oil filter?

[LGT ben]

what oil filter should i use on my 98' LGT or dose it matter

[Wiscon_Mark]

well, I'm going to move this to the correct forum.

But it does matter. Some oil filters are made much better than others.

Subaru OEM oil filters are great for our cars. Purolator, Wix, and Hastings are also good filters. Avoid FRAM, they've really cut down on quality. And don't get K&N, they're just Wix with a more expensive name.

That's pretty much the deal. I'd also reccomend running synthetic oil.

[Plays_with_Toys]

I'd have to disagree on synthetic. If its run dyno oil until now, just keep with it. Also, if you're ever in a mood to drop the car off for an oil change they will just pour in dyno oil. Once you go synthetic you're not supposed to go back.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yeah, if we drop off a car, we always provide the oil & the filter.

I guess I should've left the synthetic thing alone. I was thinking he had an 05 LGT or something :razz: (see sig, I know :roll:)

[Huffer]

I'd have to disagree on synthetic. If its run dyno oil until now, just keep with it. Also, if you're ever in a mood to drop the car off for an oil change they will just pour in dyno oil. Once you go synthetic you're not supposed to go back.

Old wives tale mate! :wink:
You can switch back and forth without any worries, unless the car specifically calls for synth - none that I know of do, the only real requirement is the right weight/viscosity and octane. Research into it - the only reason people say you can't go back, is because people are misinformed.

I switched from dino (mineral) oil @ 160,000miles, to Castrol Syntec Blend, then switched over to Mobil 1 at 170,000, ran that for a year and switched back to Castrol Syntec Blend @ 180,000.
Now I'm back onto Castrol GTX mineral, because it's $10 cheaper than a synth oil, and the car doesn't eat a drop of oil. If you take care of the car (on time oil changes) then you'll be fine with regular oil.

Best filter for your Subaru - Subaru filters. Buy them in a 6 pack from allsubaru.com for bulk savings. They usually include the crush washers for the drain plug too.

[BAC5.2]

Purolator makes the OEM filters. So either purolator or an OEM.

We use TVI filters at the shop. Cutting one open and comparing it to an OEM filter, they look identical.

Some people experience problems with synthetic, and some don't. It ALL depends on how hard you push the car. If you drive the dog shit out of it for 100,000 miles, and then switch to synthetic, I bet you'll start leaking. The dino oil overheats and leaves a nice brownish varnish on top of seals and stuff. That's bad, because it prevents oil from getting to the seal to keep them lubricated. Over time, the seals can dry out and crack. Most synthetics have detergents in them, and they will strip this varnish away and exposed dried and cracked seals to fresh oil. The oil will hence, leak. We tore down a 165,000 mile engine run on dino oil. The rear main seal almost fell apart in our hands.

Switching from synthetic to dino doesn't make a difference.

An engine WILL last longer with synthetic. You should always break in an engine on dino oil to help seat the rings. If you run synthetic from the start, you will often have oil consumption issues.

The EVO, most Mercedes, Lexus and BMW's all recommend synthetic from the get go. They all also come with Mobil 1 from the factory. They do, because the engines are broken in at the factory before they get in a car. I know Banks Performance runs their crate motors on an engine dyno for 36 hours, changing the oil every 2 or 3 hours. No break in necessary.

No shop you should go to will put Dino oil in, when you request and pay for Synthetic. That's bad business.

[dropdfocus]

I agree with Phil. At our shop, we wouldn't dare using anything but what the customer pays for. That's why news stations do expose features on oil change shops because there are some that will do that.

On the other hand, our filters are a commercial repainted Fram filter and we've not yet had a problem with them. Every now & then well even get the Fram EZ grip filters if the company is low on the commercial ones.

[Wiscon_Mark]

It's not that they cause large problems from using them once, it's that they aren't as high quality, and also don't have a little valve that keeps the oil from draining out of the engine when it's shut off, which would prevent dry starts (and everyone knows you have to run the engine easy when it's cold because that's when it's the most vulnerable). It's a boxer engine thing, apparently. But that's why it's good to go Subaru OEM.

[dropdfocus]

Our Fram filters come with the drain back valve for sure. We've torn a couple apart when we've had customer complaints. Then once a third party looks into it, it tends to be general high milage wear on the parts, not a filter issue.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Maybe you get the premium. Or maybe they changed it recently. Because I know they didn't used to have it, and it was noticable to the driving of the car for the 1st minute or so (hesitation city, lots of ticking)

[BAC5.2]

Seems most people I talk to don't like FRAM filters.

I never had and particular problems with them though. So I dunno.

I like the Autozone in-house filters. They are just Proline filters that are dipped crinkle red. The proline filters look very similar to the Purolator filters.

[mr_choung]

i always go with NAPA gold filters, it's been used on nascar's and no problem so far :D

choung