Why Is The Oil Filter Important?

Your car's oil filter serves two important purposes: to filter out waste and to keep the oil in the right place at the right time. Your engine can't perform at its best without clean oil, and your oil can't perform at its best unless the oil filter is working. But do you know how oil filters work?

Driving with a dirty oil filter can damage or ruin your car's engine. Knowing what your oil filter is and how it works can help you recognise when it's time to change it. Read on to find out more.

1. Oil filters filter waste.

If oil is the lifeblood of your engine, then the oil filter is like a kidney! In your body, kidneys filter waste and remove excess fluid to keep your body healthy and humming.

Your car's oil filter also removes waste. It traps harmful debris, dirt and metal fragments in the oil to keep your car's engine running smoothly.

Without an oil filter, harmful particles can enter the oil and damage the engine. Filtering out the gunk means your oil is cleaner and lasts longer. Cleaner oil means better engine performance.

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2. The oil filter keeps the oil where it should be.

Your oil filter doesn't just filter out waste. Its many parts work together to clean the oil and keep it in the right place at the right time.

Tapping plate: Oil enters and exits the filter through a tapping plate, which looks like a central hole with smaller holes around it. The oil flows through the smaller holes, through the filter material and then through the central hole to your engine.

Filter material: The auto filter is made from synthetic fibre mesh which acts as a screen to trap grit and dirt in the oil. The material is folded into pleats to create a larger surface area.

Anti-Return Valve: When your vehicle is not running, this valve flap closes to prevent oil from seeping back into the oil filter from the engine.

Safety valve: When it is cold outside, the oil thickens and has difficulty passing through the filter. The safety valve drains a small amount of unfiltered oil, powering your engine until it warms up.

End discs: The two end discs on either side of the oil filter are made of metal or fibre and prevent unfiltered oil from entering the engine.

Of course, you don't need to remember all of these parts, but knowing how they work together can help you realise the importance of changing your oil filter.

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3. Oil filters need to be changed regularly.

By the time you've driven 3,000 miles (the usual recommended oil change interval), your oil has passed through the oil filter 12,000 times!

Like other car parts, the filter becomes dirty and less functional due to regular wear and tear. Many manufacturers recommend changing the oil filter with every oil change, but check the owner's manual for specific recommendations.

A survey by the Car Care Council found that a quarter of cars have low engine oil levels or dirty engine oil. If your car is one of these, it may not be running at peak performance, partly because your oil filter needs changing.

Symptoms of needing an oil and oil filter change may include

Acceleration problems

Metallic noises under the bonnet

Low oil pressure

Changes in exhaust gas colour

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