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Oil change time, preferred BBO filter? Wix 51049 or 51258
Curious about oil filter preference and why. Many have left the ubiquitous blue AC filters behind and go with NAPA Gold (1049 or 1258) or wix 51049 or 51258. The 49 is larger but the 58 has an anti-drain set up. Hmmmm.
All things being equal I think the larger filter makes more sense, and since it’s mounted vertically I’m not sure why the anti drain back functionality of the 58 is needed.
Certainly this topic has been discussed here previously, but an hour or so of surfing on the subject did not produce a clear winner (for a vertical mounted oil filter such as in my 71 455). If it was a horizontal mount filter the 58 would seem to be the correct choice. Thoughts?
Last edited by vCode442; November 6th, 2021 at 05:32 PM.
I switched to the 51049 way back in the 80s when I worked at a NAPA store. Some folks have posted they have clearance issues with headers, but I don’t have any issues on my 350 with Heddman headers
Using the Wix 51049 on my '67 400 with no complaints. I have full headers with no clearance issues. I usually only put about 1K to 1.5K-miles on the car per season.
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; November 6th, 2021 at 03:59 PM.
... I usually only put about 1K to 1.5K-miles on the car per season.
And you probably change the oil and filter annually. I know, I do the same thing, and I probably put on even less mileage. Which brings us to the question: how much does it really matter which filter you use? Hell, with so few miles between changes, you could probably screw an empty canister on there and never know the difference.
I know that I'll probably catch hell from some people, but I have been using Fram filters for years with no issues. Like alot of you, I put less than 2000 miles annually on my Olds and change the oil and filter every spring.
I use a Mobil 1 M-107A on my '71 Cutlass 350 w/headers. A little pricey but worth it. If my timing is right I catch a 5 quart container of Mobil 1 10w-30 and filter on sale at Autozone for under $40.
If my timing is right I catch a 5 quart container of Mobil 1 10w-30 and filter on sale at Autozone for under $40.
See, I'd worry more about which oil than which filter. Unless you've rollerized your valvetrain, you're gonna want something with high levels of ZDDP, or at least an additive.
If my timing is right I catch a 5 quart container of Mobil 1 10w-30 and filter on sale at Autozone for under $40.
I buy the 5 quart jugs at Wal Mart for around $24 each. Many times I have used the online Mobil 1 rebates of $12 for each jug (2 max) to bring the cost down to a ridiculously low price of $12 for 5 quarts.
I've been running Baldwin filters for a few years. I have a thread on realoldspower about them, I guess I never posted it here. I think the B9 is the standard Olds replacement (no bypass in the filter because it's in the stock filter housing). I run a BT112 because my oil filter adapter has no bypass, and the BT112 has a 8-10 psi internal bypass. Wix filters are fine but hard to get data on once you deviate from stock. They recommended a B7359 because the filtering media was much better, but the stock O-ring is too thick and would have to be changed.
A larger filter has less pressure drop across it, which means it can flow more oil across it, and you'll spend less time with the filter bypass open when the oil is cold/thick. Overall, big filter for the win.
Have used AC Delco PF24 in our Oldsmobiles and PF1218 in the GMC truck but purchased
Bosch filter to the truck instead , think i should go with WIX 51049 in the Olds instead.
I was getting the Hastings LF222, made on the same line as the Baldwin filters locally for cheaper than the Wix 51258. Like everything, there are now none available locally. Unfortunately, there are few larger filters available for the Olds, most are the small 307 sized filter.
The only reason not to use the 51049 is if it interferes with headers. This is not an issue with manifolds. Otherwise, why would you not want more filter media area?
Thanks Joe, and that was the reason for my post - to solicit input from other Oldsmobile owners. Everything pointed to the larger filter, but I was curious why others would use the smaller filter in a similar application. Wix 49 is about to be spun on to my 455.
I was curious why others would use the smaller filter in a similar application.
Sometimes folks don’t know there are other filter options and they just go with the one listed for their application. Since I worked at auto parts stores in school, I learned about the cross applications, such as using a full-size Ford FL1A style filter on my Jeep instead of the shorty filter called for in the books.
Sometimes folks don’t know there are other filter options and they just go with the one listed for their application.
^^^THIS. Most Olds applications call for the 51258 if you look in the Wix catalog, as that is the direct replacement for the PF24. The don't know that the longer 51049 fits with no issues.
Years ago I worked for Montgomery Wards in the auto center and learned the same as Kenneth, Gm, Ford and Chrysler all had long and short versions of their filters
in our filter catalog, I would always use the recommended filter however if for some reason the recommended filter was not available I would not hesitate to use the longer version never had any issues, it always made sense to me more media more filtering, just had to compensate a tiny bit on oil fill up.
People lose waaaaaay too much sleep over oil filters. This isn't rocket science. Functionally, the only things that matter are thread diameter and gasket diameter. The anti-drainback valve is irrelevant for an Olds since the filter always mounts open end up. The rest is just filter media quality and area. The Wix on line catalog lists filters by dimensions. Knock yourselves out.
Second gen Olds V8s use filters with 13/16-16 threads. The gasket is 2.834" OD, 2.462" ID, and 0.175" thick.
If you want to ensure yours is "bigger", use Wix 51830, which is over 8" tall and 4.2" in diameter. Or, use 51831, which is the same diameter as the 51049 but 7" tall. 51831 also has the same enhanced cellulose media as does 51049.
November 6th, 2021, 01:19 PM
