Oil Filtration - Your First Shield Against Wear
Motor oil becomes unfit for usage after a certain amount of time for two reasons. Impurities build up in the oil first, and then depletion and oxidation change the chemical additives. These two factors cause the oil to deteriorate, preventing it from lubricating and cooling engine components as it should. Oil filtration helps in maintaining the oil clean and free of contaminants. Replace the oil filter after each full lubricant change. However, if an oil analysis test finds that the lubricant is still suitable for future use, the filter can be replaced before the entire lubrication system is replaced.
Oil Filtration
By utilizing a thin layer of porous filter paper, most filters on the market compromise the filtering of smaller particles. As dirt accumulates on the paper surface, these paper filters become clogged. The filter bypass valve opens, as a result, allowing unfiltered oil into the engine. Water saturation can cause certain low-cost oil filters to get damaged and collapse under oil pressure, enabling unfiltered particles to stay in the oil. The restriction of AMSOIL Ea® oil filters is much lower than that of traditional cellulose media filters. Their microscopic synthetic nanofibers catch and keep more impurities, resulting in less restriction. There are various types of oil filters that AMSOIL offer and some of them are listed below:
Bypass Oil Filtration
Bypass oil filtration employs a secondary filter to remove virtually all pollutants from engine oil while preserving the engine's performance. Bypass filters have a higher capacity and remove considerably smaller particles than full-flow filters, such as soot and sludge, which are in the 2 to 20-micron range. The AMSOIL bypass filters filter oil in a partial-flow configuration. At any given moment, it pulls around 10% of the oil pump's capacity and catches the extremely minuscule wear-causing particles that full-flow filters can't remove.
How Motor Oils Become Contaminated?
There are a variety of reasons listed below as to why motor oil gets contaminated:
Dust and Dirt
Due to design errors in air cleaners, oil fill caps, and crankcase ventilation systems, some dust and debris might enter the engine. Due to leaks in the intake system, unfiltered air might potentially enter the engine. On the other hand, proper engine and accessory maintenance may limit the number of contaminants entering the lubrication system and extend engine life.
Metal Particles
The oil picks up and circulates extremely minute metal particles produced by the normal wear of components in an engine. Particles of road dust and dirt accelerate wear and form bigger metal particles, which are abrasive and circulate with the oil through the engine. While oil filters can assist keep these particles to a minimum, they can't completely eliminate them or reduce them to a size that won't wear down moving parts.
Water
When water is heated, it produces water vapour or steam. The bulk of the water condenses into vapour and exits through the exhaust when the engine temperature rises. When engine temperatures are low, such as during start-up, warm-up, and short-trip running at low ambient temperatures, water vapour condenses on cylinder walls and collects in the crankcase oil. Sludge, rust, and corrosion occur if impurities are not removed via frequent oil changes.
Acids
Acidic gases are created during the combustion process and, like water vapour, condense on cylinder walls at low engine temperatures before entering the crankcase oil. When these acids combine with water, they generate rust and corrosion. When water condensation in a diesel engine combines with the engine's acid by-products, sulphuric acid is created.
Fuel Dilution
Unburned fuel in liquid form is deposited on cylinder walls when an engine is started or runs abnormally. Raw fuel seeps through the rings and into the crankcase, lowering the viscosity of the oil. Dilution weakens the film strength of the oil and increases consumption. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils offer long-term engine protection and extended drain intervals, all while lowering oil contaminants and improving engine life.
Soot and Carbon
Incomplete combustion produces soot, carbon, and other deposit-forming components. The number of pollutants produced increases when an engine is run too lavishly or with too much fuel. Low-load, low-speed activities produce more combustion by-products than high-load, high-speed operations in gas engines. During low-speed, high-load operations, diesel engines create more of these by-products.
Engine Wear
Dirt is the leading cause of engine wear, according to automotive specialists. Filtration is essential for avoiding expensive engine problems caused by dirt. Filtration traps and holds impurities outside the oil circulation system, allowing them to be removed. A filter must be able to catch pollutants of various shapes and sizes in order to be genuinely effective. AMSOIL has created a comprehensive array of high-tech filtration solutions that provide the maximum possible protection against practically all dangerous engine pollutants.
