3 Things That Will Make Your Engine Last 400,000 Miles

so the oil filter may not sound like something exciting but actually it's quite important it's the onsung hero because it impacts engine performance fuel economy motor oil life and also the environment your vehicle's oil filter does two very important things it filters waste like dangerous pollutants and contaminants but that's not all it also keeps oil in the right place at the right time so you can think of oil filters as the kidneys for the car so how does it work let's take a look inside an oil filter and see how it works first we have the tapping plate it has small holes around the edge and that's where the motor oil enters the filter the oil then travels through a filter material it's made of a mesh of synthetic fibers you can think of it as a sieve that catches the dirt grit and grime in the oil the filter material is pleated to create a larger surface area within the same amount of space the filtered oil then travels into the center steel tube then it exits to a threaded center hole of the tapping plate the oil filter has a few other parts there's the relief valve when it's cold outside motor oil naturally thickens this makes it harder for the oil to travel through the filters so the relief valve discharges a small amount of unfiltered motor oil into the center tube to your engine to give your engine a boost until it warms up then you have the two end discs on each side of the oil filter they're made of metal or fiber and they prevent unfiltered oil from passing into the center tube and into your engine some oil filters don't have these end discs but use a sealant instead the anti-drain back valve is a rubber valve with a flap when your engine is off the valve flaps shut to prevent oil from seeping into the engine and into the oil filter did you know that early cars did not use an oil filter at all some placed a rudimentary mesh sieve at the oil pump intake but that wasn't really effective at all so drivers back then had to get a whole lot of oil changes the automobile industry changed in 1923 when two american inventors george green hall and ernest sweetland filed a patent for an automotive oil filter they called it the purolator a name derived from the combination of the words pure oil later it revolutionized the automotive industry the early filters used the cloth weave it sure was better than no filters at all but it wasn't exactly pure oil either most of the oil was pumped from the oil sump directly into the engine's working parts only a small proportion of the oil was sent to a filter via a second flow path filtering the oil over time several decades later in 1954 jack wicks and paul crenshaw patented the spin-on oil filter the slogan was twist of the wrist it was easier quicker and less messy to handle less than 10 years later almost all domestic passenger cars had adopted spin-on filters in the 1960s disposable oil filters became popular and cellulose and paper were used to reduce production costs today the general shape of most oil filters remains basically the same but there's been progress with the filter material many still use cellulose and paper while premium filters use synthetic so exactly how important is clean motor oil the biggest threat to your engine and its greatest enemy is actually tiny dirt particles smaller than the eye can see we're talking microns so how small is a micron as a point of reference an average human hair strand is around 75 microns an average human could see objects that are 40 microns or larger a white blood cell in your blood is about 25 microns a red blood cell is like 5 microns bacteria can be 3 microns so we are talking tiny an average oil filter removes particles that are 40 microns and large but general motors did a study on diesel and gas engines they found that a 30 micron oil filter compared to a 40 micron oil filter reduced engine wear by 50 a 15 micron filter reduced engine wear by 70 dirt particles in the 10 to 20 micron range can do serious damage to bearings cylinders and other engine parts that's because those tiny particles can get lodged between the parts which causes heat buildups which in turn causes damage to the engine let's talk even smaller for example the clearance between the piston ring and cylinder bore is incredibly small usually 5 to 10 microns according to the study particles smaller than 10 microns generated about 3.6 times more wear on the rods rings and main bearings than particles greater than 20 microns i'll just show you how important oil filtration is critical to your engine performance and life so let's talk about filter media those are the membranes that filter out mortar oil contaminants today the three common filter media are cellulose synthetic and micro glass filter media many disposable oil filters have cellulose filter media it can catch particles that are eight to ten microns and clean up to forty percent of the motor oil in general it's best to check and replace these filters at every 3 000 miles if you want better quality next up is synthetic filter media it's effective at removing 24 percent of particles that are 8 to 10 microns small in general use filters should be checked out and changed every five to seven thousand miles most high-end filters use extremely fine metal or micro glass filter media these fibers are ten times finer than cellulose yet they also have a lower oil flow restriction that's why it only needs to be checked or replaced every two to five years or ten thousand miles whichever is less there are many oil filters on the market so which one do you need it depends on your engine type and your car manufacturer's recommendations in the owner's manual using the wrong filter can cause motor oil to leak out of the engine or the filter can just fall off either situation can cause serious engine damage most car manufacturers use a full flow oil filter known as primary oil filter it filters 100 of the motor oil used by the engine whereas other filters might clean only some of the oil another advantage of the full flow filter is that it allows motor oil to move more freely through the engine compared to other types of oil filters so the full flow