Fram oil filters again?

[ZEEEW]

Hello all



Know someone that bought a few Fram filters on sale, is it true that dealers wont warranty the engine if Fram filters are used?

Suggested that compared to the truck, Fleetguards are cheap!

Suggestions and opinions please, again!



This is a 2001 24v, not me



Thanks all!

 

[pwr2tow]

All I know is when My truck was new I changed the oil after a few break miles, went back to the dealer for their 6 week inspection and the first thing the mech noticed when he opened the hood was the fram filter and imediatley replaced it with a mopar filter saying that DC will not honor warranty if engine failure should result. I would imagine Fram would have to cover the expenses but that could be an exciteing time waiting for DC and fram to decide who is going to pay for the engine repairs, if they ever would decide whos at fault.



Just my experience and calculation on what could happen.



Ron

 

[Dieselnerd]

I believe Fram did pay for several new engines a few years back. It was a subject for discussion in the TDR. I think the problem of the metal breaking off in the filter and clogging the piston oil cooling nozzles has probably been fixed by the various filter manufacturers by now but who wants to take a chance?

 

[KPhillips]

I never have cared much fro Fram filters, even in gasoline vehicles,,,I have always used Wix or Amsoil filters, which brings me to my questions... .



I know fleetguard are considered the top 'o the line replacement filters for our trucks... but where do Wix filters stand in the mix?



Like I said, I have always used Wix and like them, and can get them right up the road, how do they compare to the fleetguard if I change my oil every 3k miles.....



I can get the fleetguard by drivin an hour into town or ordering them from Geno's, but if Wix are considered just as good for 3k changes, I will most likely just stick with them... .



Just asking cuz I'm about to do my first oil change on my new (actually used with 55k on it) truck.



thanks,



kerryp

Bastrop, Texas

 

[Idaho Native]

KPhillips,



Check out the article on page 12 of the latest TDR magazine... pretty good information and may answer your Wix question.



Loren

 

[KPhillips]

thanks I will, I just haven't had time to read it yet,,,,,



kerryp

 

[JR2]

Just say NO to Fram oil filters on your Diesel or I guess a better way to say it is ... Friends don't let friends use fram oil filters in there diesels.

 

[rrausch]

You do know what FRAM stands for don't you?

I figured this out myself!

It means if you use this filter you will have F'd up your RAM.



I've seen Fram (gasser) oil filters cut open at the NAPA store, side by side with a cut open NAPA filter and man alive, those FRAMS are built cheap and flimsy.

 

[Mad Max]

Just another bad four letter word in these here parts...



MaX

 

[DaveN]

DO NOT USE FRAM OIL FILTERS!!!!!!!!!

I lost an engine from a Fram filter, it was a buick 455. Granted, I was not easy on the engine, but it definitely was a filter problem. When I gathered the filter and the evidence and sent it to them for review, they had a really great pre printed response letter of how it wasn't their fault that my engine grenaded.



Oil filters are cheap, even if you buy premium filters. I personally use Wix on my gas engines, and Fleetguard on my CTD. I'm not plugging wither of these, but I feel they are of sufficient quality to use.



If you want to find out about oil filter quality for yourself, buy a few different brands, and cut them apart. Most of the quality differences can be seen quite easily. Also if you do a search on oil filter quality comparison, you'll get tons of web pages where people have done this. In most all of them FRAM is not very high on the list.



My two cents..... but it cost me $1500 for a Buick rebuild. So I guess instead of my two cents it's my fifteen hundred dollar opinion. .

 

[Shelby Griggs]

I have seen a couple of Fram induced CTD failures at my local dealer in the past few months. The delaer claims that Fram has been stepping up and taking care of the bill, they are costing about 10K per failure, they said new short block was $7500 + labor, etc.



At 10K a pop, I would think Fram would either figure out the problem or quit offering a filter for the Cummins.



Shelby

 

[SnoKing]

I still do not UNDERSTAND why anyone would use anything else besides a Fleetguard filter on these engines. Call Cummins parts or Geno's and they will UPS them to your door step in a day or two. Order a couple and fuel filters at the same time. Save 3-4 bucks and ruin a 10k engine, some people must be really dumb.



I am maintaining three Cummins, the two in the boat and the truck. Old truck shared the same oil filter with boat. When I drive to Portland I always stop at the Cummins NW in Chehalis, Wa and stock up. Really nice guys, I stopped just the other day and they even had a gasket that I needed for the boat raw water pump. I think it is a standard accessory drive gasket.



Another thing, Cummins NW has a record of every filter and/or part I have ever purchased. I have started keeping oil purchase and filter purchase receipts for warranty backup, as a do it yourselfer. So Cummins NW has records to back it up. I am a Cummins NW Power Booster, so I get a discount on parts and filters. 20 bucks a year the first few years, then they seem to drop the charge. SNOKING

 

[Briar Hopper]

Stay away from Fram ! I wouldn't put a Fram filter on my worst enemy's riding lawnmower.

I've lost two, that's right, two engines from Frams.

Had a '77 Dodge D150 PU I rebuilt from scratch, after buying as a junker for $400. The Fram broke apart, clogged the oil intake tube. It was night, my dash lights didn't work. Being deaf, I couldn't hear the engine. About 30 minutes AFTER the noise started, my brain-dead wife (now ex-wife, thankfully) asks why the engine is making so much noise? Bummer. Luckily, I was able to find a good replacement 318 v-8 for $250. (That was back in 1988)

Two lessons learned. One: You need gauges, or light to see the gauges, AT ALL TIMES !

Two: Don't use Fram filters.

The other engine loss thanks to Fram, is not worth going into detail about in here.

 

[RonaldLarson]

It's official...

Fram filters, and lots of others, are not recomended in our trucks. The silicon/rubber goop used to bind the paper (not metal) comes loose and plugs the piston cooling nozzles. Your dealer should have this info and the official list of the only 12 filters acceptable, for you to copy. The memo is very clear: use a non-approved filter, lose an engine, and you pay for the replacement engine.

This is old and valuable info for those who care about their trucks.

Ron