HorsemanAR

I changed my oil and filter today on my 2016 3.5 Ecoboost. Went very well. No issues.

Thought I'd write a short comparison on filters. I've attached several pics. The white filter is the Ford factory filter I pulled off. It had no part number. I assume it's a Motorcraft FL500S. The factory filter is beefy, but it does not compare to the FL500S replacement filters I looked at in Walmart or Autozone. Sorry, no pic of replacement FL500S, but the factory filter seen in the pics has a thicker metal plate. The replacement FL500S filters I looked at had a thinner metal plate and appeared to be aluminum or something similar (as opposed to the factory filter - it appeared to be a much heavier material...not aluminum). So, what's the deal? What filter is being installed at the factory? I thought about buying a FL500S at the dealer and checking it out, but have not.

Continuing, I purchased a Mobil 1 extended performance filter (the black one), as well as an extended performance (ultra synthetic) Fram filter. The Fram has larger and more oil flow holes in top of filter, as compared to the Mobil 1 filter. It seems well constructed. The Mobil 1 has less and smaller holes - that struck me as odd. The Mobil 1 was very well constructed and matched in length to the factory filter. The Fram filter was shorter, but both fit. I stuck the Mobil 1 on and filled with oil. The oil pressure gauge took a bit longer to register pressure than I'd like, but it wasn't more than 1.5 seconds. Filled filter with fresh oil - as much as I could get in without pouring some out upon re-install.

I think the 3.5 is supposed to have a drain back filter or something, but I don't know how to tell if Mobil 1 or the Fram does. The boxes don't really say. I assume the factory filter had that feature. How do you tell?

Take a look at the pics. Curious on comments related to all filter matters, of course, but does anyone know the following:

Does this particular Mobil 1 filter have the drain back feature, and what's up with the difference in the factory filter and the replacement FL500S available at most auto retailers? There is a very obvious difference.

Truck runs great. Oil change was a breeze. No mess, no fuss.

For informational purposes, the factory filter is white and has 8 holes that are round. The Fram has 8 holes that are oblong. The Mobil 1 has 6 round holes. You can't see the color in all pics.

ex250

The filter that came on my 16 3.5EB was a little different from the FL500S I bought at the dealership. They swore the FL500S was the right one, you confirmed that for me. Thanks.

For sick reasons, I always cut the can off the base of the first filter to see what the filter paper caught. The 3.5's was cleaner than the filter from my wife's 15 Infiniti QX. Lots of people think the Japanese manufacturers have the market on quality, but this new Ford was pretty impressive in comparison. Far superior to the stuff I found in my 92 F250's 460 filter! The bottom of that drain pan looked like someone dumped a package of glitter in. The 3.5 only had a few tiny speckles.

awryexperiment

I might question the Fram filter due to the decreased height. The outer height probably correlates to the amount of filtration media inside the casing and therefore the Fram would contain less media. The impact of this could be premature loading of the filter, decreased oil flow through the filter, increased oil pressure within the filter, potential to burst through the media.

The anti-drainback valve is the orange rubber you can see through the holes.

I always stuck with Motorcraft filters on my previous Ford trucks.

ex250

When I removed the media from my factory filter at 1000 miles, I had to stretch the fan folds out flat to see any junk. There was precious little, and even considering that it included manufacturing guck that post-machining washing didn't totally clean out. I can't see clogging the filter under normal use and change intervals.

BUT, to your point, the 3.5 in my wife's Infiniti has a frighteningly small filter. Infiniti has a bigger one. Its micron rating is the same, so I use those just as a feel-good gesture. In fact, I always use the biggest filters I can find. Just because.

LoneWolfTrucker

There are comparisons on youtube where guys have cut filters open. Frams have the least filter material of the major filter manufacturers. I wouldn't use Fram in any of my motors.

Curmudgeon

Ford owners have noted for years that the factory installed oil filters differ significantly in appearance from Motorcraft branded filters purchased at retail. Regardless of why & who makes the factory filters is only conjecture, but it's well known that the Motorcraft filters are made to Ford specs by Purolator and are well respected. Mobil 1 filters are made by Champion Labs and the FRAM Ultra is made by the merged FRAM-Champions Labs owned by the Rank Group. As a DIY oil changer, I prefer OEM branded filters for my stable of Ford-Lincoln-Hyundai vehicles and thoroughly researched oil formulations matched to a vehicle's engine demands.

Sherlock

iTrader: (1)

I personally use the MC filters on all my vehicles, (ALL Fords). But WIX has come out with a line of filters that have "XP" at the end of the filter #.

Supposed to be for SYNTHETIC oils.

Anyone use one of them?? Opinions??

rritch

Likely to hold up to the abuse of assembly lines without bending etc. Also likely installed on the line with pneumatic torque wrench.

Curmudgeon

The WIX XP line has been out since 2013. It is to be expected that WIX would offer such a filter to capitalize on the marketing of synthetic oils-extended drain intervals and competitor's filter products. WIX makes excellent filters...is the XP 'better' and worth the premium price when adhering to warranty drain intervals? I haven't seen any precise details on the XP's construction or filtering claims.

kendive

I have always used WIX filters for all my cars and trucks.