filter is especially useful in colder weather when the motor oil thickens on the other hand because it has a lower flow restriction it also allows smaller contaminant particles to pass through one type of full flow oil filter is called the cartridge oil filter a typical cartridge oil filter has no metal parts so it's easier to recycle it's also easy to use and if you mount it upright you can usually inspect it without removing the oil another type of full flow filter is the spin on oil filter basically it's a steel canister paired with a paper element installation is fairly simple and you only need minimal tools in addition to full flow or primary oil filter some car makers also install a secondary oil filter also known as the bypass filter the secondary filter supports the primary filter by cleaning less than 10 percent of the motor oil and then routing it back to the engine it works independently of the primary filter and helps to remove contaminants that might have been missed by the full flow filter one type of secondary filter is the spinner oil filter also known as centrifugal oil filter as the name suggests it spins we're talking about centrifugal forces up to two thousand times greater than that of gravity some powerful stuff that's why i can efficiently trap some of the tiniest contaminants from the motor oil typically these filters have two sections a housing chamber and membrane critical part of this filter is the base gasket which prevents motor oil from leaking but unfortunately it's also one of the weakest part of the filter and isn't too durable so if you use this type be sure to check the base gasket at least once every three months or every three thousand miles another type of secondary filter is the magnetic oil filter it's effective in removing metal contaminants but it's ineffective in removing dust and grime the advantage to this filter is it doesn't need to be replaced but just cleaned regularly and of course it doesn't work on aluminum because that's not magnetic and cars have a lot of aluminum parts these days now when it comes to oil filters just remember that you get what you pay for lower quality filters contain light gauge metal loose filter material and poor quality gaskets that can lead to filter failure some filters can filter out tinier particles more effectively and some are more durable and will last longer so it's important to use a filter that fits your car's knee a common myth is that some people believe you should replace the oil filter at every other oil change if you think you're saving money this way actually it's penny wise but pound foolish if your oil filter gets plugged the oil will go into bypass which leads to faster engine wear so i recommend you replace the oil filter every single time you change your motor oil assuming you change your oil regularly after all why run clean oil through a dirty filter the best oil filters retain 99 of its effectiveness throughout the life of the motor oil as with all things always check your owner's manual for recommended oil change intervals the engine air filter is a simple component in the air intake that helps keep your engine clean it screens out dirt debris bugs pollen water and anything else that blows into your car's grill it sounds very simple but here's why it's very important the air outside contains about 21 oxygen and oxygen controls how much gasoline your engine can burn did you know that your engine needs about 10 000 gallons of air to burn one gallon of fuel your engine can create efficient combustion and run optimally if it has the right ratio of air and gasoline but if your engine air filter is dirty limits the amount of oxygen that can reach the engine and so your engine needs to work harder and use more fuel on the other hand if you replace the dirty air filter it increases your fuel efficiency and acceleration according to the us department of energy replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 but it's not just that a dirty air filter changes the car's air fuel balance this can pollute spark plugs and cause the engine to miss or rough idle it can also increase the engine deposits and has a direct impact on your exhaust emissions and increases environmental pollution furthermore if your air filter is dirty or damaged it can inadvertently allow small particles into your engine and this can cause a lot of damage to internal engine parts like the cylinders and pistons and that can get pricey to repair so you can see why it's crucial to replace the engine air filters regularly did you know that in the beginning up until the 1920s most cars used a water bath filter it worked by using an air inlet pipe that fed down into a bath of water the inlet pipe was constricted that caused the air to speed up so by the time the air reached the bath the dirty particles would travel down and get caught up in the liquid but soon the oil bath filtration method replaced the water method oil is thicker and stickier so it was more effective than water and trapping particles and contaminants but service in it was messy and labor intensive that's why paper filters became available around the 1960s [Music] most car makers much preferred to use the paper filter back then a typical air filter was inside a cylindrical container about 4 inches to 16 inches diameter it looked kind of like a holiday cookie tin and it was positioned above or beside the carburetor or throttle body as fuel injection started to gain popularity the air filter evolved today cars with fuel injection systems usually have an engine air filter that is flat and rectangular and usually not readily visible when you first open the hood let's look at a few types of engine air filter materials the most common type in cars today is the disposable paper filter that's because it's relatively cheap convenient and capable it's also easy to service paper filters can come treated pleated or embossed the term paper is somewhat misleading because it's considerably different from your standard writing paper or packaging paper what about the filter frame most are either plastic or rubber so they can fit air tight without needing extra gaskets or seals another option is the