FRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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JT1

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Apr 14, 2009
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Michigan
So i start my truck up this morning and the funniest thing happened, the gauge read a big fat 0 PSI. I gave it a few chances(30 sec) to build pressure and even checked oil level(full).So I automatically suspected that it may be the Fram oil filter because i have heard stories of similar incidences. So i pulled the fram off and installed an old casite i had laying around and voila oil pressure.

I had about 1000 miles on my MC5w30 and PH8a pro filter.

I will never use a fram oil filter again,and neither should any of you.
 
What was wrong with it? Did you disect it to see what happened?

Even though I'm a Fram basher, I still find it odd that one would completely block any flow of oil, even cold.
 
I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll make a prediction.

Within the next few weeks, you will be replacing a faulty oil pressure sending unit on that truck.

My Ford truck had the same sending unit problem. Problem solved after new one installed.
 
I had this happen a couple hundred miles into a saturn motor that I had had apart (and had to reprime the oil pump... gerotor off crank style). Oddest thing.

I took the filter off to see it was full of oil, some dumped out of course, then I put the empty filter back on, started it, and had pressure again.
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Was a purolator/AA house brand filter.
 
Sound like you lost prime. Better drop the pan and check your pickup screen. I wouldnt be too quick to blame the filter. Subaru and Honda use honeywell to manufacture their branded service replacement filters.
 
Well, you didn't report any noise associated with the reading. I believe that you've got an idiot needle for a gauge (they may have changed back to real gauges).

...but carry on
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Originally Posted By: JT1
So i start my truck up this morning and the funniest thing happened, the gauge read a big fat 0 PSI. I gave it a few chances(30 sec) to build pressure and even checked oil level(full).So I automatically suspected that it may be the Fram oil filter because i have heard stories of similar incidences. So i pulled the fram off and installed an old casite i had laying around and voila oil pressure.

I had about 1000 miles on my MC5w30 and PH8a pro filter.

I will never use a fram oil filter again,and neither should any of you.



I had the same thing happen to me using an AC Delco filter. Each time it did it, replacing the filter fixed it. Went 10k miles and had to use a Delco again and it did it again. Changed filter - problem gone. It usually happened w/in 2k miles of the oil change interval. It's been 2 years since I used a Delco and the problem never came back.
 
No one on here hats fram more then i do and good for you that your not running them anymore,allot better filters out there for the money then thos POS,anyway hate to say it but it may not be the filter(did i say that?),i would check the sending unit,has it done this befor? was there any noise??
 
You guys are right, i shouldn't have been so quick to blame the filter but it made me late to dropping my gf off at work and i was pretty tired still so it doesn't take much to get me going at that point.

I didn't notice any abnormal noises but the exhaust is rather loud and the engines got a tick even when oil pressure is good.

I will tell you that i gave this thing 3 30 second attempts to build pressure and nothing. Replace the filter and almost immediatly had oil pressure.

Never had a problem before with fram filters and i used to defend them. But with anything mass produced i'm sure a bad one slips through QA.
 
I'm not a Fram fan either but I don't think the filter caused your pump to lose prime. As long as the center tube in the old filter hasn't shifted the filter wasn't your problem.

Sometimes a pump can lose it's prime and when you take the filter off it can let some oil thats in the galleys flow back to the pump which primes it.

It appears that the filter was the problem but if you just loosened it then put it back on you would have had had the same effect as a new filter did.
 
I don't think it's a FRAM filter problem, I think it's either a faulting sending unit or something else.

Now that you have pressure back, take the filter off and put the Fram back on and restart the vehicle and see if you have pressure.

If you do then you know it's not the filter.

Think of how many vehicles are on the road with these filters and drive hundreds of thousands of miles (My dad included) on these "hated" filters without issue ???

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Originally Posted By: ctc
Please cut open and post pics
not needed, Just look at the base plate - typical honeywell. The OEM do spec a better P-ring mouting gasket to improve on seepage and subaru employs a torque stop flange to prevent gasket distortion form over-torquing.
 
Originally Posted By: heavyhitter
Yea Fram sucks, but I would be so fast to point the finger on this one. Cut it open and post some pics.
Pic of what? I'm not the OP:) A non-engineer cannot make any reasonable conclusion on filter constrution by looking at photos of a cut open filter. Fibreboard end caps? Big deal - no problem. Polymer bypass - no problem. You cant tell a thing about the filter media by looking at it (other than area). We COULD see catastrophic failure modes i.e.:if the bypass fell apart, or an end cap fell off, or the media shredded. There are pics all over the web of the honeywell OEM honda and subaru filters cut apart. Search.
 
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Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Pic of what?

Well the filter of course
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,this is BITOG and we love pics of problem filters. Or any filter cut open.

you can bet i'd have them up here.
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