Oil filter 99% efficiency @20 microns guess what filter I’m running under $9

William_Wallace

New member
Question I can’t seem to get an answer see below but here is some background info.

The oil filter states efficiency of 99% of contaminates of 20 microns for 20,000 miles. Dang YouTube started putting these videos up in my feed and I have been watching for last couple days. People compare oil filters. They Cut them open and compare the internals. My normal OE Ford filter stats were around %80 for 5000 miles and no micron info.

The filter is a fram ultra and I know fram really doesn’t have the best reputation but It was only an extra $4 so I bought it.

Here is my question liquimoli Mos2 I have run religiously for a long time in all engines cars, lawn 4 wheelers I like the thought of solid particle lubricant instead of chemical that’s why I like mos2 over hyper lube, redline, ect… . It probably does nothing but I still like putting it in every oil change. Is the 20 micro filter going to pull it out of the oil. 20 microns seems smaller than the the little ball bearings of moly in the oil additive. I sent a question out to liquimoly but I feel like that is secret info…the size of the particles and I won’t get an answer. I don’t want to be a stooge and clog up my filter and have to use the oil filter with a bypass valve open from day 1.
 
Great question. Back in the day I used to use ArcoGraphite oil, which supposedly had some special chemistry to keep the graphite in suspension and prevent it from winding up as sludge at the bottom of the oil pan. People didn`t like this oil because it was black and you couldn`t tell if your oil was "dirty". I can also vouch for it being a horrible mess if you spill it, or if your car leaks...and I think almost every car I used it in it seemed to cause the fuel pump diaphragm to leak (unless they just always leaked and you never noticed with conventional oil--this is back in the day of mechanical fuel pumps--how quaint ;) ). I blamed the "special chemistry" for attacking the fuel pump, but who knows.

However, and people didn`t believe this--it really did something. Every car I put it in, I had to turn down the idle speed, because apparently the reduced friction made the engine run faster (this was back when we used to have this thing on the engine called a carburetor). So I understand you using the moly additive. Unfortunately I don`t know the answer, seems like you should be asking this at Bob is the Oil Guy...where you will get 16 different answers, just like here. I bought one of those Fram Ultra filters also, haven`t used it yet.

I know they make some very fine moly powders, here`s one that`s no bigger than 8 microns: https://www.tsmoly.com/molybdenum-disulfide-powder-moly-powder-super-fine-grade-p-188.html , of course who knows what`s in your additive, since they won`t say.

Another thing to think about is that oil filters are rated on a multi-pass efficiency test, so they don`t just take everything out on the first shot. I can tell you the graphite didn`t all wind up in the filter--the oil was still black when you changed it, LOL.
 
In modern cars, I use the OEM filter and the factory-recommended oil. No reason not to. They have this figured out, especially in the factory hot-rods.
 
I use factory Honda/Acura filters and I’ve used Mobil 1 Full Synthetic oil for the last 20+ years.
 
I used a good filter, not the very best or the most expensive, in my DD 68 Charger for 41 years and never had any issues. I believe it lasted as long as it did is because I religiously changed the oil at 4K.
 
Hopefully this does get crazy remarks I have old thread where I run 1oz marine ashless 2 stroke oil per 5 gallons of gas every tank for at least 4 years the thread is on here but I haven’t posted for 2 years maybe I’ll revive it. I have passed all emission inspections haven fouled any plugs or caked up my cat ……at least yet! Mpg increase was close to 1 when I did it but has since when back to normal I thought it helped lube upper cylinder and help negate ethanol issues and keep whole fuel system clean and lubed up.
 
Marvel Mystery Oil or Seafoam in the gas will keep things clean. Just don`t overdo it.
I like MMO I usually load up in gas when I store my lawn equipment and dump some in the oil too before changing. The reason I used the 2stroke marine oil is a gallon is $20 last almost whole year I stole the idea from boboil guy post from couple years back it was a long running thread with lots of folks doing it and posting there results over 8+ year window and I jumped on board when I fill up my 16 gallon tank I put 3oz of the oil so it’s literally pennies to do.
 
In modern cars, I use the OEM filter and the factory-recommended oil. No reason not to. They have this figured out, especially in the factory hot-rods.

I have a similar philosophy. I`ll either go OEM or from the vendor who makes the parts for the OEM; ex: Mann makes the oil and air filters for most modern BMW`s. When I was consistently doing oil changes my self, I found I could often get the OEM or factory filters for the same price if I shopped carefully on line. For the times I bought non-OEM I would usually go with WIX. Some deep reading on Bobistheoilguy years ago showed they performed much better than some brands like Fram.

