Ashton Automotive & Performance advises that you could actually damage the engine if you let your car’s oil filter get clogged. It is so crucial to have the oil changed every 3,000 miles to ensure you always have a clean oil filter in the engine. A clogged oil filter causes dirty motor oil to circulate through the engine and, once it’s bad enough, will block the oil’s circulation through the engine. Let’s talk more about this below.
Lagging Engine Performance
One reason why you do not want dirty motor oil circulating through the engine is that it deposits grime onto the moving parts. The oil’s job is to remove this grime rather than deposit it. This gunks up the parts and causes them to perform poorly. Consequently, you will end up with a poor-performing engine that lags. The excess grime in the engine will also cause it to run hotter than normal.
Reduction in the Fuel Economy
You might think that because the engine is lagging you are actually saving fuel but the opposite is true. An engine that is running inefficiently will blow through a full tank quickly. Unfortunately, this means that the clogged oil filter can reduce your fuel economy because it has already affected how well your engine performs. Nobody wants to have to buy gas more often than necessary these days.
Reduction in the Oil’s Pressure
The other thing that the clogged filter will reduce is the oil pressure and circulation throughout the engine. When this happens, the engine’s sensors will report malfunctions to the engine control module. This will cause the module to turn on the oil light on the dashboard.
Clanking, Grinding, Metallic Noise
The reduced oil pressure is also going to prevent the oil from lubricating the moving parts properly. Consequently, you will start to hear clanking, grinding, and other metallic noises coming from the engine. Do not drive your automobile if the engine is making these noises. These sounds are made when the parts are rubbing against each other and wearing each other down.
Increase in the Harmful Emissions
Finally, as we talked about above, dirty motor oil equals a dirty engine. If you live in an area where you must have your vehicle’s emissions tested on a regular basis, there’s a strong chance that your automobile will fail the test. As the engine burns away the grime deposited by the oil, this increases the harmful emissions in your vehicle’s exhaust.
Call Ashton Automotive & Performance in Killeen, TX, today to set up a service appointment for an oil change.
