Which oil filter???

[KrisW]

As premium filters go, I think the best value is actually the WIX filter line today. They are a little more expensive, but I run them on my service truck and love them.

For all of my cars, I still run Delco filters. They are well built and give me good service. Both they and the STP from Auto Zone are the lowest level of quality that I can or will accept. When I tear into engines, they look good with these filters and 15/40 diesel engine oil.

The Pure One filters are certainly excellent filters as well. I just hate to pay big bucks for them unless I run synthetic oil.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I drive 45-50k a year with a lot of really abusive driving on my truck, so I run the best stuff I can get. I have run Mobil 1 most of it's 286,000 miles and it uses very little oil (about 1 qt every 3k, but it also leaks a little now). It is used as a pizza delivery vehicle and I absolutely cannot afford even one day of down time as it costs me a lot to not work.

 

[KrisW]

I'd say you're doing the right thing. I wouldn't run synthetic oil on a high mileage beater that was bought second hand, because synthetic in a used, high mile engine that used to run conventional oil all it's life seems to cause me massive oil leak problems.

I do, however, run Mobil 1 in every new (or less than 15k miles) engine or every reconditioned engine that I repair myself, whether overhaul, rebuild, or what have you. Mobil 1 is the surest way I have ever seen that can keep an engine like new internally for the longest time. I will also confess that I change synthetic oil at 6k mile intervals and I do use the Mobil 1 or K&N filters when I run that oil.

Everything else that I get second hand gets 3k mile oil changes with 15/40 diesel oil and delco filters. I have run many of these beaters well beyond 200k miles before teardown.

The Mobil 1 engines often only needed a re-seal!!

 

[Tony_SS]

As premium filters go, I think the best value is actually the WIX filter line today. They are a little more expensive, but I run them on my service truck and love them.

For all of my cars, I still run Delco filters. They are well built and give me good service. Both they and the STP from Auto Zone are the lowest level of quality that I can or will accept. When I tear into engines, they look good with these filters and 15/40 diesel engine oil.

The Pure One filters are certainly excellent filters as well. I just hate to pay big bucks for them unless I run synthetic oil.

WIX, that's what I meant. lol

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I am the original owner of the truck and have replaced the front and rear crank seals and the valve cover gasket. It has delivered pizza since the second day it was mine, and has been on Mobil 1 since around 60k miles. I bought it in September of 1998. Hopefully, I can get the 500k miles I expect from the original engine. Anything less than 400k would make me an unhappy customer for a vehicle I paid $11,500 for!

 

[KrisW]

Unfortunately, you will have to pro-rate your half a million mile expectations. 60k miles on good quality dino-oil will still do considerable wear to the bearings, rings, and cylinder walls.

Case in point, I tore down one of my second hand Buick V8s with 120k miles on it to fix the leaks. While it was a good runner, there was a significant wear ridge at the top of the cylinder. It had always been well maintained prior to me purchasing the car. A friend of mine had a 1993 Mustang GT that he had been running Mobil 1 in since he brought it home new from the dealer. We pulled his heads at 118k miles (he wanted to change head gaskets prior to a new Vortech gear charger install) and there was no ridge whatsoever. The cylinder cross hatching looked as if the engine had been honed the day before!

I love Mobil 1, but it can't turn back the hands of time. I'd say if you hit 300k, after that the rest is gravy. After you rebuild the engine, you'll get your 500k with Mobil 1 next time!

The FRAMs may have also contributed to higher than normal wear that you can't see yet.

 

[1981ElCamino]

I wish I'd have known about the crappy Fram filters before I started running only Fram in my daily driver Impala.

 

[KrisW]

It's never too late to learn!!

Do lots of research and then pick one you like. It's just like oil; everybody has their favorite but some is just real crap.

If you run a decent (read: STP or Delco) filter and change your dino oil at 3k miles, you'll be good to go for a daily driver.

 

[Geesie]

Wow. I didn't know that about Fram cutting quality. I used to use their filters all the time. Recently I've been using STP just because that's been what I found close to me but still...

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, the funny thing is, the compression is higher than spec, and so is the oil pressure. I get 15-20psi at idle with a spec of 11, and 65 psi by 3,000 rpm with a spec of 60psi @ 3k. It idles smoothly, does not smoke, etc. If anything, it will die when a rod lets go from me shifting it on the fuel cut 20-30 times a day for 10 years. Either that or one of the timing chains will let go. Other than a little bit of valve noise in it's solid lifter valvetrain, it sounds and runs like a new one. I would adjust them, but I would need shims that are $12 per valve to do it, and I don't want to buy 16 of them for a little noise!