Causes of oil in the air filter and solutions

Hi all! It will be much better if the car owner notices traces of oil on the air filter before side effects begin to appear in the form of engine problems. Therefore, they consider it necessary to talk about the oil in the air filter, the reasons for the occurrence and elimination of such a problem.

Usually, an uncharacteristic condition of the filter is noticed as part of routine vehicle maintenance. But if the machine shows signs of unstable operation, you can pay attention to the filter element in advance, even before it has completed its intended life. By the way, here I can recommend you material about the zero filter.

I will say right away that you cannot operate an engine, be it a diesel or a gasoline internal combustion engine, if there are traces of oil on the air filter. This is dangerous from the point of view of the safety of the motor. Simply replacing the consumable will not work, and after a while the new filter will become dirty. First you need to eliminate the cause of the appearance, find out why the lubricant gets there.

Main reasons

Similar malfunctions can occur in the engine design of a motorcycle, scooter, walk-behind tractor, and even a regular lawn mower. But since we have an automobile site, we will talk specifically about cars.

There are several reasons for the occurrence of these symptoms.

Most often, motorists are faced with the following factors:

the oil deflector drain becomes clogged;
piston rings are stuck;
rings wear out or become deformed;
exhaust gas exhaust hoses fail;
these hoses simply become clogged;
the air filter itself becomes dirty;
There is a confluence of several factors.

Engine oil on the air filter is a serious symptom that indicates damage to important components or their incorrect operation.

Now we should briefly go through all the reasons considered. Usually they are observed one at a time. Although it is possible that 2-3 factors simultaneously led to a similar problem. During testing and diagnostics you will be able to understand this.

Engine prevention

In conclusion, a few words about what you need to do with a new engine so that you don’t have oil in the filter.

Change the oil more often; if your manufacturer says it needs to be changed every 15,000, change it at least every 10,000 kilometers.
Choose only trusted “points” to buy oil

Be sure to change the oil and air filters along with the oil.
Fill with normal fuel at proven gas stations.

These simple steps will increase the lifespan of your unit by many kilometers. A friend of mine changed the oil in his work car every 7-8,000 km, the engine goes 270,000 km without repair! Then he quit, and the fate of this unit was no longer known. So this is one of the first points.

A small useful video about the VAZ “CLASSIC”

I’ll finish here, read our AUTOBLOG.

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Briefly about the reasons

Let's start with a clogged oil deflector drain. Since it is clogged, the remaining engine lubricant simply cannot return back to the crankcase. Because of this, they begin to gradually exit through the air filter, taking crankcase gases with them.

The problem may also lie in a blockage in the hoses and corrugations, which are responsible for the removal of already exhaust crankcase gas. Either there is a malfunction in the pipe in the form of deformation or mechanical damage. That is, a certain obstacle appears to the removal of gas. Therefore, there will be a partial release of motor lubricant and gases directly through the engine air purification system. Read on to find out how you can solve this problem. Plus, always check your owner's manual.

A cause related to wear, damage, or even stuck piston rings cannot be ruled out. If this happens, the rings no longer perform the task of collecting excess lubricant, and they gradually end up in the crankcase.

Because of this, already dirty oil will be squeezed out, passing through the oil slinger and motor valves necessary to provide ventilation.

The next reason is a blockage in the air filter itself. It is with this that such malfunctions are most often associated.

Reasons for the appearance of oil in the air filter and its housing

Air filter that has absorbed oil

If we take the normal condition of the car, then the air filter must be dry throughout its entire service life. But the presence of oil indicates that there are problems in the mechanical part of the engine. Therefore, we will not consider problems in the electronic control unit, since this part has nothing to do with it in this case . So, let's look at the reasons for this effect:

Compression.
Adjustment of valves.
Crankcase ventilation.
Additives.
Catalyst.

Once the causes have been considered, you can move directly to methods for solving problems, in the order in which they might occur.