reusable cotton gauze filter usually with an aluminum frame they're washable can be re-oiled and reused so it lasts longer even up to the life of the car so long as you clean and maintain it regularly the filtering method is somewhat similar to the paper filter otherwise there are two types of gauze filters the oiled cotton gauze filter is more popular the other kind is the synthetic dry gauze filter which requires cleaning periodically with a proprietary cleaning solution a third type of engine air filter is the foam filter we're talking oil wetted polyurethane foam some car makers put phone wraps around the air filters this creates an extra barrier between the dirt and debris and the combustion system since pollutants need to pass through the foam first before hitting the air filter then there's the stainless steel mesh it comes with different mesh counts with different filtration standards you see this an extreme modified engine that lacks space for a cone-based air filter some people install a simple stainless steel mesh over the turbo to make sure particles don't enter the engine via the turbo but now let's bust some common myths some people believe that removing the air filter will increase horsepower so technically yes you'll increase airflow but it's so incredibly insignificant you'll barely notice it it's not worth the greater damage you'll do to the engine by not having a filter so i don't recommend it here's a question some people ask can i drive with a damp air filter the short answer is yes it's drivable if you're using a reusable filter but it's not recommended because a damp filter is even more restrictive the moisture takes up space in the filter which otherwise could have been used by the air to pass through less airflow into the combustion chamber means less power generated by your engine but it's not just that dust that sticks to a damp filter will accumulate and form an impenetrable layer and that's not good either does removing the air filter make the car louder the air filter is located inside a container that's designed to silence intake sound as much as possible so now removing the air filter won't impact sound unless you remove the container guys do that in motorcycles all the time but what about removing the air filter increase intake sound that would increase sound but i don't recommend that either because without that cover you risk the air filter falling off and you'll also suck in hotter air from the engine bay and reduce engine performance so it's not worth the sound gain a dirty or damaged air filter can suffocate your engine fortunately dirty air filter symptoms are easy to identify so what are some of the signs that your air filter needs replacement well one of the easiest things you can do is visually inspect the air filter a brand new filter is white or off-white in color over time as it gets used and it captures and accumulates contaminants and dirt it turns darker in color almost brown or black so you want to see if the condition of your air filter if it's dark get it replaced if it's disposable clean it if it's reusable sometimes the inner layers have dirt that's not easy to spot mechanic can check that in the case a real easy way to test this put the filter up to the sun you should see it really bright if it's not replaced or clean the filter another sign is a decrease in gas mileage remember a dirty air filter reduces oxygen flow so if you notice your fuel economy isn't where it should be it could be do your cars burning more fuel to compensate for the reduced oxygen flow let's say your car is a hard time starting or you need to try multiple times or rev your engine to get it going well that could potentially be due to a low air fuel ratio if the ratio is high on the fuel side it can cause engine flooding and spark plug pollution which results in misfires rough idle or trouble turning over so normally one of the first things to check is the engine air filter or maybe you noticed unusual engine noises while your car's in park a normal healthy engine with good oxygen flow has a smooth and even sound but if you're hearing a vibration hiccup or rattle it can be due to air intake issues including dirty air filter and polluted spark plugs another sign is your check engine light turns on of course it could mean many different things but one of the reasons can be due to the air filter if there isn't enough air then carbon can build up and trigger the warning light or it could be that it detects deposits and impurities inside the engine which is impacting his performance regardless if you see a check engine light turn on don't ignore it you should get it checked out if you're driving your car for a while you know how your car feels when things are normal so then let's say you start noticing sluggish acceleration or your car starts jerking when you press the gas or just respond slower than usual well your horsepower could be suffering some suffocation and oxygen deprivation it could be it's not getting the air it needs to function optimally so that's another possible sign what about black city smoke coming from the exhaust whenever there's low oxygen fuel can't burn the way it needs one indication of that is dark city smoke popping sounds or flames at the end of the tailpipe if you notice these signs then you should get that checked out immediately because it can be hazardous another sign is the smell of gas when you start the engine that's because the fuel didn't get burned optimally due to lack of air and will exit through the tailpipe unburned resulting in that smell so often should you change your air filter car makers vary on their recommendations many recommend every 15 to 30 000 miles it's always good to check your owner's manual you can also consult your local mechanic for recommendations and of course realize that if you live in a dirty dusty area you're going to have to check it more often the engine air filter is one of the simplest parts to change or clean you can remove the intake hose attached to the air collection box and lift out the filter hold the filter to the light looks dirty especially if you can't see through it then you should clean or replace it depending on