Inside scoop on Fleetguard

[NashNative]

Hi all, just joined the site as a new member. I've come across this forum occasionally over the years, but never got around to making an account. Full disclosure, the reason I wanted to join this site was to provide an open dialogue for questions on Fleetguard filters and cooling system products as I have worked for Cummins Filtration for nearly the last decade. If there are specific questions about any Fleetguard parts that I can help address, let me know and I'll try to clear those up to the best of my abilities. Looking forward to some good discussion on here...cheers!

 

[Chris142]

Who makes them? Why so many weird designs lately? Internal gaskets and such.

 

[NashNative]

Who makes them? Why so many weird designs lately? Internal gaskets and such.

Cummins manufactures Fleetguard filters actually...most of them at least. Cummins has been manufacturing filters in America since the late 1950's. No filter manufacturer makes every filter they sell though, so some filters are private branded by different companies depending on the part number. When it comes to high technology Fleetguard filters, those are almost always kept proprietary to Fleetguard...for example, any Fleetguard filter made with NanoNet media is never going to be private branded for someone else like Baldwin, Donaldson, WIX, etc. More and more OEMs are moving toward cartridge/modular style designs to protect market share of OE branded service parts, and also to drive use of those OE filters to help reduce warranty costs each year.

If you have specific part numbers in mind, that helps me know what weird designs to which you are referring.

 

[kschachn]

Hi all, just joined the site as a new member. I've come across this forum occasionally over the years, but never got around to making an account. Full disclosure, the reason I wanted to join this site was to provide an open dialogue for questions on Fleetguard filters and cooling system products as I have worked for Cummins Filtration for nearly the last decade. If there are specific questions about any Fleetguard parts that I can help address, let me know and I'll try to clear those up to the best of my abilities. Looking forward to some good discussion on here...cheers!

If you're making posts as an official representative of the company and similarly promoting their products, can you tell us your name and position so you can be verified as an employee of Cummins? We've had some particularly nasty trolls in the past that have claimed to be an employee of a filter company that instead turned out to be a complete fabrication.

Thanks.

 

[NashNative]

If you're making posts as an official representative of the company and similarly promoting their products, can you tell us your name and position so you can be verified as an employee of Cummins? We've had some particularly nasty trolls in the past that have claimed to be an employee of a filter company that instead turned out to be a complete fabrication.

Thanks.

You can find me on LinkedIn...Jay Stephenson. I'm the corporate Fleetguard trainer for North America.

 

[kschachn]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[tyman]

Interesting!

Glad you're here and welcome.

 

[volk06]

What the micron and efficiency rating of part number: LF16242

 

[ZeeOSix]

Welcome to BITOG. Has Fleetguard done any test studies in the field showing oil cleanliness (ISO particle count data) vs filter rated efficiency, and resulting engine and/or hydraulic equipment wear rates?

 

[DBMaster]

I have been interested in the Stratapore filters for some time now. Are there any future plans to manufacture smaller versions for cars?

 

[NashNative]

What the micron and efficiency rating of part number: LF16242

I'll see what I can dig up!

EDIT: Spec sheet shows 98.7% efficient at 20 microns...probably a cellulose media filter at that performance level which is suitable for the application. Application details looks like this crosses heavily to passenger car/light duty GM models.

Confirmed it's a cellulose filter

 

[NashNative]

Welcome to BITOG. Has Fleetguard done any test studies in the field showing oil cleanliness (ISO particle count data) vs filter rated efficiency, and resulting engine and/or hydraulic equipment wear rates?

Thanks. Hopefully I can be a resource to people from time to time.

