C&C Automotive is going to list five signs that your oil filter is clogged below because it is crucial that you have the oil changed immediately to avoid damaging your engine irreparably. You’d be surprised how much havoc a clogged oil filter can cause in your car, truck, or utility vehicle’s engine. It is less expensive to get the oil changed every 3,000 miles than it is to deal with the engine repairs if your engine gets damaged. Let’s talk more about this below.
1. Struggling Engine
The oil circulates through the engine to draw dirt and heat away from it. It also lubricates moving parts to reduce their friction. The oil flows through the oil filter at the end of its cycle to remove everything it has gathered from the engine. If the oil filter is dirty, it will not be able to clean the motor oil. Consequently, you will have dirty motor oil circulating through the engine depositing grime. This not only causes the engine to struggle but also run hotter than normal.
2. Poor Gas Mileage
Any time the engine performance is poor is going to reduce the gas mileage because the engine is burning more fuel. Despite the fact that it is being “gunked” up by dirty motor oil, the engine will continue in its effort to produce the power you desire from it. Consequently, the excess fuel burn is going to leave you with poor gas mileage and an increase in your gas budget.
3. Poor Oil Pressure
As the oil filter continues to be clogged by dirt, the oil pressure is reduced. This also affects the engine’s performance because it does not have the normal amount of oil circulating through it. Once the pressure gets too low, the engine control module will turn on the oil light.
4. Metallic Sounds
Eventually, the oil filter is going to get so clogged that the motor oil will be unable to pass through it. As you can imagine, this leaves your engine without oil circulating through it. You will hear metallic sounds coming from the engine, and these sounds are an indication that the engine is being damaged.
5. Excess Emissions
Finally, the dirtier the engine gets the more harmful emissions it releases in its exhaust. This can leave you in a pickle if your vehicle needs to pass the emissions test for registration.
Stretching across two states, there’s a C&C Automotive service shop near you. Georgia residents will find us in Downtown or West Augusta and in Martinez, GA. South Carolina residents will find us in Aiken County or Columbia, SC. Call the shop closest to you to schedule an oil change.