Parker Filter Cross Reference: What the Parker Catalogue Does and Does Not Publish
Parker sells engine filters as Baldwin and Racor, and its company-wide cross-reference tool is the wrong place to look for either. Cross oil, fuel and air filters for cars, pickups and trucks through Baldwin's own search. On Racor diesel fuel elements, the letter after the number sets the micron rating, not the digits.
Parker Is the Parent, Not the Filter
Nobody sells a filter with just "Parker" on the can. Parker Hannifin's engine filters come from two divisions, and each keeps its own catalogue and numbering.
- Baldwin covers lube, fuel, air, coolant and hydraulic filters for cars, light trucks and heavy equipment. It is run by Parker's Engine Mobile Aftermarket Division in Kearney, Nebraska, the address printed on every Baldwin part page.
- Racor covers diesel fuel filter/water separators and their elements. It sits under Parker's Engine Mobile OE Division.
Baldwin came to Parker with CLARCOR. Parker closed that deal on 28 February 2017 for about $4.3 billion, and its closing announcement lists Baldwin and Hastings among the CLARCOR brands, so a Hastings box also traces back to Parker.
Why Parker's Own Cross Reference Tool Misses Car Filters
Parker's corporate cross-reference tool covers the whole company: hydraulics, valves, fittings, seals and filters. For automotive oil filter numbers it is close to useless, and it does not know Baldwin's own catalogue.
| Number entered | What Parker's corporate tool returns |
|---|---|
| FRAM PH8A, WIX 51515 | RL-137, a Parker Brazil element |
| FRAM PH7317, FRAM PH3614, Motorcraft FL820S | No result |
| Fleetguard LF16035 | No result |
| Baldwin B1402, Baldwin BT7349 | No filter result |
| Racor R12T | R12T |
The RL-137 is a real filter of roughly the right size, but its own page lists it under Parker Brazil Filtration, for heavy trucks and buses, rated at 40 micron, with Portuguese labels. It is not a part a US parts counter stocks.
Part numbers like 50660 and 92199 that show up in "Parker filter" searches return nothing engine related either. The corporate tool's closest match for 92199 is a different Parker industrial part, 921999.
Use Baldwin's Search for Oil, Fuel and Air Filters
Baldwin's own cross-reference search takes up to ten competitor or OE numbers at once and returns the Baldwin part, often with a qualifier naming the vehicle it applies to. These are its answers for common numbers, with WIX's lookup run on each Baldwin part as a second manufacturer's check.
| You have | Baldwin answer | WIX crosses that Baldwin to |
|---|---|---|
| FRAM PH8A, WIX 51515 | B2 | 51515 |
| FRAM PH7317 | B1400 (Mazda), B1402 (Mitsubishi) | 51365, 51356 |
| FRAM PH3614 | B40036 (Mazda LF0514302B), BT223 (others) | 51348, 51374 |
| Motorcraft FL820S | B329 | 51372 |
| ACDelco PF63 | B7449 | 57502 |
| Motorcraft FL2051S | B7379 | 57151 |
| Fleetguard LF16035 | BT7349 | 51607, 57620 |
| Fleetguard FS1000 | BF1259 | Not checked |
| Racor R12T | BF1380, BF1380-O | Not checked |
For the bigger catalogue, Baldwin publishes the Number-Finder Cross-Reference, Form 561-25, a thousand-page PDF with an obsolete-number list and a prefix decoder. The Baldwin air filter cross reference walks through how that catalogue is laid out.
Where Baldwin Splits What Others Merge
Baldwin's catalogue warns that "other filter manufacturers may use one filter to replace two of ours," and the PH7317 and PH3614 show exactly that. FRAM sells one part for each; Baldwin returns two, and the qualifier decides which.
The PH7317 split is about height. Baldwin's B1400 is 66.7 mm tall and its B1402 is 88.9 mm, with a 101.6 mm B1431 listed as the long version for Mitsubishi. WIX does not agree on that last step: it crosses both the B1402 and the B1431 to its 51356.
The PH3614 split is about media. The B40036 and BT223 are the same 73.8 by 88.9 mm can on a 3/4-16 thread, but Baldwin rates the Mazda part at 9.8 micron nominal and 27 absolute and the BT223 at 18 nominal and 40 absolute. The BT223 page lists an anti-drainback valve and an 8 PSID bypass; the B40036 page lists neither.
The PF63 Answer Is the Ford-Height Can
Baldwin crosses the ACDelco PF63 to its B7449, a 104.0 mm can whose page lists Ford AA5Z-6714-A as a compatible number. WIX crosses the B7449 to its 57502, the Ford part, not the taller WL10255 that WIX matches to GM's own number.
That is the same GM and Ford merge FRAM makes, and the PF63 cross reference sets out which can GM actually anchors. For a GM engine, measure the old filter before trusting the B7449.
What Baldwin Prefixes Mean
Baldwin's prefix list is in Form 561, and the first letters tell you the filter type even when the digits do not.
| Prefix | What Baldwin says it is |
|---|---|
| B | Spin-on or bag-type filter |
| BT | Spin-on lube or hydraulic/transmission filter |
| BD | Dual-flow lube spin-on |
| BF | Spin-on, can-type or in-line fuel filter |
| P, PT | Paper lube or hydraulic element |
| PF | Paper fuel element |
| PA, RS | Paper air element, radial seal air filter |
Suffixes mostly name the housing an element fits, but a few are fixed. -O means open end, which is why the R12T crosses to both a BF1380 with drain and sensor port and a BF1380-O with an open end for a bowl. -MPG is Maximum Performance Glass media and XP is Extreme Performance.