the type of filter it is it's a minimal effort except on some german cars where it's almost impossible to get to and it's worth the time and money to keep your engine air filter clean if you want to boost engine performance prolong your engine life maintain good gas mods and protect the environment car engines have lots of moving parts as these parts move and rub against each other the force of friction creates heat oil lubricates the engine to reduce friction absorbs heat and cleans the engine it does this so that the parts can work effectively together without overheating but over time motor oil breaks down and wears out this makes it less effective in lubricating the engine and absorbing heat that's why it's very important to change the oil before it breaks down and causes engine damage there are four main types of motor oil conventional oil synthetic oil synthetic blends and high mileage oil so which engine oil should you use for your engine and why conventional oil is your standard motor oil it's made from crude oil that's taken from the ground refined and processed with additives at a factory the biggest advantage is it's low cost it's fairly effective as long as you choose the right weight and quantity conventional oil comes in a broad range of viscosities and qualities it's usually used in cars with simple engines and for drivers with conservative driving styles its disadvantage is that it's less refined than the other type of motor oils due to the naturally occurring materials in it it also offers a lower degree of protection for your engine compared to other oil types according to a survey by the automobile oil change association over 50 percent of car owners today use synthetic oil or synthetic blends in their cars full synthetic oil also known as synthetic is as the name denotes chemically engineered so it's generally more consistent more refined and overall better for your engine it lasts longer in time and distance compared to conventional oil and works better in both high and low temperature extremes but all that comes with the price old synthetic motor oil is more expensive than conventional oil a synthetic blend is a combination of synthetic and organic oil it provides better protection and performance than conventional oil and it lasts longer too drivers of pickup trucks and suvs usually prefer this because it offers additional protection from oxidation and cold temperatures for vehicles that carry heavier loads it also tends to offer better gas mileage than conventional oil but not as good as full synthetic oil so it makes sense that synthetic blends stand in the middle ground in terms of cost generally costing more than conventional oil but less than full synthetic oil high mileage oil well the name makes for itself it's enhanced with specific additives to minimize oil burn off and oil leaks protect engine seals prevent oil evaporation and improve performance for older cars with over 75 000 miles on them it's recommended that you use high mileage oil when you're talking about motor oil it's not just all about the type but also about the viscosity of the oil viscosity measures the fluids resistance to flow and it can be low or high put simply it's how thin or thick it is for example a thin liquid like water has a low viscosity whereas a thick liquid like honey has a high viscosity so how do you know which oil viscosity your engine needs you can find it in your car owner's manual which specifies the oil type and viscosity grade that your car needs often you can even find it on the oil cap under the hood when choosing motor oil you can see its viscosity by reading a bottle or can usually you'll see multiple numbers and letters the letter w stands for winter you'll see a number before the letter w another number after the letter w the number before the w is the winter oil viscosity parameter it indicates how well the oil flows at zero degrees fahrenheit that's important because let's say you live in a cold climate normally oil thickens up as the weather cools so in that climate your car needs thin motor oil so it can flow more easily in your engine in other words if your oil is too thick they'll be harder to start your engine and it can reduce your gas mileage but let's say you live in a hot climate ever notice how oil in a pan thins out as the pan heats up hot temperature thins out oil so if you live in a hot climate your car needs oil that doesn't become too thin in other words a motor oil with a higher viscosity or a higher number before the letter w like nw then there's the number after the letter w that's the summer oil viscosity parameter based on viscosity at 212 degrees fahrenheit this is the oil's ability to resist thinning out at higher temperatures for example 10 w30 oil thins out at higher temperature faster than 10 w 40. so let's talk about motor oil standards there's a group called ilsac they set the performance standards for motor oil used in gas powered cars and light trucks well they approved gf6 which is the new standard for motor oil designed to improve fuel economy and enhance engine capabilities and it went to effect last year the new standard allows thinner oils to reduce friction and increase fuel economy this means better protection against wear and a stop start equipped engine better protection of timing chains and protection against low speed pre-ignition lspi is actually a problem that can happen in modern turbos when the fuel ignites too soon which is bad because the explosion can damage your engine so preventing lspi helps car makers to tune the engine for greater efficiency gf6a is for existing cars it covers the current apis and oil viscosities of zero w20 5w20 5w30 and 10w30 it meets all specifications for these current oils in addition to meeting the latest gf6 specifications it's backwards compatible meaning it offers some of the new standards benefit but it works fine in cars designed for the older standards that said even though it's backwards compatible gf6a is really not intended for engines older than maybe the latest generation of production engines or roughly back to the mid-1990s gf6b is the new standard only for zero w16 low viscosity oil and it's not