Fram Ultra 3980 cut open 13k+ miles, w/filter mag

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Are you planing on doing a follow-up UOA to see if you've got the silicon ingestion under control?

I still think that with all the issues this car has (rust, engine wear issues) that all the money you spent on rebuilding the tranny was not money well spent...it's just becoming a money pit, and now a possible engine rebuild? Yikes....

I say this out of sympathy, as I am in the same boat with my Tribute...it is not going to pass an emission test in Oct. unless I re-do the exhaust front-to-back, and it is simply not worth it....
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Are you planing on doing a follow-up UOA to see if you've got the silicon ingestion under control?

I still think that with all the issues this car has (rust, engine wear issues) that all the money you spent on rebuilding the tranny was not money well spent...it's just becoming a money pit, and now a possible engine rebuild? Yikes....

I say this out of sympathy, as I am in the same boat with my Tribute...it is not going to pass an emission test in Oct. unless I re-do the exhaust front-to-back, and it is simply not worth it....


Yeah I might do a uoa next oci to check for coolant contamination too. Guessing by the sparkles the silicon ingesting is still there. The rust on the car is only on the rockers and purely cosmetic, it actually looks pretty good under neath the car. I used some rust convertor and dupli color on the rockers trying to slow it down.

These 3.1 engines are pretty tough, I think it's going to last a few more years.
 
Yeah, I remember years ago member Gary Allen had a customer with a 3.1-powered Lumina with a confirmed LIM leak, and coolant contamination in the oil.

Gary posted several UOA's on the vehicle, and with moderate changes (5k I think) it kept trucking along for a couple of years like this until she upgraded.
 
Thankfully no coolant leaks showing in my last uoas, but I noticed a small amount of coolant loss from my over flow tank, which is why I'm going to continue to monitor it.

This engine has already had the LIM gaskets done so hopefully all is well.
 
I'm still debating on how long to run the current tough guard, I wish I'd have put my other Ultra on there it's a mess everytime I change the filter.
 
I'll be running the Ultra on our Civic for the two OCI's. Just makes sense and you get full value out of the filter.
 
Originally Posted By: webfors
I'll be running the Ultra on our Civic for the two OCI's. Just makes sense and you get full value out of the filter.

Agree 100%.....
 
How does anyone know when a filter is too loaded to flow good and just bypasses? Do you guys have a magic eye or what. You trust the MFG 100%? My home AC filters never look plugged but using a wind speed meter I can tell when they have dropped to 50-60% flow and they don't look very plugged. So my money is on 5-6K oil and filter. Use full synthetic whatever and fram ultra. Its cheap, why push it. I think extended OCIs are just the mans way of making you feel better about the higher cost of synthetic this and that. $30 for OC w filter is nothing over 5-6K miles. JMOO.
 
Originally Posted By: Skanky
Use full synthetic whatever and fram ultra. Its cheap, why push it. I think extended OCIs are just the mans way of making you feel better about the higher cost of synthetic this and that.
Because in a clean, properly running engine it is not "pushing it". Obviously, each engine and driving style is different, but under the right conditions, extended OCIs are very plausible and are not about "marking territory".
 
Originally Posted By: Skanky
How does anyone know when a filter is too loaded to flow good and just bypasses? Do you guys have a magic eye or what. You trust the MFG 100%? My home AC filters never look plugged but using a wind speed meter I can tell when they have dropped to 50-60% flow and they don't look very plugged. So my money is on 5-6K oil and filter. Use full synthetic whatever and fram ultra. Its cheap, why push it. I think extended OCIs are just the mans way of making you feel better about the higher cost of synthetic this and that. $30 for OC w filter is nothing over 5-6K miles. JMOO.


This makes zero sense. Get the best, but only use it to half its potential. That is what you're saying.. Why not get conventional and an entry level filter at those OCI's? Does the synthetic make you feel more manly?
crackmeup2.gif
 
Filter full of metal shavings, boy that long OCI is really working out. And no real answers just cheap jabs. Because you really don't know when a filter starts to bypass so keep pushing it. Not my car, [censored] why ever change the filter...
 
Originally Posted By: Skanky
Filter full of metal shavings, boy that long OCI is really working out. And no real answers just cheap jabs. Because you really don't know when a filter starts to bypass so keep pushing it. Not my car, [censored] why ever change the filter...


I don't think you are reading what I posted. My filter intervals are longer than my oil intervals.

I change my oil every 3k or so miles, I'm just keeping the filter on longer. My last two uoas showed acceptable insolubles which is one way to measure if filter is loaded beyond capacity, the only other way would be expensive testing equipment on the filter before it's cut open.

Also the bigger pieces of metal are from the can when I snipped it. The other pieces of metal are from the filter mag which is accumulate before they reach the filter media and fall free since I removed the magnet before I cut it open.

But other than that my engine does put out high metals based on my uoas which is why I change the oil so often.
 
Great posts- thanks for doing them!

Its hard to see how much glint in your filter with that lighting, happy to see it hold shape and its internal parts.
I have one of these on my lexus right now.

That filter magnet is doing is doing a good job of keeping the filter from loading up even more.

Based on you knowing you are putting out metal it may be worth a super drain plug magnet to try to catch some more metal and paste at the bottom end before it gets a chance to go round and round through your parts. You'd get a firsthand look at the [censored] on a plug.

If she were mine Id probably go gonzo on the magnets and put another one the other side of the filter.
It would be really fun to see if a microgreen would cut your metals down even further.

But then I call that kind of stuff "fun", and most guys don't.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: UncleDave
Great posts- thanks for doing them!

Its hard to see how much glint in your filter with that lighting, happy to see it hold shape and its internal parts.
I have one of these on my lexus right now.

That filter magnet is doing is doing a good job of keeping the filter from loading up even more.

Based on you knowing you are putting out metal it may be worth a super drain plug magnet to try to catch some more metal and paste at the bottom end before it gets a chance to go round and round through your parts. You'd get a firsthand look at the [censored] on a plug.

If she were mine Id probably go gonzo on the magnets and put another one the other side of the filter.
It would be really fun to see if a microgreen would cut your metals down even further.

But then I call that kind of stuff "fun", and most guys don't.




Yes i was planning on getting a gold plug, which i have researched to be among the best, but i forgot to order it in time for this OCI, i will probably be getting it for the next one if i remember.
 
How do you know those particles wouldn't have been caught by the media thereby negating need for the magnets? Did you have them sent off for an avg particle size/count?
 
You have to admit, the FRAM ULTRA is one nice oil filter. If you had not put the filter mag on it you would think that the filter was only dunked in oil instead of being used.
Great job on making a great filter FRAM!
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Originally Posted By: KingCake
How do you know those particles wouldn't have been caught by the media thereby negating need for the magnets? Did you have them sent off for an avg particle size/count?


Most of them probably would get caught but having them collect on the side of the can leaves more room for the media to trap non metallic wear particles, plus there's very fine iron particles that may pass through a filter that will attach also.
 
The ultra seems to be a good filter compared to most other filters and as long as fram keeps making them the same way and does not decide to cut corners or raise the price i will still be buying them unless i see something i don't like.

I started using the ultra when the purolator issues started and im glad i did ...I think because of the purolator issues Fram sells many more ultras..
 
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