i have been doing some research on oil filter since i bought over 100 hydraulic filter(long story) and found that fram filter aren't what i thought they where
so what is the best filter? i have looked at amsoil and they look good but they say to only use with synthetic oil true?
and can i switch to synthetic oil ?
i have 125k on it and dont know what it has went through in its other life since ive only had it for a year and been driving it only a 1/2 year.(tranny/rearend)
and if i go synthetic what weight is good?
thanks

 

With 100k on the clock 10w-30 would be fine.

I personally use 5w-30 motorcraft semi-synthetic and pure-o-later pure one filters on all my engines (even the mower). But the ranger only has 19k miles on it so I'm staying with the 5w weights for now.

Rich

 

For filters I use the Motorcraft filters with Mobil1 Full Synthetic Oil. Works great for me, never had any problems. Theres a lot of guys on here running the same thing with no problems. I can't remember what weight I use but its probably 10W30. I'd rather use good oil now and pay more then have to replace my engine later.

 

so there shouldn't be any problems switching to synthetic?
will i notice any power gain ? since it more free flowing?
or maybe a semi would be better?

 

i read a bunch of info on oil.. for my mustang, my quad and dirtbikes and ofcorse my truck. and i found out one thing.... synthetics are wayy better BUT the biggest advantage is in cold climates for cold morning startup when dyno oil is very thick. especially when not using a block heater. other then that as far as my personal opinion is concerned.. change the oil when it needs to be changed, if it happneds to be 1000 miles cause it was a hott summer and you towed your 45' toyhauller with yuor ranger then change it at 1k. because untill the oil breaks down they all act very similar besides the cold startup thing..

and yes synthetic oil was made to be compatable with dyno oil. and no its not so slippery that you will have more leaks..

now filters i have no idea..

i use a fram on my mustang and cheap on sale dyno oil for like $1 a qt. two things that are "really bad" right. well ive had the motor appart theres no sludge, no buildup, no gum,no junk, no dirt and my fram has never exploded.. and this engine is 400+hp 6500rpm small block stroker BUT the oil is changed under 2k miles everytime

JOSH

 

I love Amsoil. Yes you can use it anytime on your vehicle. About the only cocern I would have with it is if your engines uses and/or burns oil already. I would think that you would use it faster cause of it's free flowing ability. I never used syn in a bad motor but it would be a waste to use syn that way.
You should be able to do a search on the net, Google or Ask and come up with posts about oil filters. Years ago we had a couple of guys cut oil filters open and there is a a BIG difference with different makes and prices. NAPA Gold is a good filter made by Wix and of course Wix filters are good. I have used both K&N and Amsoil filters and have been pleased by them. When Fram filters are cut open there is a lot less filter material than other filters. This would mean they would go bad faster or be replaced sooner.

As far as the guy changing oil every 2K, what a waste of money and resources. Do Arabs make your car payments?

 

I like the Valvoline Durablend, which is a blend of synthetic and normal oil. For filters it is either the Fram Tough Guards or a K&N. K&N are expensive though.

 

it dosent burn oil
and i have aloways used valvoline oil and liked it i am using maxlife
ill try the valvoline blend since i have used the gear oil blend in my rear and it seams to help the temps and it says it helps on cold starts
so whats a good conventional oil filter?

 

Cut open any Fram filter and I guarentee that you wont ever use one. I use Wix filters...because I know how they are built, not how good their advertisment is.

 

Wix has NEVER failed me. Right now I'm running Quaker State 5W-30 in my '97 4.0L since I got it and '99 3.0L 2WD for the last 5 years and haven't had any issues. I tried the Castrol High Mileage stuff on the '99 a few oil changes and it didn't seem to make a difference, although it only had around 80K at the time

 

I had one split open on me on my F150 4.9L 6 years ago. To this day I've never even given Fram 2nd thoughts. They might have improved since then but I'm not taking that chance. I've used a Fl400-S filter on my Ranger since day 1, there well built filters and give you good bang for the buck.

Amsoil is great stuff, my Ranger isn't worth it IMO so I can't tell you from a vehicle standpoint. I however use Amsoil in my bike throughout. Just did the 10K mile service on it and I'm not kidding you when I say the old Amsoil came out exactly as it did when I poured the new stuff in. I do notice smoother shifting in the tranny, and I use maybe 3/4 quart for topoff throughout the riding season in about 6000 miles of saddletime.

As long as your not burning oil, leaking etc... your fine to switch to Amsoil. -Mike-

 

I use mobile 1 oil and the mobile 1 filters.

 

I use the NAPA Gold 1515 oil filter and a 15-50 oil for the last 7 years (65,000mil) and never had a problem yet. Actually when i changed from what ford uses to my 15-50, my truck ran smoother and cooler than the 5W-30 Motorcraft. I Change my oil every 5000 miles, at 3000 the oil is still very clear and gold, and when changing the oil, it come out a real dark gold (but clear)and feels like new oil. One clean motor with 103,000 miles.

 

What brand/grade of 15-50 do you use?

Rich

 

Mystic JT-8 15-50

 

I've never had a problem with the Frams. I've been using them for 15yrs on all my vehicles and never had 1 split. People have different experiences with them so take everything you here about Fram with a grain of salt. In the end you have to do what's best for you. I would recommend the K&N filter though. It's $10 but you don't have to replace it every oil change, even though I do. My oil only gets changed about twice a year with the mileage I put on it so it's not to bad.

 

^^^ Just because you never had any issues with Fram doesn't mean they aren't junk. There are other filters out there that are comparatively priced so there isn't any need to run them IMO. I personally don't want cardboard in my oil filter, and thats what fram uses...

 

Couldnt of said it any better myself...

 

I just changed my oil.
5W-30 Quaker State Q Full Synthetic For Advanced Engines, and a Full Synthetic Fram filter (the only one they had left at the local Canadian Tire).

My dad and I ran Q-State oil in his 79 Monte Carlo and it has over 400k on a 283 V8.

 

Never herd of a synthetic filter, and im the manager of an auto parts store.

 

How are the K&N oil filters?

 

10 + bucks and filter really well. They are meant for racing applications. They have a crazy burst strength of 550 psi, and a 1 inch nut on the bottom for easy install.



Motorcraft FL1A (made by purolater)

Mobil 1 extended life oil

 

thats only in the mustang, its driven very hard and the oil is done by then. the ranger gets a normal 5k service. and i tryed mobil one just to see if i could extend the services but it burned up in not much more time then the dyno so no reason to give the arabs more money.. right?

and also the mustang only gets like 2k miles a year so its time fora service anyway

JOSH

 

Synthetic media, instead of paper

 

If I were going to switch to synthetic oil at 125k, I'd do an Auto Rx treatment first.