The wrong oil filter bought on Amazon destroyed my engine

[Chris M]

At least one more here
The Ford parts counters have sent me the wrong part more than a few times over the years. Twice on the current Ranger. If something like an oil filter is a slightly different size then that is certainly a red flag for me. Internal bypass may likely be incorrect also that would allow dirty oil to bypass the filter media . There are other things to consider on some very important parts other than , " it fits".

Yeah, I've come to not exactly "rely" on the Ford parts guy either. That's why I pay fairly close attention to what YOU GUYS buy and put on your trucks so I know what to look for when I want something Ford branded...to be sure it fits in real life and not just on a parts computer page.

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[Vitis805]

What would make anyone think an aftermarket filter is better ?

ISO 4548 ratings?

It's not rocket science to understand there are better filters than the standard Ford sets for itself (USCAR-36).

 

[NeptuneRanger]

Well done ! It was a math problem and you solved it. Who knows how the “fixed” truck would have performed. Double check the new truck 179 basis, that gets tricky with the roll in of the old truck, it is the tax basis of the old one that gets rolled in, not necessarily the 17k you got in trade, check with an accountant before counting the extra 10k.

As Dave mentioned, that is probably the most expensive oil filter you will ever buy. Since business vehicle , pay someone else to change your oil, you can write it off and they pay for any damages.

Best wishes and enjoy the new truck !

 

[Progeny2021]

Ford puts a Motorcraft filter on every IC vehicle that it builds, from the bottom line Maverick to the $100,000.00 Lincoln Navigator, and backs them with a warranty.
What would make anyone think an aftermarket filter is better ? Why would you spend more for something that is of less quality, or buy a cheaper aftermarket just to save a dollar ???
Ranger only sees Motorcraft filters.
Same goes for our Subi's...only Subi filters for them.

Agreed. Purolator makes Motorcraft filters in Fayetteville, NC.

I can't imagine using anything other than a FL-910S or L10241 for my Lariat. Full synthetic oil is a must IMO.

 

[dtech]

Glad it worked out for OP but if it’s me I’m calling a lawyer and making Amazon pay for a new motor.

The OP would have better luck suing Fram for false advertising :

“You can pay me now, or pay me later.”

It seems that unfortunately the OP paid 2x, assuming it was really a FRAM filter and not a chinese copy.

 

[Progeny2021]

The OP would have better luck suing Fram for false advertising :

“You can pay me now, or pay me later.”

It seems that unfortunately the OP paid 2x, assuming it was really a FRAM filter and not a chinese copy.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Agreed. Purolator makes Motorcraft filters in Fayetteville, NC.

I can't imagine using anything other than a FL-910S or L10241 for my Lariat. Full synthetic oil is a must IMO.

Champion Labs makes the OEM Motorcraft filters ( new production) and Purolator makes the Motorcraft aftermarket filters. Which makes me wonder which one you would get if ordered/purchased through Ford.

 

[drcollie]

Very True on the Accounting side of Sec 179, the new "Snow" Ranger was $ 48K and the $ 17K trade in would (seem) to roll in as disposal of an asset, that would seem to be a new Sec 179 deduction based on $ 31K. But it does get complicated and that's why my Accountant has all that fancy software to figure it out. I had a strong sales year in 2022 so anything that reduces taxable income and doesn't raise an IRS Audit Flag is good. 35 years in my business and trucks never get the Auditors excited, they barely give them a glance - long as they are not a $ 100K Ranger Rover or Merc G63.

Yes, I hear you on the Business expense of an oil change and write off on that as well. I'm going to start doing that even though I kind of enjoy wrenching my own vehicles. Besides, Ranger oil changes are somewhat miserable due to the location of that oil filter design.

 

[raytwntrvlr]

Quoting drcollie, the OP:

" Ranger oil changes are somewhat miserable due to the location of that oil filter design."

I have not done one yet. The first one came on a trip at a Fast Lane in Phoenix using points. Now that I'm settling into a 5K change schedule ( lots of towing), I will be doing my own. And the reason is exactly what drcollie said. I don't want some newbie tech wrenching on my baby. Especially when it is a somewhat pain in the ass job.
I'm stll undecided on a Fumoto. I Put one on my Ram Cummins and it took forever to drain. But that was like three gallons, not six quarts. So I probably will, just to avoid that great hot oil in the arm pit feeling.
I admit to conjuring up the sequence of events with OPs filter failure. I mean, how many rotations before that thing fell off? And, mismatched threads seem like they would require more torque, not less. But I'm just wonderin. Once that sucker came loose a couple threads wouldn't things start happening... like massive oil loss and idiot lights flashing?

