Car Engine Fuel Filter – What Part Does It Plays?

There is a famous saying, “little things mean a lot”.

What am I referring to exactly? It is no other than a fuel filter of a car. This item is considered as one of the cheapest components of a car’s accessory. In reality, it costs only RM10 – RM25.

It however, can protect an engine from a thousand ringgit damage. Car enthusiasts are therefore advised to change this small little item regularly. Changing it once a year would be just nice.

Make sure you make it your regular maintenance schedule for your vehicle. That’s not asking too much of you, it is hoped.

First and foremost, what exactly is a fuel filter? What important role does it actually play?

Petrol is in actual fact very dirty. In fact, it consists of many impurities. Fuel filters in a fuel line screen out dirt and rust particles from the fuel.

You may wish to know why it is important for fuel to be rid of impurities before it enters the engine of a vehicle. You see, a fuel filter improves a car’s performance. Car experts say, the less contaminants a fuel contains, the more efficiently petrol can be burnt. And in short, this means more power!

Normally, fuel filters are made into cartridges. It contains filter paper inside. Fuel filters are extremely important, especially in internal combustion engines which are normally used in cars of today.

Before proceeding on to explain more to readers or drivers, permit me to elaborate further regarding what unfiltered fuel or petrol may contain.

Experts are of the opinion, that unfiltered fuel contains several contaminants. For one, there exists paint chips. Dirt is another. It can enter the petrol tank when the process of filling petrol takes place.

On top of this, rust can develop, caused by moisture in the steel tanks. If all the above impurities mentioned are not removed prior to the fuel entering into the engine of a car, it will cause rapid wear, failure of the fuel pump and injectors.

It is hoped you will now understand better why it is pertinent that you pay so much attention to the fuel filter of your car.

To lay further emphasis to the fuel filter of a car, it should be further reiterated that if this item is not given the due care it deserves, in short, if fuel filters are not serviced regularly and is clogged with contaminants, restriction in the flow of fuel into the engine results. This will then bring about an appreciable drop in engine performance.

The engine then struggles to draw enough fuel to continue to run smoothly.

How does one go about replacing a fuel filter that has been clogged? In short, how does a person go about servicing a car with fuel filter problem?

First of all, permit me to explain that vehicles nowadays either use the traditional ordinary carburetor system and secondly electronic fuel injection system.

The former system which is simpler, replacing a fuel filter can be performed by you yourself. Unfortunately, the second system seems to be more complicated and intricate.

For this, you’ll have to leave it to the experts or mechanics to handle.

To replace a fuel filter, first of all find location of the filter itself. Refer to the car manual if you have to. Obviously, you should have the correct equipment. Make sure also that you have obtained the correct model of fuel filter that you need.

In the normal carburetor system, replace the fuel filter simply by connecting the fuel lines and tighten the clamps. Ensure that the filter is facing in the right direction.

The flow indicator arrow should point in the right direction. If the above procedure is done quickly, very little residual fuel in the flow line should leak from the system.

To end this short article on the vital importance of fuel filters, which should ideally be changed regularly, fuel filters in reality protects carburetors and fuel injection systems which can be clogged up by the tiniest of particles. So proper functioning of fuel filter is very important.

Can one determine if the fuel filter of your vehicle is still okay or does it need to be replaced? Foremen and experienced mechanics recommend removing it, blow through it and if there’s little resistance, then the filter is considered still okay.

One last word of advice when trying to replace a fuel filter of your car. In trying to perform this simple maneuver, make sure that you do not spill or drop fuel onto a hot engine. This is dangerous and it might easily ignite a fire in the process.

So be careful dear readers. After all as I mentioned earlier, replacing a fuel filter requires only a sum of RM10 – RM25 only. It is a job that needs to be carried out by you only once a year.

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By | 2012-09-21T22:32:15+08:00 April 21st, 2010|Car Maintenance|0 Comments

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