One of the reasons why oil changes are so crucial to the health of your car’s engine is that the oil filter is changed at the same time. Integrity Auto Repair advises that a dirty or clogged oil filter can actually cause serious damage to the engine. You can avoid this damage by having conventional motor oil changed every 3,000 miles and synthetic motor oil changed every 5,000 miles. Let’s talk more about what happens to your engine when the oil filter gets dirty and clogged.
Lagging Engine
The oil filter’s job is to clean the dirt out of the motor oil after it has circulated through the engine. This is part of what the motor oil does; it cleans the engine. If the oil filter is dirty or clogged, the motor oil will retain the dirt it has picked up and deposit it throughout the engine again. This will “gunk” up the parts and cause your engine’s performance to lag.
Poor Gas Mileage
In addition to the lagging performance, the engine will also use up more fuel to operate. This will reduce the gas mileage you get out of a full tank. The only time you will get maximum mileage per gallon is when the engine is running efficiently. Clean motor oil and a clean oil filter help the engine to run efficiently and saves gasoline or diesel fuel.
Reduced Oil Pressure
A more serious problem is a reduction in oil pressure, which a clogged oil filter can cause. The pressure at which the oil circulates through the engine helps to protect the engine from wear and tear. A reduction in the oil pressure can damage the engine.
Metallic Noises
In fact, if you do not have enough oil circulating through the engine at the right pressure, you may start to hear metallic noises coming from the engine. These noises are being caused by unlubricated metal parts scraping against each other. This is a serious problem that can leave you with an irreparably damaged engine. Take these noises seriously.
Excess Emissions
Finally, the emissions your vehicle releases in its exhaust can be affected by a clogged oil filter. If the oil deposits dirt in the engine as we discussed above, the dirt will burn away and increase the number of emissions found in your vehicle’s exhaust.
Call Integrity Auto Repair in Eugene, OR, today to set up a service visit for an oil change if one is due for your car, SUV, or truck.
