You only need to see the long line of cars waiting to be serviced at your local mechanic to know that the vast majority of people don't perform their own vehicle maintenance. With the intricacies involved in how a car's engine works, many motorists believe that understanding more about how their engine works is out of their reach.

Learn About Your Oil Filter and How Replacing It Alongside a Synthetic Oil Change Can Benefit Your Car

If you are one of the drivers who have little understanding of how their car works, but have always wanted to learn, the best place to start is with your oil filter. Utilizing our extensive knowledge from helping numerous customers perform a synthetic oil change, Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer has prepared an easy to read article to help you understand the role of your oil filter.

The Very Basics of Your Engine

Under your hood and inside your engine are numerous metal parts in a range of sizes. All of these parts perform a very specific task which, when combined, move your vehicle forward. As soon as you start your car, all of these parts are thrust into action. As they perform their tasks, the most crucial parts in the process work very closely together, sliding and grinding against each other, often at extreme speeds. This very motion causes operating temperatures inside your engine to rise and results in friction occurring between each moving part. Without going into too much detail, this is the very base of how an engine works.

What Problems Can Friction Cause?

If the above interaction between engine parts occurs for too long, or at too great a degree, it starts to wear down each component by grinding away small shards of metal. Not only does this reduce the lifespan of each engine part (why you often need part replacements), but the small shards travel through your oil lines and continue damaging other parts along the way. If the level of friction gets too high, your engine will seize, meaning that the parts can no longer operate. This leaves you with a car that isn't going anywhere and an engine that needs a lot of work. To prevent this friction from getting too high or even occurring at all, a fluid is known as motor oil (or engine oil and engine lubricant) is used. This is the fluid that you pour into your oil tank as part of general maintenance. This oil acts as a barrier between each part to help them slide along each other, rather than grind and damage. Not only does this result in less damage, but engine oil is the very reason that your engine can operate at all. Getting the best performance from your engine is done with a regular synthetic oil change schedule. This replaces old and out-dated engine oil with a high-quality synthetic oil. Speak with Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer at (503) 329-9004 to learn more about which engine lubricant is best suited to your engine.

Now - to the Oil Filter

If you have been using a low-quality engine lubricant or you have left too much time between your last synthetic oil change, the small metal shards that we mentioned above travel through your oil line until they get to one important component - your oil filter. The sole purpose of your oil filter is just as its name suggests, to filter your oil. Shaped like a large soda can, your oil filter has two holes where oil flows in, and then out. Inside your oil filter is a product known as fibers or media, depending on what it is made from. As oil enters the input at high speed, the fibers inside the oil filter catch any debris that is flowing through along with your engine lubricant. Along with many other items, this includes the small metal shards. As this debris is removed, the filtered oil is then pushed out through the secondary exit hole where it becomes ready to be recirculated and used again through your engine.

Why Does It Need to Be Changed?

The lifespan of your oil filter is largely dependent on the type of motor oil that you use for your engine. However, over time, your oil filter will become filled with debris or the fibers inside will wear out. When either of these occur, the debris and impurities which were once trapped are now allowed to recirculate through your engine and continue to cause damage.

Get More out of Your Oil Filter With a Synthetic Oil Change in Gladstone

One of the best ways to extend the lifespan of your oil filter is to minimize the work that it needs to do and debris that it needs to trap. Performing a synthetic oil change provides your engine with a high-quality engine lubricant which can significantly reduce the damage that occurs during your engine's operation, and, in turn, the level of debris that your filter needs to capture. If you are unsure of which oil is best suited for your vehicle, speak with an expert at Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer by calling (503) 329-9004. With an extensive catalog of AMSOIL synthetic oil products to choose from, Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer will ensure you get the right one for your vehicle.