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Oil and Filter Questions...

Primal

Primal

New member
Hey All!

I have two questions related to oil and filters.

1) I know you can use a filter for a 4.3L on the 3800 to get a little extra capacity. Does anyone have a Fram or GM part number for a correct filter?

2) I just did a LIM gasket here and want to run some oil for a few hundred miles or so to clean out the gunk that was around from the coolant leak and also whatever got into the motor with it being opened up. I have Royal Purple synthetic but I don't want to use that yet. I'd like to run something through first, drain it and then go for the synthetic. What should I use? A "high mileage" oil is there something else that might give it a good cleaning? Plain oil plus Marvel Mystery Oil?

Thanks!

Adam
 


I would pick up a low cost regular oil change from the parts store or Walmart and run that to do your clean. The best cleaning I have found occurs when you pick up the oil change pace to about ever 3000-2500 miles or so for about a year. Typically that's 6-10 changes for me and the motor looks great in a year.
 
don't know if anyone ells here will agree with me on this one but if you want to go with a better quality filter i would just go with the filter that goes with the 3800 you have... i would go with a nice quality filter, they have filters that do a nice job, and one of them is NOT Fram in my opinion, many people use them extensively beacuse the are cheep and easy too get but there is a reason for that, FRAM sells beacuse of there cheep price and extensive advertising, i usually get Napa or Wix filter, thats pretty much what a Napa filter is, a Wix filter with the napa logo slapped on... they are a nice quality built filter and only a couple bucks more than a FRAM...

if you have done a LIM gasket change my suggestion is too do a quick filter swap after a couple hundred miles just the filter... just jack up your car, take the old oil filter off, take a new oil filter and put it in just like you are doing a regular oil change, start your car let the oil run through and prime after you put the filter on, check your oil level and fill as necessary, i have done a few of these intake manifold gaskets and this is what i was always told to do, most oils have detergents in them and will clean out the system...

as for oil flush additives, i would suggest not using them :) a lot of times i have found they can brake loose sludge and it can get caught up in your oil pickup and thats not good, the detergents in the oil are more gentle and slowly clean out the engine, let them do there job.
 
Thanks, man. I know Fram used to be considered crap. I've been using the heavy duty ones on my truck. I thought the quality had gotten better.

I have a Royal Purple one that came with the case of oil I got. I'll maybe use that one first with some plain old oil, do a full change early on and then see where to go from there..

Thanks again!

Adam
 
From what I known about FRAM, it seems to restrict oil some. This is from personal use. I had a 1970 Chevelle. I built the 388 stroker motor for it and installed it in my car with an orange FRAM filter. I did it for color not for function (stupid I know). Well during break in of my cam I started the car, reved it up, and my oil pressure was not as high as I wanted it to be or should be. I had pressure, but it was on the low end of what I consider normal. I continued with the cam break in and shut the car off. I drained the oil, changed filter to another FRAM with the same results... I thought I screwed up something in my build. I babied the car for a week then changed the oil again but used a delco filter. When I installed my delco filter my oil pressure instantly hopped up to where it should be. After that experience I will never use a FRAM. Like I said, this is my personal experience. Others love FRAM.

Personally I now use Bosch and never look back.
 


Interesting. I used to use AC Delco on my truck then switched to the Fram 4X4 ones - mostly because they had the nice grippy around the bottom for the filter wrench to grab LOL
 
I would do what Bill suggested. You can pick up a regular oil and filter set up for about $20 at any auto parts store. Even if it does come with a fram. It's not like you are going to run it for a long period of time. Or like Bill said pick up some regular oil and a filter from walmart for about the same price or even cheaper.

FYI if there is a Napa near you thay are having their synthetic oil and filter for $19.99. It's good oil and you could stock up.
 
FWIW i changed my oil maybe a month or so ago, used mobile 1 synthetic from autorice and a k&n filter (the bigger one, they have 2 models for our cars, stock and slightly larger). later that day i went to walmart and the same friggin oil jug was 13dollars cheaper, go figure. i only went with the k&n filter as it was pretty much the same thing as stock and as the mobile 1 filter including price, but the k&n was on sale i think. first car ive changed oil and used any filter other than stock, so far so good. my sho tbird and exploder always got motorcraft filters.
 
Filters are all close enough to the same for it to make an insignificant difference.

That being said, I used mobil 1 full synthetic and a k&n filter on my modded GP, and cheap stuff on the other ones. I never had any oiling issues.
 


1. Googled:
delco pf52
fram ph3980
purolator L24011
napa gold select 91036
WIX 51036
Pureone L24011

1998 Blazer or 2000 Chevrolet Blazer S10 4WD 4.3 in the book in the filter aisle should yield the right results, I think.

2. Less than a thousand miles? Meh, even a $2 Delco will be fine. The cheapest oil would still be 100% fine (likely Walmart Supertech... ~$14 for 5qt iirc).

But don't use a Delco filter with Royal Purple. That's a seriously mismatched pair. Get a top-of-the-line filter if you're fancy enough for top-of-the-line oil. And even if you're not.
 
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Fram synthetic/ultra/whatever the hell they're called now are pretty sweet filters.

XG instead of PH.

So XG3980

On tests where they actually test filtration, they tend to do as well or better than most boutique filters.

Of course you can't beat the dual filter system Amsoil sells, but that's an unfair comparison.
 
Yeah, that. I run Fram Ultras with Walmart Supertech Synthetic. I sleep better and that combo's not too hard on the wallet.
 
Never, ever use a FRAM filter.

Here's what a FRAM filter looks like when you take it apart:

4gkw.jpg


Dunno about you guys but I don't think cardboard does a very good job of filtering, especially once it gets wet. Use a Wix.
 
Want to see a cartridge filter that has plastic ends?

Glue?

Cardboard?

They make 'em all. And that's your only choice for more and more cars.

41tWizTowUL.jpg


There's one for my Volvo.

Guess what, people have modded the living crap out of these things and they do just fine.

They've also gone well over 300 000 miles using that "crappy" cardboard filter.

Take apart an XG series fram if you want to use something that has metal end caps. Note it does not affect the performance of the product at all.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2091657

Make more decisions based on things that actually make a difference on the products performance.

Not just what your buddies or some person on the internet told you matters about the product.
 


If you'd like grippy and the feeling of a better filter, hit the purolator one (or whatever they call their "better" filter). Grippy and it's not orange
 
Yeah, this one: http://www.purolatorautofilters.net/products/oil_filters/Pages/SyntheticOilFilters.aspx

I noticed it while walking down the automotive isle at walmart, they weren't out when I did my oil change, or I would have used it. Good for people using synthetic and going on longer change intervals. They're rating it 99% efficient whereas the one I'm using now from Purolator is 97%. It also has a silicone anti-drainback valve instead of the Classic's rubber one. Just a better filter overall, and the Pure one being their top filter.
 
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