Have spent the better part of the summer searching half heartedly for a new engine air filter. (At the last oil change, a replacement was recommended, however not urgently needed.) The parts have been on backorder most of the summer. Air filters now appear to be available, however the difference in price between the Fram and Purolater is too great not to ask why...

Fram Part No.CA10170 is $8.99

Purolator Air Filter Part Number: A25567 is $47.48

First off, will the cheap one fit? Secondly, with the Purolator being 5x more expensive, what will it get me? Finally, what should I make of the Ford Manual's threat of only using Ford parts? Being a hybrid, I'm hyper-sensative to auto part store and/or general mechanics' knowledge.

Thanks!

Whoa! I have no idea why the Purolator is so expensive.
That sounds like a mistake.
Prices generally range in the $20 area for standard paper ones.
More for the higher quality and re-usable ones.
Top of the line is only $42.

Motorcraft is the Ford brand for an exact replacement.

The K&N brand, for about $40 is washable and re-usable.
Good for the life of the car, and comes with a 1 million mile warranty.

I bought the K&N, the part number is 33-2347 and it cost me $42 at the time. It will last forever, so you have piece of mind. You will need to wash it ( it's made of cotten ) every 2 years or 20,000 miles or so.

I have had one in my Dodge truck, 1 filter, for over 15 years!

-John

Having just gone through this exercise, I'll add to your air filter options:

- Ford part no. FA1772 is $23.88 from http://www.discountfordpartsaty2kford.com in Seattle, WA.

And, if you're looking for an air filter, you'll probably be looking for a battery filter shortly.

- Ford battery filter part no. FP51 is $15.68 from y2kford.
- Purolator battery filter, part no. C25571 is ~$30.00 at my local auto parts store.

I purchased a Fram air filter locally. To my eye, the Fram looks identical to my OEM Ford air filter. I have yet to see the Purolator air filter.

rb

Good call regarding the rear battery filter.
However, I know of one guy out in the desert who washes, drys, and replaces his stock HV battery filter.

After 5 or so washings, he says it is still holding up fine.
It is made out of some fabric, and is not paper like the engine filter.
You could try that if you wish.

Talking with Ford, it's not a mission critical filter anyway.
They say it's mostly there to keep dried leaves and insects out of the air duct.