Racor filter VS Wix

Thanks for looking out for me Wavery.  .  Is Fallbrook anywhere near Vista?
 
You know, try as I might I see no way I might get at the secondary filter from underneath.  I can just barely lay one eye on a small part of it but I'd have to be triple jointed to get a hand up there

But fear not!  I think I've devised a risk free way to get it done.

I'll ask HER to carry it in!

Yeah, devious ain't I?

muddypaws:  I was able to change my fuel filter even though it is a long reach. I did not trust myself to fill the filter inside the MH as others advise. Of course at my age my neck hurt for a few days from the strain of holding my head way up! Mine is also a 2005 Bounder.

8Muddypaws said:

Is Fallbrook anywhere near Vista?
 

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Yes.... Fallbrook is about 10 miles north of Vista.

bucks2:  . I certainly hope that most will think twice before trying your maintenance tip. Could be disastrous.

Sorry for posting about oil filters in a gas filter thread. FWIW, I use Racor gas filters in my boat because that's what I installed years ago. The best filter is the one you can get your hands on, IMO.

My knee-jerk post was because I see (on various Internet forums, not just RV) people posting very detailed maintenance procedures and my view is just do it! The main thing that kills expensive equipment isn't fuel, oil or replacement filters; it is lack of use, followed by accident (in the case of motorcycles). Extra-rigorous maintenance procedures just keep people from using their stuff. Use your stuff. Use it up. Time marches on and now is the time.

Now you have my unsolicited advice. LOL

Dan23 said:

Use your stuff. Use it up. Time marches on and now is the time.

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Good advise Dan....

moisheh said:

bucks2:  . I certainly hope that most will think twice before trying your maintenance tip. Could be disastrous.

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On an air cooled engine that doesn't have an oil filter there is no other choice. The car is 57 years old now and nothing bad has happened. Every Volkswagen bug/bus of the air cooled era was the same, a screen but no filter. Disaster? I don't think so.

The point is that some folks are so busy bashing Fram, or whatever "bad" item is out there, they forget that the brand of filter is not the only data point in the equation. Frequency of service, cleanliness while changing filters, etc. also have a big effect on the final outcome. My car has lasted without ANY oil filter, I simply change the oil more often.

Ken

That's quite true.  60's Bugs got new oil every 2,000 miles.  OTOH they were built to a completly different set of standards than modern engines.  How many modern engines could you turn over by grabbing the generator pully and twisting?  Back then you could rebuild a bug for a few hundred bucks, and frequently did!  I've got 2 complete 1500-1600 engines in my garage somewhere, and a stroker case-crank pair hiding somewhere in a closet.  This old back doesn't like working on bugs anymore.

My C7 would cost over 20K for an inframe o-haul so I will continue being careful with maintanance to insure that I can continue using the crap out of it.  (82 trips in 3 years  ;D )

bucks2 said:

On an air cooled engine that doesn't have an oil filter there is no other choice. The car is 57 years old now and nothing bad has happened. Every Volkswagen bug/bus of the air cooled era was the same, a screen but no filter. Disaster? I don't think so.

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I think that the disaster that Moisheh referred to is NOT changing an existing filter. If an engine does not have a filter (like most generators and yard equipment), frequent oil changes are quite sufficient. To not change an existing oil filter after several changes is just plain ignorant.

Old filters have a tendency to fall apart after awhile and plug up the oil galleys with a resulting loss of oil pressure.

Wavery said:

Old filters have a tendency to fall apart after awhile and plug up the oil galleys with a resulting loss of oil pressure.

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Just had to replace my Wix on the airboat, was stopped up with assembly lube. This is the second oil change side build and has maybe 60 hrs at most. Gald it wasn't a Fram, she hold 60lbs cold at idle with 10-40w. I suspect a Fram would have frammed up.

