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May, 2019
Signs That You Need to Replace Your Air Filter
A clean air filter keeps your car in working order, preventing contaminants and particles from entering the engine and causing damage. To maintain a healthy engine, it’s vital that you replace your air filter when it’s impaired.
But how do you know when your air filter needs a replacement? These are the symptoms that you need to be aware of.
The Symptoms of a Damaged or Clogged Air Filter
As your air filter collects billions of particles, it will become increasingly clogged until air can no longer pass into the engine efficiently. At this point, you are likely to notice signs that mean it’s time for a replacement.
Reduced Fuel Economy (Cars with Carburettors)
If your air filter is so clogged that air can’t pass through, only a limited amount of oxygen will mix with the fuel. This will force your vehicle to consume more fuel to produce power.
Note: newer cars with fuel-injected engines aren’t typically affected by fuel economy when the air filter is dirty. This is because these engines use computerised calculations to measure air intake and adjust fuel flow accordingly.
Difficulty Starting Your Engine
A dirty filter will restrict the air supply to the engine, causing soot to accumulate around the spark plug. This hinders combustion, causing difficulty in starting the engine, which may jerk or misfire.
Noisy Engine
If you notice excessive vibrations or hear unusual sounds coming from the engine, it’s possible that the air filter is clogged and damaging a spark plug.
Engine Light
If the engine light illuminates on the dashboard, it’s possible that the air filter is dirty and restricting air supply to the engine, causing carbon deposits.
However, the engine light can be triggered for a whole host of reasons.
Poor Acceleration
If your car jerks when you accelerate, your filter may be blocked, and your engine may not be receiving enough air.
Replacing your air filter can improve horsepower by up to 11%.
Dirty Exhaust Fumes
An inadequate air supply can prevent some of the fuel from burning. Unburnt fuel leaves the vehicle through the exhaust pipe. Contaminated exhaust fumes are usually accompanied by a strong odour.
If you notice black smoke, soot or flames coming from your exhaust, replace your air filter as a matter of urgency.
Why Does My Air Filter Need to Be Replaced?
Air filters deteriorate over time, but some factors and conditions can cause them to become damaged more quickly than expected:
- Oil or water may infect the air filter and impact its performance.
- Dusty/polluted conditions clog air filters more quickly than regular conditions.
- Loose filter mountings can cause damage to the filter.
Air filters are in constant use and undergo lots of wear and tear. To put it in perspective, most engines use approximately 10,000 gallons of air for each gallon of fuel burned.
gallons of air used for each gallon of fuel burned.
Servicing Your Air Filter
Checking and replacing your air filter is a simple ten-minute job that can be carried out on the driveway. Whether you self-service your filter or get it checked at a garage, the most cost-effective way to find a replacement is through a reliable, third-party supplier.
DIY Car Service Parts stock only the highest-quality car parts from OEM manufacturers at the lowest prices. To find quality air filters that will fit your vehicle, submit your number plate into our car lookup tool. We will recommend the filters that are best for your car, saving your time and costs.
All DIY car service parts are manufactured by trusted, high quality brands. Here are just a few of the brands that we stock.
About DIY Car Service Parts
Whether you’re changing your own car parts or saving costs by providing them to your local garage, DIY Car Service Parts is the ultimate site for easily identifying the vehicle parts that you need.
DIY Car Service Parts isn’t just about accessing car parts from the best brands at the lowest prices. With over 35 years’ experience in the automotive industry, we are experts in the car parts field. Our specialist team is on hand to answer any of your queries and offer valuable advice so that you can understand more about the ways that your car works and get savvy under the bonnet.