Solution methods

The main reason where the problems lie is the valve stem seals. It is through them that the oil enters the pipe, which squeezes the lubricant onto the filter. First of all, it is necessary to replace this particular element. Of course, there are quite a lot of reasons besides valve seals, so it is necessary to dwell on each separately.

Air filter in oil compared to new and clean

Compression drop

A loss of compression may cause traces of oil to be visible on the air filter element. The problem can be corrected quite easily - a small tube with a diameter of 1 mm extends from the brood pipe near the crankcase. It often gets clogged, which causes a drop in compression. Next you need to clean it and put it in place. If you put your finger to the tube and feel that it is being sucked in, then you need to adjust the valves.

The process of measuring engine compression

Adjustment of valves

A fairly common cause, along with valve stem seals, is incorrect valve clearance. A characteristic sign is the appearance of bluish smoke from the exhaust system. To eliminate the malfunction, a simple adjustment of the valve clearances is necessary. This is quite simple and not difficult to do.

Valve clearance adjustment process

Crankcase ventilation

One of the reasons for the appearance of oil in the car air filter is the oil level is higher than normal or its poor quality . So, at an increased level, the crankshaft creates foam, which enters the rest of the system through the ventilation pipes, especially the air filter element.

Oil in the air corrugation that goes into the filter

In order to solve the problem, it is necessary to check the oil level; if it is higher than normal, then the residual amount must be drained.

Also, we unscrew the clamps of the crankcase ventilation pipes and change the tubes. Often everything is replaced because cracks or oil contamination occurs. Blue or black smoke from the exhaust indicates that in addition to the fuel mixture, excess oil is also being burned in the cylinders, which releases soot. It is this that settles and clogs the walls of the crankcase ventilation pipes.

A clogged crankcase ventilation pipe is one of the reasons for oil in the air filter

Additives

Additives are the most controversial issue in use today. There are two opinions: the first is that they improve engine performance, the second is that they have a detrimental effect. So, what's the truth? The truth is that both opinions are half correct.

Thus, the use of additives on an engine that requires major overhaul will actually delay this process due to the formation of a film on the cylinder walls. But! For a functioning engine, this may seem disastrous, since the use of additives leads to disruption of the gas distribution mechanism, and therefore oil will accumulate in the corrugation and air filter, and also disrupt the circulation of crankcase gases.

All kinds of engine oil additives

Catalyst

The catalyst is located in the exhaust gas exhaust system. If the car experiences floating speed, a drop in power, or the engine is difficult to start, then you need to check the air filter to see if there is oil there. This is what can cause failure or destruction of the catalyst.

It is the destruction of the catalyst that can cause oil to appear in the air filter. This is caused by poor ventilation and hoses clogging with soot . You can simply remove the catalyst, or replace it, and clean all the pipelines.

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Many drivers, which is quite objective and there is no point in hiding it, simply do not take care of their car. They forget to change consumables or simply ignore the need for such procedures. A clogged filter not only interferes with the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, but can also allow oil to penetrate into it. Since access to air is blocked, there is a deficiency of oxygen. This forces the engine to use air bleed. The crankcase becomes one of the sources of air.

If the car owner has not changed a consumable in the form of an air filter for a long time, the first step is to remove it and evaluate the current condition.

It often turns out that the reason is simply an old filter.

To check, you need to install a new consumable, drive 5-10 kilometers, remove it and examine it visually. If there are no oil stains, that was the reason.

But when spots appear immediately on a new filter, you will have to conduct a more detailed check and look for the source of the problem.

Do not forget that a clogged air purifier entering the engine can be one of the main reasons why the engine starts and immediately stalls.

Do I need to replace a worn or damaged pipe?

Some motorists believe that you can drive with a cracked pipe, but this position is fundamentally wrong. Firstly, a damaged pipe will not be able to supply clean air to the engine. After all, through the gap, air from under the hood will enter it, which has not been filtered, and therefore carries abrasive particles (which, as mentioned, can quickly damage the engine).

