Air Filter Basics: What You Need to Know

An air filter is an integral part of your car’s engine that, if left unchanged, after a time it will reduce your gas mileage, horsepower, and even end up costing you more in gas money. The air filter helps to keep dust and debris out of the engine, ensuring a proper gas to air ratio that runs your car. When it is not changed, it gets extremely clogged and can affect the way your engine runs. As a rule, you should change your air filter every 8000 miles. If you live in a very sandy or dusty climate, consider changing it more often.

There are several components to an air filter. This article is intended to give you a run down of how an air filter works.

Filter housing:
This is the exterior unit that contains the air filter. Usually, it is made of black plastic. On older cars, it is probably made out of metal.

Air box:
Also called the air intake chamber, this is the portion of the air filter into which air is drawn. From here, it is channeled down hoses to the carburetor.

Air intake hose:
Once air is drawn into the air box from the outside, it is delivered via the air intake hose or hoses into the carburetor. In the case of fuel injection engines, the hose is connected to the intake ports.

Air pump filter:
This is the actual filter that sits in the filter housing. Made of a felt-like material that is positioned like an accordion within plastic caps. Filters come in various shapes depending on the make and model of the car, but usually they are oval shaped, round or rectangular.

Air filter seal:
This piece works the same as any gasket. It sits between the air pump filter and the housing cover to ensure the air that comes into the air box does not escape, so that the engine receives the air it needs to operate. It should match exactly the air pump filter so as to make a perfect fit.

Cold air intake:
This is used to bring colder air into the engine to lower overall temperature and increase performance. It generally sits on top of the engine block and can be augmented to increase a car’s power.

Air temperature sensor:
An air temperature sensor is used only with fuel-injected automobiles. It is designed to detect changes in the air temperature. When the air becomes warmer, it is less dense, and so it tells the fuel injector to use less fuel.

Air cleaner cover:
This component of the air filter is the cover to the housing that contains the filter and the seal. It keeps the pump filter in place.

Knowing how the air filter works on your car is important because it is a vital component of your engine. Without proper air intake, your engine is forced to use excess gas to keep running, your car loses power, and you will be hit with high gas costs due to decreased mileage.