A lot of drivers don’t think about or know much about their vehicle’s air intake system and why it’s important for a car’s maintenance. In general, this system guides air to your engine, which needs that oxygen for the combustion process. When the intake systems allow clean and continuous air through the engine, your vehicle works better. When dirt, debris, or other contaminants reach your engine, they begin to wear down the parts. Plus, when the filter gets clogged, the engine has to work harder. Drivers will often see a loss of power/acceleration and worse gas mileage as a result.
To help drivers understand the system, we’ll go over two important parts of the air intake system, which most commonly need some kind of maintenance.
Engine Filter
This is how your car’s engine “breathes.” As mentioned earlier, when this filter gets clogged, it can cause many issues for the engine. It’s important to regularly maintain it so you get peak performance and avoid accelerated wear and tear. In extreme cases, an engine filter that hasn’t been replaced in a long time could cause costly repairs. Drivers should replace or have their service shop replace the air filter every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. If you notice a decrease in gas mileage, ignition problems, rough idling, or a loss of acceleration, then you might need to replace it earlier than the recommendation.
Air Filter Hose
Whether or not your filter is working correctly, debris in the air filter hose can cause series engine problems. Air intake hoses send controlled air to the combustion engine, but that air can be compromised if there’s a hole, leak, or the hose has come loose. If the hose isn’t getting enough air to the engine due to a leak, then drivers may notice their car has a fast or rough idle. That can put strain on your engine if the air intake hose isn’t fixed or replaced. In more extreme cases, like debris entering the intake hose or the engine isn’t getting enough air for long periods, it can even cause your car to stall out. This confuses a lot of drivers when they’re stalled on the side of the road and checking their engine because the typical problems aren’t the cause.
If you have noticed any of these issues or deal with a sudden stall in the future, the experts at Superior Service Center can help. We have locations in Eagan, MN and Apple Valley, MN.