why no orange filters?

My personal take....the orange filters are probably 'adequate'.... if you are religious about your sevicing. It has been quite some time since I dissected one but the one I did had less filter medium , a definitely inferior method of joining the pleats, and the bypass and anti-drain back valves were questionable.

These are what I would class as "consumer quality" filters. At one time, Ford offered a similar filter, the CFL-1... since it was much cheaper than the FL1-A, consumers lapped it up. Since this filter is used less and less (new V8s taking the FL820S), Ford has fallen out of love with the bargain filter.... if consumers are still bringing their old iron to the dealer, they deserve a better filter.

I'm not saying that orange is bad.... what I am saying is that there's better to be had....

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

I think it's because they only offer "minimum" filtration.

I usually go with the Tough Guard or Double Guard FRAM filter. I get MotorCraft if I can't find the correct FRAM.

r/

-IanCT

This persons findings on filters was enough for me to drop the orange:

For me, Fram filters are in the same class as Champion spark plugs. they're great for lawnmowers, but for anything else, they're sub-par.

I always use Motorcraft Plugs, Filters, and even some specific lubes (rear end, etc).

In my '98 SOHC, I used orange filters for the first couple of oil changes, and noticed rattling at startup. Switching to Motorcraft filters reduced the rattling... telling me that the anti-drain valve in the orange filters were probably suspect. I have since had the 00M12 (cam chain tensioner) work done.

I used an orange filter on my last oil change (with the black rubber grip... thinking it was a better quality filter... it probably isn't). I don't notice any rattling, but is that because the filter is better or because the 00M12 work got rid of the rattle?

"Jim Warman" :

Thanks to all for the feed back. It was enlightening to say the least. Special thanks to raster, there is more info on oil filters on those web pages than I imagine existed. I will definitely be looking at something other than orange filters for the next oil change.

Since everyone had such good info on oil filters, how about air filters? I hear a lot of good and bad about K&N permanent air filters. I used to use their filters on my dirt bikes about a hundred years ago and they were all the rage. Now I question if all that good "flow through" wasn't letting in a little more than air. What's the general consensus?

With a carb engine, the extra flow can lean out the mixture, giving better mileage. With feedback fuel injection (what the vast majority of EFI engines use), the extra flow is simply matched by more fuel. The only benefit of this is that you don't need to press so far on the throttle pedal.

K&N filters must be allowed to get dirty before they match stock paper filters in filtration. IOW, they pass more dirt hwen clean than paper filters, and they plug up just like paper filters. Bottom line (IMO): K&N filters are no longer the benefit they used to be for daily drivers. They don't filter as well, and can't deliver more fuel mileage.

That's the page I was thinking of earlier, thank you. I put it back into my favorites.