Would a wrong oil filter damage the car?

The other day I changed my oil, and I put in an oil filter made for a ford, but it was a bit shorter than the one in my car. Would that hurt my car at all? BTW, its a 96 ford taurus.Would a wrong oil filter damage the car?
I wish that you'd have given up the brand name and part number of the filter that you have purchased.





My only concern would be if it had an anti-drainback valve. The two Motorcraft filters that fit your car are a # FL-400S - for the 12 valve 3.0 motor and a FL-820S for the 24 valve Duratec engine.


If you live near a Walmart they have these two Motorcraft filters made by Purolater in stock.


I've noticed that a few companies are shortening up their filters which is a bad thing if you plan on a 5,000 mile oil change and do a lot of stop and go driving. Less square inches of filtering media will plug up faster causing the bypass valve to open thus no filtration.





At this time If I owned your car I'd first find out by going back where you bought the filter if it had the anti-drainback valve. This valve prevents dry engine starts. If it has the valve, short change the engine oil @ 3,000 miles and use a top shelf NAPA (Wix) Purolater or the standard Motorcraft filters. When ever in doubt and you have the space always go with the longest standard filter possible. Never cheat filtration area. Leave Fram filters on the shelf to collect more dust. When you go to any NAPA store they have a display of a Fram and a Wix (NAPA) filter split open. Let your eyes be the judge.Would a wrong oil filter damage the car?
No it won't hurt the car at all.


I got Hooker headers on my 69 mustang and could still use the original size motor-craft oil filter.


My buddy with a 71 Mach I used a cheaper brand of headers. He had to start using an aftermarket filter that was a lot shorter than the motor-craft. It worked fine.
You can use any filter that's made as long as it not leaking when fitted (if it fits) its better to get shorter and wider then longer and thinner especially when its located beneath the car,
The height is not as big as a concern. As long as the sealing gasket is seated on the oil filter mounting plate you should be fine. For instance Chevy changed the filter size on a very common filter from long to short and they would not do that unless it was ok to do so.

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