Fram Orange Can of Death vs. Purolator

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Just picked up my used 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 this weekend. Has the 4.7 engine.

As a precaution, I am changing all the fluids.

Per the recommendation of this forum, I drained the old motor oil and filled it with Pennzoil 5w30 PYB. The old filter was a Fram Orange Can. New Purolator white can installed.


After the change, I noticed that my oil pressure went up.

Do these motors require a filter with the anti-drainback filter? I am assuming the old Fram can doesn't have this...and it would have reflected that by the oil pressure gauge?
 
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no idea, but I would trust a OCOD more then Purolator because of the media tearing issue Purolator is currently having.
 
Well, you've changed two variables... the filter *and* the oil.

Hard to tell at this point, as to which one might have caused the change in what you're seeing at the pressure gauge.
 
Since your application calls for a filter with an ADBV (some don't, like many GM for example) if your vehicle had the correct Fram on it, it would have had an ADBV. The ADBV would have nothing to do with running oil pressure anyway.

Filters in general have little to do with running oil pressure. My guess would be your new oil has a higher HTHS than what was in it, (coulda been a 5w20 for example) which definitely could show up on your oil pressure guage.
 
I usually would say Purolator. I haven't had any issues with any Purolators, but others will say stay away from the Classics.

I dunno. I wouldn't take an OCOD as a viable option though. Best answer? Do something Wix. Like a Napa Silver/Gold/Platinum or the new O'Reilly Microgards.
 
I just checked a Fram PH16 and a Wix 51085, they both had ADBV's.

Oil pressure is more dependent on oil viscosity than most other factors. Barring clogged passages/filter. Assuming a properly functioning system, your new oil is just thicker than your old one; in simplest terms.
 
Filter did nothing.. new (i.e. thicker) oil is what raised your OP. I didn't think dodge used a real oil pressure gauge on their trucks to allow you to see that slight pressure change. Most are just dummy gauges which read the same as long as you have oil...
 
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Filter did nothing.. new (i.e. thicker) oil is what raised your OP. I didn't think dodge used a real oil pressure gauge on their trucks to allow you to see that slight pressure change. Most are just dummy gauges which read the same as long as you have oil...


no thats one of fords brighter ideas....
smirk.gif
 
FYI -

I had a spare key made, and it had to be a code Key.

The keymaker told me Dodges were ok....but that Ford had an issue with coded Keys stopping after 15 minutes, and that meant an unexpected shutting off engine while it was running.

Oops....
 
Don't panic over the Purolator. The truck is new to you, so I'd plan on a short initial run anyway- then cut open that Purolator and see if it's intact.

As others have said, you have a new filter (with more media and less restrictive than the Fram- regardless of whether its torn or not), and you've also changed to fresh oil. BOTH can raise the oil pressure, including the fact that the basic Fram has so little media area that it causes a bigger delta-P than other filters.

Dodge trucks did get an "idiot gauge" later on in the Cerberus years, but I think the 2002 has an electric gauge that more-or-less tracks pressure. Still not super accurate.

As for your next filter- count me in the crowd that still won't use a basic Fram orange on anything. I totally don't understand the mad rush to defend that piece of poo just because something with a WORSE problem has come along. It would be like suddenly wanting to drive a Chevy Vega or Ford Pinto in 1988 because the Yugo had turned out even worse. There are COUNTLESS choices that are built better and priced similarly.

For your first long-term fill I'd go with a Mobil 1, Fram Ultra, Purolator Synthetic, or similar filter. If you're going to do extended drain, spring for a Royal Purple or Amsoil EAO synthetic filter. But then I'm not one to skimp on the filter even for a short interval. If I were going to run 3k miles, I'd still buy a Fram Ultra even though it can go 3x that long. Just not worth using cheap, marginally-designed filters like the basic Fram OR the Puorlator Classic, or any of your parts-store branded filters (except NAPA GOld and CarQuest, which are the standard Wix).
 
Who's to say this Purolator thing might just be a internet hoax. All it would take is a few people to cut open and damage a filter and post pictures of it.
 
Originally Posted By: steveh
Who's to say this Purolator thing might just be a internet hoax. All it would take is a few people to cut open and damage a filter and post pictures of it.


Well, its not impossible. But given that several of the people who've opened and posted have been members of this forum since before the issue appeared.... I doubt it.

I also doubt its a serious long-term issue. Companies don't get as big and successful as Puorlator (or Fram) by turning out stuff that fails routinely. And no company turns out ZERO defects, either. The Fram Orange and Puro Classic filters are both ENTRY LEVEL. They are the BARE MINIMUM that can do the job with high enough probability of success to make them viable.

Which is exactly why I don't use either one. For my personal vehicles, I can spend a substantially more on my filters for a lower probability of a problem. If I were managing a big fleet or servicing a bajillion cars at fast lube change place, thats a very different story. You can replace an engine every so often for the cost difference in hundreds or thousands of filters.

Its all about risk/benefit, and the smaller your "fleet" is, the less the cost of an individual filter matters to the bottom line. Small fleet -> the big killer would be an engine failure. Big fleet -> the big killer is buying hundreds of expensive filters. Besides which, a filter failure is not a guaranteed engine failure anyway.
 
What's the Purolator part number?
Those beginning with numerals other than "1" don't seem to have the media failures that are seen in some.
The OCD would be an okay choice.
I ran them as a matter of preference for years with never a problem.
I bought one just yesterday, $1.11 on clearance at Lowe's, too cheap to pass up.
The oil filter you use will have no effect on the life of your engine, incidentally.
As long as you change the oil at intervals reasonable for your engine as you use it, oil and oil filters will be the least of your concerns.
 
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