What Baldwin Publishes That Most Brands Do Not
Every Baldwin part page carries a micron rating in two numbers. The B1402, for example, is rated 23 micron nominal and 45 absolute, with a 14 PSID bypass valve, its thread and dimensions, and the OE numbers it replaces.
The spread across the catalogue is wide. The B1400 and B1402 share 23/45, the B2 and BT7349 sit at 12/30, the B329, B7449 and B40036 at 9.8/27, and the B7379 for the 6.7 Powerstroke is rated 8 micron absolute with no nominal figure.
What is missing is the efficiency behind those words. Baldwin's pages name no test standard and no percentage, so "absolute" here is Baldwin's label rather than a stated capture rate, which is worth knowing because nominal and absolute ratings are not comparable across brands.
Bypass settings are stated in PSID and follow Baldwin's own classes from Form 561: 8 to 10 PSID standard, 11 to 17 medium, 18 to 25 high. The B2 and BT223 open at 8, the B1400 and B1402 at 14, and the B329, B7449 and B7379 at 20.
Racor Numbers: the Letter Is the Rating
Racor elements carry a letter that sets the micron rating: S for 2 micron, T for 10 micron and P for 30 micron. Each rating also has a colour on the element, in Racor's red, blue and brown coding: red for 30, blue for 10 and brown for 2.
The digits in front do not encode micron at all. On the Turbine cartridges they identify the housing the element fits, and the 2040PM is rated 98% at 30 micron just like the 2010PM and 2020PM.
| Racor element | Fits | Parker's stated rating |
|---|---|---|
| R12S, R12T, R12P | 120A and 140R spin-on, M18 x 1.5 | 98% at 4, 10, 30 micron |
| R20S, R20T, R20P | 230R spin-on, 1"-14 | 98% at 4, 10, 30 micron |
| 2010SM, 2010TM, 2010PM | 500 Turbine housing | 98% at 4, 10, 30 micron |
| 2020SM, 2020TM, 2020PM | 1000 Turbine housing | 98% at 4, 10, 30 micron |
| 2040PM | 900 Turbine housing | 98% at 30 micron |
The "2 Micron" Element Is Rated at 4
Read the S rows again. Parker sells the R12S as a "2 Micron Aquabloc Spin-on Element," and its own specification line rates it 98% at 4 micron. The R20S, 2010SM and 2020SM say the same.
So "2 micron" is the element's name and 4 micron is the number Parker puts its 98% against. None of these pages names the test standard behind the 98%.
What Owners Report About Baldwin
Baldwin oil filters draw consistent praise for construction on enthusiast forums, and the complaints are about what is not published rather than what fails. These are individual teardowns, not a sample.
A B7449 cut open after about 5,000 miles in March 2015 showed 46 pleats, a 20 psi bypass and a coil spring, with no damage. Members rated it highly for build and noted the anti-drainback valve is nitrile rubber rather than silicone.
Older teardowns of a B329 and a B7443 on the same forum describe the same picture: intact media, even pleats and no failed seams. The criticism in those threads is that Baldwin publishes no efficiency percentage, not that the filters come apart.
How to Cross Reference a Parker Filter
- Decide which Parker brand you need. Oil, air and most fuel spin-ons are Baldwin; a diesel fuel/water separator element is Racor.
- Run the number through Baldwin's search, not the corporate Parker tool, and read the qualifier column.
- If two Baldwin parts come back, match the qualifier to your vehicle or OE number before ordering.
- For Racor, keep the letter. Changing S, T or P changes the rating, and changing the digits changes the housing.
- Measure the old filter whenever Baldwin's answer and WIX's disagree, as on the B1431 and the PF63.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Parker make oil filters? Yes, under the Baldwin name. Parker's Engine Mobile Aftermarket Division in Kearney, Nebraska runs Baldwin, which makes spin-on oil filters for cars, light trucks and heavy equipment. Parker's other engine filter brand, Racor, makes diesel fuel filter/water separators rather than oil filters.
What is the Baldwin equivalent of a FRAM PH8A? Baldwin's search returns the B2 for the PH8A and for the WIX 51515, and WIX crosses the B2 back to its 51515. The B2 is a 137.3 mm can on a 3/4-16 thread with an 8 PSID bypass, rated 12 micron nominal and 30 absolute.
What do S, T and P mean on a Racor filter? They set the rating: S is sold as 2 micron, T as 10 micron and P as 30 micron. Parker's own pages rate the T and P elements 98% at 10 and 30 micron, and the S elements 98% at 4 micron, not at 2.
Is Racor 2010PM finer than 2040PM? No. Both are rated 98% at 30 micron. The 2010, 2020 and 2040 digits follow the Turbine housing the element fits (500, 1000 and 900), so the micron rating comes from the letter before the M, not from the numbers.
What to Do Next
Write down the number on the old filter and, for an oil filter, the vehicle's OE part number too. Put both into Baldwin's search together: if the qualifier column names your engine, you have the right Baldwin part, and if it names someone else's, the second number usually settles it.