When it came to the oil I was pretty open to many of the brands as long as they sold products which met the standards of the automaker the oil was going into. For my German cars, that was usually Mobil1 or Castrol, those these days Pennsoil and Valvoline also have versions which meet the standards. Pretty sure the BMW dealership used Valvoline the last time I was there.

I tend to talk about this topic in past-tense since it seems dealerships are getting more into the reasonable priced oil change business. My local Honda and Toyota dealerships have rates for their "express service" which are about what I`d pay for the materials myself (even better with the coupons they send out) as does our family mechanic. My BMW dealer is a touch higher, but I get a loaner car for the day, so to me there is still great value. The do-it-yourself shop with a lift I used to use became extremely popular and it steadily became harder to get a bay to do the work and my garage/driveway aren`t really suitable for doing oil changes. The dealerships tend to higher *slightly* better technicians to do oil changes than the quick-lube places so I feel a little better about the quality of the work.
 
I`m in Desertnate`s camp - I use factory vendor filters (as we do at our shop).

For our customer cars, we use LiquiMoly oil that meets/exceeds the required manufacturer standards.
For my cars, I use a LiquiMoly oil (TopTec 4200) that`s actually rated above the spec my cars call for - it`s formulated for the Euro Diesels; it`s also spec`d for Extended Intervals for gasoline cars in Europe. Oil changed every 5,000 miles despite the extended interval designation of the oil and factory recommendation of 10,000 for my car.

I have a long running dislike of rapid oil change places and most parts store oil filters. I`ve had So. Many. Cars. that have come in with parts store filters (not just the bottom barrel grade either) that have leaking o-rings that have turned square because they`re so cheap or the filter media itself is collapsing in on itself (sometimes literally tearing open).
This happens well before the car reaches the factory recommended oil change interval (which, in my experience is too long if engine longevity is your goal). On top of that, the number of cars where you`d swear they Karate kicked the

On top of that, it`s very frequent that I run into instances of customer paying more at a rapid change place than they would have coming to us (2.5 make focused independent shop - BMW, Audi; BMW`s little brother Mini is the .5 :) ). Should this be an indicator we`re not charging enough? It`s tough when your day-to-day competition is the Dealership, not so much quick lubes and corner shops.

The other thing that blows my mind from catch-all independents is when customers provide their records for us to determine their service history (or get back story for issues other shops haven`t been able to solve) - the number of times a customer will go to the same shop for oil changes, and it`s a different price literally every time.

The number of times I see other shops make repairs with CHEAP parts where they charge the customer more than MSRP of the Genuine part/more labor than a specialty shop is a rant for another day...

Having worked at a dealership for 10 years prior to my 11 years here, the one bummer about dealer service is that for simple things like oil changes you`re frequently passed off to the "Express Service" (read: inexpensive employee) crew. I just had a car come in that had a laundry list of stuff it needed and the customer was shocked. "I`ve been bringing it to Dealer X for all my oil changes, and they never told me about any of this!" Sure enough. The young gun just does exactly what`s on the RO as fast as they can so they can get on to the next one.

Sorry for the "old man" get-off-my-lawn rant; working on an E92 M3 right now that came from a National Chain. This is a no dipstick car; I drained 19 Liters of oil (Listed capacity of 8.8L). They made more than one attempt to get the oil level corrected - I have no idea what they must have been doing...
Same car also has the directional front rotors installed facing the wrong way, and the computer wasn`t reset when the brakes were done. So often the most simple services are the ones you see butchered...
 
I like MMO I usually load up in gas when I store my lawn equipment and dump some in the oil too before changing. The reason I used the 2stroke marine oil is a gallon is $20 last almost whole year I stole the idea from boboil guy post from couple years back it was a long running thread with lots of folks doing it and posting there results over 8+ year window and I jumped on board when I fill up my 16 gallon tank I put 3oz of the oil so it’s literally pennies to do.

Our tractor sat on the back porch for over a year. My dad couldn`t get it started. I dumped a couple ounces of MMO in it and it fired right up. I had a friend who`s chainsaw sat all winter and wouldn`t start. He fooled around with it for a half hour. I told him to go to the store and get some MMO. He put about an ounce in the gas tank and it fired up on the second pull.
 
I`m in Desertnate`s camp - I use factory vendor filters (as we do at our shop).

For our customer cars, we use LiquiMoly oil that meets/exceeds the required manufacturer standards.
For my cars, I use a LiquiMoly oil (TopTec 4200) that`s actually rated above the spec my cars call for - it`s formulated for the Euro Diesels; it`s also spec`d for Extended Intervals for gasoline cars in Europe. Oil changed every 5,000 miles despite the extended interval designation of the oil and factory recommendation of 10,000 for my car.

