Gasoline filter: where is it, the frequency of replacement, the quality of gasoline at gas stations

The power system is one of the most important in any car. It includes various pipes, mains, pumps, fine fuel filter, rough and so on. In today's article, we will consider in detail the device of one of the nodes of the system, namely the filter. How does it work and where is it located? The answer to these and many other questions will be given in our today's article.

Appointment

The gasoline filter serves for cleaning fuel from various impurities. They can be dust, rust, water. All this he literally "absorbs" into himself, preventing the blockage of further elements - injectors or carburetor (depending on the type of vehicle design). These elements have a small diameter of the holes, even small particles can cause clogging. Because of this, the mixture ceases to flow into one of the cylinders and the engine starts to trot, to work unevenly.

Degree of cleaning

The power system of a modern car includes several degrees of filtration. The first is rough. On the grid during the passage of fuel there are all the large particles that previously hit the tank. The next degree is fine processing. It is performed by a fine fuel filter. The location of its installation depends on the specific brand and model of the car (this we will consider later).

At the moment there are three types of fuel systems :

• Carburettor. At the moment, cars with such a system are no longer produced. It is believed that this design is less reliable and requires frequent maintenance (tuning the carburetor, cleaning, jets, etc.).
• Injection. It is a more advanced system. Now injection cars are produced by all the world's automakers. For Russian automakers, they became mandatory for use almost 10 years ago.
• Diesel. Its design has not changed much since the development. The only thing that should be noted "out of the new" is the direct injection system Common Common. But since our article about the gasoline filter, we will not consider this system in detail.

Carburettors

In this fuel system, the principle of operation is as follows. Fuel from the tank is absorbed by a pump (usually mechanical, which is often heated on the "classic"). Further along the highways it passes the cleaning procedure, passing through the gasoline filter. VAZ with a carbureted power system is designed for fuel consumption with a degree of contamination up to 20 microns. Already purified fuel safely enters the carburetor, where the mixture is prepared with further combustion in the cylinder chamber. The filter for carburettor cars is made of a nylon (transparent) casing, which is a big plus. After all, you can control the degree of its pollution visually, without removing and parsing.

Injector

Unlike the carburetor, this type of system is more demanding for fuel purity. On injection cars, the throughput is up to 10 μm. And if the power supply system does not provide the required degree of purification, it threatens a quick clogging of the nozzles, namely their nozzles. Because of this, the spray jet of fuel deteriorates, which leads to unstable operation of the engine on the fly and idling.

Features

The injector operates under high pressure. This figure in the fuel wires can reach 4 bar. Therefore, fuel filters for gasoline engines with injection injection can not be made of nylon - under pressure, it simply rips. All cleaning elements for such cars are made of a durable metal case. In extreme cases, the use of thick, high-quality plastic is allowed. It consists of two parts. This is the body and the filter element itself. The latter can be made of porous paper.

How to determine wear and tear?

Each detail in the car has its own, the manufacturer's term of service. Most often this figure is 100 thousand kilometers. But since the quality of gasoline at the gas stations of the CIS leaves much to be desired, this value can be easily divided by 2. If this is an injector car, then it is impossible to determine the blockage of an element by simply looking at it. Even polyurethane bodies are always painted.

A characteristic sign that the gasoline filter is hammered is the behavior of the car. The power and dynamics of overclocking noticeably decreases. At the same time, fuel consumption increases. When driving, the machine can twitch - this means that the fuel enters the pump in jerks. Its free passage is hampered by dirt particles, which the filter has retained on its walls. Unstable operation at idle turns also indicates its blockage. Driving on such a filter is not recommended. Under pressure, these particles can penetrate through the paper cleaning element and clog the nozzle.

Where is he located?

It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. On cars with an injector and carburetor power system, where 80 gasoline is poured, the element can be installed in different ways. But in any case, it will be between the tank and the engine. In carburetor vehicles, the gasoline filter is under the hood, namely in front of the carburetor. This is a very convenient location.

Thanks to the transparent body, you can easily see if this element is clogged or not, without having to dismantle the floor of the cabin or go down into the pit.

