eric_in_sd

After reading a post on BobIsTheOilGuy regarding the efficiency of various filters, in which I noted the standout was Fram Ultra, I thought I would give the filter a try. I bought a couple for somewhat cheap on Ebay and went to it.

At first glance they looked promising. Sturdy metal filter backing, and generally solid construction. O-rings are the reddish brown, presumably silicone. So far, so good.The filter fit more easily than the Mann on the center post.

I gave it a thousand miles and pulled the filter to see how it likes its new home. The filter looked like it had been withstanding considerable pressure, as the overall cylinder was slightly caved in. That would indicate it is filtering more thoroughly.

However, that was the end of the good news. Not only had the lower o-ring split, but the filter itself was now loose on the center post. If I installed it mounted, it would be resting at the bottom of the motor receptacle when I removed it.

I tried the second one, and got the exact same results. This time, however, the lower o-ring didn't just split but came apart and had to be fished out from the passage. Presumably that only happened when I removed the filter.

This reminds me of when I tried a Bosch filter only to find the thing had actually come apart inside.

Oh well, $22bux down the tubes and it's back to Mann filters.

P.S. Tried to tell Fram about it and only got a chat bot that thanked me for the feedback after I said "otherwise they are good filters".

Someone said they dissected a newer Fram Ultra and the quality had sunk substantially. Hey, stick with Mann - why go anyplace else.

Max Blast

Don’t use Napa gold either, they collapse.

rapidoxidation

For the price, European filters all the way (Mann, Hengst, etc.). These engines are too expensive to put anything less in them.

eric_in_sd

The problem is, the Fram Ultra looks by all accounts to be "more". Steel wire backing, stronger filtration media. Fram appears to have bungled the execution.

I kept the filters. I might put them in to do an occasional oil polishing. I wouldn't trust them for higher RPM, but maybe just leaving the motor idling for a half an hour or so.

Yup497

I have and continue to use Genuine Mercedes filters. I know they are manufactured by Fram but I've only purchased the filter once using FCP Euros lifetime warranty policy.

lkchris

The thing is, Fram are built for sale at USA auto parts dime stores. Which means they are designed, built, and sold on price. It would be hard to find an auto manufacturer that specifies Fram as original equipment. The notion that the aftermarket provides higher quality than OEM is myth and hype. (See also K&N)

Owners of German vehicles should understand there is NOTHING for their vehicles at USA auto parts dime stores. (maybe motor oil)

rapidoxidation

Given that the Orings were broken and the filter itself WAS CAVING IN and no longer fit properly, I would sincerely question the reasoning in installing one in my engine (or ANY engine, really...) even if only for idling. As far as "polishing" the oil, the I'll bet the reason the filter caved in in the first place was the lack of proper media causing a high pressure differential in combination with weak construction.
What happens if the Oring fails and dumps chunks into the engine, blocking maybe a piston cooling jet of oil? I promise I won't be the one to report back on that ever happening in my engine because of an inferior filter.

eric_in_sd

Well, I already replaced the bottom o-ring with a nitrile one from a Mann oil filter. Why they put a silicone rubber o-ring in there is beyond me. Not much beats nitrile rubber, except perhaps for longevity. The failure on the o-rings is so bad, I wonder if I made some mistake. Was one of the o-rings too small or something?

The second attempt with the Fram didn't "cave in" (which by the way is not as extreme as it sounds!), probably because it was not on for more than about 50 miles and probably did not enjoy the high rpms I am sure I did once or twice on the previous.

That is why I was thinking of doing it only at idle; the oil pump is "positive displacement", meaning it will take whatever power it needs from the engine to force a certain volume of oil through the pump per engine revolution. I don't think the filter media is bad; it just filters to a smaller particle size than the Mann. This is what the analysis on BobIsTheOilGuy showed; the Fram Ultra filtered something like better than 90% down to something like one micron - which is much better than any ordinary filter, from which you are lucky to get five micron filtration.

I think I would do it after one of my weekly sixty mile trips, when the oil is thin and well stirred.

Ironically, Fram thinks this is a 20k mile oil filter, which kinda conflicts with its good filtration. If anything, it should have a shorter service interval.

I dunno, just something I'm thinking about. Not even sure how valuable it would be if performed correctly.

Max Blast

WTF is oil polishing

eric_in_sd

You filter the oil down to about one micron.

Bypass oil filters take a portion of oil flow and route it through a fine filter. Supposedly truckers do this, and get a million miles to an engine. No word on whether truckers that don't do it also get a million miles.

DennisG01

There's an old saying... Friends don't let friends use Fram. It's a saying for a reason!

For fun, I once disected a whole bunch of marine filters - or at least filters that were used on marine engines - in this case, small blocks (305's and 350's). I gathered a bunch of filters from the shop... Mercruiser, AC Delco, K&N, maybe another brand or two... and (2) Frams. In BOTH Frams, the filter pleats had separated! I'm not sure how much "filtering" was actually going on there!

A huge beneift of bypass filters is to allow extended oil change intervals... much, much longer. Imagine if a trucker had to change the oil every 5K miles - or even 10K miles. Check out FS2500.

Max Blast

truckers that change their oil get 1,000,000 miles I’m sure… Truckers who try to recycle their oil in-situ probably don’t get 1,000,000 miles… just my 2 miles

DennisG01

The oil, itself, lasts a long, long time. It's the blow-by contaminents that get into the oil that cause problems. Filter those out and the you're good. As I eluded to above, it wouldn't be cost effective or reasonable for a trucker to change oil every 10K miles - they can do that in a month (or less). By-pass filtering is a real thing. Just sample oil every 10K miles and you're good to go. Sampling on a regular basis is never a bad idea, anyways.

eric_in_sd

Interesting

It's sad, because by all rights, the Fram Ultra looks like a first-rate filter.