Air filters play an important role in vehicle operation. Do you know about air filters? How should air filters be maintained and serviced?
The atmosphere contains three types of basic particulate pollutants with different densities, namely dust, residue, and carbon particles. If there is no filtering effect of the air filter, the engine will inhale a large amount of air containing dust and particles, resulting in severe cylinder wear of the engine; If the maintenance is not carried out for a long time during use, the filter element of the air filter will be covered with dust in the air, which will cause insufficient intake of the engine, incomplete fuel combustion, unstable engine operation, decreased power, and increased fuel consumption.
Therefore, regular maintenance of the air filter is crucial. On open highways, the dust content is lower than in rural and built-up areas. In areas with high dust concentration, such as construction sites and sandy areas, the inspection and replacement frequency of air filters should be higher.
Inspection and replacement of air filter:
1. Open the engine hood and confirm the position of the air filter (usually located on the right side of the engine compartment, above the right front wheel, in a black square plastic box connected to a thick and soft rubber hose with an arm).
2. When designing, the convenience for car owners to frequently disassemble and clean was taken into consideration. Generally, car models do not use screws to fix them. Simply pry open the two metal clips facing towards the rear of the car to lift the entire air filter box cover forward. Some car models also install screws on the clamp of the box cover. In this case, a suitable screwdriver needs to be selected to unscrew the screws on the air filter clamp.
3. Lift the entire air filter box cover forward.
4. Remove the air filter element and check for excessive dust. Gently tap the end face of the filter element and blow compressed air from the inside out to remove the dust from the filter element. Do not use gasoline or water to clean the brush. If the air filter is severely clogged, it needs to be replaced with a new one.
5. Before installing the air filter, it is necessary to confirm that there is no residual moisture in the air filter element and intake box.
6. When dismantling, it is important to remember the process in order to ensure smooth installation. If there are problems during installation, the cause should be identified and brute force should not be used.
Paper dry air filters are widely used in cars. When cleaning, the filter element should be taken outdoors and compressed air should be blown outwards from the inside of the filter element. At the same time, the filter element should be rotated and the blowing tube should be moved along the crease direction of the filter paper to completely blow away the dust accumulated in the filter element. When blowing, be careful not to place the blowing tube too close to the filter paper to avoid blowing through the filter paper; Do not use tapping the filter element to remove dust, as this can damage or deform the filter element. The external dirt of the filter element can be wiped off with a dry cloth, and the dust on the surface of the filter housing and the sealing installation plane can be wiped clean with a clean wet cloth.
When maintaining the air filter, carefully check the color and contrast of the filter paper on the inner and outer surfaces of the paper filter element. The outer surface of the used filter element in contact with the atmosphere is gray black due to the deposition of dust; The inner surface of the filter paper facing the intake duct should still present its natural color. If the dust on the outer surface of the filter is removed and the natural color of the filter paper can be revealed, the filter can continue to be used. When the outer surface of the filter element is cleaned of dust and its paper color no longer appears, or the color of the inner surface of the filter paper becomes darker, the filter element must be replaced.
The replacement cycle for different cars naturally varies, so there is no absolute standard because it depends on the amount of dust and impurities that the air filter absorbs. It is also an air filter that can only be replaced once every 30000 kilometers or even longer on a vehicle that has been driving on highways for a long time; For an off-road vehicle that travels between the countryside, it may need to be replaced within two months.
The driving time or mileage of the vehicle are only reference values, and the final factor determining whether the air filter needs to be replaced is whether it can no longer allow enough air to pass through.
The air filter should ensure the removal of impurities from the air and allow enough air to enter the engine. In fact, after working for a period of time, the air filter is more efficient than a new one because the impurities already adsorbed by the air filter can help it capture more tiny dust. Eventually, the air filter will still accumulate too much dust and affect the operation of the engine. At this point, the vehicle's fuel economy, power, and emissions will gradually deteriorate until you replace the air filter with a new one.
Normally, every car manufacturer and their authorized repair stations have a recommended replacement cycle for air filters. Car owners only need to follow the requirements. If there is a lot of dust on the road, the cleaning and replacement mileage of the air filter should be appropriately shortened. When replacing, try to go to a designated repair shop. If the car owner is accustomed to purchasing parts themselves, then the first thing to do is to figure out what model and material of air filter your car uses, and be sure to use high-quality air filter (specified by the manufacturer). When purchasing, it is important to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit air filters, and never use unqualified air filters on vehicles.