Good filters vs. bad filters
When Han Solo blew up the forcefield around Endor, he needed an assortment of explosive charges. Which one would you use if you mounted an intergalactic insurgency movement? Image courtesy of r.b5z.net
When you go to get a drink of water, you want a clear, cold glass of spring water. Well, to get that water, it had to be filtered, and in the same way, your car wants a clean filtered drink of oil, fuel, and air.
Purchasing a new oil filter is an easy process especially if you know what you’re looking for. Buying cheap paper-based oil filters isn’t the greatest idea because they can collapse or split open when clogged. Also, when a paper-based oil filter gets wet, it can disintegrate all together and clog up your engine’s lubrication system. This is not good. T
The best way to go is with a more modern media of synthetic fibers and resins. Remember, a quality oil filter will have an anti-drain-back valve to prevent oil from draining out of the engine's oil galleries after shutdown. It will also have an oil filter bypass valve that allows oil to flow around the filtering media if the media becomes clogged or the oil becomes too thick to flow through the media
Air filters are a bit of a different story because the most misunderstood notion of your car’s air flow system is what the air flow capacity of the filter itself is. A properly working air system will be operating at relatively low air capacity most of the time, so the filter will be able to deliver full air flow at peak engine speeds. Again, a good filter that’s made of synthetic materials is your best bet because it can be removed, washed with a special solution, and replaced. If you spend a little more on an air intake filter now, it will save you some dough later.
If you start noticing that your car has surges or sudden drops in engine power when the throttle is wide open, you may need a new fuel filter. Fuel filters that are made of cheap paper-based media won’t be able to withstand the 90 pounds per-square-inch pressures and long-term exposure to water and fuel additives. Definitely find the fuel filter with the most modern construction to avoid this potential problem. You may have to contact a dealership to get specs on the proper fuel filter for your car, and you may have a “permanent” fuel filter that only requires service when replacing the fuel pump itself.
—AJ Register
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