nissan5788

I was in a hurry today and just stopped by the local WalMart to get the oil changed. I usually goto the dealer but, it's too far away and I didn't wanna wait the 2 hrs. So, they changed the oil w/Quaker State and put in a Fram Filter. Got back, and read that most here say Fram filters aren't that good of a filter to put. Should I just let it go till the next oil change? Or is it that big a crime that I should have the filter changed to an OEM one? Don't want anything screwing up the car.

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

It'll be fine till the next oil change. To tell you the truth I was using Fram filters on my max for a while because of the grip stuff they have on the end. Just recently I switched over to an OEM filter. My car is running fine.

Green 2kSE

If you don't hear a rattling sound or flashing oil light at startup you should be ok. Walmart is a good place to get your oil changed but next time ask for Supertech oil filter and Pennzoil or Castrol GTX instead of Quaker State. They shouldn't have a problem with that and it will cost the same.

Virus

iTrader: (1)

My service advisor informed me that he's had several cars come in with problems resulting from fram filters coming apart and debri entering the VTC gear. I probably wouldn't worry about this oil change, but if you gonna go the cheap route, get the Wal-Mart Supertech filter as it's much better than the Fram. There is a miriad of good oil filters out there in just about every price range.

AzNx2k2xSEXima

i've had fram filters for a LONG time on my corsica....and thats a POS car now....its running damn smooth....oh...it has 160k miles on it too~
i have a fram on my max w/ syntecblend...2nd time....
i have 1400 miles....my car duzn't seem to have anyproblems....
my whole shop uses them, i haven't heard anything about them having or causing problems....

Maximam

Supertech filters

asu174

iTrader: (11)

You will be fine until your next oil change.

JJL

nothing wrong with FRAM best selling oil filters in the US

Anyone says they suck ,dose not know what they are talking about

GimmeTorq

You should be able to just replace the filter without loosing much oil (probably just whatever is in the filter at the time). Better safe than sorry...

Colonel

It is off the cuff dis-information like this that make it difficult for people to "understand" things.

Um, do some research. Best SELLING does not mean BEST. There have been MANY studies on oil filters. Please read this site before making additional "suggestions". Youll be surprised at the information. It is not the end all be all of sites, but gives you a good idea what other sites are saying as well. oil filter study link

I would to this whole heartedly. Yeah, its only a filter right? But think, even if you get the most expesive filter...you are only spending around $13 (filter and top off oil) to make sure you dont have problems.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

I had a Fram completely deteriorate on me. They suck.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

From Colonel's link..........


Filters To Avoid
The following list of filters have known problems. You will see well-known names here and will probably be disappointed. This is because many of these brands have stopped making their own filters and buy from a common manufacturer.

Fram Extra Guard
Years ago Fram was a quality filter manufacturer. Now their standard filter (the radioactive-orange cans) is one of the worst out there. It features cardboard end caps for the filter element that are glued in place. The rubber anti-drainback valve seals against the cardboard and frequently leaks, causing dirty oil to drain back into the pan. The bypass valves are plastic and are sometimes not molded correctly, which allows them to leak all the time. The stamped-metal threaded end is weakly constructed and it has smaller and fewer oil inlet holes, which may restrict flow. I had one of these filters fail in my previous car. The filter element collapsed and bits of filter and glue were circuilating through my system. The oil passge to the head became blocked and the head got so hot from oil starvation that it actually melted the vacuum lines connected to it as well as the wires near it.

Fram Double Guard
Another bad filter idea brought to you by your friends at Fram. The filter itself is a slightly improved design over the Fram Extra Guard, but still uses the same filter element. It has a silicone anti-drainback valve, a quality pressure releif valve, and enough inlet holes for good flow. The big problem is that they are trying to cash in on the Slick 50 craze. They impregnate the filter element with bits of Teflon like that found in Slick 50. As with Slick 50, Teflon is a solid and does not belong in an engine. It cannot get into the parts of the engine that oil can and therefore does nothing. Also, as the filter gets dirty, it ends up filtering the Teflon right out. Dupont (the manufacturer of Teflon) does not recommend Teflon for use in internal combustion engines. Please do not waste your money on this filter.

Penzoil
This filter is a Fram! It is the exact same design as the Fram Extra Guard filter and it is junk. On the up side, it costs $1 less than the Fram version.

Quaker State
This is another Fram Extra Guard that I have seen at K-mart. It used to be a Purolator, but Quaker State is now owned/controlled by Penzoil...

ebmaxse

I have 50,000 miles on my 2000 Maxima SE.
Starting with oil change #2, I've only used Fram Oil Filters. I've changed the filter 10 times thus far, every 5,000 miles. No problems.
The first 5 filter changes, I used Fram Extra Guard PH7317. The most recent 5 filter changes, I'm using Fram Tough Guard TG7317.

On the box of the Tough Guard Filter, Fram advertises that this filter has 98% single-pass efficiency per SAE Test HS806, and 99% multi-pass efficiency per SAE Test J1858.

Good enough for me.

Virus

iTrader: (1)

Cut your fram open and then cut a Amsoil, Mobil 1 and K&N open and you will see the difference in quality! This of course doesn't prove anything as far as filtration quality, but there is an enormous difference!

JJL

Then I suggest you don't buy Fram if you don't like them

Colonel

I am guessin he doesnt. The point of this thread was to provide information to nissan5788 in his request of whether or not he should change his filter as he was concerned.

We provided him information and links for him to make a decision. Please dont take this as an attack on you. In informational posts, it has been shown that Fram does not do its job as "marketed".

I am currently checking out the tests notated by ebmaxse (a test so facts are present) so that I can see the conditions the filters were tested under. As of so far, information available to me, Fram is not a good choice.

But as we all know, it "your" car and "you" can put whatever you want on it.

asu174

iTrader: (11)

You are basing your preference on nothing more than their marketing. Ask Bill what he thinks of Fram filters. Check out the oil analysis spreadsheets. But don't tell us that Fram filters are the best because they are the most popular.

JJL

I never said fram was the best .I said it was best selling.I also said, nothing wrong with Fram
. A lot of people who test a oil filter and say one is better then the other is trying to sell you something,like there filter, or the one they like. So you believe what you want to believe

My last oil change ,I used a Nissan filter on the max
On my Jeep I have used fram for many years know problems
I am sure there are better filters .But are they worth the extra money when you change your oil every 3 months or 3000 miles. I don't think so

nissan5788

I think I'll just let it go for these 3K miles and cont. to use oem from then on. Just wanted to see what you guys thought about it. Thanks for the info & opinions !

white98se

I've been driving Nissans for 21 years used Fram filters changing oil and filters every 3500-4000 miles. Put 100K on a 82 310 (it was totalled), 150K on 81 KingCab truck sold it, 250K on 87 Stanza (sold it) and 100K on 98 Maxima SE, recently traded in for 2K2 SE. program car.

Never one problem with filter. Don't burn oil

I'll look at the filter comparision.

Hard to sell a more expensive filter when I change them regularly.

rcy

Exactly - just look at the Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan..

Virus

iTrader: (1)

Please provide us with information supporting the above statement. I've read all of Bill's info and the links posted on the org and all of them show the same filters at the top and the same filters at the bottom. Pure One is the best of the cheap filters with Nissan's OEM pretty darn close and at the top it's always Mobil 1, Amsoil and K&N. Basically all of the Champion filters that are made like the Mobil 1 are on the top of the best lists.

Ah, forget it. This is going way off topic. There's plenty of info here in this thread to make a decision. Waiting till your next oil change may be fine.