Oil filter standards

Most people assume that equivalents are identical in specification. I think you would have to study the technical spec, if you could find it, to discover whether the filtration standards were the same. I doubt that there would be much difference between known brands but it might be different for unknown/very cheap ones.
 
My advice is to stick with the known brands.

I have a Part Number cross reference for different filter manufacturers to fit the Yanmar 3YM30. I included those with supply links to OEMs but I excluded odd ones whose provenance could not easily be checked.
 
FullCircle said:
My advice is to stick with the known brands...I excluded odd ones whose provenance could not easily be checked.
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Good advice in general with generic items such as filters, belts, impellers, I think.
As is often said, Volvo (or Yanmar, or Vetus, or Beta...) probably never made an oil filter in their entire history, but the 'name' brands have made lots -- and a reputation along the way.
 
Time to get your anorak on. You make what you will of these US amateur studies. Seems to suggest that even some 'name' brands cannot be relied on depending on the particular filter in their range - thinking of Fram here. But since none of them are for marine diesels, none of the findings help, do they? Or do they? I think I won't buy a Mobil 1 filter though.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1662838
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilterstudy.html
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilter/gradesheet.htm
 
tillergirl said:
Time to get your anorak on. You make what you will of these US amateur studies. Seems to suggest that even some 'name' brands cannot be relied on depending on the particular filter in their range - thinking of Fram here. But since none of them are for marine diesels, none of the findings help, do they? Or do they? I think I won't buy a Mobil 1 filter though.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1662838
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilterstudy.html
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilter/gradesheet.htm[/QUOTE

Some interesting links, but the comments in the first link about cardboard ends is pretty rubbish, just about all heavy trucks that run the paper element filters have cardboard ends and ive never ever seen one fall apart.
Sometimes the oil change interval is 150k in long drain motors, havent a clue what that equates to in boat hours?


Lynall
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tillergirl said:
Time to get your anorak on. You make what you will of these US amateur studies. Seems to suggest that even some 'name' brands cannot be relied on depending on the particular filter in their range - thinking of Fram here. But since none of them are for marine diesels, none of the findings help, do they? Or do they? I think I won't buy a Mobil 1 filter though.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1662838
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilterstudy.html
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilter/gradesheet.htm
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In the second study it would appear (not easy to interpret) that some of the ones with smaller media area were actually better at removing particulates than some with larger areas. Which contradicts the findings of the first one.
 
There is a video on youtube where some Yanks take apart different filters. I think it was a Fram one which comes out worst, dodgy seals. Very few pleats in the element etc. what is really bad is that a lot of the oem filters will be made by the likes of Fram even if it has the name of the engine manufacturer on it.
Most leisure boaters changing filters every year will never get near the amount of hours to choke a filter with even a small suface area of element. So I wouldn't wory too much about brand.
 
The Fram name in US and Europe is used by different manufacturers with different products. I am not aware of any problems with Fram European stuff.
 
cryan said:
a lot of the oem filters will be made by the likes of Fram even if it has the name of the engine manufacturer on it.
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Shouldn't that be "all of the oem flters"? I doubt any engine manufacturer has made a cartridge-type filter in the last half century, any more than they've made tyres or windscreens.

P.S. well, excepting Bridgestone, who used to make motorcycles as well as tyres.
 
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It's true they don't make their own filters, but they do usually have their own specifications and sign-off criteria that they make their suppliers adhere to. So, for example, if (say) Ford went to Bosch for a filter, Bosch would make it to a particular specification agreed with Ford (including Ford's own livery, branding and part number).
 
cryan said:
The thing is a lot of the time that specification will be cost driven. If say Ford went to Bosch for a filter I doubt they would be buying top of the line.
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You could say that about pretty much any component fitted to a car though. It'll be "good enough" for their own requirements, in terms of warranty and residual value of the car.
 
So when you buy an oil filter you buy a pig in a poke. The name on it means nothing and there is no specification that you can rely on.
 
Yes, I think so. What's more, the damage caused isn't always immediately obvious. It could just "shorten the life of your engine" rather than kill it the next time you fire up. I tend to go for names that I've heard of - Bosch, Crosland, Fram... My last car engine was still running when I scrapped the car at a quarter of a million miles though, so I assume the above do at least a reasonable job! My boat engine doesn't have an oil filter. It's a small, raw water cooled engine, about 30 years old and no longer in production. The bottom end isn't likely to be the thing that kills it off. They usually corrode their waterways through into the ports first.
 
macd said:
Shouldn't that be "all of the oem flters"? I doubt any engine manufacturer has made a cartridge-type filter in the last half century, any more than they've made tyres or windscreens.

P.S. well, excepting Bridgestone, who used to make motorcycles as well as tyres.
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Not altogether true..Fleetguard was set up by Cummins in order to obtain filters of consistant quality, now one of the very biggest, along with Mann & Hummel who actually manufacture filters branded by Bosch, Donaldson are another big one, exclusive supplier of CAT branded filters then there is Baldwin who manufacture a huge range of quality filters, none of the manufacturers previously listed are in the same league as these.

As to the comment regarding Ford, they have some of the very highest quality standards, to have a Ford supplier star rating is a real feather in your cap.

Whilst on the subject of Ford, they will knock back engine warranty claim if it is fitted with anything other than Ford branded filtration, Yanmar also has policy of rejecting any warranty claim if on inspection non Yanmar filter used.
 
Latestarter1 said:
then there is Baldwin who manufacture a huge range of quality filters, none of the manufacturers previously listed are in the same league as these.
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I have been waiting for your reply:cool: I have just started using Baldwin filters, they are not easy to find but I think that's hey are probably the best around after searching the Internet and looking at their specifications.

A couple of pounds extra for a filter won't break the bank, even if I change it more than twice a year.

Tom.
 
LittleShip said:
I have been waiting for your reply:cool: I have just started using Baldwin filters, they are not easy to find but I think that's hey are probably the best around after searching the Internet and looking at their specifications.

A couple of pounds extra for a filter won't break the bank, even if I change it more than twice a year.

Tom.
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I've been using Baldwin filters for the last few years. I buy them on line from these people: http://www.inlinefilters.co.uk/how-to-use-this-site?chapter=0 and I've found them as cheap as anywhere else. I tend to buy a couple of years' worth at a time.
 
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