bumper to bumper.

 

[Eagle]

what about swapping the filter adapter from an HO to a non-HO? i'm tired of having two diffent filters for my XJ's.. i like the 90 deg turn the newer style makes...
mike

This can be done, as long as you know that only you will be servicing the vehicle. Even if you go to a dealer and buy the correct filter decal for under the hood, you just know that if you drive it into a quicky lube shop there's a 50% chance they'll try to use the "correct" filter for the year and screw on a metric filter. Won't help to tell the guy at the counter because he'll forget to tell the guys in the bay.

Of course, at the same shop there's also a 50% chance they'd screw on a standard filter even if you still have the metric adapter.

 

[Eagle]

The most important thing on the 4.0 filter is the drain back valve. I bought a full case of Mopar filters the same day I picked up my 98XJ as well as a FSM. I then tried Purolator and noticed that my oil light came on every morning when starting, never did that with the mopars, tried K&N and they were fine but I noticed they loosened up by themselves so I stopped using them for a while. Then I found that Kmart carried Mobil-1 fiters so I bought a bunch of them and they worked great till kmart started biting the dust and stopped carrying my model number, went back to K&N and Mopars then an advanced auto store on the way to one of my customers started carrying Mobil-1 so thats what I am back to.
I also run mobil-1 bumper to bumper.

Purolators have the anti-drainback valve. Frams do not.

 

[Deyman]

What ever happened to AC Delco? I can't find them anywhere anymore! They were pretty good too! Seems like the general consensus is Purolater then? I think the only thing that Fram has going for them is the grippy top

Deyman

 

[sidriptide]

with fram you have to pay like $6 more to get a fancy one with the drainback valve in it.. and K&N has the super-sexy hex head on the top thats much cooler than the "grippy " stuff
mike

 

[Hawaiian Style]

I used to use Frams... :doh: At least they were the better quality X2 series and TG series. I guess they really are JUNK. I read that minimopars article and it sent shivers down my spine.

I guess the most important thing is to change the oil and filter often. I am a little neurotic and change mine every 3 months or 3k whichever comes first and I'm running synthetics. I figure those K&N and other high end filters are for those that don't want to change their oil or fliter often. I went with the Wix because I dump my oil and filter so often and it had the best features and the best price for a short term filter.

 

[MG_43]

Napa gold line filters are made by Wix, the silver line is made by anyones guess.

 

[TiRod]

Ran Frams for a long time. Cheap, and Walmarts are everywhere here. I spun a rod bearing and launched the rest of it out the side of the block on my F150 - didn't notice the low oil pressure until it was squeaking -
So, after the rebuild, about a year later, I notice LOW OIL PRESSURE again. Stop off at the local auto parts to get pieces to hook up a real guage to test the pump. Counterman asks why, I tell him, he asks "What Brand filter you using?" I say "Fram." He says, "change to ANY better grade filter and see what your oil pressure does."
Instant cure.
I've done the metric to US conversion on my XJ and will never run Fram again.
Not just my .02, about $1,300 more - I work at a chain auto store and we sell 'em, so I just bite my tongue.

 

[AJ-MJ]

http://minimopar.net/oilfilterstudy.html
there's bunches of that same test by the same guy on bunches of different webpages, but that seems to be the actual testers page...

Great link!!!!!