Why cant I buy......

[rusty ol ranger]

I was just at the Walmart near me had gallon jugs of motorcraft. When i went to buy my weekly quart for the 2.3

Hmm....i cant find it anywhere around here....maybe its regional?

 

[Dirtman]

If your walmart is anything like mine, its probably in the womens underwear department... or with the TV's. If you have 3 hours to waste and wanna have fun just ask an employee to find it. After the 8th or 9th person intentionally sends you down the wrong isle and running off you can start playing hide and seek finding them all and yelling at them.

 

[8thTon]

I use the viscosity recommended by the manufacturer, look at the ratings on the back of the bottle and the price. Brand is just decoration on a jug I'm going to recycle.

Mostly I run everything on WalMart SuperTech full synthetic because it's cheap and caries all the same ratings as everything else.

I'd never put a Fram filter on any engine I liked.

 

[Ranger850]

What's wrong with fram? They're the only ones with grip on the filter. The rest are all slippery even before you get oil everywhere. Never had an issue with Fram. Really curious as to why filters seem to be different from brand to brand? FRAM has to be better than the nameless ones Jiffy Lube overcharge for.

 

[adsm08]

What's wrong with fram? They're the only ones with grip on the filter. The rest are all slippery even before you get oil everywhere. Never had an issue with Fram. Really curious as to why filters seem to be different from brand to brand? FRAM has to be better than the nameless ones Jiffy Lube overcharge for.

Yes, because a textured grip is the most important factor when choosing the thing that filters your oil. If only someone made a tool that made it easy to grab onto and remove a slippery oil filter.

Oil filters really are different from brand to brand. Some have better anti-drain back valves, some have none (not that it matters unless the filter sits upside down or horizontal). The media used isn't always the same, or the same amount. Years ago Fram was literally using cereal boxes. They have improved somewhat, but their filter media is still sub-par.

Fram and K&N are the only two I won't use. Like I've said many times before Almost every engine I've replaced for a lubrication-preventable failure had a Fram filter on it, that's a pattern. K&N has higher flow, which means bigger holes, which means more dirt getting through, great for HIPO engines, not great for a DD.

Most other oil filters are pretty much at least on par with OE. Some, like the Purolator Boss filters clearly have more media in them (hold a Boss in one hand and a Motorcraft in another, you can feel the difference in weight), but that also gives me concerns, because that is probably going to limit flow somewhat.

 

[Dirtman]

I use motorcraft because i can buy a case of them on amazon for about 2 bucks each. If I absolutely have to buy a filter at a store I always went with the fram sure grips. Oil change places generally use un-labeled wix filters which are not bad. When I worked at advance auto as a teenager I was commercial sales and we sold thousands of wixs to every lube place and gas station. They were decent filters, just unlabeled at a discount.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

What's wrong with fram? They're the only ones with grip on the filter. The rest are all slippery even before you get oil everywhere. Never had an issue with Fram. Really curious as to why filters seem to be different from brand to brand? FRAM has to be better than the nameless ones Jiffy Lube overcharge for.

Jeesh you are on a roll today for controversial topics... are spark plugs next?

The base model Fram is all cardboard glued to cardboard inside. For the money they are not a really great option constructionwise.

I ran one in my early Ranger days and when the oil leaking off the ol' 2.8 ran onto that textured stuff it bubbled and got weird.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Lemme ask you guys this....

Would a physically smaller filter starve an engine for oil?

 

[8thTon]

I started having a lot of trouble with the gasket/seals lately - they leak and won't stay tight. The Motorcrafts did it too. I suspect it's some change in the material used for the seals. I switched to Bosh and Mobil1 and have had no more issues with it, but don't like what they cost. If Wix were more readily available I try one of those.

 

[adsm08]

Lemme ask you guys this....

Would a physically smaller filter starve an engine for oil?

It can.

For example, an FL-1-A, an FL-400S, and an FL-910 all share threads and gasket sizes. Each of these filters is able to screw on in place of any of the others, and seal.

The 2.9 calls for the FL-1-A, the 3.0 calls for the FL-400S. These two engines are bascially the same as far as the oiling system, pressures, capacity, flow needs goes. That means that while I wouldn't do it, you could probably get away with putting a 400 in place of a 1A (I'd be more likely to go the other way). I've actually known a guy who helped 4x4 swap an F-150, and something was off, the 1A wouldn't fit onto the SBF anymore, there was an interference issue, so they put a 400 on it, and it worked.

