It's really easy and free to tell where the tick is coming from.

Get a short piece of hose to listen through like a stethascope.
When it's cold, start it and listen through the oil filler hole. If it's valve train, you'll her it louder. Change the oil filter to a QUALITY FILTER. Fram is famous for defective drainback valves - starving it for oil the first few moments.

4.0's are famous for cracked exhaust manifolds. It will get worse and start running rich.
Use that same hose on a cold start, go under, listen around the manifold.
Jeep later models went to an exhaust manifold with expansion bellows just for that reason.

 

18* this morning, and not so much as a peep out of the lazzy lifter, you gotta love that...

 

But are both WIX and FRAM made to the same specifications?

Most likely, NOT. That would explain the difference.

Imagine two TV sets ... one with RCA on the front and one with RADIO SHACK on the front . Both are made at the same factory ( RCA ), both have the same basic XL100 chassis. Tear into them and find out the RADIO SHACK branded one has lower cost componenets. Radio shack spec'd 15% tolerance where RCA spec'd 10%, and Radio Shack spec'd 10% where RCA spec'd 5%. You could tell the difference in performance and longevity.

Not that TV's and Oil Filters have anything in common, however one factory can produce the same product under two different names and they would be two different products because the different brands specified different components out of cost considerations.

Remember the old TV's that had round ***** to tune in stations and adjust everything? There was a time when every **** on every TV no matter what brand were produced at the same factory. There was only one factory/company producing the ***** for ALL TV manufacturers.

 

WIX seems to be a better product, so specs are probably different.

But when a parent company demonstrates they don't care about quality (Fram, Autolite etc) can you trust them?

WIX doesn't seem to have the drainback valve problem - nor do they "blow out" like Fram.

I use them.

 

great info! Thanks

 

Is there a reason people run 10w40 and heavier oils in the 4.0? Seems to be common but I'm not sure why you'd go with a thicker oil than the recommended 5w30/10w30.

On topic, I knew fram was crap but never knew it could impede flow like that. I have been using purolator filters, not sure how they compare to wix but they seem to get good reviews.

 

The more miles these good ole 4.0's get on them, the thinner the Main bearings, Rod bearings, and Cam bearings start to get thinner, so you start to loose oil pressure, the thicker 10/40 oil helps bring the oil pressure back up.

Also with many miles on them, the rings on the pistons, and the gaskets start to let the thinner 10/30 oil seep bye were the thicker 10/40 oil has a harder time escaping....

I also believe the thinner the oil, the faster the viscosity will brake down due to heat and how many miles on the oil. Lucky for me, the PO owner must have changed the oil in my 91 quit religiosly, even with the thinner 10/30 oil, I'm till running at 45 to 50 pounds going down the road, and 35 to 40 pounds at idle when the motor is at running temp or warm.

 

Carquest Blue filters are Wix (oil and air and fuel)

 

New acronym for F*R*A*M.

Forever*Ruining*Automotive*Motors.

 

I use the Mopar filter myself and I'm happy with it. I usually have to have my oil in the engine for about three weeks or more before it starts to even darken. Says something to me.
I run Valvoline 10w-30 high mileage btw.

 

Here's the deal. Mopar and Napa Silver filters have all the good stuff but are geared towards 3,500 mile oil changes because of the number of pleats in the filtering media.

Napa Gold or standard Wix are geared toward 7,500 mile oil changes because there is slightly more media in the filter.

The K&N, Mobil 1, and Napa Platinum are geared toward extended oil change intervals with synthetic oils.

 

ok should i use lucas in my 5,2 ? when changing my oil and i will try the wix filter

 

Read this and decide for yourself:


http://web.archive.org/web/201009261...ucas/lucas.htm

 

I know some folks like the stuff. I don't. It really doesn't do anything except thicken the oil. If you want thicker oil, just use thicker oil and save the extra money.

 

Rotella 15-40 and a Mopar filter from Walmart will be a good alternative.