I have a long running dislike of rapid oil change places and most parts store oil filters. I`ve had So. Many. Cars. that have come in with parts store filters (not just the bottom barrel grade either) that have leaking o-rings that have turned square because they`re so cheap or the filter media itself is collapsing in on itself (sometimes literally tearing open).
This happens well before the car reaches the factory recommended oil change interval (which, in my experience is too long if engine longevity is your goal). On top of that, the number of cars where you`d swear they Karate kicked the

On top of that, it`s very frequent that I run into instances of customer paying more at a rapid change place than they would have coming to us (2.5 make focused independent shop - BMW, Audi; BMW`s little brother Mini is the .5 :) ). Should this be an indicator we`re not charging enough? It`s tough when your day-to-day competition is the Dealership, not so much quick lubes and corner shops.

The other thing that blows my mind from catch-all independents is when customers provide their records for us to determine their service history (or get back story for issues other shops haven`t been able to solve) - the number of times a customer will go to the same shop for oil changes, and it`s a different price literally every time.

The number of times I see other shops make repairs with CHEAP parts where they charge the customer more than MSRP of the Genuine part/more labor than a specialty shop is a rant for another day...

Having worked at a dealership for 10 years prior to my 11 years here, the one bummer about dealer service is that for simple things like oil changes you`re frequently passed off to the "Express Service" (read: inexpensive employee) crew. I just had a car come in that had a laundry list of stuff it needed and the customer was shocked. "I`ve been bringing it to Dealer X for all my oil changes, and they never told me about any of this!" Sure enough. The young gun just does exactly what`s on the RO as fast as they can so they can get on to the next one.

Sorry for the "old man" get-off-my-lawn rant; working on an E92 M3 right now that came from a National Chain. This is a no dipstick car; I drained 19 Liters of oil (Listed capacity of 8.8L). They made more than one attempt to get the oil level corrected - I have no idea what they must have been doing...
Same car also has the directional front rotors installed facing the wrong way, and the computer wasn`t reset when the brakes were done. So often the most simple services are the ones you see butchered...

Wow ! 19 extra Liters if oil !!! Guess they did an oil change but "forgot" to drain the old oil?? :) :) :)
Thank goodness they came to you ! Now it is all better again..
I have read of issues with that oil level sensor, etc... Geez guys - the dipstick is pretty hard to get it wrong (unless it`s the wrong dipstick)..
My last M car, a new off the truck 2002 Z3 M-Coupe (an absolute Rocket) had to have that European Castrol 10w-60 oil that cost around $20/quart back then..
Dan F
 
Anyone still using Hastings oil filters?? I also know that K&E (yes, the famous air filter company) makes oils filters and wonder how good they are.
some of the K & E have a hex nut solders/welded to the bottom to facilitate easier oil filter removal.
Me, I have been using Mobil 1 oil filters with Mobil 1 oil, because they could (past tense emphasized) purchased at Walmart. Before that I used Bosch oil filters bought from Walmart, but that line, too, has been discontinued. Apparently spending more than $10 for an oil filter did not "fit" the typical Walmart buyer profile or budget.

Here`s another detail I do in changing my own oil: I add oil to the new filter before installing it on the engine. It was an old racer`s trick to prevent starving the engine of oil upon start-up as the oil filter filled up. And yes, I still wipe off the oil filter machined sealing boss on the engine just to make sure it`s clean AND wipe an oil film onto the O-ring. It also makes you look at the boss to make sure the old now-removed oil filter`s O-ring has not stuck to the boss. Yes, I has happened to me once on a Ford 400 engine in a `74 wagon. What a mess when you start the engine!

This concept also used on a Ford SVO Mustang Turbo I owned with a 2.3 Liter "Pinto" engine that when the oil was changed, you were to disconnect the distributor wire from the coil to prevent the engine from firing and turn the engine over with the key starter for 10 seconds to prime the entire oil system, including the turbo oil-feed bearings, to prevent oil starvation. Made sense. Still burned two turbos out before i traded that car for a Toyota MR2. Vowed to NEVER own a Blue Oval product again. Now I own and drive a 2005 Ford AWD FreeStyle we bought from my Mom`s estate and certified pre-owned 2015 Ford AWD Taurus my wife picked out because of the price and low odometer mileage. Go figure!

