Oil Pressure and Filter

Tahdig_siah

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 22, 2023
Messages
130
Location
Ohio
2000 Jeep wrangler 4cyl 2.5L 112k Mi Manual
I put some seafoam in the crankcase 4oz. Put in an UltraSynthetic Fram filter without changing oil. (my reasoning behind that was the filter is restrictive and can get a lot of the particulates out of the oil. I figured I would run it for a few miles and then replace the oil and put a new filter in.)
While driving, I noticed the oil pressure would max at 80psi prior to gear changes, drops down in neural as well. Oil Pressure looks fine on idle.

Am I damaging anything by having the psi max out while driving?

Is the filter too restrictive for the Jeep?
I know a lot of people don’t like Frams but their top of the line UltraSynthetic ones are actually pretty good.

Look up this on YouTube:

 
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  • Why were you putting SeaFoam into an engine with only 112,000 miles?
  • Why did you do this without changing the oil?
  • Where did this idea come from? It seems like it's just wasting time and money.

The thought of using a more restrictive filter as a means to filter out more junk is a bad idea. More restriction in a filter = less lubrication (depending on the filter, my explanation below).

There are plenty of filters that can provide excellent filtration without being restrictive. Also, restriction is not a function of better filtration, but rather a ratio of filtration over surface area of the filter itself. More area + fine filtration = good flow. Less area + fine filtration = low flow. Flow being the key word here.

Less flow in an oil filter means less oil getting to the critical components.

And yes, most if not all of us agree that Fram filters suck, including myself. Wix or Napa Gold (Essentially the same filter as they're both made by Wix) are the only oil filters that touch my vehicles other the OEM.
 
View attachment 421738

  • Why were you putting SeaFoam into an engine with only 112,000 miles?
  • Why did you do this without changing the oil?
  • Where did this idea come from? It seems like it's just wasting time and money.

The thought of using a more restrictive filter as a means to filter out more junk is a bad idea. More restriction in a filter = less lubrication (depending on the filter, my explanation below).

There are plenty of filters that can provide excellent filtration without being restrictive. Also, restriction is not a function of better filtration, but rather a ratio of filtration over surface area of the filter itself. More area + fine filtration = good flow. Less area + fine filtration = low flow. Flow being the key word here.

Less flow in an oil filter means less oil getting to the critical components.

And yes, most if not all of us agree that Fram filters suck, including myself. Wix or Napa Gold (Essentially the same filter as they're both made by Wix) are the only oil filters that touch my vehicles other the OEM.

Just cleaning since it’s a 23 year old Jeep and when I took apart the throttle body, it was caked in carbon deposits. I wanted to seafoam the gas so I added some to the crankcase.
Would you drive the Jeep for a few more miles like this and do an oil and filter change? (Valvoline full synthetic and ACDelco filter).
I didn’t want to put in a mechanical gauge as I wanted to use the dash gauge and I bought a new sending unit from RockAuto! Like I said the oil pressure acted fine until I put in the Fram filter without changing the oil (the reason is that I didn’t want to waste the expensive valvoline full synthetic until the final oil change).
 
When I did my first oil change in my new to me TJ the oil pressure sensor died. Store brands didn't work. Verified with a manual gauge and eventually was able to track down a Mopar.

Wix or Napa.

Pennzoil High Mileage Conventional 10w30 is the oil of choice around here. I'm a Valvoline guy too but I've read enough on these forums to pay attention to good advice. New Mopar rear main seal, Felpro oil pan and valve cover gaskets and completely leak free.

-Mac
 
When I did my first oil change in my new to me TJ the oil pressure sensor died. Store brands didn't work. Verified with a manual gauge and eventually was able to track down a Mopar.

Wix or Napa.

Pennzoil High Mileage Conventional 10w30 is the oil of choice around here. I'm a Valvoline guy too but I've read enough on these forums to pay attention to good advice. New Mopar rear main seal, Felpro oil pan and valve cover gaskets and completely leak free.

-Mac

Excellent advice!
 
I’ve only used Wix xp, Mopar, or Mobil 1 filters in the rig.

Just ordered a Mobil 1 filter and redline 10w30 on Amazon in preparation for running the turbo in desert heat. I didn’t like the price, but I don’t do oil changes more than twice a year.

