K&N Oil Filters for our trucks

[jwilliams3]

Someone referred to a previous test TDR did with filters.

As I remember it covered what was inside of each filter and not exactly how much oil it flowed etc.



Cummins ISB's can often exceed and spike over 100psi of oil pressure.

This is what is hard on oil filters, also the B's flow alot of volume to boot.



Fleetgaurd for me. Who knows who makes KN's?

 

[Hermansdiesel]

Once again this forum is the best for all information regarding our Cummins motors. Thanks for all the responses. It looks like I'll be leaning more and more toward the Fleetguard's since just about everyone has pointed me in that direction. I'll play it safe.



Thanks again,

Herman

 

[Buffalo]

Oil Filter Story

I've told this story before but, it bears repeating.

My first Dodge/Cummins is a '91. 5 W-250. Shortly after buying it, I hitched up the trailer and headed to Colo. While driving through Cortez, CO. , I noticed an abundance of Dodge/Cummins (farming, ranching community). So, I stopped at the local Dodge dealer and spoke with the service mgr. I asked him if he had any tips, for a new owner, that would help preserve my new truck.

He asked me to follow him into the garage area where he pointed out 3 trucks parked in the back of the shop. He said ALL 3 were having their engines rebuilt because of faulty oil filters. One had a Fram, another had a Wix & I don't remember what the third had (NAPA, I believe). He said the filter elements were being sucked-out of the filter, into the oil and clogging up the oil journals.

He then told me "this is why it's important to use the Mopar (Fleetguard) filters"

I have never used anything but the Fleetguard brand because of what this man told, & showed me. It left quite an impression, on me. Bet it left MORE of an impression on the owners of those 3 trucks in the back of the shop!



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[KBertetto]

Get the Fleetguard filter maintenance kit from Genos... 4 oils, 2 fuels (an air if you need it). The price is right and obviously top quality, I wouldn't take a chance on anything else.



Bert

 

[Lsfarm]

Why Gamble??

K&N airfilters are pretty bad, certainly not to be used in a dusty environment. There are many threads on this site about owners finding dust dirt and oil on the inside of the intake pipe and turbo blades. Some people have had good luck with them but they certainly are suspect.



I KNOW this thread is about OIL filters, but with the known questionable history of the K&N air filters why gamble on their oil filters?? At least with an air filter you can check and see if it is allowing dirt and dust past the filter media by checking the intake tube and turbo blades.



But who cuts open their oil filters to see how well they held up while in service?? Very few people I'm sure. You will know if the filter hasn't been doing a good job when the engine goes bad. Then you are about $10K in the hole.



Use the very best oil and oil filter on your truck unless you plan on selling it to your worst enemy when you are done abusing the engine.



Fleetguard Stratopore filters and Mobil synthetic in my trucks, tractors, dozer, loader etc. [Fleetguard where available] I even use synthetic in my 4cycle weed-whacker and my standby generator.



Quote from the cheapest tightwad person I have ever known: "The cheapest thing you can put into an engine is the very best oil and filters you can buy. "



Greg L

 

[Hermansdiesel]

I've told this story before but, it bears repeating.

My first Dodge/Cummins is a '91. 5 W-250. Shortly after buying it, I hitched up the trailer and headed to Colo. While driving through Cortez, CO. , I noticed an abundance of Dodge/Cummins (farming, ranching community). So, I stopped at the local Dodge dealer and spoke with the service mgr. I asked him if he had any tips, for a new owner, that would help preserve my new truck.

He asked me to follow him into the garage area where he pointed out 3 trucks parked in the back of the shop. He said ALL 3 were having their engines rebuilt because of faulty oil filters. One had a Fram, another had a Wix & I don't remember what the third had (NAPA, I believe). He said the filter elements were being sucked-out of the filter, into the oil and clogging up the oil journals.

He then told me "this is why it's important to use the Mopar (Fleetguard) filters"

I have never used anything but the Fleetguard brand because of what this man told, & showed me. It left quite an impression, on me. Bet it left MORE of an impression on the owners of those 3 trucks in the back of the shop!



Joe F. (Buffalo)

Joe,



Say no more. This morning I ordered a Fleetguard Statapore from Sheid Diesel. I'll drop the oil and put it in this weekend. Thanks for that story even though you told it 100 times. That was all I needed to hear.



Thanks again,

Herman

 

[Hermansdiesel]

Get the Fleetguard filter maintenance kit from Genos... 4 oils, 2 fuels (an air if you need it). The price is right and obviously top quality, I wouldn't take a chance on anything else.



