TeamThe air filter in your car may not appear to be a component that you need to maintain or replace regularly. Still, the truth is that it is essential to the efficient operation of your vehicle. The air filter stops dust and other small particles from entering the engine and causing severe harm.
You probably already knew that maintaining your car’s air filter improves fuel efficiency, but did you realize that it also results in an extension of the life of the engine? However, that’s not the only benefit; in this article, we’ll go over more reasons why it’s crucial to have the air filter in your car clean and the warning indications that your vehicle need a new air filter.
Why You Need To Maintain The Air Filter In Your Car
1. Enhanced Fuel Efficiency
Replacing a clogged air filter might enhance fuel economy and acceleration. When you realize this, it makes sense to update the air filter as soon as possible. A clogged or broken air filter restricts the quantity of air entering your car’s engine, making it work harder and consume more gasoline. Because your engine requires more than 10,000 gallons of oxygen to burn every liter of petrol, this airflow mustn’t be restricted.
2. Reduced Emissions
Dirty or broken air filters limit airflow to the engine, altering the air-fuel balance in your vehicle. This imbalance can clog spark plugs, causing increased engine depositions. More significantly, the imbalance directly influences your car’s exhaust emissions, contributing to pollution in your surroundings.
3. Extends Engine Life
Even a substance as small as a grain of sand can get through an air filter and damage internal engine components such as cylinders and pistons. This damage can be expensive to fix. Because of this, it is essential to change your car’s air filter routinely. A clean air filter is intended to trap dirt and particles from the outside air, keeping them from entering the combustion chamber and lowering the probability of a significant repair expense.
Signs You Need A New Air Filter In Your Car
1. It Has A Grimy Appearance
This is the most obvious sign that the air filter in your car needs to be replaced, so go ahead and have it done. A clean air filter will have an off-white hue and will not have any dirt or debris trapped in the folds of its material.
On the other hand, a dirty air filter will have a hue somewhere between gray and brown, and you will most likely be able to see dirt lodged between the layers of cloth. This dirt restricts the passage of oxygen to the engine, causing the engine to overheat.
2. Your Car Doesn’t Have As Much Power
To generate the horsepower it needs to operate at its peak level, the engine in your vehicle requires a certain proportion of gasoline and oxygen. If you find that your vehicle is difficult to start from a stop or that it does not seem to gain speed as quickly as it did in the past, the problem may be the air filter.
3. You’re Paying More At The Pump
When the air filter in your engine becomes clogged, the engine has to work harder to create the same amount of power, and it does this by burning more fuel. Consequently, you’ll find that you need to put fuel in your car far more frequently than you did before.
4. Tailpipe Emits Flames Or Smoke
Excess gasoline that escapes the exhaust when there is a filthy or clogged air filter might temporarily ignite or cause black smoke to stream out of the tailpipe when you start your automobile. That is not normal and should never occur in a properly operating car.
5. The Warning Light For The Vehicle’s Engine Comes On
The presence of the “check engine” light on your dashboard might, of course, point to other issues with your vehicle; but, an inadequate supply of oxygen is likely the primary issue. You won’t know what the problem is until the light has been diagnosed, so taking it to a repair shop will inform you if the air filter needs to be replaced or not.
Conclusion
You can easily prevent future expensive repairs if you regularly clean the air filter. If you don’t properly maintain your vehicle, you may find yourself in the market for a replacement vehicle sooner than you anticipated.
Do regular car maintenance if you want to keep your car in peak condition permanently, and we hope the reason to keep your car air filter clean mentioned here can guide you.
Check out our motoring section to discover more fascinating topics such as How to find the right car dealership and many more.