Last I checked mobil filters were a safe choice. Have things changed?

Are you folks using a Napa Gold or Platinum model?
 
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I doubt the filter was the cause of your issue, it is likely a flaky oil pressure sensor, which is probably one of the most commonly failed parts on Jeep vehicles from 1987-2006.

The sensor on my TJ is a genuine Mopar part, and it still maxes out at 80 psi occasionally, while on the highway cruising at a constant RPM, usually after the Jeep has sat over winter for a while.

Filters are a funny thing, because everyone has their opinion about which ones are good and bad. The reality is many of the brands are all owned by the same companies, and the internal construction changes a lot depending on the cost cutting measures in place. I used to use only Wix filters, but recently Wix was bought by MANN/Hummel (Purolator) and the quality has gone down. The last Wix filter I bought (for my Kubota tractor) said made in China.

Lastly, no oil filter will be restrictive enough to cause an oil pressure spike, as they are designed to prevent that sort of thing from happening. Filters have bypass valves in them so if the filter becomes loaded up with material or the oil is too thick on a cold start, it can bypass the filter media and still consistently flow through the engine. If your filter media is so full of material that the filter has to go into bypass, you either haven't changed the oil in 50k miles and the engine is full of sludge, or your engine has started eating itself and you have other major issues. Many modern engines come with lawnmower sized filters now because that is really all that is needed to filter out the contaminants over the course of an oil change interval.

The Fram Ultra is actually a decent filter that has synthetic filter media and is 99% efficient at 20 microns, so I wouldn't worry about running it. Keep the Seafoam out of your engine oil and sleep well at night. :)
 
I’ve only used Wix xp, Mopar, or Mobil 1 filters in the rig.

Just ordered a Mobil 1 filter and redline 10w30 on Amazon in preparation for running the turbo in desert heat. I didn’t like the price, but I don’t do oil changes more than twice a year.

Last I checked mobil filters were a safe choice. Have things changed?

Are you folks using a Napa Gold or Platinum model?

If you are interested in filters, check out bobistheoilguy.com. They have a whole section dedicated to cutting oil filters open and examining their filtering capabilities. I'm currently running a Fram XG16 on my Jeep, but even the SuperTech filters are decently constructed inside. You really can't go wrong using any filter that is above the basic "lube tech" bottom of the barrel cheap filter line.
 
I've been working on cars professionally for 40 years now and in my experience as long as you change the oil on the proper interval (I do it every 5k on my LJ) you will never need to run any cleaner through your engine. Use the good parts and lubricants and call it good.
 
My preference is Wix for everything but for my big trucks I use FleetGuard. I order my Wix from FMS Filters and the FleetGuards from Simplyfilters. They are almost 1/2 the price of the auto parts stores. I keep a ready stock of filters and oil because I hate to run to the store.
As for Fram, I do not recall any class action lawsuits for damaged engines. Modern engines run cleaner and modern oil is far superior to what it was back in the day.
I had a guy working for me who came in one day all pissed of because his engine blew up. He never changed the oil. He bitched that no one ever told him he had to check or change the oil. You can’t fix stupid.

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My preference is Wix for everything but for my big trucks I use FleetGuard. I order my Wix from FMS Filters and the FleetGuards from Simplyfilters. They are almost 1/2 the price of the auto parts stores. I keep a ready stock of filters and oil because I hate to run to the store.
As for Fram, I do not recall any class action lawsuits for damaged engines. Modern engines run cleaner and modern oil is far superior to what it was back in the day.
I had a guy working for me who came in one day all pissed of because his engine blew up. He never changed the oil. He bitched that no one ever told him he had to check or change the oil. You can’t fix stupid.

View attachment 422376

I went with Amazon for the last Wix XP purchase, which is about $7 cheaper than getting it from the store.
 
I had a guy working for me who came in one day all pissed of because his engine blew up. He never changed the oil. He bitched that no one ever told him he had to check or change the oil. You can’t fix stupid.

That scenario seems to be more common nowadays. I know a guy who just blew up his engine because he never changed or checked the oil in 74xxx miles :rolleyes: and he's "a car guy". I think he just likes to look at and talk about cars.

I order my Wix from FMS Filters

Thanks for the source. (y)
 
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