What is the purpose of an air filter?
2 Answers
The function of an air filter: To filter out particulate impurities in the air, ensuring that a sufficient amount of clean air enters the cylinders, and preventing floating dust in the air from being sucked into the engine, which would accelerate the wear of the piston group and cylinders. According to the car's maintenance manual, the air filter should generally be replaced every 10,000 to 20,000 kilometers or every other maintenance interval. However, it is recommended to clean the air filter every 5,000 kilometers to reduce the formation of throttle sludge. The position of the car's air filter element varies depending on the intake form and the engine structure. It is usually located in the air filter on the engine intake pipe. There are two types of air filters in cars: dry and wet. The dry type is made of paper or organic materials, while the wet type is made of metal mesh. Air filter: It is a type of filter, also known as an air filter cartridge, air cleaner, or style. It is mainly used in engineering vehicles, cars, agricultural vehicles, laboratories, sterile operating rooms, and various precision operating rooms as an air filter. During operation, the engine needs to suck in a large amount of air. If the air is not filtered, the suspended dust in the air will be sucked into the cylinders, accelerating the wear of the piston group and cylinders. Larger particles entering between the piston and cylinder can cause severe cylinder scoring, which is particularly serious in dry and sandy working environments. The air cleaner is installed in front of the carburetor or intake pipe to filter out dust and sand particles in the air, ensuring that a sufficient amount of clean air enters the cylinders. Using an overly dirty air filter while driving can cause insufficient air intake into the engine, leading to incomplete fuel combustion, resulting in unstable engine operation, reduced power, and increased fuel consumption. Therefore, it is essential to keep the air filter clean. The car's air cleaner is a device that removes particulate impurities from the air, consisting of one or several components that clean the air. Its main function is to filter out harmful impurities in the air before it enters the cylinders to reduce early wear of the cylinders, pistons, piston rings, valves, and valve seats. Therefore, before air enters the cylinders, it must first pass through the fine filtration of the air cleaner. An overly dirty air cleaner can cause poor engine performance, excessive fuel consumption, and engine damage. When inspecting the air cleaner, if it is found to have little dust and is lightly clogged, it can be cleaned by blowing high-pressure air from the inside out and continue to be used. An excessively dirty air cleaner should be replaced promptly.
As someone who frequently drives long distances, I've found that the air filter is truly the guardian angel of the engine! It acts like a big mask, specifically filtering the incoming air. When the engine operates, it needs to intake air to burn fuel, but the air is full of dust, pollen, and tiny particles. Without proper filtration, these contaminants would enter the cylinders, causing wear on the pistons and cylinder walls, leading to performance degradation and increased fuel consumption over time. Once, I neglected to replace it, and my car struggled to accelerate while emitting black smoke from the exhaust. A trip to the repair shop revealed the filter was completely clogged. Normally, it should be replaced every 15,000 kilometers or based on environmental conditions—for example, when driving on dusty highways, I check it every six months. Maintenance is simple; you can either do it yourself or have a shop handle it, ensuring the engine stays clean and healthy for a more worry-free drive. For long-term peace of mind, don’t wait until problems arise before taking action.
