Do AC Delco Filters Specify if They Have an E-Core

[MCH86GN]

I was looking at the AC Delco PF47 filter at Walmart a few days ago. It actually had printed on the box PF47E, now does anyone know if all AC Delco filters specify whether or not they have the E-Core or not?
Meaning will the PF52 have the print PF52E on the box if it has an E-Core. Because at the Autozone stores around my neighborhood, I have yet to see a PF52E printed on the AC Delco filters. Just to be on the safe side I bought a Bosch filter, which was only $2 more. Then Mobil and K&N are, if they have the same core as the Bosch which I understand they do are $6 and $7 more respectively.

I was just curious. I have a PF52 at home right now and I am temped to cut it open and see what core it has in it. Because the box just has PF52 printed on it.

 

[aminga]

I believe all current Delco filters are champion e-core filters. There are a lot better filters out there.

 

[charlief1]

This has been gone over more times that I can remember. Stay away from the cheap filters please. More than a few members have trashed their engines with the daily special. Get a Wix or NAPA gold filter and the larger version for our engines is the PF52. Filters much better than the original design.

 

[aminga]

This has been gone over more times that I can remember. Stay away from the cheap filters please. More than a few members have trashed their engines with the daily special. Get a Wix or NAPA gold filter and the larger version for our engines is the PF52. Filters much better than the original design.

Do I have to show the picture again.

 

[NCTURBOS]

Not Buick specific, but we sell hundreds of AcDelco oil filters here at the dealership every month & most all of them are "E" filters. I have yet to see any issues because of them, 17-yrs. and counting...

K.

 

[charlief1]

Do I have to show the picture again.

Might save some time Al. Make sure to include what happened.

 

[aminga]

Might save some time Al. Make sure to include what happened.

Well the blasting grit I left in the EGR was the demise of rebuild #1. But it was certainly disconcerting to find that filter element folded up. More disconcerting that the center support in the filter gave way.

 

[MCH86GN]

I believe all current Delco filters are champion e-core filters. There are a lot better filters out there.

Just checking. I have not put one on my car since I read about AC Delco switching over to the E-Cores. I have used Mobil 1 and Bosch. I think Bosch is a good filter for the price. Now that you tell me this I put an AC Delco on my S10. I had just recently had a Bosch on it. I think I will be taking that filter off my truck. My oil pressure when I start my s10 is above 80 PSI. Not to waiver too far off the subject, my mother-in-law had a 2005 Escape and she was religous about oil changes, every 3000 miles or 3 months. I don't know exactly what happened to her engine, but it was FUBAR with only 70k miles on it. She had to leave it in North Carolina and the shop there gave her $1800 for it. She had only had it paid off for a year. Her brother in law asked her why she was using such a cheap filter. With her permission he removed it and cut it open and sent her a picture of what this new oil filter looked like. She had a shop change her oil right before she drove down. As a matter of fact this same shaop had done every single oil change she every had. I didn't not see the filter casing, but I did see the core and it was an E-Core and it was "crushed" for lack of a better term. Her brother in law is a back yard mechanic and he said it is his opinion that using crappy oil filters lead to the engine failing. I will need to find out what exactly the problem was. He also said it was too small of an engine to be in an Escape, 2.3L I believe. I don't buy that my s10 is 2.2L, 5 years older and twice the miles, and it has hauled countless loads of top soil, sand, sod, and all kinds of other landscaping materials. I have always done my own oil changes and used quality filters or at least I thought they were quality.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[MCH86GN]

Well the blasting grit I left in the EGR was the demise of rebuild #1. But it was certainly disconcerting to find that filter element folded up. More disconcerting that the center support in the filter gave way.

Well, sorry to hear that. I hope that Bosch are good enough filters that is what I am using right now. From what I read they have the "old style performance core."

