A dirty air filter can cause a variety of symptoms in your vehicle, from decreased fuel economy to engine misfires and rough idling. Most automotive companies recommend changing the air filter every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or every 12 months. However, if you normally drive in dusty or rural areas such as Scottsdale, Arizona or San Antonio, Texas, it's a good idea to have your mechanic check and change it more often, for example, every 6,000 miles. Driving in busy areas where there is a lot of traffic, including Los Angeles and Washington DC, making it stop and start more often also requires you to replace the air cleaner more often.
The most common symptom of a dirty air filter is poor engine performance, along with an engine check light on the dashboard. Flame or black smoke from the exhaust pipe, engine misfires, rough idling and hard starts can all be attributed to a clogged engine air filter. The dirty air filter restricts air supply to the engine, causing unburned fuel to form a soot residue that accumulates in the spark plug. This fouls the spark plug (s) and decreases its ability to produce the spark needed for the combustion process.
Decreased fuel economy is another clear sign of a faulty or dirty air filter. A dirty or bad air filter restricts airflow, which reduces oxygen in the mixture. Your engine compensates for this by consuming more fuel to produce enough power to move the same distance or speed as it could with a clean filter. Shortness of breath can also impair the performance of your vehicle, causing slow acceleration.
If you notice that your car responds slower than usual or moves abruptly when accelerating, this could indicate that your engine is not getting all the air it needs to run. Sometimes, you may also hear crackling or popping sounds coming from the engine when the air cleaner is dirty. Replacing the affected air filter and spark plugs will restore your engine's performance. A dirty air filter decreases the amount of air supplied to the engine.
This can cause an increase in unburned fuel that becomes soot residue. Soot can build up on the tips of the spark plugs, making them unable to produce a proper spark. In return, the car may move abruptly, idle and in some circumstances, the engine may fail. Replacing the air filter can improve acceleration or power by up to 11%. It is generally recommended to replace the engine air filter every 10,000 to 15,000 miles, or every 12 months.
But if you drive in dusty or crowded areas where traffic is heavy, causing you to stop and start frequently, change it more often - every 6,000 miles. Most vehicles also have a cabin air filter that is used to clean the air entering the interior of the car but it has a different maintenance program than an engine air filter. Unless your engine air filter is spotless or barely dirty, it's OK to leave it on but it's always up to you. If the air quality in your area is poor, it's obvious that you'll need to change the air filter much sooner. A clogged air filter on an older model vehicle will essentially cause the engine to run poorly since the system has no mechanism to quantify the amount of air flowing resulting in a cascade of events starting from a rich condition that reduces mileage causes misfires and even causes potential damage to some components. Therefore for safe and optimal performance of your engine make sure to address dirty air filter symptoms immediately and always have a clean air filter in place. A visual inspection of your air filter in bright light will show a lot of dirt but not all tiny particles can be easily seen. A clogged air filter can be avoided by changing the air filter approximately every 12,000 miles depending on driving habits.
Car air filters clean the air inside the vehicle ensuring that passengers inhale clean and safe oxygen. Running your car without an air filter allows dirt leaves debris insects and a multitude of air pollutants to enter. A new air filter is white or off-white while a dirty air filter will appear darker with visible dirt and debris. The faulty air filter will not allow enough air which in turn will mark the engine control unit to match the fuel accordingly resulting in delayed throttle response and overall weak engine performance. If you notice unusual noises in particular a coughing clicking or spitting noise this suggests that the engine does not receive enough airflow which means that the air filter needs to be replaced. It is important to note that replacing a dirty engine air filter with a new clean one can improve engine acceleration.
