The importance of oil filters

In this blog we will tell you in detail about the function of oil filters. How do you keep your engine and machine in the best condition?

The basics of an oil filter

An oil filter ensures that the oil in your engine remains in good condition. An oil filter removes contaminants from the oil by passing them through the filter media. In this process, the oil enters the filter, passes through the filter media and continues its way towards the engine or back to the oil reservoir or crankcase.

Function of oil in your engine

Oil is often thought of solely as the lubrication of the moving parts of the engine, but oil also has other important roles in the engine. Lubrication is the most important, because without oil there would be friction between the moving parts and they would wear out faster. The major problem with wear is that the small particles that are released further accelerate wear. This is also the reason that you need to change your oil regularly.

In addition to lubrication, cooling is also a function of the oil. Especially the parts where no cooling can occur through the coolant or air. This includes the pistons, camshaft and crankshaft. The oil in the engine carries this heat to the oil pan and away from these internal moving parts.

Another function of engine oil is cleaning. When the fuel and oxygen mixture in the cylinder is burned, acids and pollution are released. This contamination is deposited against the cylinder wall. Because the cylinder head moves along the wall of the cylinder, the thin oil layer, which also provides lubrication, takes the contamination with it.

The fourth function of oil is to seal the cylinder during combustion. Without oil, the cylinder would not be completely sealed and the pressure of combustion could escape the cylinder. This results in lower power and pollution as gases from the combustion can escape from the cylinder.

In short, below are the four most important functions of oil in your engine:

1. Lubrication
2. Cooling
3. Cleaning
4. Sealing

Type of oil filters

There are basically two types of oil filters; full flow and bypass. With the full-flow filter, all oil passes through the filter media before being returned. This filter is often located immediately before the oil goes to the engine. The by-pass filter is an additional filter that removes smaller contaminants from the oil. This is located in the system behind the full-flow filter and part of the oil that has already passed through the flow filter is returned for an extra filtration round. Not all the oil is filtered in the by-pass filter, but only about 20%-25%. In this filter, much smaller particles are filtered from the oil than in the flow filter. In some cases even particles as small as 1 micron. Compare this to a human hair, about 50 microns, and you can imagine how fine the filter media must be in this filter.

The reason for filtering these small particles from the oil is that it is the smaller particles that cause the most engine damage. In many cases, the by-pass filter also filters moisture from the filter so that it is not in the oil that is returned to the crankcase.

Nowadays there are also filters that have both functionalities in one. An example of this is the Fleetguard LF1400NN. This filter has the functionality of both the full-low filter and the by-pass filter.

Basically you can say:

• The full-flow filter filters all oil before it is fed to the engine
• The by-pass filter filters part of the oil behind the flow filter and returns it to the oil pan or oil tank.

The advantage of using an additional by-pass filter can easily be described based on the above:

• Your oil stays clean for longer and you can therefore use your oil longer until the next interval
• Less moisture in your oil and the chemical breakdown process of your oil is slowed down
• Less wear and tear on the engine because the small and most harmful contaminants are filtered

What you should pay attention to with an oil filter

There are many different types of oil filters. The dimensions and thread obviously determine whether the oil filter is an option at all. In addition, there are many things you need to take into account when choosing the right filter or comparing the quality of oil filters.

A filter must also have sufficient throughput or flow to get enough oil through the filter and to prevent the engine from receiving too little oil.

You want to be sure that the filter purifies properly. The specifications of a filter always state how small the particles of contamination are that are filtered. Remember that it is mainly the small particles that cause the most damage in the combustion process.

Another important thing to pay attention to is what the filter media is made of. The better filters use synthetic material that is specially designed to capture smaller particles, purify chemicals and also extract moisture from the oil. In high-quality filters, different media materials are often used for the different functions in one and the same filter.

The disadvantage of many cheaper filters is that they use fiberglass as media and are sometimes of inferior quality. The biggest disadvantage of this is that it not only allows more contamination to pass through, but also wears out and adds contamination to the oil before it is fed to the engine. Small fibers break off and end up in the oil.

Filter manufacturers invest a lot in research into high-quality materials as filter media. For example, Fleetguard has filters with their patented NanoNet fully synthetic media.

In summary, you can pay attention to the following things when comparing the performance of an oil filter:

• Does the filter have the correct dimensions and thread?
• Can the filter get enough oil through the media so that the engine also receives enough oil?
• How much capacity does the filter have before it is saturated with contamination?
• Does the filter have the correct filter media, preferably full synthetic for modern engines?

Would you like to know more about what is inside an oil filter? Then also read our blog about the internal parts that you encounter in an oil filter. Below is the link:

Blog - What's inside an oil filter?