MLVW M36 Crane Trucks

[rob love]

One more problem I have run into with these (and other military ) trucks. The primary filters were originally a fram PCS1144. I forget the secondary number, but I seem to recall it was a Detroit filter. I have seen where people go to NAPA (including a certain museum I am familiar with) and they cross over to their filters. The gaskets are not always a good fit and with the variance between the two, you end up sucking air on the primary, or else leaking fuel off the secondary.

[FrankJames]

Yup, been there done that.

We cross matched the number and ended up with a filter where the filter looked righ,b but the gasket was no where close (way more off than just a bad fit).

We eventually found that a Baldwin BF915 seems to have the same gasket location. at least it looks close by eye.

[rob love]

That number seems to ring a bell. I could check at work, we have a few different brands that came through the supply system.



The other day I actually had a pair of the oil filters leak on me. Same deal...a different brand of filter had the gasket of a slightly different diameter, and it leaked. I guess that explains why the other filters were so tight I had to bring a heavy duty strap wrench in from home to get the old ones loose. This was on a crane truck as well. We managed to secure two crane M36Cs for the museum. I don't particularly like that long wheelbase, but the heavy lift capability more than makes up for that.


I had some of the NAPA match-ups dump fuel into the hull of a 548 last winter. The gasket was almost completely off the mating surface. I stick to the originals now.

[Robin Craig]

Dear All,

the NAPA equivalent filters for many brand name do not stack up, period. in the development of a spin on oil filter adapter I learned that even not all the threads are the same quality and when you use a filter cutter you find the construction is not the same by any means so gaskets issues are bound to follow.

The experiences stated by others is not surprising, despite the counter person's utterance of "ours is the same as XYZ but cheaper".

[rob love]

There is not a quality issue with the NAPA (which is also WIX), just an interchangeability problem. The Wix filters are well regarded overall.

Perhaps on some applications, the slight difference in diameter does not make a difference. In others, they are not compatible.

[FrankJames]

And it's hard not to try to find the working alternate when one is $12 and the FRAM is $40-$50.

[Robin Craig]

Rob, I really respect you knowledge and experience in all things mechanical and military related, but having cut apart a number of WIX versus NAPA filters there is not the same surface area and construction, I am not able to agree with you on that point.

I agree to disagree on this one.