As human beings need oxygen to breathe, a car needs oxygen to initiate the process of combustion. In a car’s engine, the air filter acts as a barricade between the “intake system & climate air” needed for the combustion of the fuel.

 A blocked air filter puts much load on the engine than normal, also its performance is affected. The function of the air filter is to prevent dust particles, debris, and small tiny insets, etc. from entering into the engine. Car air filters come in different shapes:

  • Circular panels
  • Cylindrical panels

They are made up of a “pleated” material that filters the air & may be of “cotton” or “synthetic paper”. The symptoms of air filter blockage make it easy to diagnose.

In this article, you will come across all the signs and symptoms of the air filter blockage in detail. After reading this you would surely be aware of all the signs and symptoms of air filter in blockage.

Read Also: How should you maintain a car interior?https://www.melbournecarwrecker.com.au/how-should-you-maintain-a-car-interior/

Diminished Power and acceleration:

for power generation, the engine needs a specific amount of air to mix with fuel to initiate the process of combustion. When the air filter is blocked the flow of air into the engine is not steady, it has some restrictions. Thus, the whole fault has a huge effect on power output.

In some cases when the car is in acceleration. Then engine requires a great amount of air, but as we mentioned earlier that blocked air restricts the flow of air into the engine. In extreme cases, the car does not even accelerate beyond certain limits due to air filter blockage.

Spitting & hindering:

An extreme level of blocked air filter can cause the sputtering and hindering in the working of the engine. When the engine can not filter air properly, it experiences a tremendous amount of air to mix it with fuel for the process of combustion.

This results in a weak combustion process.  An extreme air-fuel ratio a strong gasoline smell is generated from the exhaust system when the engine is running.

Fuel Economy:

Some older vehicles with carbureted engines will probably have a huge drop in fuel economy as compared to the newer ones.  As air filter is blocked, thus flow of air to the intake is restricted. Due to that engine cannot attain proper air-fuel ratio which results in reduced engine performance.

Whereas in that of modern cars processing fuel-injected engines would normally face a less drop in fuel’s economy.

Breathing Problems:

Engines usually work on the phenomenon of power generation through pulling in air and combining it with fuel for combustion. In other words, the more the engine breathes in (take air inside) the more will be the power generation. Due to that, it is believed that a blocked air filter will cause a tremendous effect on the economy of the fuel.

Performance loss:

During the time of intake in the process of combustion, the piston moves “down the cylinder” filling in air and the fuel.  Since hindrance occurs in the case of blocked airways, the pressure resulting from the cylinder’s downward force will take in less air. Due to less air available for combustion, the engine will usually generate less power.

Long-standing Issues:

The air filter fiber becomes decaying with the passage of time which allows small amounts of dirt particles to enter the engine. Given the high levels of heat and pressure in the cylinder, even minor dust particles can cause extensive damage to internal components.

We hope this article was useful to you and now you will be completely aware of the car’s filter, signs & symptoms of car’s air filter blockage.