Let me see if I can answer your question without being too vague. Cummins Filtration does perform extensive testing of oil grades, filter media grades and finished good filtration products (both our own designs as well as competitive filters) in both laboratory settings and real-world testing environments...what we call field validation work. The Cummins Filtration facility in Cookeville, TN particularly is one of our global technical centers with a specific emphasis on wet filtration, so lube and fuel filters. The engineers on site there have a whole wing of the building that is dedicated laboratory space with single pass and multi-pass test stands, some of which are equipped with temperature controlled environments and some which are equipped to mimic real-world vibration and transient conditions like flow-surge...it's all pretty neat for people to see when I give plant tours. So long winded response to your question, but I would say short answer is that yes, that information has been tested and is re-tested all the time. With lube filtration in particular, what we find in the HD engine world is that wear particles between 15-30 microns are typically the size contaminants that are prone to causing wear in an engine's lube system. While the HD landscape has shifted more and more toward synthetic media types in recent years, that has more to do with the advantage of maintaining a very oil flow restriction and providing a media that won't degrade over time like cellulose with these longer ODI's possible due to today's latest oil grades. To your point, the cleaner you can keep your oil over its expected service interval, the less wear you should see in your engine. With that being said, the limiting factor in oil life is oxidation...once the oil's additive package starts breaking down, the oil will agglomerate and that's when a lube filter will begin plugging. I think it would be reasonable to say hydraulic systems are more susceptible to contamination than the lube system due to the very tight tolerances of hydraulic actuators...we're experimenting with our proprietary nanofiber media grades in Fleetguard hydraulic filters if that gives you an idea.

 

[NashNative]

I have been interested in the Stratapore filters for some time now. Are there any future plans to manufacture smaller versions for cars?

Good question. Cummins Filtration has been manufacturing a proprietary media called StrataPore since the early 1990's out of the Cookeville, TN facility...obviously it has evolved some over the years and our media engineers have improved the grades over time, but the idea is still the same from those early days. It is a multi-layered media that provides gradient filtration...each layer targets finer and finer contaminants to provide high efficiency particle removal while also providing low flow restriction and high capacity; this balance between efficiency/capacity/restriction is critical in designing the optimum filter. The cool thing about StrataPore is that it is 100% polymeric/synthetic meaning the fibers are continuous and won't degrade over time because they are highly resistant to liquids and use no resins or glues to hold broken fibers together like how cellulose and micro-glass media types are constructed.

As far as I know, we don't really use StrataPore in light duty applications today...maybe in some legacy RAM truck applications, but I would have to check part numbers. While there are Fleetguard crosses to light duty/passenger cars, that pass car world is a whole different ball game in terms of volume and profits so we don't really play in that space as much as companies like Mahle, Mann + Hummel, etc.

 

[Kruse]

I've seen other filter manufacturers (Cat...cough, cough) say they don't want people to prefill the oil filter because the oil might be dirty and cause engine damage. Looks like Fleetguard has no problem with that?

Prefilling Oil Filters - Necessary?

I see no proven harm in doing this, if you can. Physics is physics, if the can is empty, it takes longer to build pressure on the output side. I have found that many ADBV's don't hold oil for very long on inverted filters (open side down), no matter how much they cost.

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[NashNative]

I've seen other filter manufacturers (Cat...cough, cough) say they don't want people to prefill the oil filter because the oil might be dirty and cause engine damage. Looks like Fleetguard has no problem with that?

Prefilling Oil Filters - Necessary?

I see no proven harm in doing this, if you can. Physics is physics, if the can is empty, it takes longer to build pressure on the output side. I have found that many ADBV's don't hold oil for very long on inverted filters (open side down), no matter how much they cost.

bobistheoilguy.com

Thanks for linking that other thread. As far as I've seen with field installs, our technical experts recommend pre-filling. For example, this Fleetguard LF14000NN is our most popular lube filter, and filter in general, in the world today...#1 selling part number by volume; the installation literature says to pre-fill with new/clean oil: https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/sites/default/files/MB10566.pdf

That being said, on a light duty/passenger car application with such a tiny filter, it's probably not the end of the world if you don't pre-fill. The duty cycles of a small displacement gasoline engine are so much less intense than an HD or HHP engine. From what I was taught and have read, hydraulic fluid can be "new" and still not meet the recommended ISO cleanliness standards for some hydraulic systems due to the very tight tolerances of some of those components like actuators, valves and whatnot. So pre-filling in those instances could theoretically pose an issue longer term, but again, that's probably more specific to HD and HHP equipment.

PS: For anyone wondering, CAT doesn't manufacture their own filters...they're private branding those from someone without a doubt. CAT has done a masterful job scaring people into thinking they MUST use the CAT branded filter or else they will void their warranty, and that's actually illegal unless CAT is giving those filters to you free of charge (Magnusson Moss Act). When I get some time, I'll share some media images comparing a CAT product and the direct cross to a Fleetguard product that we recently released...you guys may find that interesting.

