Re: Fram filters

[Jim Strohm <jstrohm@domain.elided>]

I've used Fram PH43 filters on my street Spider 2000 for four years with
only one mishap -- a section of the gasket (square rubber O-ring)
about 5 mm blew out, causing 100% oil loss.

Luckily I was 2 blocks from home and coasted in just as the oil pressure fell
off.  It was very obvious what had happened.....

The problem here is that the original application for the PH43 -- MoPar
V-8 (well, MoPar ANYTHING) has a small boss on the oil pump that provides
a little bit of lateral support for the O-ring, so the O-ring doesn't
need to hold laterally against 80 psi.  So Fram makes 'em cheap.

IIRC, the PH7 (almost unobtainable here except at king's-ransom
prices) has a slightly different gasket groove design that resists blowout.
You should use the PH7 for maximum street reliability.  For competition,
I'd use a remotely mounted filter and an oil cooler if it's class-legal.
Spin-ons just really don't stay on an engine THAT well.

For drivers of beaters like me, it's cheaper to take a chance on
the '43 (or the '8, for that matter, which has a larger filter area
but will hit the frame if you have a busted motor mount) and carry a
spare filter and case of oil.  If (read:WHEN) it blows, you pull over,
swap filters, top off, and drive away a few dollars richer for
EVERY OIL CHANGE.

As far as actually bursting an oil filter case, well, I've NEVER seen
a filter case fail in my life.  I've only seen gasket-related problems,
and all the big problems except one were 100% attributable to mechanic error.
This covers motorcycles, cars, heavy equipment, and diesel trucks
up to as big as they make 'em.

Jim

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