Strainers
Stainers
Generally, a strainer performs a very similar task that an oil filter does — to remove contaminants as oil passes through — but at a completely different scale.
A strainer ensures that the oil going into the oil pump is free from impurities. It traps larger particles, preventing them from entering other components within the system. Strainers are much less flow restrictive than most filters. Strainers are employed to capture much larger contaminants i.e. objects of approximately 40 microns or greater.
40 microns is the lower limitation of what is visible to the naked eye. In reality, if particles can easily be seen, they should be trapped by a strainer. The typical application of a strainer allows it to be cleaned relatively easily and reused.
In most cases, strainers are seen in suction lines into a pump. If suction pressure (toward a vacuum) is increased due to flow restriction, it can result in pump damage via cavitation.
Unclogged strainers can be quite effective in this application. However, as soon as the strainer surface area becomes compromised with high levels of larger contaminants (resulting in higher flow restriction), pump problems may occur.