View LargeMaybe you have heard of car air filters, or the car repair shop suggests that you should replace them. But what are they? Why are they important to your car’s performance? We will answer these questions accurately for you. First of all, you shoud know that air filters are generally divided into cabin air filters and enigine air filters. We will also introduce in detail the difference between the cabin air filter and the engine air filter, and how often it should be replaced. All the questions you want to know about the air filter can be found here. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us by email.
What is air filter?
An air filter is a device that purifies the air. If dust, sand particles and various impurities in the air directly enter the engine cylinder and burn, they will accelerate the wear of the engine to reduce the service life of the engine and even cause serious damage to the engine.
The location of the air filter in the car is generally behind the front air intake grille. You can check the air filter yourself when you use the car. If you find it is dirty, you can take it out to clean or replace it.
Air filter Type
There are two types of air filters: dry and wet. The dry type is the most commonly used on car models. Its material is filter paper or non-woven fabric. In order to increase the air passage area, most of the filter elements are processed with many small folds. When the filter is slightly contaminated, it can be blown with compressed air. When the filter is seriously contaminated, it should be replaced with a new element in time. Generally speaking, there is no accurate replacement time for the air filter. It is determined according to the environment in which the vehicle is used. For details, please refer to the vehicle maintenance manual.
Bad Air Filter Causes
Problems that Occur when the Air Filter is Replaced Irregularly
If the filter is severely clogged, the air intake resistance will increase and the engine power will decrease. At the same time, due to the increase in air resistance, the trip computer will also determine the increase in the amount of gasoline that is inhaled, resulting in an excessively rich mixture ratio, which will worsen the engine’s operating state, increase fuel consumption, and easily generate carbon deposits.
Consequences of Using Unqualified Inferior Air Filters
A qualified air filter can ensure that the engine is working with the required amount of air intake, and at the same time can filter out foreign matter in the air, while the inferior filter element will cause the air intake to be too large or too small due to the poor quality of the material used. , It can’t even achieve the filtering effect, and the foreign matter in the environment can directly enter the engine, causing serious wear and tear on the engine.
In addition, the service life of the inferior air filter is also very short. Generally, it will be very dirty after several hundred kilometers, and the inferior filter will increase the air intake resistance and reduce the engine power. Or increase fuel consumption, and it is easy to produce coke.
What is Cabin Air Filter?
Cabin air filter, its function is to filter the outside air, filter dust, abrasive particles and other solid impurities in the air, absorb harmful substances and moisture in the air, so as to ensure that the air in the car is fresh and free of odor.
Cabin Air Filter Type
Cabin air filters are generally divided into two categories, ordinary air conditioning filters and activated carbon series air conditioning filters.
Ordinary air-conditioning filters are generally made of a specific environmentally friendly filter material after processing and folding, mostly white single-layer.
The activated carbon series cabin air filter is an activated carbon filter cloth made of non-manufactured fabric (non-woven fabric) on both sides with tiny granular activated carbon in the middle, and then deep-processed into an air-conditioning filter.
Ordinary cabin air filters can only inhibit the ingress of dust and particles. The activated carbon series cabin air filter can utilize the physical properties of the granular activated carbon itself to absorb other tiny objects and more harmful substances in the air during a short period of time when the air passes through the block.
Bad Cabin Air Filter Causes
The Harm of Not Replacing the Cabin Air Filter in time
The function of the cabin air filter is to filter the air, but after a long time of use, the air volume that the cabin air filter can filter is reduced. At this time, when we use the air conditioning system, we may feel that the wind blowing from the air outlet is not so strong. In addition, in a humid environment, the cabin air filter element is also prone to mold and breed bacteria, which leads to a musty or odor when the air conditioner is used. In addition, there may be activated carbon in the cabin air filter element, and the adsorption and filtration function of activated carbon will be reduced when used for a long time.
Therefore, the cabin air filter element needs to be replaced regularly, usually once a year.
Consequences of Using Unqualified Cabin Air Filters
Inferior cabin air filters, due to rough workmanship and bad material quality, it is difficult to filter out impurities, and inferior cabin air filters use ordinary paper, which is of poor quality and is prone to mold. This is very harmful to your body when you use the air conditioner. Similar to the air filter, the location of the cabin air filter in the car is generally in the passenger’s glove box in the car, and it is also more convenient to disassemble. You can check it yourself when you use the car.
