A car oil filter is a key component that keeps your engine healthy and debris-free. Most people think of oil changes, brake checks, and tire checks while doing car maintenance. They often forget about car oil filters, a small but critical part of your car. Most of you might not be aware of how important these filters are. This blog will dive deep into the concepts you need to know about oil filters- how they work, their types, and the importance of using clean oil filters.
What Is A Car Oil Filter?
Just like its name suggests, the primary job of car oil filters is to filter out the engine oil. It traps dirt, metal particles, and other contaminants to prevent them from entering the engine. This way it ensures that the engine receives clean oil to lubricate its components to run efficiently and smoothly. Without a working oil filter, harmful contaminants and dirt can get into the engine. This can cause severe damage to the engine and its components. This not only reduces the performance of the engine but increases maintenance costs.
Types Of Oil Filters
The size and design of car oil filters vary based on the specification and model of your car. Here are the most common types of oil filters–
- Full-flow oil filters: The most common oil filter type that is capable of working under high-pressure conditions without restricting the oil flow.
- Spin-on oil filters: Such filters have a self-contained unit with a filter element inside a metal canister.
- Cartridge oil filters: These are eco-friendly oil filters that have a filter element inside a reusable housing.
- Magnetic oil filters: Such filters are used with other filters to improve filtering efficiency as they have magnets for capturing the small metal particles.
- Centrifugal oil filters: These types of filters utilize centrifugal forces to filter out impurities from oil.
How Does An Oil Filter Work?
An oil filter comprises many components to clean the engine oil such as the oil pump, oil filter anti-drain back valve, filter media, relief valve, tapping plate, and end discs. All these components work together to filter out the oil for the smooth functioning of the engine and its components. The process of oil filtering is quite simple. Here is the detailed information about how the car oil filter works-
Step 1: Oil Enters The Filter
Once the engine is started, the oil is pumped through the engine to collect contaminants and dirt. After that, it is directed to the filters to trap the contaminants.
Step 2: Contaminants Get Trapped
The oil enters the filters through the tapping plate a center hole which is surrounded by the smaller holes. Further, the oil passes through the filter media which is made of porous materials like synthetic fiber, cellulose, or both. It captures the contaminants such as dirt, debris, and metal particles.
Step 3: Clean Oil
After passing through the oil filters, the contaminants are filtered out. The filtered oil is then passed back to the engine to lubricate the engine and its components.
The process of oil filtration is continuous in the engine to supply clean oil and ensure the smooth functioning of the engine. This further extends the life of the engine and reduces the chances of costly repairs.
Why Is A Clean Oil Filter Important For Your Vehicle?
As the car oil filters clean dust and contaminants from the oil, they need regular maintenance and cleaning to remove the trapped dirt, carbon, and metal particles. If the oil filters are not cleaned, over some time the material stuck inside them gets saturated with contaminants and blocks the oil flow. This increases the wear and tear of oil filters, thus it is essential to clean them or replace them over time. Here are a few reasons why clean oil filters are important for your vehicle-
Protecting Your Engine
The contaminants like dirt, dust, debris, carbon, and metal particles can cause severe damage to the engine and its components. This not only increases the risk of breakdown but can lead to total engine failure. When unfiltered oil enters the engine, the lubrication efficiency of oil reduces due to the presence of dirt and metal particles, further increasing the wear and tear of the engine and its components. By filtering all the contaminants, the oil filters protect your engine.
Smooth Engine Performance
The supply of clean oil to the engine increases the lubrication efficiency, thus reducing metal-to-metal contact. The engine oil creates a thin layer of lubricant to reduce friction and wear and tear of moving parts. The oil filters ensure the smooth performance of the engine through the supply of clean oil.
Improved Fuel And Gas Efficiency
Due to the supply of clean oil, the combustion process smoothly takes place reducing strain on the engine or other components. This allows the engine to utilize the oil more efficiently for combustion, further improving fuel or gas efficiency.
Reduced Noxious Fumes
The presence of contaminants in the oil can lead to the combustion of harmful metals or contaminants with the oil. As a result of this, noxious fumes or harmful smoke can be produced. The working oil filters ensure that only filtered and clean oil enters the engine to prevent noxious fumes. The use of clean oil filters is not only healthy for your vehicle but also for the environment.
Signs Your Oil Filter Needs Replacement
To ensure that oil filters are clean and working properly, it is important to keep a regular check on the oil filters. Here are a few signs that indicate that your oil filters need maintenance or replacement-
- The dark or dirtier color of the oil might be an indication of clogging of the oil filter.
- Unusual or sputtering noises from the engine can be a sign that the oil filter is restricting oil flow to the engine.
- Grinding noises from the engine can be caused due to increased friction between components indicating a lack of proper lubrication.
- Illuminated lights of oil pressure warning
Tips To Maintain Car Oil Filters
To ensure the engine runs smoothly at its peak performance, it is crucial to maintain car oil filters. You can maintain car oil filters in the following ways:
Regular Oil And Filter Changes
Making regular oil changes is important to keep your filters and engine healthy. The trapped contaminants in the filters can further reduce the efficiency of oil filters to trap contaminants. Thus, it is important to change oil, as well as oil filters after every 5,000 to 7,500 miles or the recommended period by your vehicle’s manufacturer.
Select The Right Oil Filter
Using the right type of oil filter is crucial for your vehicle for its proper maintenance. Therefore, always referring to the car manufacturer’s manual is important to select the right type of oil filter. Also, the selection of oil filters by trusted brands is crucial to ensuring optimal filtration and longevity.
Regularly Monitor Oil Pressure
Keeping a regular check on oil pressure allows one to ensure the condition of oil filters. When the oil pressure is low, there is a high probability that oil filters will become clogged. There can be several signs of low-pressure warning such as engine noises, sluggish performance, and illuminated oil pressure warning.
Use High-Quality Engine Oil
The quality of engine oil that you are using in your vehicle can make a big difference. The high-quality engine oil contains fewer impurities thus it increases the life span of oil filters.
Conclusion
Don’t let your car’s dirty oil filter reduce your engine’s performance. By taking care of the oil filters, you are not only increasing their lifespan but also ensuring the longevity of the engine and its components. Car oil filters help to improve oil efficiency, keep the engine clean, reduce emissions of harmful gases, and ensure the smooth functioning of the engine and its components. So, next time when you go for oil changes, do not forget about oil filters.
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FAQ’s
How often should I replace the car oil filters?
You should replace car oil filters after every 5,000 to 7,500 miles or every time when you change engine oil. Also, referring to the your vehicle manufacturer’s manual is important to check its lifespan.
What happens if I don’t replace car oil filters?
If I don’t replace my car oil filters, the contaminants will enter into the engine. This will increase swear and tear of components, further reducing performance and efficiency of engine. Also, you might have to pay for costly repairs.
Do all vehicles have same type of oil filter?
No, the oil filters vary in vehicles based on their specifications and model. Refer to your vehicle’s manual to select the right oil filter for your car.
How are car air filters different from oil filters?
The primary role of both air and oil filters is to filter out contaminants like dirt and debris and prevent them from entering into engine. The key difference is that air filters clean the air and oil filters clean the oil to ensure engine performance.
