Beware Napa Gold 3402

[Steve Roseman]

I've had a persistant fuel leak but couldn't find it. I checked the fuel return lines, lift pump, and everything I could find on here mentioning fuel leaks. The leak seemed to be getting worse but couldn't spot it with engine idling. I watched the filter as the engine idled and it seemed to pulse with the lift pump. As I reved the motor fuel started coming out by the top seam of the filter. I removed it to find a hairline crack in the housing by the top seam.

Apparantly the pulsing of the lift pump fatigued the metal of the housing until it cracked.

I don't want to flame a product because of one bad experience, I've always had good luck with Napa Gold filters on my gassers, but it's Fleetguard from here out.

Please don't base your decisions on my one experience, I just want to make members aware of the possibility.

 

[illflem]

I left a Fleetguard filter in the solvent tank overnight once, the blue paint came off and it said Wix underneath. Wix makes Napa Gold. I think you just got a bum one.

 

[Steve Roseman]

Bill, you could be right. Like I said, I've never had a problem with the Napa Gold filters before. I will take the filter in to my Napa dealer tomorrow and I know they'll do what they can to make it right.

 

[RonaldLarson]

Not

what I have been told. The Napa gold filter is a Fram, according to my sources. Looking at the Amsoil filter effectiveness chart, the Napa gold is actually rated lower than the Napa silver, and both are at the bottom of the chart. Never the less, to buy for price rather than performance when considering something as critical as fuel or oil filtering is folly. Remember the disclaimer from Dodge on oil filters? Buy the wrong one, buy the replacement engine.

Ron

 

[HiPerf360]

Go to Napa and ask for any gold filter off the shelf, look at the bottom corner of the box and tell me a Napa filter is a Fram.



When I changed the fuel filter in my truck for the first time I used a Napa Gold, pulled it out of the box and compared it to the factory filter... Identical, even the painted number on the bottom side of the filter (about fifteen numbers long) and the molded in Strato-Pore emblem.

 

[Steve Roseman]

Ron, price wasn't an issue when buying the Napa Gold. I have had good luck with them until now and my Napa dealer is second to none as far as service is concerned. I don't think the Napa filter costs much less if any than Fleetguard.

I have seen cutouts of the Napa filters and Fram and the Napas seem to be a much better design.

 

[Cummins Corvette]

The napa gold IS a Wix. Take a look at a Wix book. Now take a look at a Napa gold part number book. The napa numbers are the same as the wix ones, but without the first digit. For example the wix oil filter for our trucks number 51607. The napa gold number is 1607. The same applies to all the napa gold filters. Just look up the wix number, and take the first digit off, and there is the napa gold number. P. S. Yes I do know everything. (just kidding)