Now the 400 was probably designed as the smallest filter that could support that engine's needs. If you put a 910 on, it probably won't have enough flow.


The 910 did replace the 400 on the 4-cylinders though. I have acutally seen problems caused, and engines damaged, by putting a 400 on a later duratech engine, because they hang too low and can catch on speed bumps.

 

[adsm08]

I started having a lot of trouble with the gasket/seals lately - they leak and won't stay tight. The Motorcrafts did it too. I suspect it's some change in the material used for the seals. I switched to Bosh and Mobil1 and have had no more issues with it, but don't like what they cost. If Wix were more readily available I try one of those.

Napa's brand is relabeled Wix.

The threaded portion of the adapter that the filter goes on is removable. Try tightening it back into the block. I've seen exactly what you describe happen on at least one Vulcan Taurus, and that fixed it. That car was back about once a week for oil leaking from the filter, three guys who didn't know that adapter was it's own piece looked at it before it got to me, I cranked on the filter threads, and it didn't come back until the next oil change.

 

[8thTon]

Napa's brand is relabeled Wix.

The threaded portion of the adapter that the filter goes on is removable. Try tightening it back into the block. I've seen exactly what you describe happen on at least one Vulcan Taurus, and that fixed it. That car was back about once a week for oil leaking from the filter, three guys who didn't know that adapter was it's own piece looked at it before it got to me, I cranked on the filter threads, and it didn't come back until the next oil change.

Thanks - this was on my Duratec V6, as I have not yet changed the Ranger oil (this weekend probably), but I will look for that same situation.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

It can.

For example, an FL-1-A, an FL-400S, and an FL-910 all share threads and gasket sizes. Each of these filters is able to screw on in place of any of the others, and seal.

The 2.9 calls for the FL-1-A, the 3.0 calls for the FL-400S. These two engines are bascially the same as far as the oiling system, pressures, capacity, flow needs goes. That means that while I wouldn't do it, you could probably get away with putting a 400 in place of a 1A (I'd be more likely to go the other way). I've actually known a guy who helped 4x4 swap an F-150, and something was off, the 1A wouldn't fit onto the SBF anymore, there was an interference issue, so they put a 400 on it, and it worked.

Now the 400 was probably designed as the smallest filter that could support that engine's needs. If you put a 910 on, it probably won't have enough flow.


The 910 did replace the 400 on the 4-cylinders though. I have acutally seen problems caused, and engines damaged, by putting a 400 on a later duratech engine, because they hang too low and can catch on speed bumps.

Heres why i ask....

About 2000 miles after i had my 460s oil changed at midas i noticed after id pass someone or acclerate hard, the oil pressure gauge would drop clear to "L" then pop back up, i thought it was just the gauge...

A crank kit later i realized i was wrong.

They put a "tecselect T1" filter on it, which, is also what tireman used on my 2.9, so im assuming thats what crosses a FL1A in there book, i dont worry to much on the 2.9 because it doesnt need (obviously) the flow/volume a 460 does.

The filter was small enough that it would of eaisly slid INSIDE a cut open FL1A, and to this day wonder if thats what did it in....

 

[adsm08]

Heres why i ask....

About 2000 miles after i had my 460s oil changed at midas i noticed after id pass someone or acclerate hard, the oil pressure gauge would drop clear to "L" then pop back up, i thought it was just the gauge...

A crank kit later i realized i was wrong.

They put a "tecselect T1" filter on it, which, is also what tireman used on my 2.9, so im assuming thats what crosses a FL1A in there book, i dont worry to much on the 2.9 because it doesnt need (obviously) the flow/volume a 460 does.

The filter was small enough that it would of eaisly slid INSIDE a cut open FL1A, and to this day wonder if thats what did it in....

It suppose it could have been. I'd think if the filter was the root cause it should have shown up much sooner than 2000 miles.

My dad's 351W did something very similar, except it would dip on take-off and at low RPM, and then come up with engine speed, and then it spun a thrust bearing while we were towing a Jetta.

 

[Ranger850]

The grip comment was sarcasm. The rest was a real question. Thanks for answering in detail and pics.