Replacing the pipe

Secondly, driving with a damaged corrugation also leads to faster wear of the air filter; it will have to be changed much more often. That is why a damaged or worn pipe should be immediately replaced with a new one.

What to do in such a situation

If the check shows that the problem is not in the housing and filter elements of the air purifier, then diagnostic procedures will need to be performed.

There is nothing complicated about this, regardless of whether you have a regular gasoline engine, diesel or turbodiesel under the hood. The algorithm is approximately the same everywhere. But it’s better for you to understand in advance the specifications of your car, the location of the necessary elements, etc. Still, VAZ products are extremely easy to repair and maintain yourself. It will be a little more difficult with cars like Renault Logan or Nissan Almera. And sometimes it’s better to send premium foreign cars to a service center. But it's up to you to decide.

There are several recommendations that will help you figure out the reason why oil suddenly appears on the air filter of your engine.

Solving the problem using the example of VAZ

Let's consider a specific case - oil was found in the air filter of a VAZ-2109. The malfunction is always corrected taking into account the characteristics of the machine. There is no fundamental difference here compared to other cars - first you need to check the compression level and look at the color of the smoke. The procedure for working with carburetor and injection engines is the same

What to do if you find traces of oil in a VAZ air filter, watch this video:

Any spare parts for Volzhsky Automobile Plant cars are not in short supply and are inexpensive. Therefore, if oil is flowing into the VAZ air filter, it is much cheaper and faster to carry out diagnostics and replace the purifier or pipelines than to overhaul the power unit later.

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First, look at what color your current exhaust is. If it has a bluish-blue tint, the problem probably lies in the cylinder-piston group;
Compression measurements can be performed. Compare the results obtained with the normal indicators prescribed in the instruction manual;
The difference in compression between cylinders is normally no more than 1 atm;
If the compression is below normal, there is a problem with the engine;
There is a high probability of fit, deformation or wear of the rings;
It is also possible that the valves have burnt out;
If none of these symptoms are detected, look for the source of trouble in the hoses and pipes.

Solving the problem with dirty hoses is simple. You need to clean them, try to blow them out. If we are talking about damage and deformation, then only replacement.

How to replace the air filter on a Lada Priora - instructions

For Priora, this is an ordinary “consumable”. You need to know its location and be able to replace it, because this is the simplest operation for maintaining any car. To replace the air filter in question, you only need to follow a few steps:

Open the hood. Find the black plastic box to the right of the engine; this is the housing. For your own convenience, you can remove the negative terminal from the battery and remove the wire block from the mass flow sensor (mass fuel flow sensor).
The air filter housing cover is secured with four screws - unscrew them with a Phillips screwdriver and remove the cover.
Slightly move the corrugated air duct and remove the used consumable. Do this carefully: it is held in place by a rubber seal, so all movements should be smooth. Even if it seems clean and you don’t want to change it, do it: all the dust and dirt will not be visible to the naked eye.
Vacuum the housing housing from sand and dust. Insert the new part tightly in place of the old one, making sure that the rubber is adjacent to the plastic casing.
Place the cover and tighten the four screws. Connect the wire block and the negative terminal to the battery.

Now the fuel-air mixture will contain fewer dust and dirt particles. Priora will again be dynamic, fuel consumption figures will be encouraging, and the engine will not suffer any damage from the operation of the new consumables.

I cleaned everything when I was repairing it, the air flow sensor is still alive, I’m surprised. There are also suspicions about the valve cover (seporator).

VAZ 21114, door 1.6, 16 class. From the very beginning of operation, oil appeared in the air duct. I immediately thought about the “separator” (oil scraper), and it clogged it. The mileage is already 145 thousand, the engine is 5+
The problem is a hundred pounds in the oil scraper, small splashes of oil penetrate through it into the air duct. And you immediately overhauled the engine for the man. But the problem is in the little things

chigarev-syn. VAZ, door Sanych Forum messages. Vadon Forum messages. Vadon, x special ATP removed the hose of the small branch of the crankcase ventilation system, blew it out, washed it. Maksimka2 Forum messages.