Oil filter question

[geojag]

The short version: My truck does not use a filter that I can find called for on an Explorer of this vintage. It uses a __8a filter, not the __2 filter that pretty much everyone says it should use. I can't figure out why.

A longer version: I bought my 2002 Explorer from an individual who said that he was told the engine was replaced prior to him buying it. It didn't show up on carfax, so I didn't really believe that. It was cheap, and it runs great, so I bought it.

Fast forward to yesterday. Time for an oil change. I went by Walmart and picked up the oil and the filter. The filters listed were all __2, I got the Fram XG2. Well, went to put it on and the threads were way too large. I look at the old filter and it was a __8A. I looked all over and can't find that filter being used for an Explorer of that generation. There is a tag on the engine that has the following information:

2G 966 AA
Made in Cologne Germany
Auto FFV
09/07/01
as well as bal 266 and a barcode.

This would seem to be the original engine since the tag on the door shows the manufacture date as being 09/01.

Any theories on why this engine doesn't use the standard oil filter?

 

[swshawaii]

Sounds like the engine was replaced. Earlier 4.0 SOHC's used the larger Motorcraft FL-1A filter with standard threads,
not the smaller FL-820s with metric threads. Use the larger filter. Cross reference Fram replacement is the PH-8A.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27983

There are other filters designed for engines using oil coolers that use larger threads, such as the Fram XG2 you tried.
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1377660,parttype,5340

 

[geojag]

Thanks for the information.
I am surprised the engine being replaced didn't show on carfax, but I guess it is an older vehicle so that could have been done before electronic records were as common as they are now, and I guess it could have been done by an independent shop.
It did throw a slight wrench in the oil change, but now I know.

 

[Number4]

A clean carfax tells you nothing. A bad carfax tells you what not to buy. Use it only to veryify bad vehicles, knowing that it doesn't tell you if a car is good.

Also, Fram is a 'crappy' filter. Not so much an opinion, but a fact. Just throwing this out there because so many people buy Fram because they see their advertising.