When an air filter is functioning correctly, you never notice it. It prevents dirt, bugs, dust, and other particles from entering your engine. But as it works continuously, it gets clogged with debris, which can adversely affect the performance of your vehicle.
Affecting Performance
A clogged air filter blocks air from entering your engine, preventing it from achieving the correct air-to-fuel ratio. It starts to function inefficiently, using up more gas while increasing pollution. Engine power diminishes, the throttle does not respond as quickly, and acceleration becomes weak. Your engine wears down more quickly.
The easy solution to this problem is to replace your air filter.
Noticing the Signs
You generally need to replace your air filter every 12,000 to 15,000 miles or 12 months, depending on the car model that you drive. But if you do a lot of driving in the desert or dusty areas of California, you may need the replacement more frequently, such as at 6,000 miles.
You can also change the filter outside of the recommended schedule if you notice the following issues.
• The filter is dirty. New filters are spotlessly white. As they age, they become dotted with dirt and may turn gray or black. The darker your filter is, the more air it blocks.
• Your check engine light comes on. This light may indicate a variety of problems including a loose fuel cap or a faulty oxygen sensor. But it may also reveal that your engine has impurities that prevent air from entering and mixing properly with the fuel. Our service techs can quickly determine why the light is on by examining the code.
• You hear strange noises. If you’ve been driving regularly, you’re familiar with how smoothly an engine sounds as you go down the highway. If it starts to cough or sputter as the car shakes or rattles, a clogged filter may be preventing enough air from reaching the combustion chamber.
• The engine misfires. If the engine does not get enough air because of a dirty air filter, it may leave fuel unused, which eventually turns into soot. This residue can build up on spark plug tips, stopping them from delivering the correct spark. Your car can jerk unexpectedly while its engine misfires.
• Flames or black smoke spews from your exhaust pipe. Because of the lack of clean air, the fuel does not burn completely during combustion. The remaining unburnt fuel leaves your vehicle through the tailpipe as flames or soot-filled black smoke.
• You smell gasoline even if you’re not near a gas station. That odor is coming from unburnt fuel that is leaving your vehicle through the tailpipe.
• Mileage goes down. This is typically only a problem on older vehicles that relies on carburetors to mix air and fuel at the correct ratio for internal combustion. If the engine isn’t getting sufficient clean air, it compensates by using up more gas to produce the power it needs. New vehicles with fuel injection rely on a computer to mix air and fuel at the correct ratio. It can automatically manage gasoline flow to create the correct ratio when the engine doesn’t receive enough clean air.
• You can’t accelerate properly. Acceleration is sluggish when you step on the pedal to overtake another car. This may mean that your engine isn’t receiving enough clean air to maintain its performance.
Replacing the Air Filter
Air filters used to be positioned in easily accessible places under the hood. You could then easily replace them as needed. Today, these filters are usually hidden away in areas that are hard to reach as a way to save space or improve design. Such filters are difficult to change by yourself.
The factory-certified techs at Giant Cadillac in Visalia, CA, can easily perform this task for you. If you bring your car in at the manufacturer-specified schedule, your air filter is changed at the right intervals without you’re having to ask. We rely only on approved parts to keep your engine functioning to its original specifications.
If you have any questions about air filters or need one replaced, please give us a call. We can provide answers and schedule an appointment for you to come down.
