FAQ's filters

Q : Why we need filters for our vehicles ?

Ans:- To separate out and prevent potential contaminant particles from entering the engine. Air and fuel filters normally removes dust particles and moisture & Oil Filters removes metal particles, sludge and carbon from the system

Q : What is a filter efficiency ?

Ans:- Filter efficiency is the ratio of particles trapped by a filter over the total number of particles found in the upstream of the filter. A count of the downstream particles is often used to determine the number of particles trapped by the filter. Filter efficiency can either be based on specific particle size ranges or based on the total number of particles of all sizes.

Q : What is a Paper Filter Media ?

Ans:- Filter Media is a mixture of various fibers bonded together in a set manner. The 'Filter Media’ filters out the contaminants passing through the oil, air or fuel filter. Quality and quantity of filter media are very important. Some media may look similar but can perform differently. The function of the filter media is to remove the maximum amount of contaminants while offering the least resistance to flow.

Q : Does more pleated media filter paper mean better filtration ?

Ans:- Generally a filter with more media has the ability to trap more contaminants than one with less. Few pleats means little media and low capacity. Irrespective, media must contain the appropriate resins and compounds.

Q : What is filter life ?

Ans:- How long a filter lasts before clogging up / Choking is the life of a filter. Dust holding capacity of the filter determines how long its life is. The more high quality filter media inside the filter, the more dirt it would hold and the longer it would last.

Q : What is flow ?

Ans:- How easily air, oil or fuel flows through the filter. Minimising resistance to flow ensures that the engine gets the required quantity of air, oil or fuel. Poor flow in a filter deprives engines of their vital needs, causing them to work harder, lose power and create rapid engine wear over shorter periods.

Q : Is a regular service interval filter change necessary ?

Ans:- Yes,regular filter changes with a good quality filter provide optimum performance and enhance engine life of a vehicle.

Q : What is a micron ?

Ans:- A micron is a metric unit of measurement where one micron is equivalent to one-thousandth of a millimetre. [1 micron (1μ) = 1/1000 mm] or 1 micron (micrometer) = 1/1,000,000 of a metre.

Q : What is a micron rating ?

Ans:- A measure of the pore size in the filter media. Expressed as either ‘Nominal’ or ‘Absolute’. Nominal Rating relates to the percentage of particles of a given size that a filter can capture i.e. 12 microns at 92% means it will remove 92% of particles of 12 microns in size.

Absolute refers to the removal of all particles at a given micron size and larger i.e. 25 micron absolute means 100% of particles of size 25 microns or greater will be captured.

Common oil filter micron rating is approximately 30. (An average human hair has diameter approximately 70 microns). When comparing different filter brands micron rating, you need to make sure that the same test procedures have been followed for every brand.

Q : What is an anti drain back valve ?

Ans:- Anti Drain Back Valve stops oil from draining out of filter when the engine is shut down thus ensures quick flow of oil to engine on start up. All Oil filters does not require anti drain back valve due to the construction of the engine.

Q : What is choking of filter?

Ans:- When the pores of the filter media completely blocked with the contaminations and further filtration is not allowed through it, the situation is called Choking Of a Filter.

Q : What is the by-pass valve or a relief valve ?

Ans:- By Pass Valve or a relief valve allows unfiltered oil to flow into the engine in the event of choking of the filter, avoiding that the engine works with out oil.

When the pores of an oil filter media completely blocked with the contaminations, the by-pass valve will open at a pre set pressure allowing unfiltered oil to flow into the engine.(Unfiltered oil is better than no oil).

Q : What is the difference between a full flow and a bypass oil filter ?

Ans:- Full flow is where 100% of the oil passes through the same media before entering the engine. Bypass filters are more restrictive and take a portion of the oil and filter out smaller particles that can or have passed through the full flow filter.

Q : What is over pressurisation of a filter ?

Ans:- When the oil pressure regulating valve of the engine lubricating system sticks temporarily, it subjects the entire lubricating system to extreme pressures. Under this condition, the oil filter generally expands as the increased pressure tries to force the filter off the engine. Elofic Filters are built to withstand THREE times the normal operating pressure.

Q : Is bulging of filter a manufacturing defect.

Ans:- No, the bulged filter / deformed filter is the only sign that there is a problem in the lube oil system of the vehicle.

Q : What is the difference between fuel filters used on carburetted systems versus MPFI ?

Ans:- Generally the carburetted system operates at low pressure and has relatively low flow.

Thus filters made for carburetted systems are often have nylon body.

MPFI filters are metal bodied filters used in those vehicles which have "Multi Point Fuel Ignition (MPFI) Engine" and are designed to handle higher pressures and flow.

The filter media can also differ between filter types.

Q : Why do Engineers start with Air filter requirements first ?

Ans:- Because it is the most important filter. Unfiltered air (inducted contamination) will cause excessive engine wear thus reduces the maintanance intervals which ultimately leads to the increase in maintanance cost.

Q : When should I change my air filter ?

Ans:- That all depends, on how hard the car is driven and under what conditions. If the car sees much use in dusty, harsh conditions like stop-and-go city driving with lots of construction going on, then more frequent air filter changes are in order. And if someone drives only on Saturdays, Sundays, and on holidays then less frequent air filter replacements is required.

In any case, change is recommended every 12 months (Maximum), irrespective of the conditions or distance travelled. In any case, it's a smart and proactive policy to at least inspect the air filter every 5,000 Km. It costs nothing to look but it could save you from expensive repairs down the road.

A blocked air filter can significantly increase fuel consumption. In addition, it can increase cylinder bore wear, due to excessively high fuel to air ratio.

Why do many air filters have wire screens ?

To provide strength to the filter due to high air flows and provide fire protection in case of backfires from the engine.

The oil filter leaked soon after it was installed?

Make sure correct filter was installed as per instructions.

  1. Check old sealing gasket was removed from engine mounting base plate and that plate isn’t damaged or warped.
  2. Ensure filter was correctly fitted after cleaning the engine surface.
  3. Ensure filter was correctly fitted with the sealing gasket provided with the filter after applying oil on the surface of the gasket.
  4. Check threaded stud isn’t damaged or loose.(e) Ensure proper tightinig of filter an over tigten and under tighten filter may leads to leakage through gasket.

If I fit a good quality filter, can I use low quality oil ?

A quality filter will not save your engine from excessive wear if there is prolonged use of a poor quality oil. Low quality oil generally means the oil additives deteriorate quicker, putting more stress on the engine. Make sure you use good quality oil and filters.

Will I void my warranty using Elofic filters ?

No, as long as the service is conducted by an authorised mechanic following the manufacturer’s specifications.