Re: OIL FILTERS: AGAIN!!

[Mitch Loescher <Loescher@tamu.edu>]

>1. Some time ago..a few years...Consumer reports tested a wide variety
>           of filters and although I don't remember which ones....I DO   
>remember            this....
>           FRAM absolutely blew away all comers when it came to it's   
>ability to            filter out the junk...which Consumer reports   
>measured down to the            ..nth degree.

A consumer reports recommendation should be reason enough to not buy FRAM
filters.  I've always found their analyses to be anything but thorough from
an engineering standpoint (didn't they recommend against synthetic oils?)
Nevertheless...

A couple of years ago they made a batch of PH6017 motorcycle oil filters
that had the threads cut improperly.  They blew off (stripping the threads
right off) at conditions of high oil pressure (well below spec pressure).
On a bike, this can be fatal.  A few blew off at race tracks, and FRAM's
were immediately banned for a while.  The 6017 filter is a very common
filter shared by many manufaturers, and is probably the most common size for
bikes.

They were recalled, but did they take out ads in motorcycle magazines
alerting people?...No, I had to find out about them on the internet.  

You'd think they'd be careful about this problem right?...Wrong, they had a
bad batch again!  Right now they are under recall, and you can't buy a FRAM
6017.  Fortunately, I was so upset by this problem that I stopped using
FRAM's after the last incident.

If that's their product quality performance, then as far as I am concerned,
they can just go right on selling them to consumer reports devotees...that's
more Mann's and Amsoil's for me.

 - Mitch Loescher