Is there such a thing as too much lube?

[Werdegast]

Some would say I toss money out the window......when I changed the oil yesterday I had driven less than 500 miles maybe even 300....but because the car sits in the garage for so many months I assume that dampness gets into the oil and figured that to be a no-no. So yes my mind is back in the 60's when most all said change the oil very often if not utilized. I laugh now.I remember my dad changing his oil filter every other oil change..he would remove the filter dump out the oil and put back on the car. He never had any engine problems in many years of doing this.

Yes, the Fram is a minimum quality filter. Yes, the Wix or NAPA Gold are worth the extra cost.

No, the Fram filter in and of itself will not harm any engine. Think about it. A filter is there to collect contaminants as they pass through entrained in the oil. If the oil has been changed every one thousand miles, there should be essentially no contaminant in there for the filter to collect.

Maybe, we should put it in perspective. If one is operating a fleet of heavy trucks in the most extreme conditions, constantly pulling max loading, then oil filter quality is critical. In a lightly, gently, seldom operated Stude with the oil changed every thousand miles, an oil filter probably isn't even required at all.

jack vines

[Bob Andrews]

No, the Fram filter in and of itself will not harm any engine. Think about it. A filter is there to collect contaminants as they pass through entrained in the oil. If the oil has been changed every one thousand miles, there should be essentially no contaminant in there for the filter to collect.

Maybe, we should put it in perspective. If one is operating a fleet of heavy trucks in the most extreme conditions, constantly pulling max loading, then oil filter quality is critical. In a lightly, gently, seldom operated Stude with the oil changed every thousand miles, an oil filter probably isn't even required at all.

Exactly; well said. Honestly, I don't know how the oil filter overkill fetish got started. As stated by Mr. Vines, a filter means very little in classic car use. For decades cars intended for daily service had NO oil filters at all.

Don't fear the Fram; and don't waste it. The tiny contribution the filter makes to the average babied collector car can be made by a cheapo or a big-buck filter equally as well. If one feels good about unnecessary overspending, that's certainly a reason to justify it. For the CASO though, it serves no purpose

[PlainBrownR2]

Yes, the Fram is a minimum quality filter. Yes, the Wix or NAPA Gold are worth the extra cost.

No, the Fram filter in and of itself will not harm any engine. Think about it. A filter is there to collect contaminants as they pass through entrained in the oil. If the oil has been changed every one thousand miles, there should be essentially no contaminant in there for the filter to collect.

Maybe, we should put it in perspective. If one is operating a fleet of heavy trucks in the most extreme conditions, constantly pulling max loading, then oil filter quality is critical. In a lightly, gently, seldom operated Stude with the oil changed every thousand miles, an oil filter probably isn't even required at all.

jack vines

That reminds me of the history of my pickup. Originally the truck was sent to S.D and spent part of its life up there before coming back here as a regularly used pickup. The six cylinder that was in it, had no filter at all, that is until I added the cartridge filter setup. It was optional to install a filter on the flathead six, and it survived fairly well provided you went back every so often and changed the oil in it.

Regarding the grease, yeah too much can result in getting the pockets on the frame under the motor mounts full of the caked stuff. When I had the engine out of the '55 I had to remove a coating an inch thick from 50 years of greasing the front end. The positive of having the grease though was it kept the front end from rusting out, even though it looks unsightly.

[Bud]

The main issue I've had with Fram filters is an occasional leak. I do know that their quality isn't as good as the premium filters, but I don't know if that makes much of a difference in the old Studebaker engines. I use the Baldwin filters because I buy them for the Studebakers when I buy filters for other pieces of equipment. Bud

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

I don't know how to post a link to a site so I'll have to do it this way.

Engine Oil Filter Study By Russ W. Knize

This guy has been cutting up dissecting and testing filters for years. He is the go-to guy for questions on oil filters.
Fram filters SUCK.

Just Google "engine oil filter comparison" a lot of good info available.
From what I understand the Walmart brand is actually a good filter.
[and no I'm not connected to his site in any way, just found out about it and passing the info on]

[N8N]

I don't like the orange can either, but if I have to use one in a pinch, there are plenty of them out there providing "adequate" lubrication.

If you have a full flow filter, I would be tempted to use a Canton/Mecca filter for better filtration. Combined with a bypass filter if you really want to go hard core. Don't know where you can get the good depth type elements for an old Fram C4 canister anymore though. I too like Wix for conventional OTC spin-ons. I know Jeff pushes Luber-Finer but I haven't seen them in any of my FLAPS to try (but I believe that they are a Champion Labs product who also make many other brands.)

Long story short, I won't deliberately buy a Fram filter, but if I'm in a bind, a new Fram is probably better than an old whatever you have on the car already, especially on an older car that likely tends to dirty up the filter quickly.

nate

[studerodder]

man, are you guys into overkill! it ain't an 80,000 pound semi with a 400 horse diesel! that fram will do the job just fine. back in the old days it was common to remove the oil filter assembly from partial flow studes because they drained back into the fill tube and if your engine had blow-by it would splatter oil all over hell. gramps drove one for years set up like that, no filter at all.

[53k]

Exactly; well said. Honestly, I don't know how the oil filter overkill fetish got started. As stated by Mr. Vines, a filter means very little in classic car use. For decades cars intended for daily service had NO oil filters at all.
Don't fear the Fram; and don't waste it. The tiny contribution the filter makes to the average babied collector car can be made by a cheapo or a big-buck filter equally as well. If one feels good about unnecessary overspending, that's certainly a reason to justify it. For the CASO though, it serves no purpose

My '61 Cruiser (bought new) had no filter at all and I didn't add one. Routine was to change oil (and grease chassis) every 1,000 miles.

[Edsel G. Tattooer]

With a title like this all I can do is snicker to myself. I really am 12 years old most of the time.

[Bob Andrews]

With a title like this all I can do is snicker to myself. I really am 12 years old most of the time.

Welcome to my world, Edsy