backwards compatible gf6b standard is mainly aimed at turbocharged gasoline direct injected engines tasked with achieving fuel economy levels and it's aimed at engines that were made in 2017 and newer so how do you know if your motor oil is gf6 approved well oils that meet gf6a standard show the starburst apa mark on the container oils that meet the gf6b standard display the new api shield now let's talk about oil changes so how frequently should you change your oil that depends on many factors for example vehicle age oil type the way you drive even where you live it used to be normal to change the oil every 3000 miles but with modern lubricants many engines nowadays have recommended change intervals of five thousand to seven thousand miles for many cars that should be fine but you might want to consider changing your oil more often if you tend to drive at high speed it's also true if you have an older engine or live in an area that's particularly hot cold or dusty if your engine requires full synthetic then it could even go as far as 15 000 miles of course it's always important to file your car owner's manual from the manufacturer's recommendation so how do you know if or when your engine is in need of an oil change there are several common signs the most obvious warning is you're having an oil problem that will come from the car itself newer cars come equipped with an oil monitoring system the oil change indicator or the check engine light on your dashboard will turn on when there's not enough oil in the system in that case you can check your engine's dipstick another warning is increased engine noise when your car is sufficient motor oil the oil helps protect the engine parts that means the engine stays quiet since the oil is lubricating all the metals but let's say your oil level is low this means there's not much to lubricate the engine parts so the parts will brush against each other and the result is you may hear knocking or rumbling sounds that's never a good thing because basically your engine is tearing itself apart bit by bit if you sense an oil smell inside your car it could mean you have an oil leak if you also smell gas or exhaust fumes your car might be overheating either way you should take it to the shop to get it checked out as soon as possible if you see the exhaust smoke coming out of your tailpipe that's time for an engine checkup too your car might have an oil lick or some other malfunctioning engine parts if you have excessively high mileage in a particular month you should consider changing your oil a bit sooner than your normal schedule check your owner's manual for specific guidelines but now let's shift gears and debunk some common myths about motor oil true or false black oil must always be changed actually that's false motor oil darkens especially when the oil is exposed to high engine temperatures and therefore oxidizes it can also darken as it absorbs byproducts from combustion dark color itself doesn't mean the oil is dirty or no longer doing its job instead what you should watch out for is how dirty the oil is if the oil is gritty or grainy then yeah get it changed as soon as possible a common myth is that you need thicker motor oil for extra wear protection but that's false too thicker motor oil can be better for older engines with parts that have worn down over the years but let's say you have a newer car if you use oil that's thicker than recommended for the engine can actually decrease engine efficiency many modern cars actually recommend lower viscosity for better fuel economy so it's best to use the viscosity weight recommended by the engine manufacturer because the manufacturer knows their product the best they know how best to protect the moving parts based on the design and surface roughness many people think that all oil additives are the same faults again engineers develop different additives to help engines in different ways for example some additives help the oil to perform better under high pressure and heavy use like in racing engines others help older high mileage cars last longer by preserving seals the point is different additives are for different purposes so it's not one size fits all another myth about additives is that they improve engine performance for sure additives health engines but they can't add horsepower to your engine or improve gas mileage do synthetics cause oil licks when synthetics first came out in the 70s they caused wear and tear to seals and gaskets today that's not the case modern synthetics have come a long way and in fact they do a better job than conventional oil and protecting engine parts especially at extreme temperatures some people say once you go synthetic you can't go back that's not true either actually it's fairly common for people to switch if you changed the filter last time do you need to change it again this time oil filters are important because they remove a lot of the dirt grime and sludge from your engine but the filter's performance degrades over time as it removes more and more contaminants oil filters are usually designed to last one oil cycle so yes you should change your filter every time you change the oil well there you have it they say prevention is always cheaper than a cure and it's true a regular oil change is a small maintenance job but it makes a huge impact in keeping your engine in good condition if you enjoyed this episode please subscribe to my channel for more car technology and history videos thanks for your support

Channel: Scotty Kilmer

Views: 1,604,295

Keywords: auto, auto repair, car, car diy, car repair, cars, diy, how to, mechanic, repair, scotty kilmer, car review, car advice, car hacks, car life hack, car maintenance, doing this, engine, engines, doing this will make your engine last forever, engine repair, engine fix, long lasting engines, how to make engine run better, diy life hacks, car engine, how to fix engine, how to make engine last, last, 3 things, make your car last forever, how to make car last longer, long lasting car

Id: fVaeU_EKSRI

Length: 28min 44sec (1724 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 24 2021

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