The Importance of Changing the Engine Air Filter

The air filter has been made better and could last longer through technology and advancement. Back in the day, when you had a clogged-up air filter, it meant that you were wasting gas because you were choking the engine. Today, that does not apply.

You might debris in your air filter, and it might affect your car’s performance, but it does not affect fuel economy. The reason is that once the air passes the air filter, it goes through the mass air flow sensor, which senses the amount of air that passes through it. From there, it takes the signal of the amount of moving air that passes and sends it into the computer, which in-turn matches the amount of fuel being delivered into the engine to the amount of air going into it. As air flow is reduced by the debris in the air filter, fuel is reduced by the mass air flow sensor, so you don’t waste fuel. Still, it is important to check the condition of the air filter.

One needs to check the car’s air filters a couple of times a year, looking for debris in their pleats.  A car engine air filter is supposed to be changed or serviced every 15,000 miles. The type of road being used determines how dirty your air filter will be like. On a dusty road, the air filter will have a lot of dust, rocks among other debris, while the vehicles used on tarmac roads will have little dust or debris in the air filter.

Grit can pass through an old air filter into the air filter housing which can go directly into the engine; therefore, checking the air filter can help one to clean dirt in the housing before replacing the old air filter. Once you see a noticeable build-up, you replace them since it will be difficult to clean even with the best car vacuum.

Still, there are people who prefer cleaning old air filter than replacing them with new air filters. However, the job can’t be done even with the best car vacuum.  They must use compressed air to clean the debris from the pleats and finally return the air filter to its housing.  This is one option of improving the car performance, but there is a high chance that the debris can pass to the air housing unit then to the engine after the cleanup. It is better to replace the engine air filter than cleaning one because with this, there is an assurance that the engine breathes safely.

It is very simple to replace an air filter; one does not need to go to a car mechanic. They are easily accessible in the engine. One only needs to open a latch and open the housing. The filter is then pulled out. If there is any debris in the housing, it is cleaned. One needs to make sure that the rim of the housing is clean before you replace it with a new air filter. While replacing, one needs to make sure that the labeling of the front and up are in the right positions. Match the top and bottom cover and slid towards you to align.

Air filters are cheap to purchase but the prices are different depending on the model of the car. Some cars have two engine air filters like the BMW, so make sure that you purchase the right air filter for your model.

The job of the engine air filter is to filter contaminants from outside the vehicle before it gets into the engine and also provide the proper oxygen levels for the engine to run efficiently. Change of a dirty air filter to a clean air filter leads to better fuel mileage and makes the engine breathe better. A clogged air filter, on another hand, can hamper you from getting the ideal fuel mileage that you are looking for and also hinders the car’s performance. So, if you want to have your car perform to its optimum, do the things you need to do in order to maintain it. Make sure everything from the filter to brakes work.