cheap fix for lifternoise/ fram filter falure

[Brett Dikeman]

At 6:25 PM +0000 8/23/02, brian tanner wrote:

>I have also seen lifter noise caused by the
>engine oil level being low, so low it was off the dipstick.

I can tell you how much oil is in my car by how it sounds, idling.  I
kid you not- I can tell between "enough", 1 quart low, and "off the
dipstick".

>so with reguards to a bad oil filter.....sure blame it on all on the
>oil filter!  six one way half dozen the other.

Actually, the theory with filters+lifter noise has more to do with
the lack of checkback valve on (most) Frams and cheap filters- the
checkback valve keeps oil from flowing through the filter backwards,
and results in oil being supplied at pressure faster to most of the
engine.

Always get a filter that has BOTH a checkback and bypass valve.

I do concur on the engine flush, but it should never be done on an
engine where dino oil has been used for a while.  Always run a light
synthetic for one or two  oil change periods before running the
flush- the detergents will slowly dissolve varnish etc.  The flush
might result in chunks etc being freed up and causing damage(or
worse, blocking something.)

After hearing my car's PO tell me he used "every oil additive there
is" in the car, the first thing I did when I got the car back was
drain the oil and filled it with 5w30 M1.  Ran it for about a hundred
miles or so, pulled the plug- came out dark, dark black.  Put in more
5w30- ran that for a couple hundred miles.  Also came out filthy.
Did a third change- that oil stayed in for the full 5k, but I did a
can of engine oil flush before the change.

Brett
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