The power system is one of the most important in any car. It includes various tubes, pipes, pumps, a fine fuel filter, coarse 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 article today.
Appointment
The gasoline filter is used to clean the fuel from various impurities.
They can be dust,
rust, water. He literally “absorbs” all this, preventing clogging of further elements - nozzles or a carburetor (depending on the type of vehicle construction). These elements have a small diameter of the passage holes, even small particles can provoke a blockage. Because of this, the mixture stops flowing into one of the cylinders and the engine starts to triple, to work unevenly.
Degree of purification
The power system of a modern car includes several degrees of filtration. The first is rude. On the grid with the passage of fuel there are all large particles that previously fell into the tank. The next degree is fine processing. It performs a fine fuel filter. The place of its installation depends on the specific make and model of the car (we will consider this later).
There are currently three types of fuel systems :
- Carburetor. At the moment, cars with such a system are no longer manufactured. It is believed that this design is less reliable and requires frequent maintenance (carburetor tuning, cleaning, jets, etc.).
- Injection. It is a more advanced system. Now injection cars are made by all world car manufacturers. For Russian automakers, they became mandatory for use almost 10 years ago.
- Diesel. Its design has not changed much since development. The only thing that should be noted “from the new” is the Common Rail direct injection system. But since our article is about a gasoline filter, we will not consider this system in detail.
Carburetors
In this fuel system, the principle of operation is as follows. Fuel from the tank is sucked in using a pump (usually mechanical, which is often heated on the "classic"). Further along the highways, it goes through a cleaning procedure, passing through a gasoline filter. VAZ with a carburetor power system is designed for fuel consumption with a degree of pollution up to 20 microns. Already refined fuel boldly gets into the carburetor, where the mixture is prepared with its further combustion in the cylinder chamber. The filter itself for carburetor cars is made of a nylon (transparent) body, which is a big plus.
After all, it is possible to control the degree of its pollution visually, without removal and analysis.
Injector
Unlike a carburetor, this type of system is more demanding on fuel cleanliness. On injection vehicles, the throughput is up to 10 microns. And if the power supply system does not provide the necessary degree of purification, this threatens a quick clogging of nozzles, namely their nozzles. Because of this, the fuel atomization jet worsens, which leads to unstable engine operation on the go and idle.
Features
The injector operates under high pressure. This indicator in fuel wires can reach 4 bar. Therefore, fuel filters for gasoline engines with injection injection can not be made from nylon - under pressure, it will simply break. All cleaning elements for such cars are made of durable metal housing. In extreme cases, the use of thick high-quality plastic is allowed. The part consists of two parts. This is the housing and the filter element itself. The latter can be made of porous paper.
How to determine wear?
Each part in the car has its own life, laid down by the manufacturer. Most often, this figure is 100 thousand kilometers. But since the quality of gasoline at CIS gas stations leaves much to be desired, this value can be safely divided by 2. If it is an injection car, then it is impossible to determine the blockage of an element simply by looking at it. Even polyurethane cases are always painted.
A characteristic sign that the gas filter is clogged is the behavior of the car. The power and dynamics of acceleration drops markedly. In this case, fuel consumption increases. When driving, the car may twitch - this means that the fuel enters the pump jerkily. Its free passage is blocked by particles of dirt that the filter has trapped on its walls. Unstable idling also indicates blockage. Riding such a filter is not recommended. Under pressure, these particles can penetrate the paper cleaning element and clog the nozzle.
Where is he located?
It is impossible to unequivocally answer this question. On cars with an injection 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 cars, a gasoline filter is located under the hood, namely in front of the carburetor. This is a very convenient location.
Thanks to the transparent body, you can easily see whether this element is clogged or not, while not dismantling the floor of the cabin or going down into the pit.
Where is the fuel filter on the injection units? Here, due to the use of nozzles, this element is under the bottom. Most often it is located at the rear passenger door. It can immediately be seen on several fuel lines that stretch along the bottom through the entire car.
Replacing the gas filter
First, consider carburetor cars. The device of filters for them is the simplest, so you will have no difficulties with the replacement. To do this, just disconnect the two tubes going to the input and output. But the replacement procedure for injection cars is more complicated.
To do this, you will need 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 securing the fitting. Next, remove the incoming and outgoing fuel pipe. In some cases, they can be attached using plastic "chips" (quick-detach). To separate them, we need a minus screwdriver. Gently pushing the chip, we remove the element to the side. Be careful - a small part of gasoline will spill from the pipes. Use rubber gloves and do not remove the fitting with force - fuel splashes can get on your face.
If the design of the car involves the location of the cleaner in the tank, it is necessary to partially disassemble the interior. Where is the
coarse fuel filter? Often, he is in the tank, along with a gasoline pump. Before entering the pump, fuel passes through a mesh element where large particles of dirt remain. Over time, this detail blackens. So, for this we need to disassemble the back seat. Here we need a head at 12. So, we tilt the back row of the back row as far forward as possible so that a small gap forms between it and the lower pillow. It will be the seat bolt. Using the extension cord and ratchet at 12, we unscrew it from the right and left sides. Next, we take out the locks of the seat belt of passengers from the slots and raise the lower part of the seat by pressing on the clips. The filter element is attached on the right side of the seat - it is very easy to notice it on the existing plastic hatch. We open it and disconnect the terminals going to the gasoline pump. Then we remove the hoses and take out the entire fuel station. The mesh does not have fasteners, so it can be replaced without tools. After that we put the fuel station in place and assemble in the reverse order. If the pump stops buzzing when the ignition is turned on (3-5 seconds while it pumps up fuel), check that the terminals are connected correctly.
Manufacturers
Which fuel filter is better to choose? Reviews of motorists are called the following manufacturers:
For domestic cars, the Nevsky filter is excellent. If you do not have a foreign car, in no case do not buy "type German" filters from Bosch and SCT. Think logically: will the Germans develop and set up serial production of filters for your G8 or Tens? Even if they do, then the cost of such elements at the expense of customs and other duties will be comparable to the Mercedes one.
Advice of experienced motorists: if you need a filter for a domestic car, choose exclusively Russian manufacturers. Everything else is frank China.
How to independently determine the quality of gasoline at gas stations?
In order for the filter to serve for a long time, and the system itself is not dirty, you need to monitor the quality of the fuel. It’s not always possible to refuel at your own proven gas station. So, let's look at how to independently determine the quality of gasoline:
- The first factor is the price of fuel. Each car owner approximately knows what its cost in the region is. Therefore, driving through a new unfamiliar gas station, think about why its owner has so lowered 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 is clearly "bodilya". And well, if it's just additives to increase the octane rating. 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 check by another method. To do this, you need a piece of clean paper. Dip it with one end into the tank and pull it out. After evaporation, high-quality gasoline should not leave a yellow oily or acid residue. This is a sign that the oil was mixed with additives. If it is high-quality gasoline, the paper should remain perfectly white. By the way, greasy spots indicate a large number of oils in the composition of "goryuchki". In addition, the quality of gasoline can be checked with potassium permanganate. It will not dissolve in pure gasoline. If the fuel has acquired a pale pink tint, a certain percentage of water is clearly present in it.
So, we found out which fuel filter is better and what is its structure.