Yes, OEM filters from vehicle manufacturers have gotten "better". I used to own Subarus and used the OEM filter after the service tech told me that their Subaru filter had a unique design for their by-pass filter and valve designed specifically for the H-4 (horizontally opposed 4 cylinder) engine. Never had oil related problems. Cylinder head gaskets was another issue, but that`s not the subject at hand.

Oh, yes, I used the mentioned ArcoGraphite-impregnated oil before using Mobil 1. Seemed "strange" pouring dirty-looking oil into an engine. Did not notice better engine performance as mentioned above, BUT being involved in mechanical design, I knew graphite provided better lubrication, as it was being impregnated into brass/bronze bushing and bearings at the time (late 1970`s). My brother used Kendal GT-1 oil in his `67 Mustang with a Hi-Po 289 engine because that`s what Shelby was using in his race engines. Had a weird green color and unique "fragrance". Might have been a straight-weight oil, like SAE 40. Made for hard-starting on cold late fall/early spring mornings.
 
I like have always liked the Ford oil filter before I put the fram on I was comparing them and the factory one was heavier by weight. I have another thread going about replacing my wheel bearings that was an adventure up front, rears weren’t bad. I also replaced cv shafts and the seals that go into the side of the transmission I was able to replace drivers side but not right side so instead I had a liquimoly oil saver additive and dipped my finger in and rubbed the exposed rubber hopefully this was not a stooge move hopefully whatever those seal are made of is compatible with what I rubbed on it I’m really looking back thinking that was a bad move.

Also picked up at auto store Zerex water pump lube that goes into coolant that I just replaced never heard of it anyone know about this product
 
Here`s another detail I do in changing my own oil: I add oil to the new filter before installing it on the engine. It was an old racer`s trick to prevent starving the engine of oil upon start-up as the oil filter filled up. And yes, I still wipe off the oil filter machined sealing boss on the engine just to make sure it`s clean AND wipe an oil film onto the O-ring. It also makes you look at the boss to make sure the old now-removed oil filter`s O-ring has not stuck to the boss. Yes, I has happened to me once on a Ford 400 engine in a `74 wagon. What a mess when you start the engine!

Never thought about pouring oil into the filter ahead of time. That`s a great idea. Unfortunately it only works for those cars with a filter on the bottom of the engine where the filter and the housing are all one unit. My German cars have all had a filter which sits vertically on the top of the engine and you actually only replace the element, the outer housing is only a cap you take off/on when replacing the element inside it.

My dad taught me the trick about swiping the oil around the O-ring on the filter. It was one of the things he constantly harped on when we did oil changes at home. I may have forgotten a lot from those sessions in the driveway, but that wasn`t one of them.
 
Here`s one more thing I would like to bring up about oil changes is the plastic washer or metal "crush" washer on the drain plug itself. On Subarus they have a metal "crush" sealing washer on the drain plug that is suppose to be changed out with every oil change. I did not do this and after about three oil changes the oil would seep out of the plug and leak onto the garage floor or driveway. You could bear down and tighten the plug, but that did not solve the problem and only made it worse for removal at the next self-done oil change. When I "complained" to dealership service tech during a service visit, he asked if I replaced the washer "crush" ring on the drain plug. "NO!! What is that???", was my astonished reply. There is nothing in the owner`s manual about that. Of course not! Service work like oil changes is SUPPOSE to be done at the dealership. Well, when I found this small, overlooked oil plug washer detail, I bought the washer "crush" ring along with the OEM Subaru filter from the dealership parts department. Cost about $2.00 and yes, it does go on a certain way, with the flat side toward the drain plug sealing surface, and the rounded side toward the oil pan sealing surface so it will "crush" and flatten out and seal better. Live and learn!

I do not know how often any of you replace your oil drain plug, but if it has a plastic/nylon washer, that washer will get brittle crack over time from the heat of the engine oil or just time itself. That and the fact that sometimes the hex head flats get rounded from some over-zealous oil change "mechanic" (AKA grease monkey) who either used the wrong wrench/socket size (mistakes using a SAE inch-size for what is really a metric size or vise-versa) or over-tightens the darn thing to get it to seal OR even worse, uses an adjustable-wrench (AKA, Crescent wrench) to tighten the plug. Know AND REMEMBER your drain plug hex size and use the correct socket to remove or tighten it!
(By now you should have figured out that the inept "grease monkey" is me, Captain Obvious. The "AND REMEMBER" part is for those of us in advancing age where your memory is sometimes "challenged". Hey, I`m the guy whose is similar to female comedian Phyllis Diller`s husband Fang when she said, "Put a hammer in his hand and you have two objects with roughly the same IQ"!) Another live and learn moment!
 
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