Bert

Bert,



Thanks for the advice. I actually called Geno's first since I bought my boost/egt gauges from them. They are all out of the Fleetguard Statapore filters. They are backordered. I need this filter now so I rang Sheid Diesel and they had 6 instock.



Thanks,

Herman

 

[gsbrockman]

Find a Freightliner dealer in your area... . they all have access to Fleetguard products. A neighbor and myself split 6 oil filters and 6 fuel filters and we got a nice price break.

Greg

 

[Hermansdiesel]

Find a Freightliner dealer in your area... . they all have access to Fleetguard products. A neighbor and myself slpit 6 oil filters and 6 fuel filters and we got a nice price break.

Greg

Thanks for that advice. I will check around for a Freightliner dealer.



Herman

 

[Glen Pratt]

I've been using them on my truck since day one. 130,000 miles no problems. They had an oil filter article in the TDR a couple years back and the K&N Gold oil filter was rated just behind the Fleetguard filters. I like them because they are so easy to change with the one inch nut on the oil filter case. Then again my truck is out of warranty. I order my K&N oil filters from Diesel Injection Service in Lubbock, TX.

 

[Heavyweight]

K&N Oil filters are just fine. That is what I am going to run, and I will report back in later as to how the engine performs.

 

[Hermansdiesel]

K&N Oil filters are just fine. That is what I am going to run, and I will report back in later as to how the engine performs.

Thanks Heavy, The only reason I brought up K&N is because I used them on my past two trucks a '97 and '01 Ford Diesel. I never once had a problem with the K&N on the Fords and you have to give it to K&N they are the worlds easiest oil filters to change with a 1" nut welded on the bottom of all of their oil Filters, the only company to do this.

For now I've got the Fleetguard, but let me know how your K&N works out.



Herman

 

[Lsfarm]

How will you know??

Having spent many years standing next to an engine stand rebuilding engines, I can tell you that most engines are destroyed by cheap oil and poor oil and air filtration. So I have a question for you: How can you 'report back' how your engine performs in reference to an oil filter???



An oil filter either does it's job, filters the oil without coming apart and letting foreign objects and dirt past the element and into the oil galleries and bearings, or it doesn't. How will you know if it is performing OK?? You WILL know if it burns up a piston from a piston cooler nozzle being plugged!! This is what Fram oil filters are notorious for.



If it is performing 'a little bit bad' it will be like being 'a little bit pregnant' either it is or it isn't.



The nut welded on the end of the canister is a neat trick, but it's what's inside that matters. If the filter is installed right they aren't that difficult to change. Only the original factory installed filter is a real bear to remove.



Good filters and clean oil and air are the cheapest thing we can do for our engines.



Just my experiences and opinion. Greg L

 

[Xtremewheeling]

I just started using K&N oil filters on my 2000, A freind of mine has been running them on his 99 for about 80,000 miles his truck has 230,000 miles on it now. The nut on the bottom makes for easy removal if you can't get a filter wrench on it.

 

[Heavyweight]

lsfarm are you for real? K&N Oil filters work great. Show me the proof of one failing. Otherwise, keep the rhetoric to a minimum. The operative word here is "FAILING"!

 

[PatrickCampbell]

I came up with this one because I came across a pack of 12 K&N Golds for $102 shipped too my door. Not sure if it is worth it. I don't really care about saving $20 over Genos just more curious. I guess it's like they say if it aint broke don't fix it.



For what it is worth, with regard to the pressure statements... .

Heavy-Duty Construction Provides Over 550 PSI Hydrostatic Burst Strength!

The nut makes it nice but (it's funny I always wind up in the 3rd gen forum when I do searches) on the 2nd gens, the oil filter is so much easier to get at than the 3rd gen if I remember correctly... can get if off in a few seconds.

 

[24V-DSL]

Shop around. I paid $7. 05 ea. by the case of 12 from a big truck repair/service shop for Fleetguard LF3894. Personally, I wouldn't use K&N.

 

[Diesel Power]

don't wast you time with the k&n go get a donaldson or fleetguard stratapore or amsoil----all are made by donaldson, the k&n might have alot of burst strength but there paper media sure dosent. thats what counts! :--) :-laf

 

[jwilliams3]

Donaldson makes Fleetguard?

 

[Diesel Power]

the stratapore technology is patented by donaldson, all donaldson endurance filters feature this. and so do there fuel filters----thats why i use them, there good on prices to. it just depends on what you want, the best protection or so-so protection. hope this helps :-laf