WIX
OIL FILTERS
(WIX OIL FILTER FOR VEHICLE IN TITLE WILL BE SENT)

PHOTO FOR ILLUSTRATION ONLY. APPROPRIATE FILTER WILL BE SENT.

What the Oil Filter Does...
You may take your oil filter for granted, but this small, inexpensive part of your vehicle's lubrication system plays a vital role in protecting the engine from premature wear. Each moving part in the engine and the cylinder walls requires clean oil for proper lubrication and lasting life. The oil filter cleans the oil as it passes through the filter element or filtering media. This prevents abrasive contaminants in the engine lubrication system from damaging engine parts.

The better you understand your engine's lubrication system, the more you'll appreciate the vital role your oil filter plays. When the engine is running, oil enters the oil pump through a screened intake. The screened intake -- or oil pick-up -- is located in the crankcase near the bottom surface of the oil pan. The oil is drawn through the screen intake and forced by the oil pump through the oil filter.

Oil from the main gallery is also fed through vertical passages to the crankshaft main bearings and through the crankshaft to the rod bearings. Oil thrown from the crankshaft, or sprayed from the connecting rods, lubricates the pistons and cylinder walls.

In a typical full-flow type oil filter, the oil flows into an inlet passage and then through the filtering element. After flowing through the filter element, the filtered or "clean" oil passes directly to the main oil gallery. In a partial-flow type filter, the oil returns directly to the oil pan.

Oil from the main gallery lubricates the camshaft and the camshaft bearings (and feeds hydraulic valve lifters if used in the engine). On non-overhead cam engines, oil is metered through the valve lifter to a hollow push rod that carries oil for the lubrication of the push rod pivot point, rocker arm pivots and valve guide.

Oil Filter Media
The media is the filtering material in the oil filter element. It essentially determines the efficiency, performance and useful life of the oil filter.

There are two basic types of filter media: the "paper" media and the "depth" type media. The primary features of the filter elements are:

Particle size retention (filtration efficiency)
Particle size retention is the measure of the degree to which the filter can retain particles of various sizes. Wix has developed optimum particle size retention quality in filter media by extensive engine wear tests including exhaustive testing of filters used in racing, and sophisticated laboratory tests. Wix media in the automotive full-flow oil filter is able to trap and hold essentially all the contaminant particles larger than 25 microns. (A human hair measures approximately 70 microns in diameter. An object that is 1 micron in size is .000039 inches in diameter.) Our filters also capture a high percentage of even smaller particles.

Dirt-holding capacity
Dirt-holding capacity is the amount of contaminant that can be removed and held by the filter until the filter ceases to function. The capacity of Wix filters is significantly larger than the minimum requirements to efficiently filter all the oil during the oil and filter change periods as specified by vehicle manufacturers.

Resistance to oil flow
WIX full-flow oil filters for automotive applications use arch-pleated, prescription-blended media. When new, the media with a maximized number of pleats has less than 2 psi pressure drop when filtering oil at a rate of 4 g.p.m. at normal operating temperature. This low initial restriction to oil flow protects the vital engine parts more effectively.

Parts of an Oil Filter
Gasket - provides exterior seal between the filter and engine at the engine mounting surface.
Mounting Plate - prevents deflection (movement) at the gasket sealing surface. Heavy gage steel plate provides for threaded attachment to the engine.
Inner Element Support - provides inner element stabilization and a positive seal between the inner element and the mounting plate to prevent the bypass of unfiltered oil.
Upper End Cap - retains element end sealant and filter media, provides an outlet for clean oil, and provides structural rigidity to the pleated media.
Lower End Cap - retains element end sealant and filter media.
Arch-pleated, Prescription-blended Filter Media - provides a more than adequate filter area. The element has a controlled porosity blended media to assure complete filtration of the oil.
Spiral-wound Center Tube - provides internal element support. The spiral design greatly reduces initial flow restriction when compared to other designs.
Coiled Spring - ensures a constant load on the inner element to maintain the seal between the upper element end cap, the inner element support, and the mounting plate even during pressure surge situations.
Filter Canister - encloses the assembly with a mechanically-locked double seam. The canister provides "flutes" at the closed end for ease of removal with an oil filter wrench.
Silicone Anti-Drainback Valve - Stays flexible in extreme temperatures, improves oil flow and keeps oil in filter to prevent engine destroying dry starts. Also provides lasting protection to meet new vehicle manufacturers longer recommended oil change schedules. Nitrile valves can harden and become ineffective over time.
 

The Filter By-Pass Valve
If a WIX full-flow filter becomes "clogged", or excessively restrictive to oil flow, the filter by-pass valve ensures continued engine lubrication by allowing the oil to by-pass the filter. Some vehicle manufacturers have the by-pass valve built into the oil filter mounting unit (located on the engine).

Other vehicle manufacturers require full-flow filters have the by-pass valve built into the filter itself. All Wix oil filter types recommended for these particular applications include the by-pass valve assembly in the filter.

By-pass Valve Assembly -- spring loaded valve assembly that allows oil to by-pass the element under high-differential pressure conditions such as cold oil and/or excessively contaminated media. This allows lubrication of the engine, but without full-flow filtration.