 

[aminga]

Just checking. I have not put one on my car since I read about AC Delco switching over to the E-Cores. I have used Mobil 1 and Bosch. I think Bosch is a good filter for the price. Now that you tell me this I put an AC Delco on my S10. I had just recently had a Bosch on it. I think I will be taking that filter off my truck. My oil pressure when I start my s10 is above 80 PSI. Not to waiver too far off the subject, my mother-in-law had a 2005 Escape and she was religous about oil changes, every 3000 miles or 3 months. I don't know exactly what happened to her engine, but it was FUBAR with only 70k miles on it. She had to leave it in North Carolina and the shop there gave her $1800 for it. She had only had it paid off for a year. Her brother in law asked her why she was using such a cheap filter. With her permission he removed it and cut it open and sent her a picture of what this new oil filter looked like. She had a shop change her oil right before she drove down. As a matter of fact this same shaop had done every single oil change she every had. I didn't not see the filter casing, but I did see the core and it was an E-Core and it was "crushed" for lack of a better term. Her brother in law is a back yard mechanic and he said it is his opinion that using crappy oil filters lead to the engine failing. I will need to find out what exactly the problem was. He also said it was too small of an engine to be in an Escape, 2.3L I believe. I don't buy that my s10 is 2.2L, 5 years older and twice the miles, and it has hauled countless loads of top soil, sand, sod, and all kinds of other landscaping materials. I have always done my own oil changes and used quality filters or at least I thought they were quality.

Thanks for the reply.

Did it look like this.

 

[MCH86GN]

Did it look like this.

The picture with the filter element shown is what it looked like. I currently have a PF47 on my s10 and I have put about 200 miles on it. I'm pulling it off tonight and replacing it. I thought if it didn't have an PF47E, then it had the old style. Once I take it off, if it looks anything like above I post a picture. Like I said, my s10 at start up the oil pressure is 80psi+. I'm not sure how high the pressure goes when I start driving it from a cold start because my gauge only goes to 80psi.

Wow! I read rebuild number 1, did you have to do another rebuild and was this filter the most likely cause?

 

[bose]

I was looking at the AC Delco PF47 filter at Walmart a few days ago. It actually had printed on the box PF47E, now does anyone know if all AC Delco filters specify whether or not they have the E-Core or not?
Meaning will the PF52 have the print PF52E on the box if it has an E-Core. Because at the Autozone stores around my neighborhood, I have yet to see a PF52E printed on the AC Delco filters. Just to be on the safe side I bought a Bosch filter, which was only $2 more. Then Mobil and K&N are, if they have the same core as the Bosch which I understand they do are $6 and $7 more respectively.

I was just curious. I have a PF52 at home right now and I am temped to cut it open and see what core it has in it. Because the box just has PF52 printed on it.

I have been buying NAPA Gold filters and if you look on the box they are made by Wix. I can tell you on another car I have with 32,000 miles I can tell the difference in the color of the oil at 3,000 mile oil change. It looks much cleaner with the Wix filter. One day I was lazy and did not want to fo out of my way to find a NAPA storeso I bought the best Fram filter and it did not do nearly as well as the Wix.

 

[aminga]

Wow! I read rebuild number 1, did you have to do another rebuild and was this filter the most likely cause?

no the filter wasn't the cause.

 

[MCH86GN]

I have been buying NAPA Gold filters and if you look on the box they are made by Wix. I can tell you on another car I have with 32,000 miles I can tell the difference in the color of the oil at 3,000 mile oil change. It looks much cleaner with the Wix filter. One day I was lazy and did not want to fo out of my way to find a NAPA storeso I bought the best Fram filter and it did not do nearly as well as the Wix.

I have heard of WIX is really good. I just watched youtube video the other day of a person comparing a WIX to a Fram and said the WIX was inferior to the Fram. Link provided.

 

[charlief1]

To give you an idea of the quality of the Wix VS the Phram, a bunch of guys around here rund dirt track. We just installed an engine in 1 of the cars and the owner stuck a phram on it for break in. On initial start up it had 80 PSI and warmed up to 40. We ran the engine 3 times over 3 nights to make sure the engine was broken in properly. On the third night the oil pressure dropped to 40 cold and around 20 warm. After he told us the filter he put on we raised hell with him and he changed to a NAPA gold. Pressure was right back where it was when we fired it up for the first time.

The cheaper the filter the lower the quality it is. Most oil filters were pretty decent in the 70's and 80's but manufactures will try to cut corners to make some extra $ all the time and this is one of the most over looked areas on a car. Most people think they're all the same, and they're not.

 

[aminga]

If you put a fram on a TB I hope you like lifter clatter.

