How to pick the right filter. How to spot when the oil filter is contaminated

The filter is arranged in such a way that even when it is contaminated, the oil will be served into the engine. This is better than the absolute absence of it. To check that the oil filter works properly, you need to contact the auto mechanic or remove the filter yourself. However, in some cases, you just need to listen to your car.

• Overheating. Excessive heat is generated when the car parts are rubbing together without a quality lubricant. Due to this, the engine elements quickly wear out, which in turn causes an additional load on the cooling system. Unfiltered contaminants turn into sediment and are detained in the engine. This becomes a cause of reduced thermal conductivity. As a result of these factors the engine overheats. The normal operating temperature of the working engine is 90-100 C. Oil filter might be one of the causes of engine malfunction when the temperature is higher.

• Leakage. The clogged or damaged oil filter badly reacts to the temperature change inside the motor. Defective filters can burst or break, which can lead to leakage of oil that is harmful to the environment. If you notice that any liquid is leaking from the car, then immediately contact professional car mechanics.

How to choose a reliable oil filter?

The quality and reliability of the engine depends on the quality of the oil filter in the car. What should you pay attention to when selecting an oil filter?

• First of all, you need to find out which filters are suitable for your car model and engine. This can be found in the car manual. It usually describes what size, type, and material filter should be installed for your car.

•You should only purchase filters in branded stores, where original spare parts from the largest manufacturers are presented.

• Check the folds on the filter: the deeper they are, the more dirt they hold in themselves.

• The main part of the filter is a cleaning element made of special paper. It should have a range of characteristics: a wide temperature range of work, dust retaining ability, completeness of withdrawal, excellent strength, resistance to aging, a certain degree of subtlety and, most importantly, high degree of purification. Too loose paper is not able to effectively clean the oil and leads to accelerated wear of the engine. Low-quality paper can filter only a few thousand kilometers, and then dirt will get into the engine through gusts.

• You should opt for filters with metal plugs. Carton stubs are more likely to wear out and need to be replaced more often.

• Bypass valves should also be made of metal, not plastic.

• The filter housing must be sufficiently rigid and strong so that under high pressure it does not deform.

• There are innovative filters with magnets that attract small metal particles. However, their effectiveness has not yet been proven and many experts are not advising to buy such filters.

• Pay attention to the marking. It is a fake if it is smeared, contains grammatical errors or inaccuracies.

• The rubber ring must adhere tightly to the filter housing.

• No less important is the manufacturer. Companies producing quality filters indicate the country of issue, exact address, contact telephone numbers. But often these products are actually made in China. Sometimes a "brand" is registered in one of the European countries - for example, in France. Then this brand is denoted by cheap Chinese goods and shipped to our markets. The undoubted advantage of the filter you are about to buy is the availability of certification information.

Sometimes people who bought a cheap counterfeit filter reassure themselves that it still will work for a short time. However, the use of a low-grade oil filter is causing irreparable damage to other parts of the car.

A faulty emergency valve releases oil bypassing the filter, and the engine will quickly get out of order. The valve can also get jammed in way that the filter housing will burst, oil will flow out and the engine will be left without oil. The filter-insert of the poor quality filtering material can break and clog the oil channels in the engine with its remains. So it is important to approach the purchase of the filter responsibly so that you do not have to regret the wrong choice.

Currently, the range of oil filters is large with affordable prices. But not every filter is suitable for your car. You need to be able not only to make the right choice, but also to distinguish the real detail from forgery.

Specialists of filkit.com.ua recommend to buy only original and high-quality oil filters.

Specifications

The main characteristics of the filters relate to their type (non-removable or removable cartridge as well as full flow or partial flow and which method of purification is used). All manufacturers indicate significant overall dimensions, including the diameter and the thread in non-separable filters. The valve pressure opening should be mentioned separately.

The elasticity of the valves (opening resistance) depends on the pressure in the oil system (the more powerful the engine, the more powerful the oil pump, and hence the opening of the drainage (intake) valve can occur at a higher pressure). The same applies to the bypass valve (too "soft" valve) will cause it to open at the slightest increase in pressure, which means that the engine oil will not be properly cleaned. The "hard" valve may cause a shortage of oil in a motor that is even more dangerous than insufficiently filtered oil. An owner of the auto can familiarize himself with these filter options, or he can just navigate through the brand's purchase and the type of engine in the car.

The auto parts delivered to the Ukrainian market by official dealers are already designed for our climate and use conditions. For example, in oil filters two types of rubber gaskets can be installed: for hot climates or cold. Unofficial goods are dangerous and may simply not be suitable for our conditions (the moment it gets cold the rubber ring will crack and the oil will start to leak).

Based on online resources