The point I was trying to make is that the mfr is not as important as the rating. or specs for the filter. Most get into trouble because they find a certain less expensive filter that will "cross" over to their OEM number so they figure they are good to go.
If you don't understand beta ratio's or absolute/nominal ratings then don't go crossing filter numbers to save money or any other reason actually. The mfr will always spec out a filter based on its job, in our case of the 3126 it's because of the expensive parts in the fuel system among other things. Just because a filter will screw on doesn't mean it's doing the same job. The material used inside, the dirt holding capacity and the efficiency of the filter will determine exactly how much $ you will spend down the road on repairs. Beta ratio is the first comparison, if you can't find that use the absolute rating, if you can't find that then go back to the OEM filter.
For fuel as I said above, I use racor because of the clear drain and it's ratings equal the OEM. The Cat filter is about $2 cheaper than a racor so if I can't find the racor I can always find a Cat dealer. Wix, Fram, Baldwin, Fleetguard, they all make very good filters, they just all are not the best for my application and it is up to me to determine which ones are the best or stay with OEM. Filters are very cheap compared to repairs, experiment cautiously. 

... best or stay with OEM. Filters are very cheap compared to repairs, experiment cautiously.

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Good advice. I would use NAPA filters with confidence. Agree or disagree?

Thanks.

disagree; Napa are Wix with different paint. Identical.

I realize this thread is about fuel filters but there is a lot of discussion of oil filters instead, so I offer up this bit of information. Even though it is a good read, take it for what its worth. This guy has been here for years and does not have an agenda or a bias even though he has been threatened by some of the companies.

http://www.minimopar.net/oilfilters/opinions.html

moisheh said:

disagree; Napa are Wix with different paint. Identical.

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Yup. One or the other simply puts a "5" in front of the part number. But only one post here said anything bad about Wix...?

catblaster said:

I realize this thread is about fuel filters but there is a lot of discussion of oil filters instead, so I offer up this bit of information. Even though it is a good read, take it for what its worth. This guy has been here for years and does not have an agenda or a bias even though he has been threatened by some of the companies.

http://www.minimopar.net/oilfilters/opinions.html

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If your link is to be believed, it appears I've done well buying NAPA, Wix and Bosch.  Not so well buying Fram despite the Jeep engine outlasting the body.

Yep, gone are the days when the name on the can (or any product) meant something.  You shouldn't have to be a detective on the internet to find a good quality product you can trust.

I'm done with fuel filters for a while.  Now I've got a Haldex DQ6050 to install and the second half of a roof to re-seal.  I found a way to install the DQ without removing the air dryer and I'm thinking of creating a 'how to' document.  Any interest?

She LOVES the motorhome because it's SO EASY!  :-* (She's not the one doing the maintenance & fixing.  :-X)

I found another good read on fuel filters from the "Filter Manufactures Council" so if you're bored this isnt too bad, most of it we already know

http://www.aftermarketsuppliers.org/Councils/Filter-Manufacturers-Council/TSBs-2/English/95-1R2.pdf

8Muddypaws said:

Yep, gone are the days when the name on the can (or any product) meant something.  You shouldn't have to be a detective on the internet to find a good quality product you can trust.

I'm done with fuel filters for a while.  Now I've got a Haldex DQ6050 to install and the second half of a roof to re-seal.  I found a way to install the DQ without removing the air dryer and I'm thinking of creating a 'how to' document.  Any interest?

She LOVES the motorhome because it's SO EASY!  :-* (She's not the one doing the maintenance & fixing.  :-X)

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Glad you have moved on from the filters but sometimes these threads take on a life of their own.

8Muddypaws said:

She LOVES the motorhome because it's SO EASY!  :-* (She's not the one doing the maintenance & fixing.  :-X)

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I lived on my yacht for 14 years......... the MH is a breeze and if I don't feel like doing it this year, I won't die as a result  ...... Be glad..... be very glad.....

I'm very glad that I got boating out of my system early on. I just couldn't do the maintenance at my age and I hate paying someone to do something that I can do myself (better).. It's not about the $ either..... It's all about doing it myself, knowing that it's done right and if it isn't I have no one to blame but myself. The most important part is that I know my rig and if something fails on the road, I can fix it myself 99% of the time. I HATE being at the mercy of some emergency service........

Bottom line is...... enjoy doing it yourself. You are getting a lot more out of it than saving a few $. You educate yourself every time that you do something and you gain a little more freedom.  ;D

must be the air in the area I live in. I have worked on and repaired engines for 47  of my 63 years.I owned a engine rebuild business.I built 30K race engines
I have never ever seen a fram or a wix or whatever cause a engine failure. Racor are a well known brand of Fuel filters.
When it comes to diesels I like to use Fleetwood.Price always seems fair and cummins uses them as OEM

Iam sure through the course and the billions of oil and fuel filters made and sold over north America there has been some filter failures in all brands