 

[MCH86GN]

To give you an idea of the quality of the Wix VS the Phram, a bunch of guys around here rund dirt track. We just installed an engine in 1 of the cars and the owner stuck a phram on it for break in. On initial start up it had 80 PSI and warmed up to 40. We ran the engine 3 times over 3 nights to make sure the engine was broken in properly. On the third night the oil pressure dropped to 40 cold and around 20 warm. After he told us the filter he put on we raised hell with him and he changed to a NAPA gold. Pressure was right back where it was when we fired it up for the first time.

The cheaper the filter the lower the quality it is. Most oil filters were pretty decent in the 70's and 80's but manufactures will try to cut corners to make some extra $ all the time and this is one of the most over looked areas on a car. Most people think they're all the same, and they're not.

Well after I initially read about the E-Core being placed in the AC Delcos, I took notice. I make sure that I put good filters on all my vehicles now. Even my 12 year old 150k miles 2.2L s10. Someone posted a link to where a guy had tested some 30 different filters and gave the results and that is when I took notice. There is no way to prove it, but my mother-in-law may have lost an engine from using cheap filters. She goes to a quick change oil place and has since she bought the vehicle new. Besides being a Ford and an earlier generation of the Escape, it could have been the cheap oil filters the Quick Lube or whatever used on her vehicle. She financed the vehicle for 6 years and just paid it off last year and now it gone. I just helped her husband change his oil and he bought an STP filter and I told it was junk, but he put it on anyway. I have no idea what filter was used on my mother in laws Escape, but considering the price for her oil change I would say it was a cheap one. $29.95. I can buy a 5L of Ford Motorcraft for $15 at Walmart, which is the oil they use in her vehicle that I no for sure from the window sticker. They probably get it at cost for $10 and use a $1.50 filter, at cost, otherwise they would make no money.

Hey I appreciate all the input.

 

[MCH86GN]

If you put a fram on a TB I hope you like lifter clatter.

Not a chance in heck. When I bought my TB in 08, I looked at the spring cleaning and I believe it specified AC Delco PF47 or PF52. I found the video I posted a bit on the funny side, considering what I have learned about oil filters. No Fram is going near any of my vehicles. I own 4 and trying to squeeze a few more years out of my 2000 s10 and my 2002 Explorer. I don't technically own my Malibu it is a lease, but the payments are too bad, I pay less then I did when I leased my 2000 Malibu.

 

[charlief1]

Well after I initially read about the E-Core being placed in the AC Delcos, I took notice. I make sure that I put good filters on all my vehicles now. Even my 12 year old 150k miles 2.2L s10. Someone posted a link to where a guy had tested some 30 different filters and gave the results and that is when I took notice. There is no way to prove it, but my mother-in-law may have lost an engine from using cheap filters. She goes to a quick change oil place and has since she bought the vehicle new. Besides being a Ford and an earlier generation of the Escape, it could have been the cheap oil filters the Quick Lube or whatever used on her vehicle. She financed the vehicle for 6 years and just paid it off last year and now it gone. I just helped her husband change his oil and he bought an STP filter and I told it was junk, but he put it on anyway. I have no idea what filter was used on my mother in laws Escape, but considering the price for her oil change I would say it was a cheap one. $29.95. I can buy a 5L of Ford Motorcraft for $15 at Walmart, which is the oil they use in her vehicle that I no for sure from the window sticker. They probably get it at cost for $10 and use a $1.50 filter, at cost, otherwise they would make no money.

Hey I appreciate all the input.

Remember that if you get a filter from a large retailer they get them as cheap as possible. Usually below .50 each. I worked for a local that did repair and oil changes and he gave us cost on the filters if we wanted to use his. I think it was about .75 for each one I used to get from him but it's been several years ago.

 

[dr_frankenstein]

I been using STP filters with good luck.

its a performance machine. we all should be changing the oil twice as often considering were asking like 2 hp per cubic inch. The Buick Power Sports manual even says this is the case, hell they reccomend using just an aircraft screen type filter which we know isnt fine enough to catch what a modern filter does. we just need to pay more attention, to our pressure gauges and the oil itself, like the manual says. Oil Filters are always gonna suck, one brand is good today and complete garbage tomorrow.