Re: Oil Filter Chat.....

["Al Powell" <apowell@agcom.tamu.edu>]

Sachelle Babbar <sbabbar@iris.nyit.edu> asked:

> What about acdelco oil filters and the napa golds? I use ac and at
> one time the pf56 had a drain valve and now it doesn't. They are
> much better quality than the Fram. Thicker paper, etc. The napa
> goods are very heavy duty. I used to work for them and I compared.
> Good, heavy quality and thick filtering media. How do they stack up?

Haven't taken one apart.   I agree that I consider NAPA products in 
general to be a step above most other parts firms, but I lack data to 
compate.  I can attest that Fram, and two or three other big names 
all looked about the same when I took them apart.

You might check locally to see if there is an Amsoil dealer with an 
oil filter display you can see.  These are a common sales tool, and 
they are a mounted cut-away oil filter which lets you see that 
the filter material in the Amsoil unit is about 1 inch thick all the 
way around.  That's impressive.

Before I appear (more) like a fanatic on this subject, I will note 
that IT'S ONLY OIL and there is likely a level of filtration past 
which improvement is moot.  That level of filtration, IMHO, is the 
oil film thickness.  Stands to reason that if you filter particles 
down to sizes which are smaller than the oil film thickness on load 
bearing surfaces, you succeed in keeping the particles suspended in 
the oil, therefore not allowing them to bridge the oil film and have 
direct contact with the metal on either side of the oil film.  

Amsoil publishes specific info on their filtration, and the 
particulate matter allowed through is smaller than normal oil film 
thickness, so that seems like a "Good Thing" to me.

The filter's ability to absorb or hold moisture, acids, etc. created 
by condensation and combustion is a separate issue.  The nasty 
byproducts created by the engine also vary according to the engine's 
condition and the driving pattern: highway, town, short trips, long 
trips, etc.


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