Fuel coarse filter: characteristic, device, resource

As you know, the fuel system of modern cars is very fastidious to the quality of fuel. And it concerns not only the octane number, but also it is banal of its purity. After dirty fuel can significantly damage the engine of the car. Therefore, in order to prevent a sudden breakdown, the machine has a coarse fuel filter. "Kamaz" is also equipped with them. What is this element? How often do I change the fuel filter? About all this and not only further in our article.

Characteristic

This element serves to clean fuel from large particles of dirt and other deposits. After all, if all this goes further to the plungers and nozzles, they will quickly wear out. Fine dust acts as an abrasive. In addition, some filters (for diesel engines) are equipped with separators. These elements clean the fuel of moisture and condensation. Thus, the diesel coarse filter can protect not only dust, but also moisture that accumulates in the liquid. Especially often the condensate in the tank is formed in the winter.

On which cars is installed?

In most cases, such a concept as a fuel coarse filter is found on diesel engines. Many mistakenly think that these cleaning elements are installed only on cars with diesel power system. But this is not so. A coarse filter is also available on gasoline vehicles. But there are some differences. Which ones, we will consider further.

What are the differences?

As is known, the car power supply system has several degrees of filtration:

• Preliminary (rough);
• Main (thin).

If we are looking at gasoline cars, then the coarse element is installed together with the fuel pump. It is submersible and installed in a tank. Previously, in carburetor vehicles, this element was in the engine compartment, because the pump was mechanical. As for diesel engines, this filter is located separately from the tank and has its own housing. On gasoline cars with an injector power system (which is now the majority) it's just a reticule, put on the pump.

The device, the principle of operation

With petrol elements, everything is much simpler. The entire filter is a two-part grid, which is put on the tip of the pump. Passing through it, gasoline is cleaned of dirt and other large impurities. But with diesel engines things are more complicated. Such a coarse filter consists of a metal casing. To it the glass-sediment bowl on bolts is fastened. Also in the design there is a gasket. On the hollow core of the glass is the filter element itself. It can be made of aluminum or brass plates and be pressed against the body on a rack with a spring. Each of the plates has small protrusions with holes for the passage of fuel. Thus, inside the cleaning element, crevices are formed, through which fuel enters the injection pump. And all the dirt with water falls into a glass-settler. At the bottom of the element there is a special valve for draining the sludge. It should be periodically opened. Usually a dark liquid with impurities of water merges therefrom. Thus, the fuel coarse filter has special plates, due to which the fuel is purified and gets through the fittings into the high-pressure fuel pump. In addition, the lower part of the housing can be magnetized. Thanks to the magnet, the dirt is firmly pressed against the walls and does not spread over the filter during the cleaning of the fuel.

About the resource

Many motorists are wondering how often to change the fuel filter. There is no single answer to this question. As for diesel cars, the life of the element is about 80 thousand kilometers. Much more often it is necessary to change the fine filter - every 10 thousand. For petrol engines, the figure is even higher. For fine cleaning elements, this is 40 thousand, for rough - up to 100.

Signs of replacement

To determine whether a car needs a replacement for a coarse fuel filter, it is possible by characteristic features. So, with a clogged element, the fuel will not fully flow into the cylinders. This means that the machine will jerk on the move, power will be lost. In neglected cases, the engine simply stalls on the fly. If such signs are observed, the coarse fuel filter must be replaced urgently. Along with it, it is desirable to change the element of fine cleaning. After all, both are consumables and change entirely.

Conclusion

So, we found out how the filters for coarse fuel purification are arranged and working. As you can see, this is quite an important component in the fuel system of any car. In order not to experience problems with starting the engine and other troubles, you need to monitor its condition and periodically change the consumables. We also note that there are many fakes on the market. Therefore, if you see the famous brand at a cheap price, do not buy such a product. Judging by the reviews, the resource of such elements is 3 times lower than the declared value.