(from reply #234)
"I don't know what to tell you at this point. It looks like in the other thread there's
a non-Wix recommendation. Either a Made in USA Wix from a brick & mortar store,
or possibly the top-shelf Purolater mentioned in reply #3 of the other thread?"
****
Doesn't feel right to identify an issue but not have some sort of recommendation,
or at the very least propose a test to figure out which way to proceed?
So after my previous post I poked around a bit, looking for a Wix vs Purolator
test, this time maybe with a lab test to check how much grit was left behind in
the oil after going through the respective filters?
I found a video where a fairly disciplined test procedure was being followed.
Towards the end of the test I took the following screen grab:
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(credit: YouTube video by the name above:
Wix XP vs Purolator Boss)
From watching some of these videos I already knew that the Fram filters were cheaply constructed
on the inside, but I thought the other name brand filters were all neck & neck. But earlier today
I learned that Wix can no longer be thought of as a 100% Made in the USA oil filter.
And according to the video above (made ~ 7 months ago) that there is a non-trivial difference between
the efficacy of the Wix vs the Purolator Boss? Thinking back to the glittery drain oil you showed in reply #
107,
(prior to cleaning the lifters and finding no overt cam lobe or roller damage) ...is it possible that a Purolator
Boss could do a better job on your oil? If it was me I'd seriously consider buying a Boss filter and swapping
out just the filter and topping off the oil back to the full mark? (No need to change the new oil.)
Note: Back in the late '70s I used to run the old Frantz oil filter (in addition to the normal oil filter) on
an engine I really cared about. That engine was such a highway star (back in the 55 mph era) that it seemed
like I was always 2 points away from walking to work. :0)
I bought the filter after a friend's dad showed me a little test stand where he took clean oil, added carbon
black to it, then ran the blackened oil through the Frantz filter until the oil was a clear honey color again. Sold!
Anyway, I rebuilt the engine, put a tee on the feed to the mechanical oil pressure gauge, installed the Frantz,
and drove that way for 3 years. And the whole time that engine & engine oil stayed exceptionally clean. (Which
was out of the ordinary back in the late '70s.) It had solid lifters, so every time I was in there I was impressed
by how clean everything remained.
When I sold the car to my buddy, the Frantz went with it. Kinda wish I'd kept it. People would laugh, but
having a no-bypass full-depth filter
in addition to the normal full-flow/some bypass filter gave me some of
the cleanest oil I've ever driven. What can I say? Engine oil to me is a lot like toothpicks for Rainman. (
246)
Some things simply can't be ignored. :0)
Just some food for thought. Sure would be neat if we could figure out what's up with your powerplant.