Oil, fuel, air filters - when and how to change them? Guide
Car filters need to be changed regularly to prevent serious damage. Check out when and how to do it.
So far, there are no problems with changing the oil filter - after all, we change it along with engine oil and usually do it regularly, in the case of a fuel or air filter, we usually remember them when something happens to the car.
We asked Dariusz Nalevaiko, head of the Renault service center in Bialystok, owned by Motozbyt, when and why it is necessary to change filters in a car.
Engine oil filter
The purpose of this filter is to reduce the amount of contaminants that enter the engine along with the intake air and clean the oil. It is worth adding that the air filter does not capture all the pollutants from the atmosphere by 100 percent. Thus, they enter the engine, and the oil filter should stop them. It's just more sensitive than an air filter.
The choice of an oil filter for a given engine by its manufacturer depends, among other things, on the design of the power unit. Filter manufacturers indicate in their catalogs which engines they are suitable for. It should be remembered that only original filters or trusted companies guarantee safe use.
The oil filter is usually replaced along with the oil and drain plug gasket. The replacement interval is determined by the manufacturer's standards. It also depends on the way and conditions of use of the car. Usually we change with oil every year or after a run of 10-20 thousand. km.
This element costs from a dozen to several tens of zlotys, and a replacement, for example, in an authorized service center, on a small car costs about 300 zlotys along with oil.
Fuel filter
Its task is to clean the fuel. It is worth knowing that fuel contamination is usually more dangerous for diesel engines than for gasoline engines. This is due to design solutions - mainly due to the use of high-pressure injection equipment in high-pressure installations.
Most often, in power systems for spark ignition engines, only mesh protective filters and small paper linear filters are used.
The mains filter is usually installed in the engine between the booster pump and the injectors. It is characterized by relatively high wear resistance. We replace after 15 thousand run. km up to 50 thousand km - depending on the manufacturer. The accuracy of fuel cleaning depends on the type of paper used.
The cost of buying a fuel filter ranges from a few to several tens of zlotys. Its replacement is usually not difficult, so we can do it ourselves. Pay special attention to the direction of fuel flow, which is marked with arrows on the filters.
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Air filter
The air filter protects the engine from dirt entering the engine.
“Modern air filters in powerful drives are very demanding,” says Dariusz Nalevaiko. – Thorough cleaning of air before it enters the combustion chambers is a prerequisite for the correct operation of the engine and high durability of the working parts.
Air is an important factor in the combustion of fuel in an engine. Fun Fact: 1000 cc four-stroke engine. cm in one minute - at 7000 rpm. - sucks in almost two and a half thousand liters of air. For an hour of continuous work, this costs almost fifteen thousand liters!
This is a lot, but these numbers take on special significance when we begin to be interested in the air itself. Even the so-called clean air contains on average about 1 mg of dust per 1 cubic meter.
It is assumed that the engine sucks in an average of about 20 g of dust per 1000 kilometers driven. Keep dust out of the inside of the drive unit, as this can damage the surfaces of the cylinders, pistons, and piston rings, which will shorten the life of the engine.
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Be careful and precise when changing the air filter. You must be careful that its contents, even the smallest part, do not get inside the engine. The cost of an air filter with replacement at an authorized service station is usually around PLN 100. The air filter should theoretically withstand from inspection to inspection, i.e. 15-20 thousand. km of run. In practice, it is worth checking how it looks after driving several thousand.
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Cabin Filter
The main task of this filter is to clean the air injected into the car interior. It traps most of the pollen, fungal spores, dust, smoke, asphalt particles, rubber particles from abrasive tires, quartz and other airborne contaminants collected over the road.
Cabin filters should be replaced at least once a year or after driving 15 kilometers. kilometers. Unfortunately, many motorists forget about this, and the ingress of contaminants into the car can adversely affect the driver and passengers.
The final signals for filter replacement are:
- evaporation of windows,
– a noticeable decrease in the amount of air blown by the fan,
- an unpleasant smell in the cabin, which comes from bacteria that multiply in the filter.
Cabin filters don't just help people with allergies, allergies or asthma. Thanks to them, the well-being of the driver and passengers improves, and the trip becomes not only safer, but also less stressful. After all, standing in traffic jams, we are exposed to the inhalation of harmful substances, the concentration of which in the car is up to six times higher than on the side of the road.
The efficiency and durability of the cabin air filter is affected by the quality of the materials used and the precision of workmanship. Paper cartridges should not be used in cabin air filters as they are much less efficient at absorbing pollutants and filtering less thoroughly when wet.
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Cabin filters with activated carbon
In order to protect your own health, it is worth using an activated carbon cabin filter. It has the same size as a standard filter and further traps harmful gases. In order for an activated carbon cabin filter to capture 100 percent of harmful gaseous substances such as ozone, sulfur compounds and nitrogen compounds from exhaust gases, it must contain good quality activated carbon.
An effective filter helps reduce the risk of allergic reactions in the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes, runny nose or respiratory irritation - diseases that are increasingly affecting people who spend a lot of time behind the wheel.
In principle, it is impossible to determine the time when the filter will be completely clogged. The service life depends on the amount of pollutants in the air.
“It should be emphasized that it is impossible to clean this filter effectively,” explains Dariusz Nalevaiko. - Therefore, the cabin filter must be changed every 15 thousand. km of run, during a scheduled inspection or at least once a year.
Prices for cabin filters range from PLN 70-80. The exchange can be made independently.
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Diesel particulate filter
The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF or FAP for short) is installed in the exhaust systems of diesel engines. Removes soot particles from exhaust gases. The introduction of DPF filters has eliminated the emission of black smoke, which is typical for older cars with diesel engines.
The efficiency of a properly functioning filter ranges from 85 to 100 percent, which means that no more than 15 percent enters the atmosphere. pollution.
See also: Modern diesel - is it possible and how to remove the DPF filter from it. Guide
Soot particles accumulating in the filter cause it to gradually clog and lose efficiency. Some vehicles use disposable filters that need to be replaced as the filter fills up. A more advanced solution is the self-cleaning of the filter, which consists in the catalytic combustion of soot after the filter reaches a sufficiently high temperature.
Active systems for burning off soot accumulated in the filter are also used - for example, a periodic change in the engine operating mode. Another way to actively regenerate the filter is to periodically heat it up with an additional flame of the mixture injected into the filter, as a result of which soot is burned.
The average filter life is about 160 thousand. kilometers of run. The cost of regeneration on site is PLN 300-500.
Filter replacement and prices - ASO / independent service:
* oil filter - PLN 30-45, labor - PLN 36/30 (including oil change), change - every 10-20 thousand km or every year;
* fuel filter (car with petrol engine) - PLN 50-120, labor - PLN 36/30, replacement - every 15-50 thousand. km;
* cabin filter - PLN 70-80, work - PLN 36/30, replacement - every year or every 15 thousand. km;
* air filter - PLN 60-70, labor - PLN 24/15, replacement - maximum every 20 thousand. km;
* diesel particulate filter - PLN 4, work PLN 500, replacement - on average every 160 thousand. km (in the case of this filter, prices can reach PLN 14).
We add that a driver with some knowledge of mechanics should be able to change the filters: fuel, cabin and air without the help of a mechanic.
Text and photo: Piotr Walchak
