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Over time, the filter becomes more and more contaminated, reducing its ability to pass fuel through. This shows the importance of change of fuel filter. There are ways to clean filters, but replacing it will help to ensure high reliability and security.

Fuel filter is a safety element. Filters are preventing the entry of dirt and impurities into different systems of cars by cleaning fuel. Experienced drivers know how long a fuel filter can last. The packaging must indicate the expiration date. The expiration of the service life is one of the reasons for replacing the fuel filter.

Fuel filters of gasoline and diesel engines have few differences (in the properties of gasoline and diesel fuel and the design of fuel systems in general).

In diesel fuel there is such a substance as paraffin. One of the parameters of diesel fuel is the temperature of turbidity, that is, the beginning of crystallization of paraffin. When the temperature decreases, paraffin clogs the fuel filter. In this case, the engine is more difficult to start (or impossible), and the car does not drive well. Fuel filter of a diesel engine must deal with paraffin, and gasoline one is deprived of it.

Another difference is that there is water in the diesel fuel. Water should not reach fuel equipment and the filter is obliged to detain it. Therefore, in the filters there are settlers, which allow the water to drain. Sometimes there are water sensors that signal its high content in fuel.

The diesel filter must retain solid particles that are not hazardous to the gasoline engine, but can damage the high pressure fuel pump and engine nozzle.

The high-pressure fuel pump has precision parts with micron gaps. They are lubricated by diesel fuel themselves, and the protective film is washed off by the water that gets in. Hence, increasing roughness, and increasing the gap (sometimes jamming), which in turn leads to the failure of the host. And it might be quite costly to purchase the new fuel pump of high pressure.

In addition, diesel fuel has the ability to absorb water condensate (diesel fuel contains about 0.2% of water) and change its properties, depending on the temperature drop (at low temperatures, paraffins can crystallize.) Crystals clog the filter and thus break the entire fuel system.The filtering elements can be heated as well. For these reasons, it is imperative to follow the instructions on the replacement interval of  the fuel filter. Previously, dehydrating valves were used but in modern diesel filters they have no use.

The diesel engine is very picky about the fuel filter condition. It is desirable to change the fuel filter on every second maintenance, that is every 25-30 thousand km. This figure is approximate, for example higher quality filters can serve longer. And vice versa - overly cheap filters do not affect quality and long-lasting work.

An unplanned replacement of the fuel filter is only required if after you refuel something went wrong, the sound of the engine changed, the car began to feel worse than before refueling. Unfortunately, the change of one of the filter elements is not good enough in this case.

First of all, you need to get rid of low-quality fuel. To do this, you need to put in the tank as much fuel as it can fit. After that, take a car for a ride and then add another 5-10 liters of good fuel. In this case it is better to replace the filter, even if the problem is gone. Another thing is, if the light appears on the dashboard you need to see mechanic right away.

The quality of domestic gasoline is not ideal, therefore, many experienced masters are advising to reduce the service life of a fuel filter by one third compared to the manufacturer recommendations. Contamination of an element results in such effects as:

• power reduction;

• wear of the engine parts.

In case of heavy filter contamination, in some cases, the car will not start at all.

Unlike filters for gasoline engines, diesel filters for diesel engines are regularly replaced depending on the car model and the quality of diesel fuel.

Among the popular manufacturers of fuel filters (give maximum protection and wear resistance): WIX, BOSCH, DONALDSON, MANN and others. For long-term work of filters it is necessary to use high-quality gasoline or diesel fuel.

 

Based on internet resources