Bring your car, truck, or C/SUV to HCS Auto Repair every 3,000 miles for an oil change to ensure you always have a clean oil filter under the hood. You would be surprised how much damage a dirty oil filter can cause. This is one reason why auto technicians stress the importance of oil changes constantly. In order for your engine to be protected from damage, you need clean motor oil and a clean oil filter in it. We are going to list the signs that you have a dirty oil filter under the hood below.
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Lagging Engine Performance
The engine performs its best when it has clean motor oil circulating through it. If it has dirty motor oil circulating through it, the performance will lag and the engine temperature will rise. It may not rise enough to the point that it overheats, but your engine will run hotter than it normally does. The dirty motor oil affects the engine’s performance because it deposits grime throughout the engine.
Reduction in the Gas Mileage
Unfortunately, this will also cause a problem with the gas mileage that your vehicle gets. We would love to say that it improves it, but it doesn’t. A clogged oil filter can make the gas mileage worse. You will notice a reduction in how much mileage you get out of each gallon. Consequently, this means that you will need to fill the tank more often, which happens to be very expensive right now.
Reduction in the Oil Pressure
The other thing that will be reduced is the oil pressure in the engine. Unfortunately, this reduction in oil pressure also affects how well your engine performs. The reduction means that you do not have enough oil circulating through the engine. As such, the engine control module will turn on the oil light.
Strange Metallic Noises
You may also hear strange metallic noises in the engine if the engine is being oil-starved. If you do hear metallic noises, pull over right away and call for a truck to tow your vehicle to our shop. The metallic noises are the parts grinding against each other, and this will damage them severely.
Increased Hydrocarbons
Finally, if you live in an area that requires emissions testing for vehicle registration, the clogged oil filter is going to cause your automobile to fail the test. This is because of the grime that the oil has deposited throughout the engine. A dirty engine releases excess hydrocarbons.
Call HCS Auto Repair in Springdale, AR, today if it has been too long since you last had your oil changed.