Michael,
I believe this is the second time the list has heard of problems with
Fram filters. I think I remember someone taking one of them apart and
finding the filter element somewhat suspect.(It didn't have one) Sounds like
it is time to find another filter company.
Paul
Paul R. Sheahan
B382000118
B382001555
B382002177
B382100598
B9480052
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael McBeth <mmcbeth@compusmart.ab.ca>
To: tigers@autox.team.net <tigers@autox.team.net>
Date: Sunday, August 29, 1999 8:16 PM
Subject: Faulty(?) Oil filters
>I wonder if anyone can lend any insight on this. We had a 5.0 Ford vs.
Import
>car showdown at the local drag strip this weekend and I was considering
racing
>(actually I fit in both categories) so I decided to change to 5w50
Synthetic
>oil and a 'high performance' Fram filter in preparation. I quickly zipped
>through this process and fired the car up, only to find zero oil pressure.
I
>first thought I had an air lock in the gauge line since the filter was
warm,
>but after a couple of start/ stop cycles trying to move my supposed air
lock I
>suddenly notice that my lifters are getting awfully loud.
>
>After a great amount of fiddling around I pull the filter off and it is
highly
>pressurized. After priming the filter and the lines a couple of times and
>making a hell of a mess I realize that oil is getting to the filter but not
>through it, even when I spin it part way off. I decided that had to mean I
had
>a faulty filter and went back to the store that I bought the filter, double
>checked the part number and bought another one. I go through the process of
>priming and spilling even more of my expensive oil only to find the same
damn
>problem!
>
>After missing a couple of functions I wanted to drive the Tiger to, out of
>desperation I went to another place and looked at another oil filter, a
Delco
>(gasp!) this time. I was able to blow through the Delco where I could not
blow
>through the Hi perf Fram: I'm not sure whether this is a good sign, but
since
>I also couldn't get oil through the Fram I figured that different was
better.
>I slapped it on the Tiger, cranked it over and built oil pressure quickly.
>After firing it up oil pressure looks good and the loud lifters eventually
>quietened.
>
>I have never run into even one oil filter faulty this way before, two in a
row
>seems incredible. I don't have a bypass on my filter, do these high
percentage
>cleaning oil filters all back up the oil this much, counting on the bypass
to
>move enough oil? I am quite upset that I ran my engine so many times with
no
>oil in it in the attempt to solve the problem, however I am sure that the
>parts store will argue that their catalog doesn't show Sunbeams so I
shouldn't
>have used the filter. Anyway, buyer beware.
>
>Michael
|