How Oil Filters Help You Maintain Engine Health

We all know how important it is to change the oil in our vehicles regularly. But do we really fully understand the critical role that oil filters play in keeping the engine healthy? Read on to explore why oil filters matter and how frequently you should be changing them.

What Exactly Does an Oil Filter Do?

Your engine oil picks up a lot of contaminants as it circulates through the engine—tiny bits of metal from engine wear, dust or dirt that get past air filters, fuel residue, moisture, and more. All of these get suspended in the oil. Without a way to remove these contaminants, they would build up over time and cause damage to precision engine components. This is where your vehicle’s oil filter comes in. It’s designed to trap and capture many of these harmful particles and prevent them from circulating back through the engine. As engine oil passes through the filter, contaminants get caught in the filter material, so only clean oil flows back out.

Why You Should Regularly Change Oil Filters

Over time, oil filters become clogged up with trapped particles and can’t filter as efficiently. Dirty oil filters also cause performance restrictions and hinder oil flow. For these reasons, oil filters need to be replaced on a regular basis, along with engine oil changes. Fresh oil filters ensure engine oil can keep your engine properly lubricated. They also prevent the harmful buildup of abrasive particles inside precision parts like bearings, cylinders, and gears. By regularly changing your oil and filter, you greatly reduce internal engine wear.

Pay Attention to Recommended Change Intervals

Vehicle manufacturers provide guidelines on recommended oil and filter change intervals based on driving conditions and miles driven. For most modern vehicles driven in normal conditions, that’s usually every 5,000-7,500 miles. However, shorter change intervals of 3,000 miles may be advised for stop-and-go city driving, which is harder on oil. Keep in mind that oil filters wear out faster when dealing with dirty oil. So, don’t neglect your overloaded oil filters and follow your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedules.

What Happens With Clogged, Dirty Oil Filters?

Ignore blocked-up oil filters long enough, and you’ll quickly run into problems. When contaminated engine oil starts flowing through unfiltered, all those trapped abrasive particles that should be caught in the filter get stirred back up into circulation. This causes accelerated wear between metal surfaces, scuffing, and loss of critical lubrication.

Over time, you may experience increased engine noise and contamination buildup on valves, piston rings, bearings, and other precision components. Ultimately, performance and fuel mileage suffer.

When Buying Replacement Oil Filters, Go With Quality

Aftermarket oil filters vary widely in quality and performance. Pay attention to the micron rating, which indicates the size of particles that get filtered out. Some cheap oil filters only catch particles down to 20 microns, while high-end ones filter down below 10 microns. Also, look for enhanced durability features like a reinforced canister, coil spring insides, silicone anti-drain back valves, and threaded center tubes. And make sure any replacement filter you buy is designed exactly for your vehicle’s engine to ensure a correct fit.

Schedule an Oil Change in Wyoming, MN

By gaining a better understanding of what oil filters do and why keeping yours clean is important, you’ll be more motivated to stay on track with regular oil and filter changes. Not only will your engine operate better in both the short and long term, but you’ll avoid many major repair bills down the road.

You can trust the experts at Lenfer Automotive & Transmission to properly install high-quality, reliable oil filters that keep your engine in its best health. Call us at 651-615-0839 to schedule an appointment at our Wyoming, MN location.