Where is the fuel filter on the injector units? Here, due to the use of injectors, this element is under the bottom. Most often it is at the rear passenger door. It immediately can be seen on several fuel lines, which stretch across the bottom through the entire car.

Replacing the gasoline filter

First we will consider carburettor cars. The device filters for them - the simplest, so with the replacement you will not have difficulties. To do this, it is sufficient to disconnect the two pipes going to the input and output. But the replacement procedure for injection cars is more complicated. To do this you will need a combination of pliers, a screwdriver and a set of heads or wrenches. After we find the location of the element, it is necessary to unscrew the clamp of the fitting of the union. Next, we remove the incoming and outgoing fuel tube. In some cases, they can be attached using plastic "chips" (quick connectors). To disconnect them we need a minus screwdriver. Gently pressing on the chip, remove the element to the side. Be careful - a small part of the gasoline is spilled from the pipes. Use rubber gloves and do not remove the fitting with effort - splashes of fuel can get on your face.
If the design of the car assumes the location of the cleaner in the tank, you must partially disassemble the interior. Where is the fuel filter for rough cleaning? Often it is in the tank, along with a gasoline pump. Fuel, before getting into the pump, passes through the mesh element, where large particles of dirt remain. Over time, this detail turns black. So, for this, we need to dismantle the back seat. Here we need a head on 12. So, tilt the back of the back row as far forward as possible, so that a small gap forms between it and the bottom cushion. In it there will be a bolt of fastening of seats. Using an extension cord and ratchet on 12, unscrew it from the right and left side. Further we deduce from slots locks of a seat belt of passengers and we lift the bottom part of an armchair, having pressed on clamps. The filter element is fixed to the right side of the seat - it is very easy to notice it on the existing plastic hatch. Open it and turn off the terminals that go to the gasoline pump. Further we remove hoses and we take out all fuel station outside. The mesh does not have fasteners, so it can be replaced without tools. After this, put the fuel station in its place and perform the assembly in the reverse order. If the pump stops buzzing when the ignition is switched on (3-5 seconds while it pumps the fuel), check that the terminals are connected correctly.

Manufacturers

Which fuel filter should I choose? Reviews of motorists are called the following manufacturers:

• SCT.
• Bosch.
• BIG.
• Fram.

For domestic cars the "Nevsky" filter perfectly fits. If you do not have a foreign car, do not buy "German type" filters from Bosch and SCT. Think purely logically: will the Germans develop and establish a serial production of filters for your G8 or Tens? If they do, the cost of such items at the expense of customs and other duties will be comparable to the Mercedes. Advice of experienced motorists: if you need a filter for a domestic car, choose only Russian manufacturers. All the rest is frank China.

How to determine the quality of gasoline at gas stations?

To maintain the filter for a long time, and the system itself is not contaminated, you need to monitor the quality of the fuel. Not always it is possible to refuel on the, checked up gas station. So, let's look at how to determine the quality of gasoline yourself:

• The first factor is the price of "gas". Every car owner knows about its value in the region. Therefore, when driving through a new unfamiliar gas station, think about why its owner so reduced the price. Good fuel will never be sold cheaply.
• The second sign is the smell. If it smells, with shades of oil and household chemicals, such gasoline clearly "boiled." And it's good if it's just additives to increase the octane number. But there were cases when 80 gasoline was diluted with ordinary water. Even an old carburetor engine will not pull such a mixture.

Alternative methods

You can also check by another method. To do this, you need a piece of blank paper. Lower it with one end into the tank and get it out. After evaporation, high-quality gasoline should not leave yellow oily or acidic traces. This is a sign that the oil product was mixed with additives. If it's quality gasoline, the paper should remain perfectly white. By the way, fatty spots indicate a large number of oils in the composition of "combustibles". In addition, the quality of gasoline can be checked with the help of potassium permanganate. In pure gasoline, it will not dissolve. If the fuel has acquired a pale pink shade, there is clearly a certain percentage of water in it.

So, we found out which fuel filter is better and what its device is.