Peerless Automotive can help you avoid a clogged oil filter by changing your SUV, car, or truck’s oil at regular intervals. If you have conventional oil in the engine, that interval is every 3,000 miles. If you have synthetic motor oil in the engine, that interval is every 5,000 miles. The oil filter is changed at every oil change because a clogged oil filter can cause serious engine damage. Let’s talk more about this below.
Reduced Engine Performance
One thing that a clogged oil filter will do is reduce your engine’s performance. The reason why is that the motor oil is dirty as it circulates through the engine. The oil relies on the oil filter to remove all of the dirt that it picks up. If the oil filter is dirty, it will simply make the motor oil dirtier. As the dirty oil circulates through the engine it deposits grime that affects the engine’s performance.
Reduced Fuel Efficiency
Because of this, a clogged oil filter will indirectly reduce your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. As you can imagine, this can cause a huge financial problem if you are already living on a tight budget. Gas prices are on the rise continuously and have reached all-time highs. The last thing you need is to have to fill the tank more often, which will happen if the oil filter and motor oil need to be changed.
Reduced Oil Pressure
The next thing that will be reduced is the oil pressure. This directly affects the engine’s performance and safety. You need the right amount of oil circulating through the engine at the proper pressure in order for your engine to run efficiently and within the normal temperature range. If you have low oil pressure in the engine, the engine control unit will turn on the oil light on the dashboard.
Strange Engine Noises
As the oil filter continues to clog, the motor oil will find it more and more difficult to pass through the filter. Eventually, you may end up with zero motor oil circulating through the engine. This can damage your engine beyond repair in as little as 30 minutes. As such, if you hear strange noises coming from the engine that are metallic in nature, pull over and call for a tow truck to bring your vehicle to our shop.
Finally, Peerless Automotive in Olathe, KS, advises that the dirty motor oil will cause the engine to release excess hydrocarbons in your vehicle’s exhaust. As a consequence, your vehicle may fail an emissions test if it is required to take one.