Changing your air filter is an important part of your car’s maintenance. An Air Filter cleans the air that is taken to the combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel and ignited. It takes from 9 to 10 thousand gallons of air for each gallon of fuel that propels today’s cars. The only way for air to enter the engine is through the air intake after passing through the air filter. But if the air filter is dirty, four things can happen, all of them bad: clogging and dirtying the air flow sensor, reduced engine power, decreased throttle response and increased engine wear.
Fast Facts
1. Most manufacturers recommend replacing your air filter every 7,500 miles.
2. An air filter should never be tamped or blown with compressed air in an attempt to clean it. This can expand the size of the openings in the filter letting dirt through and result in the introduction of dirt through the airflow sensor, possibly damaging it, and into the engine.
3. Generally speaking, a slightly dusty look confirms that the air filter is working –hold the filter up to a light, the less light you can see through it, the more likely it is time to change.
4. Gaskets provide a tight seal to ensure that only filtered air reaches the engine. If the gasket on the filter is damaged you should change it.