The Air Filter

From our science class at school most of us can remember that combustion requires three things. air, fuel and spark.  Air is the focus of this discussion.

What is the quality of the air outside your vehicle?  Is it full of smoke?  Is it full of pollen?  Is it dusty?

People who suffer with hay fever can tell you that there is plenty in the air that you cannot see. The function of the engine’s air filter is to clean that air before it enters the engine to mix with the fuel in order to be burned.

Without the filter the inside of your engine would be extremely dirty with all the gunk that is burned in the cylinders. In fact for every 1 gallon of fuel the engine burns it requires 12,000 gallons of air. That little filter does a huge job. Little wonder that the air filter gets dirty and needs to be replaced.

Consider the vacuum cleaner. When the bag becomes full of dust and dirt, your cleaner doesn’t clean as efficiently because it cannot move enough air to create a good suction. The engine air filter is exactly the same. The engine cannot get enough air to burn the fuel efficiently; resulting in less power and wasted fuel. Consequently the manufacturer of your car recommends changing the air filter at regular intervals. And of course the conditions you drive in will affect how fast it gets dirty. If you drive in an environment where there are lots of dust and pollution, you may need to change the filter even more often.

A badly soiled air filter affects your fuel economy. Many people find that a new air filter will pay for itself in fuel savings even before the next oil change.  Premium air filters are also available that can increase your horse power and torque. If extra horsepower is more important to you, a premium air filter could be the cheapest way for you to achieve that.
Remember - the better your car breathes the better it performs. At Total Care Auto. We inspect your air filter with every regular service.