How often do I change the oil filter element

The oil filter element is used to filter the oil. Oil is the engine's lubricant, which is the blood of an automotive engine. The primary function of oil is lubrication, which reduces friction between moving parts of the engine and causes irreversible wear and tear on the engine once oil is lacking.

In addition, the oil film formed by the oil also prevents excessive combustible mixture from passing through the gap between the piston ring and the cylinder wall and thus also acts as a seal. In addition, the oil cycle cleans the engine components and takes away some of the heat generated by the engine running.

However, as the piston moves, the oil becomes dirty, dark and thick due to high temperatures and incomplete combustion of gasoline, which gradually oxidizes and contaminates the oil. If the oil is not filtered, impurities in the oil can damage the crankshaft, connecting rods, piston rings, etc. So the oil filter element is very important. It can filter out harmful impurities and exclude metal debris, carbon deposit and other impurities.

At present, the most commonly used is rotary oil filter, which consists of housing, spring, check valve, filter element, bypass valve, etc. Whereas the coarse filter can filter out the impurities with a diameter of more than 0.05mm, the fine filter can filter out the fine impurities with a diameter of more than 0.001mm. When the filter operates normally, the intake check valve opens and the bypass valve closes normally. All oil enters the filter and flows out through the filter paper. The oil that flows out is clean oil.

In special cases, if the filter paper cannot be filtered in time, the bypass valve will open in order to ensure the normal supply of oil. For example, when the filter has not been replaced for a long time, the filter paper is seriously blocked. The bypass valve opens when the oil is very thick during cold start or when the outside temperature is low. Once the bypass valve is opened, it means that your oil has not entered the engine completely filtered or not filtered, so that impurities and even metal debris can enter the engine, causing engine wear and tear.

When the vehicle stops, the intake check valve closes to prevent oil from being drained from the filter and lubrication system so that the required lubricant pressure can be established as soon as possible and dry friction can be avoided when the vehicle is next started.

Therefore, for the life of the automotive engine, we should try to replace the oil filter element every time we maintain it.Once the engine wears out, however, the loss is not a matter of money for several filter elements.