The full name of the oil filter is the engine oil filter. To reduce the frictional resistance between the relative moving parts in the engine and lessen the wear of the components, engine oil is continuously delivered to the friction surfaces of various moving parts to form a lubricating oil film and provide lubrication. Engine oil itself contains a certain amount of gum, impurities, moisture, and additives.
During engine operation, metallic debris, ingress of airborne particles, and the production of oil oxidation products gradually increase the amount of impurities in the oil. If the oil is not filtered by the oil filter and enters the lubrication circuit directly, it will carry the impurities in the oil to the friction surfaces of the moving parts, accelerating component wear and reducing the engine's service life.
In the current automotive technology field, the types of engine oil filters are increasingly diversified to meet the needs of different vehicle models and driving conditions. Types of engine oil filters can be classified by structure into replaceable type, spin-on type, and centrifugal type; based on the arrangement in the system, they can be classified into full-flow type and bypass type.
Full-Flow Oil Filter
The type of engine oil filter most commonly used in modern car engines is the full-flow oil filter. It is usually installed at the oil pump outlet, in series between the oil pump and the main oil passage, ensuring that all the oil entering the main oil passage is filtered. Its working principle is that after the oil is pumped out by the oil pump, it first enters the full-flow oil filter. Inside the filter, the oil passes through the filter element, where impurities and metal particles are trapped. The filtered clean oil then flows through the outlet into the main oil passage of the engine, supplying oil to various engine parts.
It has high filtration efficiency, capable of removing almost all impurities and metal particles from the oil, ensuring oil cleanliness; it has a wide range of applications due to its high filtration capability, making it suitable for various working environments and usage scenarios; it has a simple structure. Compared to other types of filters, the full-flow oil filter's structural design is simpler. It is easy to maintain; usually has high replaceability and maintainability, making it convenient for owners or maintenance personnel to inspect and replace regularly.
Bypass Oil Filter
The bypass oil filter comes in two types: filtration type and centrifugal type. The filtration type has a conflict between filtration capacity and throughput capacity, while the centrifugal type boasts high filtration capacity and large throughput capacity, unaffected by sediment. Typically, several filters with different filtration capacities, including sediment filters, coarse filters, and fine filters, which are installed in the lubrication system, either in parallel or series in the main oil passage. (Those in series with the main oil passage are called full-flow filters, where all lubricating oil is filtered during engine operation; those in parallel are called bypass filters.) Among them, the coarse filter is in series with the main oil passage, making it a full-flow type; the fine filter is parallel with the main oil passage, making it a bypass type.