 

[drcollie]

The drain plug is east to get to on the pan, nothing complex there. The Oil Filter on the other hand, is not visible or touchable from either the bottom of the truck or from under the hood. It lives behind a rubber flap in the driver's side wheel well, secured by (5) plastic quik-screws. To access it, you need to turn the steering wheel to the right, pop off those (5) fasteners, remove the screws and have the correct size cap wrench on the end of a 3/8" Extension and socket wrench. You cannot get a conventional oil filter wrench on it, at least I could not.

I have changed the oil twice on the 2020. First time no issues. This second one was the Amazon Fram oil Filter fitment. As mentioned, it was slightly smaller in size, and when I screwed it on the threads were not "perfect", but a tad loose feeling. I attributed that to tolerance and it snugged up just fine.

Four months later. my wife left the house and left a trail of oil all the way down the driveway, it all pumped out in 200 feet, took five bags of oil absorbent to clean up. It had Synthetic oil in it, and made it 1.4 miles at 30 mph before the oil pressure light engaged and the truck shut down. My prior experience with synthetic oils is they will usually run an engine for quite some time even when the oil is out of the engine - hey are very slick and have good retention. Not in this case. The Dealer has one guy that does engines and he seemed very knowledgeable, we had a good 15 minute conversation on why this seized so quickly. He said in the old days, engines had much looser tolerances and you could run an engine out of oil, let it cool and you'd be OK. Not so these new modern Ford engines. The Compression is much higher on the engines, the tolerances are so tight, there is no room for any slop or expansion.

Bottom line, I screwed up not using an OEM filter. It wasn't to save money, it was what popped up on Amazon and I ordered several items, it was just one more click of a bunch of stuff. Lesson learned.

On the Accounting side (since that was raised) I did check with my Accountant. The 2020 was 100% depreciated, the $ 17K trade in comes back into the company as a taxable asset sale, and the 2022 will be fully depreciate this year. Assuming a 28% Tax Bracket as a Subchapter S Corp, the new 2022 with an MSRP of $ 48K after trade costs me appx $ 24K with the write down. So to me, that's better to get a brand new truck with a higher build level (much higher) for $ 24K than to repair a 2-year old one for $ 13K,

 

[D Fresh]

In general I think you handled this mistake well. It's refreshing to see one take responsibility when things go south.

I will just add a suggestion though...

Four months later. my wife left the house and left a trail of oil all the way down the driveway, it all pumped out in 200 feet, took five bags of oil absorbent to clean up.

It's good to be in the habit of looking at your parking spot as you back out. Even a quick glance in the mirror can help if you back in.

Years of driving shitboxes taught me this. And teaching it to my kid paid off recently when our Heep popped an ATF cooler line while she was backing it out of the garage.

 

[bRaptor]

You just confirmed why I don't buy auto parts on amazon.

 

[Progeny2021]

I've watched the local Ford Quick Lane service my Lariat. The driver's steer tire is the last one mounted AFTER rotation and the oil/filter are changed. I suspect this procedure helps somewhat. Stock Image.

 

[Progeny2021]

You just confirmed why I don't buy auto parts on amazon.

Once, I bought oil and a filter for my Chrysler off of Amazon in recent years and paid a nearby shop to pour/install as he stated 'it's easier for you to get'. Very good prices and know what you're buying beforehand. I've seen alot of senseless 'recommendations' on Amazon - don't fall for them.

I bought a SRT oil filter and 2 gallons of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum SRT rated 5w-20 motor oil. Best price and availability around through Amazon.

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

I'm not understanding why people are saying "this is why I don't buy parts on Amazon"?

I don't want to attack the OP, but the errors are his for lack of research finding the proper filter model #, and secondly noticing the fit wasn't right when he installed it, but leaving it on anyway.

If you go to the parts store you go to the reference manual, look up your vehicle and then get that model filter. If you are buying on line, you go to the Fram website, look up your vehicle and search for that model number online.

Going to Amazon and searching for Ranger oil filter, then taking whatever they bring up, is like going to the parts store and telling the kid behind the counter you need a ranger filter. Then you watch him turn and take a filter off the shelf, without checking the manual and handing it to you. Then going home, noticing it's not the same size and threads aren't the same, but leaving it on anyway.

I was buying oil filters online a few months ago, I searched for Motorcraft FL-910s filters on Amazon, and got the right filters come up. I searched on Rock Auto for FL-910S and got the proper filters there as well. I didn't go to Amazon or Rock Auto and search Ranger oil filter, then buy whatever popped up.

If I were buying Fram filter, I'd go to Fram site. I enter 2020 Ford Ranger 2.3L and it brings up options of XG3614, FS3614, FF3614, TG3614, or PH3614 depending on which performance line you choose. Go to Amazon, search Fram 3614 and the top 3 results are the PH, XG or TG options.

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