Who makes the Subaru OEM

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: Seguino
Thanks for the replies. When I do the OC this weekend, monsoon rain permitting, I suppose I should cut open the old one and post some pics of the guts. Cheers.


I cut open a Subaru filter from my H6. It was purchased at a Subaru dealer here in Ontario Canada. It looked like a FRAM to me, complete with cardboard endcaps. Painted white, and 'Made in USA'

I really wonder if FRAM is making the bypass 23psi, or just painting the orange can white (in my case) or blue (looks like USA gets blue cans) as they run down the assembly line.

Pics posted on page 3 of this thread.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/1279834/

 

[Soobs]

Originally Posted By: rcy
Originally Posted By: Seguino
Thanks for the replies. When I do the OC this weekend, monsoon rain permitting, I suppose I should cut open the old one and post some pics of the guts. Cheers.


I cut open a Subaru filter from my H6. It was purchased at a Subaru dealer here in Ontario Canada. It looked like a FRAM to me, complete with cardboard endcaps. Painted white, and 'Made in USA'

I really wonder if FRAM is making the bypass 23psi, or just painting the orange can white (in my case) or blue (looks like USA gets blue cans) as they run down the assembly line.

Pics posted on page 3 of this thread.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/1279834/


If it says Made in the USA then I'm pretty sure it's not a product built by Honeywell/FRAM because they build their filters in Canada. That filter looks like a Purolator with fiber end caps to me (they're not cardboard). It's quite possible this is a Purolator product with subcontracted parts from other companies, including Honeywell. I know they were heavy into subcontracting out filter parts for Subaru of America when they used to build their OEM filters.

 

[ThirdeYe]

That white filter is a Fram. It has the Fram bypass, center tube, endcaps, protruding metal bar holding the media together and filter construction. Identical to the Frams I've cut open.

 

[Soobs]

Yeah, it looks like it is a FRAM afterall. I just noticed a couple of the aftermarket FRAMs I have sitting around are also Made in the USA. I was assuming they were only made in Canada now since Honeywell bought them. In any event, I wouldn't have any problems using any Subaru OEM filter on my Subaru. I'm not trying to run 10,000+ miles between oil changes nor am I using overhyped synthetics. My last Subaru went 430,000 miles on straight dino-oil and OEM oil filters with zero engine work. That's good enough for me.

 

[SuperBusa]

Originally Posted By: Seguino
So, is the OEM the only filter with the 23PSI bypass, and is that needed on a '05 non turbo engine.


After seeing that an average sized PureONE has ~5 PSID with 10 GPM of hot oil flow, I really don't understand why Subaru specifies the high 23 psi bypass valve setting. Maybe the OEM filters are very flow restrictive, and the bypass valve needs to be set higher on them.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Originally Posted By: Soobs
Yeah, it looks like it is a FRAM afterall. I just noticed a couple of the aftermarket FRAMs I have sitting around are also Made in the USA. I was assuming they were only made in Canada now since Honeywell bought them. In any event, I wouldn't have any problems using any Subaru OEM filter on my Subaru. I'm not trying to run 10,000+ miles between oil changes nor am I using overhyped synthetics. My last Subaru went 430,000 miles on straight dino-oil and OEM oil filters with zero engine work. That's good enough for me.


My car went the first 120k/13 years on mostly OEM Honda (made by Honeywell) filters and it didn't grenade itself. The first couple of years they used some other weird part numbers from Honda that I didn't recognize but shortly thereafter switched to the A02 in the late '90s. I used to dislike the OEM Honda filters and wondered how my car made it, but I've learned to accept them and I'd use them if I was given one at a competitive price.

 

[Seguino]

The ADBV doesn't matter when the filter points straight down, like on the Subaru, does it?

 

[rcy]

It was mounted horizontally in my '01 H6.

 

[Seguino]

I can see the point if the filter is horizontal, but on my four banger it's straight down, so if I got a P1 with no ADBV it wouldn't matter , would it? I can get P1s for less than the OEM.

 

[PineMountain]

The US market 4 cylinder filters are Honeywell, based on information from a variety of serious Soobie forums.
I have an H6- (different filter p/n)- the dealer filters available (in my region at least)for my application are the black Tokyo Roki. All the online vendors I've checked show the same. I dissected the original T.R. filter when I did the first oil change. Very heavy-walled can, well secured metal endcaps, dense media with many pleats, and an orange(still very flexible despite being in the car for over a year, maybe silicone) ADBV.

As an aside- the car is an '09 built in May '08, and sat on the lot until May '09. It had 16 miles on it when I bought it, so it presumeably only saw lot duty and maybe a test drive or two. I doubt that it was ever warmed up fully in that year. I changed out at about 1000 miles. The filter media had no junk whatsoever in it.

 

[rcy]

If I were you, I would buy as many of those Tokyo Roki as I could get my oily hands on, before Subaru replaces it with the Honeywell.

Completely unrelated..I really miss my Outback..