Using the manufacturer's oil filter

[Mystic]

I have always had good experience using the vehicle manufacturer's oil filter. For example, I once owned a Plymouth Duster with the slant six engine and I tried a FRAM on it that was supposed to be the correct oil filter according to the catalog. It did not work. A Mopar oil filter worked fine (but was expensive). I tried a FRAM on a Toyota Corolla that I once owned. It did not work. A Toyota oil filter worked just fine (but was expensive).

Of course, today vehicle manufacturers probably are not making their own oil filters. But I still like the idea of using the vehicle manufacturer's oil filter.

I own a 2001 Saturn SL2. I have gone to GM dealerships and I have been told that there is no GM oil filter that will work on the Saturn. But the Saturn is actually a GM vehicle. Does anybody know if there is an AC-Delco oil filter that will work on the Saturn? Perhaps the PF53?

 

[Mystic]

I probably need to add something here. To the best of my knowledge, the Saturn oil filter is made by FRAM. I guess that is 'nuff said.

 

[Oilmeup]

Yeah, from what I have read, a Toyota filter might work, as their engines are being put into Saturns.

 

[labman]

As I have found it harder and harder to find the PF 1177's for my
truck, I started cutting open the other brands I tried. None of them
had more than about 2/3 as much filter area as AC, and Fram was a
very poor last at 33%. I have checked ST, STP, Hastings, Purolator,
etc., but not WIX and Napa. I say go with AC for GM if you can find them.

 

[UncleS2]

Mystic,
I just went to acdelco.com & looked up oil filters for a 2001 Saturn SL series. For both engine options, the filter listed was AC-Delco PF 53- same filter my Neon calls for.

[ June 04, 2003, 04:50 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Hughes ]

 

[Mystic]

Stuart Hughes, thanks a lot. The PF53 was the best bet that I could come up with. I had gone to a few GM dealerships and asked for a AC-Delco oil filter for my Saturn (this was when I was trying to find a replacement for the stock Saturn oil filter) and they told me that there was no AC-Delco oil filter for the Saturn. I was shocked, because Saturn is a GM division.

labman, according to what I have heard, some people who drive the Corvette like the AC-Delco the best. Although I guess they can still get the Ultraguard Gold AC-Delco. Apparently, in actual testing, the AC-Delco performed the best.

 

[mikemc]

I always use the Motorcraft FL400S on my 2002 Ranger. They can be found easily under $3 and I know it meets the Ford warranty spec. I also use the AC oil cartridge on my wife's '03 Cavalier with the Ecotec engine. They are actually cheaper at the dealer than an aftermarket filter at Walmart or a parts house!

 

[Joe1]

Saturns roll off the assembly line with Filtech filters, but do not know if Filtech also makes the replacement filter for Saturn.

Excerpts from this link are below:
http://www.jei.org/Archive/BR99/354x/354.html

SATURN CORP., a GENERAL MOTORS CORP. company, has awarded contracts to two more Japanese-affiliated parts manufacturers. Via parent TOYO ROKI MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Findlay, Ohio-based FILTECH, INC. beat out 18 other bidders to supply oil filters for Saturn's small cars. The firm expects to ship 345,000 oil filters to Spring Hill, Tennessee in the first year. Filtech has been making air and oil filters and cleaners since 1990, but the Saturn contract marks the first time that it has won significant business from a Big Three builder. .....

 

[Joe1]

Mystic,

That article is from 1999 so it may be a bit dated. I do know that the Honda OEM Filtech is top quality, much better constructed than Honda's other OEM supplier. I'd like to know if the contract has changed in recent years.

 

[Mystic]

Maybe I will visit the Saturn dealership and see what kind of replacement oil filters they are selling now. If they stopped selling the ones they used to sell and are now selling some quality made Japanese oil filter I will start buying oil filters at the dealership again.

 

[Mystic]

Joe1, when did that contract take place with Saturn? I have not bought a Saturn oil filter for a while and the last Saturn oil filter I did buy had Allied Signal written on it.

If Saturn is now using a Japanese made oil filter than I might start buying the Saturn oil filters again. How good of an oil filter is Filtech?