Honda Honeywell (Fram) Filters

[Jim Allen]

RayH: You illustrate an openmindedness that's refreshing. Despite all the dissection of Fram filters and the endless discussion of their seemingly obvious failings, they seem to get the job done for a lot of people and companies. In my bazillion miles and umpteen years of driving, I've used a passle of them with no apparent failures... and have three engines that ran over 200,000 miles and a couple well over 100K. 'Course most of those miles were in the "glory days" before Fram seemed to corner the market on cutting corners. Would I be able to do that today???? I guess Fram knows how to cut a fine line between cost and performance. The line is a little too fine for me these days, but the fact that a quality company like Honda continues to use them kinda takes the wind out of a critical guy's sails. Dammit!

 

[Crashbox]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tim H.:
Perhaps since most all engines are designed for a 150,000 mile average life, could it be that Honda knows that even running without a filter, that thier tightly engineered engines would last that long anyhow, so they do not worry too much about thier filter (cannot eliminate it, as average Joe would freak and lose his mind over a car not having a filter)?

---

With a Honda, I thought 150,000 miles was just beginning to get the engine broken in!!!

 

[HondaMan]

I have stated before that I know for a fact that Filtech, Inc. still makes and supplies HALF of the Honda oil filter supply.

How do I know?

I spent a good amount of time in Ohio this past year.
Honda of course has a plant in Ohio, but so does another company... in Findlay, Ohio to be exact.

Very nice people.

I do not know the distribution model... but it appears to me at least that if a dealer gets the FRAMS, they always get the FRAMS.... if they get the good stuff... they always get the good stuff. This has been my experience.

Second tier distribution is a roll of the dice with no consistent pattern.

 

[T-Keith]

How do we know the same people who spec the 10,000 mile OCI are the same people that decided to use Fram as a filter supplier? Perhaps they don't even know about it?

-T

 

[Propflux01]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Crashbox:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tim H.:
Perhaps since most all engines are designed for a 150,000 mile average life, could it be that Honda knows that even running without a filter, that thier tightly engineered engines would last that long anyhow, so they do not worry too much about thier filter (cannot eliminate it, as average Joe would freak and lose his mind over a car not having a filter)?

---

With a Honda, I thought 150,000 miles was just beginning to get the engine broken in!!!

---

That may be the end result of proper engineering and assembly, but consider the companies point of view, they make cars...If they designed the engines to last 300,000 miles, new car sales would plummet, there has to be a fine line somwhere. Your comment is a prime example of alot I have heard about Honda/Toyota engines, that they they run forever...this further reinforces my earlier postings. This is also a reason (I believe) why you never hear reports of FRAM's causing a 'sudden death' among engines. However, at the same time, I do think that since a filter is installed, that the ADBV, if leaking/inoperative does make a difference over time as to how long that engine will last. In other words, The 'damage' done by a faulty ADBV may be more than the 'damage' of an engine that had no filter installed in the first place. this is one of my major faults with FRAM. The other, Price. Apparently Honda feels this issue is not important enough to cause concern. But then neither did Ford when they designed the Pinto's Gas tank....

 

[Brat57]

The Honda 154000-PLM-AO1 filter is made by Filtech.

This filter is the one that's replacing a lot of Honda filters...it's small, it's good for extended drains. These are the only ones I see in dealers (California)