 

[kschachn]

The Magnuson-Moss act applies to commercial equipment?

And don't you mean clearances, not tolerances?

 

[4WD]

Thanks for linking that other thread. As far as I've seen with field installs, our technical experts recommend pre-filling. For example, this Fleetguard LF14000NN is our most popular lube filter, and filter in general, in the world today...#1 selling part number by volume; the installation literature says to pre-fill with new/clean oil: https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/sites/default/files/MB10566.pdf

That being said, on a light duty/passenger car application with such a tiny filter, it's probably not the end of the world if you don't pre-fill. The duty cycles of a small displacement gasoline engine are so much less intense than an HD or HHP engine. From what I was taught and have read, hydraulic fluid can be "new" and still not meet the recommended ISO cleanliness standards for some hydraulic systems due to the very tight tolerances of some of those components like actuators, valves and whatnot. So pre-filling in those instances could theoretically pose an issue longer term, but again, that's probably more specific to HD and HHP equipment.

PS: For anyone wondering, CAT doesn't manufacture their own filters...they're private branding those from someone without a doubt. CAT has done a masterful job scaring people into thinking they MUST use the CAT branded filter or else they will void their warranty, and that's actually illegal unless CAT is giving those filters to you free of charge (Magnusson Moss Act). When I get some time, I'll share some media images comparing a CAT product and the direct cross to a Fleetguard product that we recently released...you guys may find that interesting.

Mobil HDEO and Baldwin filters … some places we can get those … in some places (overseas) we get CAT branded.

 

[4WD]

Thanks for linking that other thread. As far as I've seen with field installs, our technical experts recommend pre-filling. For example, this Fleetguard LF14000NN is our most popular lube filter, and filter in general, in the world today...#1 selling part number by volume; the installation literature says to pre-fill with new/clean oil: https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/sites/default/files/MB10566.pdf

That being said, on a light duty/passenger car application with such a tiny filter, it's probably not the end of the world if you don't pre-fill. The duty cycles of a small displacement gasoline engine are so much less intense than an HD or HHP engine. From what I was taught and have read, hydraulic fluid can be "new" and still not meet the recommended ISO cleanliness standards for some hydraulic systems due to the very tight tolerances of some of those components like actuators, valves and whatnot. So pre-filling in those instances could theoretically pose an issue longer term, but again, that's probably more specific to HD and HHP equipment.

PS: For anyone wondering, CAT doesn't manufacture their own filters...they're private branding those from someone without a doubt. CAT has done a masterful job scaring people into thinking they MUST use the CAT branded filter or else they will void their warranty, and that's actually illegal unless CAT is giving those filters to you free of charge (Magnusson Moss Act). When I get some time, I'll share some media images comparing a CAT product and the direct cross to a Fleetguard product that we recently released...you guys may find that interesting.

baldwin makes cat filters - Search Videos

www.bing.com

 

[DBMaster]

Good question. Cummins Filtration has been manufacturing a proprietary media called StrataPore since the early 1990's out of the Cookeville, TN facility...obviously it has evolved some over the years and our media engineers have improved the grades over time, but the idea is still the same from those early days. It is a multi-layered media that provides gradient filtration...each layer targets finer and finer contaminants to provide high efficiency particle removal while also providing low flow restriction and high capacity; this balance between efficiency/capacity/restriction is critical in designing the optimum filter. The cool thing about StrataPore is that it is 100% polymeric/synthetic meaning the fibers are continuous and won't degrade over time because they are highly resistant to liquids and use no resins or glues to hold broken fibers together like how cellulose and micro-glass media types are constructed.

As far as I know, we don't really use StrataPore in light duty applications today...maybe in some legacy RAM truck applications, but I would have to check part numbers. While there are Fleetguard crosses to light duty/passenger cars, that pass car world is a whole different ball game in terms of volume and profits so we don't really play in that space as much as companies like Mahle, Mann + Hummel, etc.

Thanks for the reply. I kinda figured it was a volume thing. There would be an awful lot of additional SKUs required for the car space and the price would likely deter many from purchasing.

 

[NashNative]

The Magnuson-Moss act applies to commercial equipment?

And don't you mean clearances, not tolerances?

Yes, that act does apply to commercial equipment.

And yeah, clearances...good call.