Proselect oil filter lookup full#

This keeps dirty oil from flowing back into the engine and clean oil from getting sucked back into the filter. Immediately behind the baseplate is the anti-drain back valve. This is also where the leak-preventing sealing gasket, which is usually a rubber O-ring, sits. Let’s start with the more-common spin-on oil filter, which is usually housed in a steel canister.Īt the bottom of the canister is the baseplate/tapping plate, which is where the oil enters/exits the filter, The Drive explains.

And while the two are similar in several ways, they’re not identical. Spin-on filters have been the dominant type for decades, but cartridge filters are making a comeback for reasons we’ll explain shortly. Some engines also have secondary filters to back up the full-flow ones, but they’re not the focus of this guide.įull-flow oil filters fall into two broad categories: spin-on and cartridge.

Proselect oil filter lookup full#

That’s because it filters the engine’s full oil flow. This type of singular oil filter, an arrangement basically all passenger car engines use, is called a ‘full-flow filter,’ Your Mechanic explains. However, because your oil system is fully-contained, there’s nowhere for this crud to go-that is, unless there’s a dedicated filter.

Whether it’s soot, metal shavings, random fibers, etc., your oil usually catches it. As noted earlier, the oil keeps your engine running smoothly by reducing friction and picking up contaminants that can damage components. Your car has several vital filters scattered throughout, and the oil filter is one of them. There’s more than one type of car oil filter A pile of recycled spin-on car oil filters | Tim Leedy/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images With the handy guide below, though, it doesn’t have to be difficult. But nowadays, there are practically as many filter options as there are oils, which can turn a seemingly simple task into analysis paralysis. And besides checking and changing the oil, you also have to replace your car’s oil filter. It’s not called the engine’s lifeblood for no reason: oil cleans, lubricates, and helps regulate temperatures. Owning a car involves a lot of important maintenance tasks, but changing your oil is perhaps the most vital. While certain types of filter media last longer and filter finer particulates, they’re compatible with all oil types, synthetic or conventional.A cartridge filter separates the spin-on filter’s components some stay with the car while the filter media itself is replaced.Virtually all cars use either a spin-on or a cartridge full-flow oil filter.