Fram Ultra - PentaStar V6?

[StevieC]

Anyone running the Fram Ultra on the PentaStar v6 3.6L yet? I just ordered a couple from RockAuto because they had them on for $9 Canadian per filter ($6.92 USD) and they are $13-$15 everywhere else I looked.

 

[mrsilv04]

I'm using SuperTechs (made by Wix) on my 3.6, that my local Wal-Mart was selling for 75 cents each, only because of a change in the packaging. Most filters for the 3.6 are crazy priced.. I was buying them at RA too, before I stocked up on the 75 cent ones.

 

[StevieC]

Heck for $0.75 I would be running those too.

 

[bruckus]

Been running them in my wifes wrangler for awhile now. Bought a few of hem on ebay for a great price. Run them 2 change intervals before changing. Looks to be a quality filter.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by bruckus

Been running them in my wifes wrangler for awhile now. Bought a few of hem on ebay for a great price. Run them 2 change intervals before changing. Looks to be a quality filter.

Thanks... I was thinking they would be good for 2 runs with them being high quality and large surface area. Nice to know someone else is doing it.

 

[demarpaint]

I run them, no problems to report. I got a great deal on 6 of them from eBay too.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Someone on here used one and even posted pictures of the before and after. It still buckled, but it buckled much less than other Pentastar cartridges. I would suggest the Wix XP WL10010XP or Napa Platinum 4100010 with the wire mesh. (The Fram Ultra for the Pentastar uses a plastic mesh)

 

[StevieC]

I wonder if the buckling isn't caused by folks cranking the housing cap down far more than required and to the proper torque spec of 18ft-lbs / 25Nm. Just a thought. I have taken the one off my father in-law's van after he had been to a quick lube shop before we changed him over to Amsoil and it was on there so tight I almost damaged the plastic nut on the housing cap getting it off and it was badly buckled in there. I had installed a Wix twice since then with his Amsoil changes and neither have buckled. No proof for sure but I suspect this. My dad uses the basic Fram in his 2012 and it never comes out buckled. He doesn't over tighten the housing. I guess folks forget it's the o-ring doing the sealing on the cap and not the threads.

 

[joekingcorvette]

They seem to get tighter by themselves. I have a Pentastar 3.6 in the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have the Mobil 1 filter on it right now and might run it 2 OCI's. I have looked at the Super Techs and they are very reasonable and look just like the completion's. Walmart didn't have the Fram Ultra in stock. I think I might try the super tech especially since the previous poster's said they are made by Wix. These filters are very basic and shouldn't cost anything over about $5.00 however marketing and lack of completion by other filter companies seem to make them a very expensive filter. Super Tech seems to keep them at bay that's for sure. I definitely would use a good synthetic oil though.

 

[StevieC]

That's why I want to run the Fram Ultra 2 changes. Excellent filtration and rated for 20,000 miles which is more than enough to cover to OCI's bringing the cost down to economy filters that might offer worse filtration efficiency.

 

[sloinker]

How many miles are two intervals?

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by StevieC

I wonder if the buckling isn't caused by folks cranking the housing cap down far more than required and to the proper torque spec of 18ft-lbs / 25Nm. ... I guess folks forget it's the o-ring doing the sealing on the cap and not the threads.

If the cap is overtightened on those FCA cartridges, does that apply abnormal stress to the cartridge itself? On Toyota cartridges, and I assume most other designs, when the cap is overtightened, it bottoms out solidly against the metal base, so there's no additional stress on the cartridge (or the o-ring). The clamping force on the cartridge is determined instead by a spring. Foolish people have been known to put them on so tight they're very difficult or impossible to remove non-destructively.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by CR94

Originally Posted by StevieC

I wonder if the buckling isn't caused by folks cranking the housing cap down far more than required and to the proper torque spec of 18ft-lbs / 25Nm. ... I guess folks forget it's the o-ring doing the sealing on the cap and not the threads.

If the cap is overtightened on those FCA cartridges, does that apply abnormal stress to the cartridge itself? On Toyota cartridges, and I assume most other designs, when the cap is overtightened, it bottoms out solidly against the metal base, so there's no additional stress on the cartridge (or the o-ring). The clamping force on the cartridge is determined instead by a spring. Foolish people have been known to put them on so tight they're very difficult or impossible to remove non-destructively.

I would agree with you on the first PentaStar filter design in the first couple of years but in the later ones with the revised filter over tightening could lead to this problem. I will test the theory with a used filter. I will look at it after it's ready to be changed to verify that it isn't buckled, reinstall and then over tighten the housing past the recommended 18ft-lbs but not too much that I damage my housing/cap and see what happens. I'm almost dead sure this is the cause. OLD SETUP (Notice the spring loaded setup in the housing and the flat part of the filter that rides on it) NEW Filter Design that doesn't ride on a spring any longer so over tightening it would cause it to compress the filter as there is no spring. NEW FILTER HOUSING (No spring)

 

[oldhp]

I still find it funny that anybody would torque plastic. Look at the threads. When the cap bottoms out you are done. Zero need to "torque" the cap. Are you guys who are running two OCI's loosening the cap completely when changing the oil? If not you are leaving a pretty good amount of oil in the system. Next time you change oil, let it drain until it stop's dripping. Then loosen the cap you'll see how much more comes out.

 

[dlundblad]

I realize it was a Euro car thing, but after seeing the Ultra cartridges separating at the end caps, I am staying away from them.. The Mopar and WIX filters are around $10.

 

[JC1]

I have one installed on my caravan. Only have 4500 km on the first OCI. Picked them up from rockauto as well. I normally do a 10,000 km OCI (6200 miles). I'll do that with these and see how they hold up. I have no idea why people doing their own oil changes would over tighten the caps for the filter. I guess that's why there was a recall previously for the oil filter housing developing cracks and leading to leaks.

 

[IndyFan]

Originally Posted by StevieC

Anyone running the Fram Ultra on the PentaStar v6 3.6L yet? I just ordered a couple from RockAuto because they had them on for $9 Canadian per filter ($6.92 USD) and they are $13-$15 everywhere else I looked.

Yep. I run them in my JL Wrangler.

 

[joekingcorvette]

So...is about 10 ft lbs of torque considered about right when tightening the filter housing? Without using a torque wrench that is about the most I tighten them and haven't had any problems.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by joekingcorvette

So...is about 10 ft lbs of torque considered about right when tightening the filter housing? Without using a torque wrench that is about the most I tighten them and haven't had any problems.

The official spec is 18ft-lbs. I have found that most of the time that isn't required on my father in-laws van. He has the new housing type setup over the old. (2017) I torqued it the first time and the second time I just spun it by hand until it stopped and then snugged it with the ratchet just a tad past that. Never leaked and never compressed the cartridge.

 

[tiger862]

Napa Gold 6.42. Been running Fram ultra cartridge on last Vehicle (Saturn) which always collapsed filter from oil change places but not from my own oil changes. Fram was a great filter. Only reason I won't run Fram in Caravan is the Napa Gold was cheaper. 5k isn't that long on a filter.